Tesla at Genesee? No, it's not a retro tour
Tesla might have been unfairly categorized from the start.
It was the mid-1980s, and hair metal was rampant. Tesla paid homage, touring with David Lee Roth and Poison but sticking with a look not quite so teased and sprayed. And while the California band didn't shy away from the slick production that so much of their contemporaries' music had, there was more to it.
Tesla's music was more organic, more steeped in rock tradition than flashy solos. And since then, the band has been doing its best to keep it fresh.
"The key to the band is we've done our own thing," said bassist Brian Wheat. "We do what we do, and that's all we know."
Perhaps that's why they're still around today when so many of the people in the "scene" are gone or not thriving. The band has almost all of its original members, and is still on the road promoting its 2008 album "Forever More." On Friday, April 17, they'll make a stop at the Genesee Theatre in Waukegan.
"We have never been a band to ride on our laurels," Wheat said. "We don't ride on the hits; we still keep making new records."
The band has tried to stick to that creed. Wheat says the band has been offered spots on several tours in recent years, similar to the 2008 collaboration of Journey, Heart and Cheap Trick or this summer's tour with Poison, Def Leppard and Cheap Trick.
But Tesla isn't trying to be the band it once was, said Wheat, who didn't want to join the tours.
"We're not a nostalgia act," Wheat said. "Right now we can play anywhere from 1,000 to 4,000 seaters on our own."
In fact, Wheat said, the band is pretty pleased with how "Forever More" has been doing, especially some of the songs like "I Wanna Live" and "Fallin' Apart" that have gotten radio play.
Now, plans are to tour behind the album at least through spring 2010.
"It's only been about six months since it has been out there," Wheat said. "There's still a lot of life left in it."
Then, it's into the studio to work on another record. Wheat said the days of five or six years between studio records are officially over for the band. Guitarist Tommy Skeoch left the group in 2006, but the other founding members remain, along with new guitarist Dave Rude.
"We're on a roll now, and we're not going to have negativity stop us now," Wheat said. "We're not in the position we were in four years ago. You'll be seeing a new studio album sooner than later."
Wheat is looking forward to the Waukegan show, partly because his brother grew up in the area and partly because, after more than two decades of performing, it's still great to be on stage.
"It's the fan's reaction that the songs get," Wheat said. "They want to hear it, and it's great to see the crowd go crazy."
Tesla
When: 8 p.m. Friday, April 17
Where: The Genesee Theatre, 203 N. Genesee St., Waukegan
Tickets: $32.50 and $52.50
Info: (800) 982-2787