Tesla is a unique band in the sense that they have been able to find fame, break up, regroup and regain success, replace a fan favorite band member, retain their fan base and move forward, creating valid new music and keeping tickets selling fast enough to continue to tour the world. The band were not media darlings and have never been as popular in the public eye as many of the bands of the same era. However, circa 2009 Tesla is still headlining shows while many of their contemporaries are playing bars. The reason they have maintained their status is simple... It is the music.

Tesla is touring the world on the strength of their latest release titled Forevermore. The band have, once again, released a collection of new music that is daring enough to keep themselves interested yet familiar enough to thrill the fan base. Tesla is tired of the music business yanking their chains so the band’s business affairs are now run by guitarist Frank Hannon and bass player Brian Wheat.

Hannon is an amazingly talented guitar player who is the total package. He is well versed at the craft of songwriting. One needs to look no further than the band’s biggest hit "Love Song" to know that. He is also an amazing lead guitar player as the opening to "Modern Day Cowboy" attests to. Hannon can handle just about anyone’s licks as Tesla’s covers album Real-to-Reel proves. When not playing in Tesla, Hannon has his own self-titled band where he lets all the stops out and plays with wild abandon. Recently, Frank proved his wares in front of his contemporaries at the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) show in California at The House of Blues. The audience of guitarists were blown away at Frank’s skills. As a genuine tip of the hat to his talents, Jim Marshall, the creator of Marshall Amplifiers took that stage with Frank that evening. In this interview, Frank discusses the new album, the band’s latest addition, guitarist Dave Rude, and his recent visit with Randy Rhoads' mother.

Frank Hannon is a guitarist, a rock star and a true fan of music. His love of the guitar oozes out of every pore of his body. He lives for his band and will continue to put all of his heart and soul into his music, forevermore.

Frank: You were there? Terry Marshall played sax with me that night. He brought his sax all the way from England just so he could sit in with me. Nico McBrain was there too.

Frank: There is a lot more room to go crazy and not worry about lyrics [laughing]. There are no time constraints. Don’t get me wrong, I love the craft of writing a song. With Tesla, some of the songs have lasted for twenty years. Jeff Keith is one of my favorite singers of all time. He is a naturally gifted vocalist and when I hear his voice it gives me chills. When I get the chance to step out and do my first love, which is playing guitar, then I try to have as much fun as I can and play what I want to play without anybody telling me what to do.

Frank: It was totally independent. I did it that way on purpose; I didn’t want a deal. I thought about it and I talked to an A/R guy. As soon as he started telling me what I had to do then I knew I didn’t want a deal. I didn’t want anybody telling me what to do. I don’t want to be controlled. It didn’t really sell that much but I didn’t care because I just did it as an outlet. I am going to re-record that whole CD, live in the studio. It was really just a demo that I did on my computer and it didn’t come out as live as I wanted it too.

Frank: We have taken over total control for about three years now. Comin’ Atcha Live, the DVD, was the first product we put out since Brian Wheat and myself took over the business affairs of the band. It is challenging to balance business, home life and the music; it is crazy. We’re busier now than ever but I wouldn’t trade it for anything. In the past, we had a lot of different managers who told us a lot of different stories. It would take us forever to get paid. We were also told many times that we couldn’t do the things that we wanted to do. For example, we have a video out for the song "Falling Apart." We directed, wrote and scripted the entire thing, ourselves, for seven thousand dollars. It is like a mini-movie.

I had an idea for "Hang Tough" where we would be on top of a skyscraper and there would be helicopters flying over us and there would be search lights going off. The manger and the director told me that I couldn’t do that. Six months later, the same director and manager put out the same video that I wrote for Guns ‘n’ Roses "Don’t Cry" video. That should have been the "Hang Tough" video. These days, those type of things don’t happen to us. We do what we want to do.

Frank: Things get done. We know it will get done and it gets done. We used to wait for things to get done and they never got done. If they don’t get done now then it is totally our own fault.

Frank: Into the Now was our first album from recovering from being broke up. It was us searching for a sound again. I still think that it is a great album. You remember an album by the songs that are on it. Into the Now had some great songs like "Miles Away," "Caught In a Dream" and "Come to Me." I think that album had some brilliant songs on it.

Frank: Hey, that is a good thing because this is our latest CD. You always strive to get better. The big difference on this one is that Terry Thomas produced it. He really helped us a lot. He coached us through the process and got things done quickly. When you make a record in that period of time then it is more cohesive, like you just said. Into the Now stretched out, it took us a long time to make it.

Frank: We play that song live and it goes over great. It seems like it is going to be a staple for us. It has a cool vibe.

Frank: The one who does that is Jeff, our singer. I like many different styles of music. I can come up with a jazz song but it is not going to pass through the filter. When we collaborate, it really is a group effort. It is a democracy and we vote on things; that is what makes it a team. If I brought in a jazz fusion song, it would not make the cut.

Frank: Without a doubt we are more of a team now more than ever. We have been through so many ups and downs that we now appreciate the band more. We don’t have the person in the band anymore that was causing the majority of the problems. We have Dave Rude in the band now, who makes a positive contribution to the team. It is really a combination of a lot of things.

Frank: He was right there with us. All five of us were in there with the producer. We would all throw ideas back and forth with each other. We would bring an idea in and we would spend a day on it. Dave was an equal part of all of that. He is a member of the band, no doubt. He is not a hired gun; he is a Tesla member.

Frank: People struggle with change when it comes to bands. The majority of our fans know it was a much needed change.

Frank: There is a difference between having a beer or a glass of wine and laying butt ass naked on the side of the road, unable to stand up—there is a big difference. After being stalled so much, you have to draw the line.

Frank: Dave can hold his own, he is fucking great. It didn’t come easy. I look at it like this: I gave Tommy Skeoch so many freaking chances—over and over and over again. We went through the ringer. I think the Karma Gods looked down and said, "You guys have been through so much, I am going to give you Dave Rude."

I flew to LA and I auditioned a guy there and we had others try out. My band, The Frank Hannon Band, that you saw open for Schenker, one night, I had five guitar players sit in with me. They didn’t know it but I was auditioning them for Tesla. I found Dave on the computer and he came down and sat in and he was a Godsend. He fit in and it was perfect, I was jumping up and down for two weeks.

Frank: I think you have to pace yourself. Instead of breaking up, we should have just taken a break. We never took a break and it took a toll. Now, we tour for a month and we go home for a month. We try to maintain a healthy balance. So many bands make the mistake of breaking up instead of taking a break from each other. We have learned from our mistakes—we keep making mistakes but we learn from them now.

Frank: We still have problems like anybody else. We are the kind of band where we are really not a household name. I just watched this commercial for this Heavy Metal 80's compilation that is coming out. It has Twisted Sister, Poison, Ratt and Warrant on there but there was no Tesla. We have a loyal fan base that is really dedicated and faithful to us.

Frank: Right . . . right . . . I guess so, man. We have a taste of Metal integrity because we have a lot Metal riffs in there but we also have a lot of Blues and heart and soul. It is not just a fly by night kind of thing.

Frank: No way dude, Loverboy was huge. They were big influences in the early 80's, man. Fuck, I respect my elders and influences man. Do you like Randy Rhoads?

Frank: I am on a huge Randy Rhoads kick right now. I love Randy Rhoads. I remember the day he died; I might have even cried. We used to play "Crazy Train" and "I Don’t Know" when we were kids. My son plays Guitar Hero, and now he is starting to play guitar, and he comes to me and says, "Dad, Randy Rhoads is my favorite." It tripped me out because he was my favorite when I was fourteen.

I have been rediscovering Randy Rhoads' guitar licks again. He was only twenty-four when he died. He created so much and had such musical knowledge. His chord changes on "Diary of a Madman" are just timeless to me. Listen to "Believer" and the way that it started out. Every song he played was beautiful and demonic at the same time.