{"id":17063,"date":"2017-05-03T01:00:49","date_gmt":"2017-05-03T05:00:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/southeastofheaven.com\/?p=17063"},"modified":"2017-05-02T09:26:13","modified_gmt":"2017-05-02T13:26:13","slug":"interview-with-teslas-frank-hannon-we-realize-how-lucky-we-are-to-be-able-to-continue-to-do-this-35-years-later-we-hit-rock-bottom-and-youve-got-to-go-through-it-to-get-t","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.southeastofheaven.com\/?p=17063","title":{"rendered":"Interview with Tesla\u2019s Frank Hannon: \u201cWe realize how lucky we are to be able to continue to do this 35 years later. We hit rock bottom and you\u2019ve got to go through it to get through it. The hard times definitely make you appreciate the good times.”"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"ImageTesla is hands down one of my favorite bands from the 80\u2019s.\u00a0 The band was very much a working class hard rock band whose roots were deeply embedded in the heart and soul of American rock n\u2019 roll.\u00a0 In a time where most of their peers were making then trendy and now somewhat forgettable music, 30 years later Tesla\u2019s music sounds timeless and classic.\u00a0 The band continues to put out new music and to tour pleasing both old fans and new fans alike.\u00a0<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

On a recent tour stop, lead guitarist\/songwriter Frank Hannon took some time out to talk with me about the band\u2019s new album, touring, why it\u2019s important to continue to make new music, and all else in between.\u00a0 Frank was a truly fantastic person to talk with and it was an honor to get the chance to speak with one of my all time favorites.\u00a0 Enjoy!<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Frank, thank you so much for taking the time to do this interview today!<\/strong><\/p>\n

No problem at all, Don.\u00a0 Thanks for having me.<\/p>\n

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Tesla has really experienced quite the renaissance over the past few years and I have to say that it\u2019s been great to see you guys getting so much love.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Thanks.\u00a0 Yeah, the past couple of years we\u2019re really built up a lot of momentum and it\u2019s been going really good.<\/p>\n

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I had the pleasure of talking to Jeff the last time so I\u2019ll tell you the same thing.\u00a0 I wish I could go back to my 15 year old self and tell me that I\u2019d be talking to you today.<\/strong><\/p>\n

[laughs] That\u2019s great, man.\u00a0 Thank you.<\/p>\n

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I have to ask you.\u00a0 What is one question that you get asked so much that if you hear it again you\u2019ll scream?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Oh shit, probably \u201cHow\u2019s the tour going?\u201d [laughs]\u00a0 Actually, \u201cHow did you get the name of the band?\u201d\u00a0 I mean, by now I would think that by now people would sort of know that we named our band after Nikola Tesla, the inventor [laughs].\u00a0 Now there\u2019s a car named after him.\u00a0 He was an electrical genius.<\/p>\n

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Along with Iron Maiden and their literary references, you guys definitely earned me a lot of extra credit in high school with my knowledge of Nikola Tesla.<\/strong><\/p>\n

[Laughs] Right on.\u00a0 The thing about it is that we had never heard of Nikola Tesla.\u00a0 When were in the studio working on our first album, one of our friends had a book about Nikola Tesla called Man out of Time.\u00a0 The fact that Nikola Tesla had changed the world and he had been written out of the history books was so fascinating to us.\u00a0 There\u2019s a lot of stuff they don\u2019t teach you in school and a lot of stuff they do teach in school is pretty bogus but that\u2019s a whole other subject [laughs].<\/p>\n

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The last time Tesla was on the road, you guys were touring for the album, Simplicity which was definitely a return to form for you guys.\u00a0 What was it about that album that found you going back to where it all began?<\/strong><\/p>\n

We worked on that album with Tom Zugat and he really encouraged us to keep everything organic and simple.\u00a0 He was the A&R guy at Geffen Records who first signed us to the label when we were first starting out so he really took us back to our roots.\u00a0 He encouraged us to keep it live in the studio.\u00a0 He was also a guy that encouraged us to do the album Reel to Reel which was keeping it real and recorded live in the studio to tape.\u00a0 That was kind of his direction.<\/p>\n

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Was it a comfortable direction for you?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yeah.\u00a0 For me, it\u2019s the direction I personally like; playing live and jamming in a room and keeping it simple and spontaneous.<\/p>\n

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How is that direction changing now that you are working on a new album with Phil Collen (Def Leppard guitarist)?<\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u2019s funny that we segued into this question because the direction that we\u2019re going in with Phil is totally different.\u00a0 It\u2019s great, in a way, because I do love a challenge and I love to learn.\u00a0 Phil has learned a lot of recording techniques from their producer Mutt Lange who\u2019s one of the greatest producers in the world.\u00a0 The approach that we\u2019re taking on this new record is almost the opposite of what we were just talking about.\u00a0 It\u2019s a lot more detailed and a lot more tedious in detail but it does produce a sound that is very pleasing to the ear.\u00a0 It\u2019s perfectly in tune and polished so it\u2019s a whole different direction that we\u2019re taking on this new record.<\/p>\n

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Sometimes change can be good though and keep things interesting for you.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Exactly.\u00a0 Life can be fun that way.\u00a0 You can\u2019t just be closed minded and stick to one thing.\u00a0 You\u2019ve got to be able to be willing to try learning different things.\u00a0 As long as you\u2019re alive you\u2019ve got to keep learning.<\/p>\n

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So is this change more from the sonic side of the production or has this change also bled into the songwriting for this new album?<\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u2019s just coming into the entire aspect of the songwriting.\u00a0 Like, we\u2019ll have a song idea that will start in one place and by the time the band and Phil gets a hold of it and trying different things and taking the time to actually develop it into something, it\u2019s definitely a more developing process on this record and it\u2019s affecting the whole thing.\u00a0 It\u2019s different and it\u2019s pretty cool.\u00a0 It\u2019s still a learning curve for me to try not just settle for something.<\/p>\n

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I also love that Tesla is still very much a thriving, creative band as opposed to a full on nostalgic band like a lot of your peers.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Thanks.\u00a0 Yeah, I\u2019m always writing and recording stuff.\u00a0 I bought a little digital 8-track to work on stuff in my hotel room.\u00a0 We are very hungry and we are still creative.\u00a0 The new album, like I said, is a challenge and a step away from the last album, Simplicity.\u00a0 There\u2019s no quitting creativity in this band that\u2019s for sure.<\/p>\n

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After nearly 30 years of Tesla, what is it that keeps you doing this?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I think it\u2019s an appreciation we have for each other.\u00a0 We came from the humble beginnings and while we never had a huge mega hit, we\u2019ve always been a hard working band.\u00a0 We realize how lucky we are to be able to continue to do this 35 years later.\u00a0 It\u2019s been 30 years since we released our first album and it\u2019s been 35 years since we started playing together.\u00a0 We\u2019ve been through a lot of hard times.\u00a0 We broke up in the \u201890s, we hit rock bottom and you\u2019ve got to go through it to get through it.\u00a0 The hard times definitely make you appreciate the good times.<\/p>\n

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The last time Tesla was here in Atlanta for the Simplicity tour at the Tabernacle, you guys nailed.\u00a0 It was an amazing crowd, an amazing show; definitely not a band just going through the motions.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Thanks, Don.\u00a0 We\u2019re going to be doing a headlining tour soon.\u00a0 Right now we\u2019re opening for Poison and Def Leppard in these really big venues.\u00a0 It\u2019s hard to play only 7 or 8 songs in a set when you\u2019ve got such a catalog of music so it\u2019s going to be fun to be headlining again doing our full 2 hour show with all of our diverse material.<\/p>\n

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On the Def Leppard\/Poison tour, does the audience tend to differ a bit more from what Tesla usually sees as a headliner?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Well, when we play a show like this, we\u2019re talking like 15,000 people in the big Enormodome [laughs].\u00a0 We\u2019re winning over a lot of fans that maybe had forgotten about us so we basically play our biggest hits like, \u201cSigns\u201d, \u201cLove Song\u201d, \u201cModern Day Cowboy\u201d, \u201cLittle Suzi\u201d; songs that are familiar to people.\u00a0 When we do our headlining set we can play the deeper tracks.<\/p>\n

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What is one song that when you look down at your setlist, you can\u2019t wait to play it?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cModern Day Cowboy\u201d was the first song that we had played on Headbanger\u2019s Ball and it\u2019s still a crowd favorite. We usually play it as the last song of the set.\u00a0 It\u2019s amazing that the lyrics seem to continue to touch a reality nerve with the politics and the stuff that\u2019s going in the world between the USA and Russia and now with North Korea.\u00a0 \u201cModern Day Cowboy\u201d still touches that nerve.\u00a0 Plus it\u2019s got some killer guitar riffs [laughs].\u00a0 It\u2019s still one of my favorites.<\/p>\n

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Finally, what is up with Tesla for the rest of 2017.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Def Leppard\/Poison tour ends in June and then in July\/August through the end of the year we\u2019re going to do our headlining tour.\u00a0 The production is being developed now with video screens behind the band which goes along with the music so when you see \u201cEdison\u2019s Medicine\u201d, you\u2019re going to see lots of cool Tesla footage.<\/p>\n

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Frank, thank you so much for doing this interview today and best of luck out there on the road.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Thank you so much, buddy.\u00a0 We\u2019ll see you in Atlanta soon.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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Tesla is hands down one of my favorite bands from the 80\u2019s.\u00a0 The band was very much a working class hard rock band whose roots were deeply embedded in the heart and soul of American rock n\u2019 roll.\u00a0 In a time where most of their peers were making then trendy and now somewhat forgettable music, 30 years later Tesla\u2019s music sounds timeless and classic.\u00a0 The band continues to put out new music and to tour pleasing both old fans and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":17064,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[194],"tags":[1804,1266],"class_list":["post-17063","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interviews","tag-frank-hannon","tag-tesla"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.southeastofheaven.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/tesla-504a49d631cca.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.southeastofheaven.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17063","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.southeastofheaven.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.southeastofheaven.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.southeastofheaven.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.southeastofheaven.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=17063"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.southeastofheaven.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17063\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.southeastofheaven.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/17064"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.southeastofheaven.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=17063"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.southeastofheaven.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=17063"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.southeastofheaven.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=17063"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}