It's not unusual for bands that enjoyed success during the glory
days of glam-metal to still tour today. What is
rare is finding any of these groups producing new albums that
don't
sound hopelessly dated. An exception is Tesla, a bluesy, no-frills hard
rock quartet that's always favored solid
musicianship and songwriting
over image.
Maintaining its vintage sound, Tesla nonetheless achieves a modern,
heavy feel on its first studio album in ten years, Into The Now.
Loaded with hook-heavy, classic hard rock, it's a
remarkable comeback
for Tesla's career. Drummer Troy Luccketta agrees that avoiding
trend-identification has kept
Tesla's music viable. "We weren't on the
covers of most rock magazines in the '80s," he admits, "because
we
never really possessed 'That look.' Now I think that's worked in our
favor. We've been able to survive
on our music alone, and that's great."
Like one of his primary influences, Jeff Porcaro, Troy's
focus in Tesla is on keeping the groove strong. Into The Now
also finds him playing in odd time signatures, particularly
on the
title track, which he wrote. "I enjoy experimenting," he admits. "But
there's a fine line with Tesla. If I approached
my playing from a real
progressive point, it wouldn't work. But if I go at it from a
hard-hitting, strong groove side, the band
relates to it much better."
