In a recent conversation with Ralph Rasmussen of Radio Bypass, Tesla bassist Brian Wheat addressed the possibility of the band recording a full-length follow-up to their 2019 album, Shock.
His response was clear: “I don’t think so. And the reason I say ‘no’ is it takes so much time. And Tesla works a certain way. Tesla works by us all being in the room together. We’re scattered all over the world, for one. We do 60 to 75 shows a year. There’s that. We’ve been doing it for 40 years. There’s that. It’s hard to find the time to get together and say, ‘Okay, we need to dedicate…’ Like Shock, the last record we did, that took a year of our lives. We were doing it on the road. And we also had Phil Collen kind of spearheading it and keeping it organized.”
For Wheat, touring remains the band’s priority, and the logistics of creating an album the way Tesla prefers — together in one space — simply don’t align with their current reality: “We have a hard time keeping organized within ourselves because it’s a different thing. So, I don’t wanna spend a year of Tesla‘s life with a band that’s on their 40th year when Tesla could be out playing to people.”
He also touched on a significant factor in the band’s longevity: Jeff Keith’s voice.
“When Jeff can’t sing to the level he does now, there won’t be Tesla. I’m not up for getting an Arnel [referring to Arnel Pineda, Journey‘s singer] character or you know somebody else to sing with Tesla. Jeff‘s voice is Tesla. I’m not diminishing Frank, I’m not diminishing myself or former Tesla drummer Troy or Tommy or Dave, but that voice is the sound of Tesla, even though some people might disagree.”
The bassist made it clear that, while band members can change, the lead singer’s voice is too integral to the band’s identity to replace: “I mean, listen, Tesla could have another bass player tomorrow. It wouldn’t f***ing matter. You can’t have another singer — not that singer. Not at that point — not 40 years down the line, you don’t bring in somebody else because Jeff can’t sing. I think when he can’t sing anymore, we owe it to ourselves and to the fans to call it a day. And then at that point, you can go into the studio, if you wanna make a record like The Beatles did, where you can do things and still make a record that sounds great.”
Even though a full album isn’t in the cards, new Tesla music is still on the way.
“We pride ourselves in Tesla being able to play very well live,” Wheat said. “When people tell us, ‘You guys sound better than your records,’ we wear like a proud badge. If we can’t do that, there’s no point in doing it. So, that’s part of the reason why Tesla won’t make a brand-new record. We’re older, people have families, there’s lots of things. And we made — what? — 14 albums? And so with that you’ll see maybe two or three singles a year. And we can do that. That’s doable for us.”
“Me and Jeff were just together last week — he was here in Florida and we were working on a couple of things that are gonna be for the next Tesla project to come out. And I don’t wanna talk about it ‘cause I don’t wanna give it away. So I’m not gonna say what it is or whatever. But there’s some more new Tesla stuff coming out this year. Plus Tesla tour dates. So Tesla is still doing everything Tesla’s always done, just not making a whole brand new record,” Wheat added.
Looking ahead, Tesla’s 40th anniversary in 2026 could bring something special. When Rasmussen mentioned that it would be a great opportunity to mark the milestone, Wheat agreed: “Yes, there’s talk of a 40th-anniversary tour of that album, and I can’t really say what that is, but it would be a big tour that we’d be a part of. Just think some other bands have 40th anniversaries of their big, huge records same time. So there’s talk maybe of something like that with a particular band, both celebrating a 40-year anniversary together.”
“And there’s a few bands. But we’re just talking a little bit about it. That’s all. These things on paper always look good, and then when you try to put all the moving parts together, nine out of ten times they fall through. So, will we do something special on the 40th anniversary of Mechanical Resonance? Yes. Don’t know what, but there will be something.”
Financial realities also play a role in Tesla’s decision-making: “To do another album, full-length album? Again, it’s 2025, you’re asking me to spend all of 2026 making a record. And the other thing is, the band can’t afford to be off the road for a year. I know people think, ‘Oh, you’re in a rock band. You sold millions of records. You must be filthy rich.’ Not the case. Tesla earns their living by going out and playing.”
