Tesla guitarist Dave Rude recently opened up about the challenges of releasing a full-length album of new original material. He shared his thoughts in a recent interview with Dr. Music.
Rude reflected on the band’s 2019 album Shock and explained why the current single-by-single release approach makes more practical sense for Tesla at this stage of their career.
“‘Shock’ is one of my favorite records — I love that record — and it did well, but we put a lot of time and effort into it, and then at the end of the day, we can really only put in maybe two songs into the set [when we perform live], which we knew going in,” Rude said. “That’s how it always has been.”
“But, yeah, this way, doing one song [at a time and releasing it], a single, whether it’s a cover or an original, that’s pretty doable. We can find the time to write one song. We can find the time to record it, and then we press it up on vinyl, maybe make a video, make some new T-shirts. It kind of makes it fun. It refreshes it for us, refreshes it for the fans enough.”
Rude then addressed a broader reality facing legacy rock bands — that even a landmark new record may struggle to win over audiences who prefer the classics.
“But I said this the other day, we could make the next ‘Black Album’ [Metallica] right now, the best album of all time, whatever it is, you can make the next ‘Appetite For Destruction’ [Guns N’ Roses], it doesn’t matter,” he continued. “People aren’t gonna wanna hear the new songs ’cause they wanna hear the stuff they grew up with, which I totally get.”
He went on to outline the financial and logistical toll that recording a full album takes on the band and its crew.
“Anyway, so then it’s not really worth all the time and effort of making a full 12-song album — usually. At least when it’s originals, ’cause a covers album is different because it’s easier to make. But for making an original new-songs album, it’s gonna take time off that we can’t be touring on. So you’re gonna get less Tesla shows. We’re gonna earn less money. Our crew won’t be working.”
Despite the obstacles, Rude made clear that the creative drive to write and release music remains undeniable for him personally.
“I was gonna say all of us have other projects because, probably, I would imagine, at least for me, because of that, because I write songs all the time. And there’s just no money and it’s very difficult — on paper, it’s pointless to put out new music, but it’s not for us. It’s just because we need to.”
Rude’s comments come at a busy moment for the band. Tesla are set to join Mötley Crüe and Extreme on a summer 2026 tour kicking off July 17 in Burgettstown, Pennsylvania. The timing also coincides with the release of the band’s new album Homage, a collection of cover songs due out July 17 via Frontiers Music. Rude described the project as a more manageable undertaking compared to writing original material from scratch.
The covers format is not new territory for Tesla. The band previously released Real to Reel, a covers album that marked Rude’s first studio experience with the group after joining in 2006. That record set a precedent for how Tesla could channel their creative energy without the full commercial and logistical burden of an original album cycle.
Since Shock, Tesla has leaned into the single-release model rather than committing to another full-length original effort. The band’s six-song EP All About Love, released in November 2024, exemplified that approach. It featured multiple versions of the title track alongside live recordings and an instrumental, offering fans new content without pulling the band off the road for an extended period.
Rude has also kept busy outside of Tesla. His most recent solo album, Through the Fire, was released in 2023 and included the single “Hell And Back.” He has expressed a desire to record another solo album but has not confirmed a timeline. Performing solo shows on the 2026 Monsters of Rock cruise reignited his passion for that side of his career.
Bandmate Frank Hannon has echoed Rude’s sentiments on the full-album question. Hannon stated that Tesla has settled into the one-song-at-a-time approach and that predicting when — or whether — a new full-length original record will arrive remains difficult. For now, the band’s focus stays on the road, with the Mötley Crüe tour representing one of their highest-profile live opportunities in recent years.
