Tesla tour on the road for ‘Forever More’

After completing the summer leg of their 2008 world tour, the veteran rockers from Tesla are ready to hit the road again, this time in support of their new album “Forever More.” The new world tour will kick off October 1 in Salt Lake City, UT, and currently has U.S. gigs scheduled through October 18 in Grand Rapids, MI.

The current itinerary features dates across Mid-West states, including a show at the House of Blues in Cleveland, OH, and two performances in Michigan. More tour dates will be announced in the coming weeks.

“Forever More,” the seventh studio album for the band, is set for an October 7 release. Tesla wrote and recorded all new material over the past eight months, despite juggling a full tour itinerary and filming commitments for their live DVD “Comin’ Atcha Live! 2008,” released July 15.

“After returning from Europe, we jumped right back into the studio to work on ‘Forever More’ with Terry [Thomas, producer for Tesla],” guitarist Frank Hannon said in a statement on the band’s Web site. “We’re riding a wave of energy that doesn’t come easy for a band of rookies much less a band whose been doing this for over 20 years — and we wouldn’t have it any other way.”

The Sacramento-based quintet got their start in 1984 and released their debut album, “Mechanical Resonance,” two years later. Though the band split in 1994, they reunited only six years later for a series of live albums and tours. New studio recordings weren’t far behind, and the band cemented the reunion by releasing “Into the Now” in 2004 — their first original album since their split.

The band’s current line-up includes original members Hannon, lead vocalist Jeff Keith, bassist Brian Wheat and percussionist Troy Luccketta. The fifth original member, Tommy Skeoch, left the band in 2006 and was replaced by Dave Rude. Statements from the band attributed Skeoch’s departure to his desire to spend more time with family, though the guitarist gave interviews vaguely suggesting that wasn’t his main reason for leaving.

Tesla itinerary:
(Dates subject to change.)