Tesla comes to Penn's Peak on Friday

It's been nearly two-and-a-half decades that Tesla was formed, and four of the five original membersare still with the band.

Tomorrow night, the multi-platinum rock quintet, originallyfrom Northern California, makes a stop at Penn's Peak in Jim Thorpe, with the concert starting at 8 o'clock. Opening will be Skidd, a band participating in the current "Forever More" tour.

Troy Luccketta, drummer for the band, spoke with us by phone from Des Moise, Iowa following sound check for a concert there on Tuesday.

Although still a rock band, Luccketta admits, "Things are a lot more subtle" than when the band hit the scene in the early 90s.

Luccketta said unlike bands that have gone through numerous personnel changes, the only present member who wasn't aboard when the band formed is guitarist Dave Rude, who was brought aboard to add new energy and creativity.

"We're very close," Lucketta said of the Tesla members. "There are no drugs, no alcohol. There won't be one beer back stage."

Although Lucketta grew up in California, he has since moved to the Nashville area where he lives with his wife, his son, and his step-daughter.

He said the family chose Nashville for their residence "because my mother-in-law doesn't fly."

His son is following in his footsteps and has his own band. They have done some shows together.

Tesla's "Love Song" hit the pop ten, while their first single, "Heaven's Trail (No Way Out)" was a hit with hard rock audiences. Other hits were "Modern Day Cowboy" and "Little Suzi"

The 2009 "Forever More Tour" is in support of their new album with the same name. The LP contains the new single, "I Wanna Live" and the self-titled track that opens each show.

Other members of Tesla besides Luccketta and Rude are founding members Jeffrey Keith on lead vocals, Frank Hannon on guitar, keyboards, and background vocals, and Brian Wheat on bass guitar and background vocals.

Luccketta said the band enjoys touring and "the shows are going very well."

He said the great thing about performing with a band like Tesla is "you travel the world, you see a lot of different places, and you meet a lot of people." He said his tours of Europe were "really cool," because although history was one of his weaker subjects in high school, he's learned a lot by seeing so many historical sites.

Besides visiting many locations, Tesla had the opportunity to tour with some of the greatest bands, including Def Leppard and Alice Cooper.

The drummer said the band has been keeping healthy, adding "our style has changed. The last couple of records were more current styles. We've updated our music a lot."

A message to the people of Jim Thorpe, he said, is, "We thank everybody for all the support through all the years."

Tickets for Tesla will be available at the door.