College Times

Media Credit: Ross Halfin

Bluesy ’80s power-rockers Tesla are capitalizing off of America’s insatiable appetite for all things ’80s with their latest tour, no doubt, joining in the hair-spray-stiffened fracas with the now-touring Mötley Crüe and Poison and the actually-recording Guns ‘N Roses.

But none of these ’80s hair powerhouses are as powerful as the real Tesla: inventor Nikola Tesla, father of electricity. By theorizing and experimenting with AC power, Tesla helped usher in an industrial revolution, making electric light, efficient heating and cooling and, yes, ’80s hair bands possible.

Rock ‘n roll music really owes a lot to inventors: we implore you, up-and-coming bands, name yourself after one! Here are some suggestions:

Baltzar: How could rock stars keep their brewskies cold without Baltzar von Platen, inventor of the refrigerator?

F*** Gutenberg: No, not Steve – Johann, inventor of the printing press, without whom you’d have no music critics to despise.

Baudry: Good luck gettin’ busy without your tour bus, invented by Frenchman Stanislas Baudry.

The Al Gore Experience: Good luck adding Myspace fans without this guy. Right?

Tesla, Dodge Theatre, November 29, 7:30 p.m., $36-$72

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