Frank Hannon, co-founder and lead guitarist of the hard rock band TESLA, has released a new music video for his instrumental track “San Francisco.” The song taps into a deeper improvisational lineage Frank has long been part of -– a side of his playing that has often lived just outside the spotlight of his arena-rock success and highlights a more exploratory guitar voice that many listeners may not immediately associate with him.
“San Francisco” is the latest single from his new, country-western infused instrumental album, Reflections. The video features original, hand-played oil-light visuals from Brotherhood of Light Show artist Chris Samardizch, directly connecting the project to the Fillmore-era psychedelic tradition that helped shape the Bay Area jam scene.
While Frank is widely known for his arena-rock legacy, another side of his story has always leaned toward improvisation and the communal Bay Area tradition. Hisfather-in-law was Dickey Betts, and that melodic, exploratory sensibility runs through his phrasing. He has sat in multiple times with moe. and built a close musical bond with members of the Allman Betts family, earning credibility in rooms where his metal reputation initially raised eyebrows. Growing up in Northern California, the influence of Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, and Santana shaped how he approaches harmony and feel on the guitar.
That spirit is front and center on Reflections, an instrumental album that feels like a natural evolution for him. Recorded as raw first takes with an emphasis on touch and emotional arc, it captures instinct over polish. “San Francisco” was tracked as an open-ended jam, beginning with live bass and expanded through one-take guitar overdubs, moving from psychedelic textures into a flamenco-inspired bridge.
Frank first connected with Samardizch at the Fillmore while performing with Devon Allman and Duane Betts, making the collaboration feel rooted in shared history. The Brotherhood of Light Show lineage traces back to the Summer of Love, the Monterey Pop Festival, and decades at the Fillmore Auditorium.
"From the first
shimmering notes, Hannon invites the listener into a world where melody speaks
louder than words. The album flows like a lived‑in diary: tender,
contemplative, and unafraid to linger in the quiet spaces where truth lives.
His guitar tone is warm and human, almost vocal in its phrasing, carrying the
weight of memory and the lightness of hope in the same breath.
What makes Reflections
so powerful is its restraint. Hannon doesn’t chase speed or flash — he chases feeling,
and he captures it with stunning clarity. Each track paints a landscape: dusty
Americana horizons, candlelit rooms, wide‑open skies. You can hear the years in
his hands, the wisdom in his choices, the peace in his pauses."
"It’s an album that
doesn’t demand attention — it earns it. It doesn’t shout — it glows.
It doesn’t try to impress — it connects."
"A beautiful,
heartfelt instrumental journey from an artist who continues to evolve while
staying true to his soul. Five stars, without hesitation."
Six String Soldiers (2012, with Frank Hannon Band)
World Peace (unknown release date)
From One Place to Another, Vol. 1 & 2 (unknown release dates)
Reflections (2025)
FRANK HANNON
APPEARS
MARCH 12TH 2026
ON INTERVIEWING THE LEGENDS
WITH RAY SHASHO
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The band's story is a wild one: their very first show was attended by Steve Winwood, fresh off a three-night run at Madison Square Garden with Clapton. He was so taken with the performance that he invited them to record at his studio in the English countryside. Their debut single “Tell Me How It Feels” unseated Noel Gallagher’s High-Flying Birds from the top of the iTunes rock chart, and they’ve since shared stages with Peter Frampton (earning a standing ovation at Royal Albert Hall), Myles Kennedy, and Joe Bonamassa.
Guitarist Chris Buck has emerged as a major force in his own right — named “Best New Guitarist” and “Best Blues Guitarist” by Guitarist Magazine readers in consecutive years and recognized by Total Guitar as one of the greatest blues guitarists in the world. He’s known for a deeply expressive style and a meticulous ear, and his custom Yamaha Revstar has become a signature part of the band’s sound. Frontman Tom Hollister brings a different kind of intensity, having found music after an injury cut short his career as a professional rugby player.
Cardinal Black, the Welsh-formed trio of frontman Tom Hollister, guitarist Chris Buck, and drummer Adam Roberts – take their next monumental step with the announcement of their new album, Midnight At The Valencia – out May 23rd on Thirty Tigers.Alongside the album news, the band have unveiled their brand new single, ‘Keep On Running’.
Midnight at the Valencia feels like a document of the band's "10,000 hours" — the dive bars, the near-misses, the personal loss. It was tracked live to vintage analogue gear at Powerplay Studios in Zurich, using a ‘70s-era Disney console, and each song feels unfiltered. There’s the stark, grief-laced “Push/Pull” (written the day Buck lost his father), the slow-burn catharsis of “Need More Time,” and the propulsive drive of “Keep On Running.”
The Rock Star Chronicles by Ray Shasho, is a splendid book written by a music enthusiast who has poured their heart and soul into it. It’s a story of a boy who loved rock music, and his obsessive passion of it earned himself the name Rock Raymond. He went to school but instead was schooled in all matters of music while his peers were buried chin-deep in coursework. He then became a radio DJ and has now compiled a book on all interviews he held with Rock gods who raided the airwaves back in the 70s and 80s. It’s a compilation of interviews with outstanding vocalists, legendary guitarists and crazy drummers in the rock music scene. Each interview gives a reader an in-depth view into their personal lives and the philosophies that guide their lives which all serve to humanize these great icons. For readers who are old enough to call themselves baby boomers this book will bring old memories back to life. Millennials, on the other hand, may think of this book as a literal work of the Carpool Karaoke show.
The Rock Star Chronicles is a book I didn’t know I was waiting for. To come across a book that will talk me into trying something new. One brave enough to incite me to venture into new frontiers. This book made me a believer- I am now a bona fide Rock and Roll music fan.
Ray Shasho masterfully gets the interviewees talking. He smartly coaxes answers from them with crafty questions designed to get a story rolling out of them. The artists talk about diverse issues ranging from music, politics, and their social engagements. Having been on the music seen all his life, Ray Shasho knows the buttons to press, how to get them comfortable about talking about their lives.
The book’s cover is befitting of its subject matter with the leather look offering a royal background to the golden letter print. It speaks to how high a level rock music holds in the pecking order- arguably, modern music as we know it has originated from blues and rock music. The second noteworthy thing is the use of high-definition pictures to reference the musician being interviewed in every sub-chapter. This ensures that the book is for both original rock and roll lovers and aspiring new ones. Together is makes for a refreshing and consistently enjoyable read.
I recommend this book to rock music enthusiasts, aspiring musicians wondering what it takes and all readers curious to learn new things by going back in time.
In a near-future America, where democracy has collapsed under the iron grip of the Commonwealth Party, redemption lies in the unlikeliest of places—a novel. The Liberty Code, penned by decorated Marine veteran and journalist Sam Edwards, uncovers the hidden truths of a dystopian world teetering on the edge of annihilation.
Guided by telepathic messages from two Centauri extraterrestrial ambassadors, J-Rod and Naxia, who secretly collaborate with the U.S. Air Force, Edwards reveals a master plan to save Earth. This gripping tale begins as fiction but evolves into a stark reality, reflecting real-world geopolitical conflicts and revolutionary military operations.
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