_{For many years when people have asked me what my favourite band is, the answer has been the same – Tesla. Sometimes the bemused work colleague or whatever will look at me blankly, other-times when the question comes from someone whose familiarity with rock music extends beyond AC/DC, Guns N Roses, Iron Maiden and Bon Jovi, I’ll get those approving nods and words of agreement. For me personally, Tesla encapsulates all that is great about “classic” rock.}

_{For many years in the 90s, the bands early albums, copied onto TDK D90s (younger readers might need that explained byve asked me who someone who was in their teens in the 80s!) were the main occupant of the cassette player in my Mazda! (They now top the pile of cassettes beside the old stereo in my garage!).}

_{Why am I telling you all this? Well I thought it best to declare my complete bias before writing anything more in a recommendation for the new Tesla album “Simplicity” which is released by Frontiers Records on 6th June. Not writing a recommendation however would have been sacrilege.}

_{Hollywood Monsters is a new project from French vocalist / guitarist / composer Steph Honde (aka Steph Stevens) that has come to fruition with the release of the album “Big Trouble” via Mausoleum Records on 23rd May. Promotion of the album is being handled by Rock N Growl. Honde is probably best known as guitarist for French band Cafe Bertrand and for touring with Paul Di’Anno. The Hollywood Monsters project can trace its roots to Honde’s arrival in California in 2011 and his decision to recruit some well known names to work on an album.}