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In retrospect, if you played in a famous rock band during the 1980s, you're fair game for a joke's punchline.

Faithful fans -- both those who grew up during that decade and those who discovered its music afterward -- still support and enjoy what's now described as classic rock. Cover bands abound to recreate those days, but even that is done with a tongue-in-cheek touch that pays homage to Aquanet bottles, leopard-print spandex and high kicks, Rockettes-style, while showing off a flashy guitar solo.

For whatever reason, rock 'n' roll from the 1980s has been distilled into a single stereotype. It's not fair, and it's not accurate, but mention that decade, and the first thought that comes to mind is one of vapid pop-rock fueled by testosterone and makeup.

A quarter-century later, most of those bands are riding the coattails of their old success. What new music they make is a token attempt to recapture past glory, songs that sound familiar yet still lacking and, when played live, signal to those in the audience that it's time for a beer run or a bathroom break.

A few, however, are still vying for relevance. They're still pounding the pavement, playing the old hits but working hard to contribute to a body of work that's diverse, different yet still evocative of a signature sound.

For the guys in Tesla, there's no escaping the past. They don't want to -- playing hits like "Love Song" and "Signs," after all, is their bread-and-butter. But, as new guitarist Dave Rude learned upon joining the band three years ago, there's more to Tesla than might meet the ears.

"For Tesla, it's been about upholding the old legacy and making a new one," Rude told The Daily Times this week. "The guys have been real conscious of it since getting back together in 2004 -- they want to be a current band. We could make a record really easily that sounds like classic Tesla and sell it to the fans, and it would be fun -- but it wouldn't be anything new.

"No one in this band wants to relive the past. We play all of the old hits, but we play the new songs, too. And I know that's usually when fans go to the bathroom or to get a beer, because I've been there and done that too. But ever since the new record ("Forever More") came out in October, that's hasn't been happening with this band.

"I think that's because we don't ever want to be just a heritage act, and that's a conscious decision that's working for Tesla," he added.

Tesla was formed in 1984 by original members Jeff Keith on vocals, guitarists Frank Hannon and Tommy Skeoch, bassist Brian Wheat and drummer Troy Luccketta. Coming out of Sacramento, Calif., they called themselves City Kidd until a manager advised them to change it to something more marketable.

Taking a cue from 19th century inventor Nikola Tesla, they crafted a brand of hard rock that took its cue from other popular '80s acts -- groups like Warrant and Winger and Whitesnake -- but there as something a little more ragged, a little grittier, about "Mechanical Resonance," the band's 1986 debut album. For one thing, they stuck to basics -- guitar, bass and drums, with an occasional flourish via organ or piano. In fact, they proclaimed this fact on their albums -- the "No Machines" stamp was designed to impress upon fans the group's integrity.

The band returned in 1989 with "The Great Radio Controversy," which gave the guys their first Top 10 hit -- "Love Song" rose to No. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, and a year later, the group's "Five Man Acoustical Jam" album did even better. It was a stripped-down, bare-bones approach to the band's hits as well as a few covers, and Tesla's version of "Signs," originally recorded in 1971 by the Five Man Electrical Band, rose to No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

The group went on to release two more albums, 1991's "Psychotic Supper" and 1994's "Bust a Nut," before taking a six-year break. In 2000, they reunited for a double live album and, a couple of years later, found themselves playing a nostalgia tour with other '80s bands.

However, the band wasn't content to keep playing "Love Song" or "Signs" into retirement. In 2004, Tesla released "Into the Now," which debuted at No. 30 on the Billboard albums chart and landed the group a spot on "Jimmy Kimmel Live." A couple of years later, Skeoch left Tesla, and Hannon tapped an up-and-coming young guitar-slinger he discovered on Myspace to take his place.

"I had my solo band (the Dave Rude Band), and Frank found us by accident in early 2006, when he was looking for another guitar player for his band," Rude said. "I agreed, but when I met him, he told me he was also looking to train somebody to play guitar for Tesla. I was pretty excited and flattered, because the schedule had enough holes in it where I could still do my band, too.

"It was really cool. I didn't know the guys; I'd met them once as a fan, but I had no relationship with them. I was already a huge fan of Frank's guitar playing, and the thought of being able to jam with him for a couple of weeks was great. I was already excited, but when he told me it was also a plan to bring me on board with Tesla, it was a little intimidating."

Rude had seen Tesla perform three times in the previous couple of years; born in 1978, however, he was too young to take in the band during its heyday. It didn't matter -- what he saw was a lean, mean rock 'n' roll outfit that engaged the audience head-on.

"When I finally got to go see them, I was blown away by how good and how tight they were live," he said. "I grew up on a lot of '80s bands, and I've seen a lot of them try to recapture their glory days, and it can be a disappointing thing to see. With Tesla, though, all of the other guys in it were original band members, and before we had even played together, Frank took me around Sacramento and I'd met all the guys.

"I got to see how their personalities were, and that was the other thing that struck me right away -- they were really normal and down-to-earth. A lot of stories of these older bands are kind of similar to that movie 'Rock Star,' and there are a lot of similarities. But one that that's not similar is that these guys are definitely not jerks. There are no egos. It's like being in a local band with your buddies on the weekends, except we play every day and there are 1,000 people there."

With Rude on board, Tesla released "Forever More," an album of new material, last year. It's a solid slab of heavy rock -- no frills, no special effects; just the sounds of a band shredding and ripping and playing what they want, how they want to play it, without using the past as a blueprint or hopes for financial success as a benchmark.

"When I started playing with the guys, I was definitely impressed by how energetic and into it they all were," Rude said. "Brian likes to joke that they brought me into the band to bring down the average age to 40, but these guys definitely don't act their age. They're still such an incredible band, and when we play, you'll see a lot of people in their 30s, 40s and 50s who grew up with Tesla, but you'll see a lot of younger people in the audience, too.

"Tesla has survived because this is a band that still has credibility. People still listen to us as vital sort of band, and they love the hits, but they're listening to the new record as well. The guys are grateful for that, and they definitely don't take for granted what they have. They're the real deal -- just normal guys who don't have anything to prove.

"It all took me by surprise when I joined, but once I adjusted to it, it felt right," he added. "The whole thing is strange and a one in a million opportunity, but it felt all natural, and I'm glad I went with my gut and decided to join up."