Frank Hannon is the co-founder and lead guitarist of multi-platinum rock band Tesla and he has just released Greensleeves (The Timeless Melody), a new four-song holiday EP built around the centuries-old English folk melody “Greensleeves.” He has also released accompanying performance videos.

The new EP is a “seasonal counterpoint” to the Western-inflected recent solo album Reflections and is available on all major streaming platforms as well as via physical CD via frankhannon.com.

Recorded and arranged entirely for acoustic and electric guitar, Greensleeves (The Timeless Melody) finds Hannon interpreting the traditional 1580 composition. The EP was sparked by the sound of an original 1978 Ovation Adamas 12-string, the first of its kind ever built and originally made for Heart guitarist Roger Fisher. Its “chime-like tone reminded Hannon of a hammer dulcimer” and that then became the centerpiece of the project’s earliest sketches.

Hannon says:

It was my desire to arrange Greensleeves for guitar and create different versions to showcase its strength and versatility as a melody. The concept of the EP arrangement is inspired by the classical approach of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons as I take the Greensleeves melody through the four stages of a day. Starting with the Morning Star, the birth of Jesus on a winter’s night, and into the next day with Before the Dawn.

Hannon adds:

To me, melody is one of the most important elements of music, and Greensleeves has outlived many centuries and remained timeless in how it makes a listener feel. To celebrate the holiday season, this EP was created using this timeless and gorgeous melody arranged for guitar. I feel it sounds very heartwarming played on the guitar and these are my four variations. Enjoy and happy holidays!

Greensleeves (The Timeless Melody) follows closely on the heels of Hannon’s solo album Reflections, a Western-tinged, all-guitar project recorded as raw first takes on his cell phone “during a period of personal upheaval and renewal.” The holiday EP “continues the exploration of melody, tone, and emotional expression that defined that record”.

GREENSLEEVES EP (The Timeless Melody)
1. Morning Star
2. Our Savior is Born
3. A Winter’s Night
4. Before the Dawn