http://forum.felderfans.com/ Thu, 09 Sep 2010 07:06:40 +0200 MyBB http://forum.felderfans.com/showthread.php?tid=26 Wed, 18 Aug 2010 23:21:36 +0200 http://forum.felderfans.com/showthread.php?tid=26
Hotel California wasn't born yesterday and Don's not with the Eagles anymore. Why did it take so long for Gibson's custom shop to issue a Don Felder double neck model (besides kick starting guitar sales, but that's a no brainer....) and who is their market with this model?]]>
Hotel California wasn't born yesterday and Don's not with the Eagles anymore. Why did it take so long for Gibson's custom shop to issue a Don Felder double neck model (besides kick starting guitar sales, but that's a no brainer....) and who is their market with this model?]]> http://forum.felderfans.com/showthread.php?tid=25 Fri, 06 Aug 2010 15:15:25 +0200 http://forum.felderfans.com/showthread.php?tid=25
Hotel California
Already Gone
One of These Nights
Pride and Joy
Peaceful Easy Feeling
Tequila Sunrise
Victim of Love
Heavy Metal
Seven Bridges Road
Those Shoes
Witchy Woman
The Long Run
Heartache Tonight
Life in the Fast Lane
Take it Easy (Encore)

The above is from memory, so I may have missed one or even two.

First, the venue. The Bergen PAC (Performing Arts Center) is a non-profit theatre in Englewood NJ, which is in Bergen County. It used to be known as the John Harms Englewood Plaza. It sits smack in the middle of a bustling downtown business district. Quite a few restaurants right nearby, so it's a good place to a show, particularly for us Jerseyites who may not want to venture into NYC and deal w. traffic/parking etc. They have all types of shows there; family, rock, pop, oldies, R&B, comedy, jazz, etc. In fact, the last time I was there was about 6 years ago when I took my 2 young kids to see the Wiggles. Englewood is a somewhat diverse, but definitely wealthy, modest sized town immediately across the George Washington Bridge from upper Manhattan. In fact, if there was no traffic you could literally be in midtown in 15 minutes. Bergen PAC is definitely an "off-the-run" venue for the New York City area. It draws primarily from northern NJ and Rockland County NY. It is a typical theatre set up with an orchestra and one balcony. Capacity is just north of 1,100, I believe. Acoustics were fine as far as I could tell from the 3rd row center.

The crowd. It was an older suburban crowd. I bet that a 44 year old would have nudged the average age down. Now the bad news; the size of the audience was small, maybe even sparse. I would say the place was definitely short of half full, meaning I would not be surprised if there were less than 500 people there. Let me say that this did not surprise me. This show was not well advertised. I found it by accident on the venue's website while looking around for something else. Also, August is clearly a huge vacation month. Just pushing this show a month forward to a Thursday or Friday in September would've made a significant difference, I think. Finally, the top ticket was $89.00 and there's always some fee or another. I understand that's more or less the market, but it's not a cheap night out regardless, and that stuff matters during these times, I guess.

Now my thoughts on the performance. I will not weigh in too heavily, simply because I don't feel qualified to do so. Let me say I grabbed these tickets because my wife is a huge fan of the Eagles' music, though I doubt she knew who Don Felder was until I told her. The band came on around 8:25 PM to a booming off stage introduction of Don. The lights went on and there he was with the doubleneck playing the opening strains of "Hotel", wearing the white shirt and black vest you see in the website's cover photo. Obviously, that, followed by "Already Gone" and "Nights" was a pretty powerful trio. Don's voice sounded OK to me, not great. My wife commented later he sounded like he might lose it, though I did not get that sense. Show settled in after that as did his voice. The band was tight and the harmonies were very good, as I'd expected. The bass player was a very good singer. Obviously, the sound was very guitar driven with Don and Frank Simes playing some leads as well. Clearly, Don is an impressive rock guitarist. I found myself questioning whether or not "Peaceful Easy Feeling" and "Tequila Sunrise" were really "Don Felder" songs. No matter, really, but I must admit, I am curious, and I guess I'd prefer that he stick to the songs of which he was the main author. I came to see Don Felder, not an Eagles tribute band. That's why I was surprised he closed with "Take It Easy".

The small crowd did not seem to phase Don and his band. They played with enthusiasm and vigor. I would have preferred a bit more commentary/color from the relatively unknown (at least to me) writer of these wonderful classic songs on their inspiration. A bit more of a VH-1 "Storytellers" approach perhaps? Again, that's just me. Overall, it was a very enjoyable show and more or less what I expected.

Finally, I see there is a show in Binghamton NY today and I supect it's outdoors. It's beautiful weather here and so I suspect will be a better venue for Don and his band than Bergen PAC.

OK, now that I've commented on last night let me say that I've seen very little or no activity on this board since I grabbed the tickets and started looking for previous "shows" posters' comments. Therefore, in the words of my fellow New Jerseyan Bruce Springsteen may I ask;

"IS THERE ANYBODY ALIVE OUT THEEERRRREE!"]]>
Hotel California
Already Gone
One of These Nights
Pride and Joy
Peaceful Easy Feeling
Tequila Sunrise
Victim of Love
Heavy Metal
Seven Bridges Road
Those Shoes
Witchy Woman
The Long Run
Heartache Tonight
Life in the Fast Lane
Take it Easy (Encore)

The above is from memory, so I may have missed one or even two.

First, the venue. The Bergen PAC (Performing Arts Center) is a non-profit theatre in Englewood NJ, which is in Bergen County. It used to be known as the John Harms Englewood Plaza. It sits smack in the middle of a bustling downtown business district. Quite a few restaurants right nearby, so it's a good place to a show, particularly for us Jerseyites who may not want to venture into NYC and deal w. traffic/parking etc. They have all types of shows there; family, rock, pop, oldies, R&B, comedy, jazz, etc. In fact, the last time I was there was about 6 years ago when I took my 2 young kids to see the Wiggles. Englewood is a somewhat diverse, but definitely wealthy, modest sized town immediately across the George Washington Bridge from upper Manhattan. In fact, if there was no traffic you could literally be in midtown in 15 minutes. Bergen PAC is definitely an "off-the-run" venue for the New York City area. It draws primarily from northern NJ and Rockland County NY. It is a typical theatre set up with an orchestra and one balcony. Capacity is just north of 1,100, I believe. Acoustics were fine as far as I could tell from the 3rd row center.

The crowd. It was an older suburban crowd. I bet that a 44 year old would have nudged the average age down. Now the bad news; the size of the audience was small, maybe even sparse. I would say the place was definitely short of half full, meaning I would not be surprised if there were less than 500 people there. Let me say that this did not surprise me. This show was not well advertised. I found it by accident on the venue's website while looking around for something else. Also, August is clearly a huge vacation month. Just pushing this show a month forward to a Thursday or Friday in September would've made a significant difference, I think. Finally, the top ticket was $89.00 and there's always some fee or another. I understand that's more or less the market, but it's not a cheap night out regardless, and that stuff matters during these times, I guess.

Now my thoughts on the performance. I will not weigh in too heavily, simply because I don't feel qualified to do so. Let me say I grabbed these tickets because my wife is a huge fan of the Eagles' music, though I doubt she knew who Don Felder was until I told her. The band came on around 8:25 PM to a booming off stage introduction of Don. The lights went on and there he was with the doubleneck playing the opening strains of "Hotel", wearing the white shirt and black vest you see in the website's cover photo. Obviously, that, followed by "Already Gone" and "Nights" was a pretty powerful trio. Don's voice sounded OK to me, not great. My wife commented later he sounded like he might lose it, though I did not get that sense. Show settled in after that as did his voice. The band was tight and the harmonies were very good, as I'd expected. The bass player was a very good singer. Obviously, the sound was very guitar driven with Don and Frank Simes playing some leads as well. Clearly, Don is an impressive rock guitarist. I found myself questioning whether or not "Peaceful Easy Feeling" and "Tequila Sunrise" were really "Don Felder" songs. No matter, really, but I must admit, I am curious, and I guess I'd prefer that he stick to the songs of which he was the main author. I came to see Don Felder, not an Eagles tribute band. That's why I was surprised he closed with "Take It Easy".

The small crowd did not seem to phase Don and his band. They played with enthusiasm and vigor. I would have preferred a bit more commentary/color from the relatively unknown (at least to me) writer of these wonderful classic songs on their inspiration. A bit more of a VH-1 "Storytellers" approach perhaps? Again, that's just me. Overall, it was a very enjoyable show and more or less what I expected.

Finally, I see there is a show in Binghamton NY today and I supect it's outdoors. It's beautiful weather here and so I suspect will be a better venue for Don and his band than Bergen PAC.

OK, now that I've commented on last night let me say that I've seen very little or no activity on this board since I grabbed the tickets and started looking for previous "shows" posters' comments. Therefore, in the words of my fellow New Jerseyan Bruce Springsteen may I ask;

"IS THERE ANYBODY ALIVE OUT THEEERRRREE!"]]> http://forum.felderfans.com/showthread.php?tid=24 Fri, 07 May 2010 23:42:47 +0200 http://forum.felderfans.com/showthread.php?tid=24
Don miss out on the opportunity to see Don perform in a mini-concert event on Saturday June 5, 2010, which will benefit the clinical outreach services of Yo San University of Traditional Chinese Medicine. This will be a fun event providing starting at 6:00 PM with a tour of the new Grammy Museum in downtown LA. Then you can shmooze over Wolfgang Puck catered goodies, and then view the up close mini-concert in the intimate 200 seat "Soundstage" Theater. There will also be an auciton of a guitar signed by Don, who will mix with the guests at a dessert/coffee reception after the mini-concert. This is a once-in-a-lifetime event. Don't miss it. Tickets available via: http://www.yosan.edu/hotelcalifornia.

This is a worthy cause and your ticket price will be partially tax deductable. Don't miss this opportunity.

Larry Ryan
President, Yo San Univeristy]]>
Don miss out on the opportunity to see Don perform in a mini-concert event on Saturday June 5, 2010, which will benefit the clinical outreach services of Yo San University of Traditional Chinese Medicine. This will be a fun event providing starting at 6:00 PM with a tour of the new Grammy Museum in downtown LA. Then you can shmooze over Wolfgang Puck catered goodies, and then view the up close mini-concert in the intimate 200 seat "Soundstage" Theater. There will also be an auciton of a guitar signed by Don, who will mix with the guests at a dessert/coffee reception after the mini-concert. This is a once-in-a-lifetime event. Don't miss it. Tickets available via: http://www.yosan.edu/hotelcalifornia.

This is a worthy cause and your ticket price will be partially tax deductable. Don't miss this opportunity.

Larry Ryan
President, Yo San Univeristy]]> http://forum.felderfans.com/showthread.php?tid=23 Wed, 05 May 2010 05:19:38 +0200 http://forum.felderfans.com/showthread.php?tid=23 :shy:Okay, so I'm begind the times--I am just now reading the Heaven and Hell Book. I have to be completely honest, I knew who you were but like many knew "The Gods" better. I have to tell you my respect meter went up immensly for you, Mr. Felder. I never cared for Glenn Fry--don't know why, just didn't care for him (always seemed a little pompous and arrogant to me). Henley I always took as a sarcastic, disagreeable character who wrote good music (End of the Innocence is one of my favorites). Always liked Timothy B. Schmit, got his solo CD for Christmas and Walsh is cool. I even have 2 45's by Randy Meisner in my teenager 45 collection (Deep Inside My Heart and Hearts on Fire). To make this a little shorter-I appreciate all that you have done, your book is very interesting and I think you are very underrated. Thank you for playing Autism Speaks--my sister's son has autism and your support is huge!!!]]> :shy:Okay, so I'm begind the times--I am just now reading the Heaven and Hell Book. I have to be completely honest, I knew who you were but like many knew "The Gods" better. I have to tell you my respect meter went up immensly for you, Mr. Felder. I never cared for Glenn Fry--don't know why, just didn't care for him (always seemed a little pompous and arrogant to me). Henley I always took as a sarcastic, disagreeable character who wrote good music (End of the Innocence is one of my favorites). Always liked Timothy B. Schmit, got his solo CD for Christmas and Walsh is cool. I even have 2 45's by Randy Meisner in my teenager 45 collection (Deep Inside My Heart and Hearts on Fire). To make this a little shorter-I appreciate all that you have done, your book is very interesting and I think you are very underrated. Thank you for playing Autism Speaks--my sister's son has autism and your support is huge!!!]]> http://forum.felderfans.com/showthread.php?tid=19 Mon, 15 Mar 2010 16:31:42 +0100 http://forum.felderfans.com/showthread.php?tid=19
Here in Liverpool, UK, two musicians Mark Whiteley and Steve Lawson were inspired by Don's book to write a new song, 'Gods of California'

The lyrics are really just a textual collage of references to Eagles landmarks, and are intended simply to make the listener think about the various issues and personalities involved over their time together (and apart!) Hear the song at http://www.reverbnation.com/markwhiteley

Your feedback is welcome at mark.whiteley@talktalk.net]]>
Here in Liverpool, UK, two musicians Mark Whiteley and Steve Lawson were inspired by Don's book to write a new song, 'Gods of California'

The lyrics are really just a textual collage of references to Eagles landmarks, and are intended simply to make the listener think about the various issues and personalities involved over their time together (and apart!) Hear the song at http://www.reverbnation.com/markwhiteley

Your feedback is welcome at mark.whiteley@talktalk.net]]> http://forum.felderfans.com/showthread.php?tid=18 Fri, 19 Feb 2010 19:10:58 +0100 http://forum.felderfans.com/showthread.php?tid=18
Besides unreleased/new material, what would you like to see in Don's set list? What not?


Eagles songs > Outlaw Man
Don songs > All of You
covers > Don played some honky-tonk slide guitar on an album cut called "Tatooed Man from Chelsea" in the 70's, nice and raw and Felder-fuzzy. I think he should do it live!

GG]]>
Besides unreleased/new material, what would you like to see in Don's set list? What not?


Eagles songs > Outlaw Man
Don songs > All of You
covers > Don played some honky-tonk slide guitar on an album cut called "Tatooed Man from Chelsea" in the 70's, nice and raw and Felder-fuzzy. I think he should do it live!

GG]]> http://forum.felderfans.com/showthread.php?tid=15 Wed, 20 Jan 2010 16:44:40 +0100 http://forum.felderfans.com/showthread.php?tid=15 the PGA site. Don is playing with pro with Jason Dufner's group. The Golf Channel covers the tournament on TV. Last year they showed a lot of the celebrity amateurs and even profiled Don with his statistics, a slo-mo swing analysis and commentator mojo.

However, the heavy rain in So. Cal. threatens to wash out the event.]]> the PGA site. Don is playing with pro with Jason Dufner's group. The Golf Channel covers the tournament on TV. Last year they showed a lot of the celebrity amateurs and even profiled Don with his statistics, a slo-mo swing analysis and commentator mojo.

However, the heavy rain in So. Cal. threatens to wash out the event.]]> http://forum.felderfans.com/showthread.php?tid=13 Mon, 09 Nov 2009 17:30:14 +0100 http://forum.felderfans.com/showthread.php?tid=13
It's pretty common knowledge - that is to say I'm not basing this on a scientific study, just what I read/hear in the media - that the majority of people do not buy/download complete albums these days, but rather pick and choose individual songs they've sampled and buy the singles online via iTunes, MySpace Music or another platform (that is if they don't rip it via a torrent or some other illegal source.)

On the other hand, some companies only offer complete albums for downloading from particular artists in order to circumvent this and try to maximize profits by controlling supply and demand.

So, if Don's new album came out tomorrow, what would you do?

• I'd download the complete album figuring the entire thing is going to be worth it
  

• I'd buy a track or two first and if I like them I'll by the rest
  

• I wouldn't buy it but wait until somebody uploads it illegally and then rip it
  

• I don't buy music online
  

• I'd hope that it's published in CD form or pressed in vinyl because I'm nostalgic and want it that way
  

Your experience? Thoughts?]]>
It's pretty common knowledge - that is to say I'm not basing this on a scientific study, just what I read/hear in the media - that the majority of people do not buy/download complete albums these days, but rather pick and choose individual songs they've sampled and buy the singles online via iTunes, MySpace Music or another platform (that is if they don't rip it via a torrent or some other illegal source.)

On the other hand, some companies only offer complete albums for downloading from particular artists in order to circumvent this and try to maximize profits by controlling supply and demand.

So, if Don's new album came out tomorrow, what would you do?

• I'd download the complete album figuring the entire thing is going to be worth it
  

• I'd buy a track or two first and if I like them I'll by the rest
  

• I wouldn't buy it but wait until somebody uploads it illegally and then rip it
  

• I don't buy music online
  

• I'd hope that it's published in CD form or pressed in vinyl because I'm nostalgic and want it that way
  

Your experience? Thoughts?]]> http://forum.felderfans.com/showthread.php?tid=8 Mon, 19 Oct 2009 00:05:17 +0200 http://forum.felderfans.com/showthread.php?tid=8
http://soundclick.com/share?songid=8229240

A little background info, well I've been in love with this song ever since watching "Heavy Metal" back in 1990 on good old Cinemax and then recorded it on VHS (hmm somehow I miss those days) and got the soundtrack immedietly. So at this point in my life I was just starting to learn guitar and said to myself "you know I would like to play All of You someday", that day came about 2 weeks ago. For the past 2 years I've been going to school for Recording Engineering so to speak and so I'm kind of putting together this Resume of songs and coversongs to show where my skills are at and over the years my music skills have gotten eh somewhat better. Since there is no sheetmusic, tabs, and even a MIDI file for the song, I just sat down and figured out everything from scratch, and still I couldn't get everything just right, especially with the bass and the solo.

So first came the drums, basically wrote a midi file of everything I could hear and also tried to get the dynamics of the player down, then I used a Plug in called Superior Drummer 2.0 for the actual drums sound and with some minor tweaking completed the drumkit to be mixed in.

Bass is done with a MiM Fender Jazz bass thru a REDDI Direct Inject, to a Neve clone mic Pre then to my pc/audio interface, boom instant sound and tone, only added a Compressor plugin to even out my playing and make just about every note the same volume.

Guitars, used a Edwards LP clone for the distorted tones, a Carvin strat for the clean guitar sound, Amp used is a Hughes & Kettner Triamp mkII (A Marshall type on steroids) SM57 mic and a API512 clone mic pre. All effects used are in the software, I pretty much record my guitars dry.

Phew, any other questions just ask!]]>
http://soundclick.com/share?songid=8229240

A little background info, well I've been in love with this song ever since watching "Heavy Metal" back in 1990 on good old Cinemax and then recorded it on VHS (hmm somehow I miss those days) and got the soundtrack immedietly. So at this point in my life I was just starting to learn guitar and said to myself "you know I would like to play All of You someday", that day came about 2 weeks ago. For the past 2 years I've been going to school for Recording Engineering so to speak and so I'm kind of putting together this Resume of songs and coversongs to show where my skills are at and over the years my music skills have gotten eh somewhat better. Since there is no sheetmusic, tabs, and even a MIDI file for the song, I just sat down and figured out everything from scratch, and still I couldn't get everything just right, especially with the bass and the solo.

So first came the drums, basically wrote a midi file of everything I could hear and also tried to get the dynamics of the player down, then I used a Plug in called Superior Drummer 2.0 for the actual drums sound and with some minor tweaking completed the drumkit to be mixed in.

Bass is done with a MiM Fender Jazz bass thru a REDDI Direct Inject, to a Neve clone mic Pre then to my pc/audio interface, boom instant sound and tone, only added a Compressor plugin to even out my playing and make just about every note the same volume.

Guitars, used a Edwards LP clone for the distorted tones, a Carvin strat for the clean guitar sound, Amp used is a Hughes & Kettner Triamp mkII (A Marshall type on steroids) SM57 mic and a API512 clone mic pre. All effects used are in the software, I pretty much record my guitars dry.

Phew, any other questions just ask!]]> http://forum.felderfans.com/showthread.php?tid=7 Sat, 17 Oct 2009 19:09:03 +0200 http://forum.felderfans.com/showthread.php?tid=7
Or, if you've been to a recent show, fill us in. Set list? Guitars played? Band members? Acoustics? What did you like, what not?]]>
Or, if you've been to a recent show, fill us in. Set list? Guitars played? Band members? Acoustics? What did you like, what not?]]> http://forum.felderfans.com/showthread.php?tid=6 Tue, 06 Oct 2009 03:14:36 +0200 http://forum.felderfans.com/showthread.php?tid=6
Don Felder is a brilliant, smooth guitarist. What other guitarists do you all like? Why? Let's have fun with this!]]>
Don Felder is a brilliant, smooth guitarist. What other guitarists do you all like? Why? Let's have fun with this!]]> http://forum.felderfans.com/showthread.php?tid=5 Mon, 05 Oct 2009 16:20:00 +0200 http://forum.felderfans.com/showthread.php?tid=5
I know that a great deal of commentary has been made about the book Heaven and Hell by Don Felder on the Eagles message board and other places. I can understand if some folks feel that the topic is around a thousand times overkilled by now.

However, given that this is Mr. Felder's message board and the importance of the book in his life and the Eagles story, I think it is natural to discuss the book here.

In my case, as some of you know, I'm a nightclub musician warrior that never made it big, so the story has a certain fascination for me, and I think my background offers another perspective.

In the spirit of keeping this message board on the pro-Felder side and of keeping it fun, I will focus on the many positive things in the book, and I hope others will as well.

I must get to work right now, so I won't go into the book just yet.

So I invite all of you to kick off the conversation!]]>
I know that a great deal of commentary has been made about the book Heaven and Hell by Don Felder on the Eagles message board and other places. I can understand if some folks feel that the topic is around a thousand times overkilled by now.

However, given that this is Mr. Felder's message board and the importance of the book in his life and the Eagles story, I think it is natural to discuss the book here.

In my case, as some of you know, I'm a nightclub musician warrior that never made it big, so the story has a certain fascination for me, and I think my background offers another perspective.

In the spirit of keeping this message board on the pro-Felder side and of keeping it fun, I will focus on the many positive things in the book, and I hope others will as well.

I must get to work right now, so I won't go into the book just yet.

So I invite all of you to kick off the conversation!]]> http://forum.felderfans.com/showthread.php?tid=4 Thu, 01 Oct 2009 18:45:04 +0200 http://forum.felderfans.com/showthread.php?tid=4
My name is Albert "Al" Mora.

This new blog is going to be GREAT!

I am a guitarist and a huge Don Felder fan. I posted a video of my cover of Hotel California on my youtube channel:

youtube.com/ajmora

I hope you get to enjoy it.

And I wrote the following very long letter to Don Felder, which I posted on the Eagles blog:

Crown Point, Indiana
March 13, 2009

Dear Don Felder,

I’m a Don Felder fan, and this is just a fan letter about your book, your music, and life in general.

I am an extremely-blessed person. I’m 50 years old with a great wife, five great kids, and two grandchildren. I’m an MBA with a busy corporate career. And I’m a guitarist.

As for your book, Heaven and Hell, congratulations! I’ve probably read a thousand books (now that I stopped to think about it), and have read many books about music. H&H is one of my favorite books about music or any topic.

In addition to being a book about a band and the music industry, it’s a very personal real-life adventure. It’s a fascinating journey from your modest childhood to talented young guitarist to music teacher to musical journeyman to studio stud to rock star to (successful!) litigant to author. It’s an intimate look at the extremely talented, successful, and tortuous Eagles; the long, hard dues unknown and famous musicians pay; the inspiration, work, and pain that goes into a song from songwriting and song selection to arranging, rehearsing, recording, mixing, to playing the song to live audiences around the world. That’s a long process! You give a colorful picture of life on the road. You show the friendship and conflict that can occur among bandmates. You show the price paid by so many others directly or indirectly related to the band. You show how some women (mis)behave toward musicians.

What a ride! The book is more than worthy of the Eagles and you. You’ve done a Fantastic job!

As much as I admire the book, I admire your success as a musician far more. You know as well as anyone that being talented and being a successful musician are related-but-different things. Literally millions of hopefuls start out convinced they’ll “make it.” Thousands have enough talent. But an extremely small number actually succeed. It takes talent, courage, intelligence, versatility, knowledge of equipment (guitars, amps, pedals, mics, recording setups, etc.), discipline, the right looks, the ability to just function in music’s unusual environment, and plain old good luck. And you did it! Good for you!

Now, as much as I admire your career success, I admire your guitar playing vastly more. Being a guitarist, I noticed as the Eagles sound evolved from mellow crossover Country pop to higher and higher energy levels. When you joined, your slick, smooth, bendy, edgy guitar playing fit perfectly with what they already had, and was an instant lift to the Eagles. Then when it was announced that Joe Walsh had joined, I predicted you and he would be a fantastic combination that could take the Eagles energy up another level. And you did!

You did so many great things with the Eagles, but the greatest was your writing and soloing in Hotel California. That is one of the greatest tunes in rock history! You are a superstar.

For the fun, here are my guitar rankings.

Tied for number one are Hendrix, Clapton, and Santana.

Tied for number four are Prince, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and Jimmy Page.

After those first six, I make no distinction in rank. I love many guitarists. Here they are as they come to mind in no particular order:

Don Felder, Duane Allman, Joe Walsh, John McLaughlin, Al DiMeola, Mark Knopfler, Larry Carlton, Chet Catello, George Benson, Eddie Van Halen, Mark Farner, Alvin Lee, Chuck Berry, Terry Kath, John Lee Hooker, Paco De Lucia, Chet Atkins, Glenn Campbell, Earl Klugh, Skunk Baxter, Roy Clark, George Harrison, Keith Richards, Neal Schon, B.B. King, Dick Dale, Brian May, John Fogerty, Ritchie Blackmore, Steve Howe, Joni Mitchell, Johnny Winter, Edgar Winter, James Taylor, Dan Fogelberg, David Gilmore, Neil Young, Angus Young, Vernon Reid, Jorma Kaukonen, John Mayer, Joe Perry, Robert Cray, Bonnie Raitt, and Gerry Beckley.

To me Gerry Beckley of America is the most under-rated of all these guitarists.

For the fun of it, here are guitarists that receive lots of recognition, but that I’m not so impressed by:

Jimmy Vaughan (I know many blues players from the Chicago area that I think are vastly better than him), Jeff Beck (Bores me. Tinkers around instead of getting on with it. The opposite of Don Felder.), Kirk Hammett (bores me), Jerry Garcia (bored me extremely), Buddy Guy (I saw him live in Chicago. Great showman, but lots of blues players bore me quickly. He did.), Les Paul (too busy for me, not enough patience, melody, and touch), Pete Townshend (good power rhythm player but not a strong lead player – not enough creativity, not enough runs, no memorable phrases, a bit scratchy and short on sustain, vibrato, and control), Andres Segovia (I know he’s important historically in classical but I find his playing lacks passion).

Finally, here are four fantastic musicians from the Chicago area that are not well-known.

Phil Miller is a guitarist extraordinaire and the bluesiest/funkiest white guy (or otherwise) in the world. Can rock you till you drop too! Phil sings and plays a MONSTER version of Superstition that has to be heard to be believed. His playing/singing coordination are out of this world. And his body language is unassuming, moderate, but so balanced and from deep within – when he closes his eyes and plays he takes you to another universe. His most widely-known work was with a band named Sonia Dada headed by one of the Pritzker family. He's done lots of jingles including stuff for McDonalds and other big names. And he’s an extremely intelligent dude who speaks more like a college professor than a musician.

In the mid-1980’s I saw guitarist/singer John Duich play lengthily many nights at jam sessions that were actually run by Phil Miller. Hendrix songs were covered the most, and John sang and played the best Hendrix covers I've ever heard hands down. He played Little Wing much better than Stevie Ray Vaughan, though Jimi’s is my favorite. I heard he passed away a few years ago, but from an unreliable source.

Dave Alamillo has been the lead singer and guitarist of local Northwest Indiana Top-40 band Monterrey for over thirty years. Within his Top-40 work Dave is a good singer, and his guitar playing is clean and competent. And that’s all I thought he was for years. At a jam session one day in 1985 my impression of him was changed forever. It happened at Danny’s in Highland, Indiana, ten minutes from the South Side of Chicago, where jam sessions were held throughout the ‘80s. These were the sessions run by Phil Miller. Every Monday night it seemed Danny’s jam sessions were getting hotter and hotter, and this Monday felt like a climax. The club was packed with 50 great musicians and 200 patrons. This night an African American blues band from Chicago opened up, with Dave accompanying them as a second guitar. Can’t remember the band’s name. I think Dave was old friends with the band, so they asked him to sit in. They had a singer, guitarist, organ (Hammond B-3 of course), bass, sax, and drummer. The group opened with some old blues standard. The singer was soulful and funny, and through the song he went around the stage having each player, except Dave, take a solo. Dave just kinda stood in the corner and smiled. Each solo built on the one before, and each verse took you to a new level. Finally to close, the singer nodded at Dave. I’ll never forget this moment in time. Phil Miller and I were chatting, commenting about what a good blues band they were. When Dave started playing, Phil and I stopped in mid-sentence to watch and listen to what was occurring onstage. Dave took the song all the way back to the first, simple lick of the first verse. The band followed him instinctively, getting very quiet. Dave repeated the theme a few times, each time enhancing it slightly, using body language to ask each player to accent something he was doing. A little pip there. A little squeak here. A hard accent. Two hard accents. Four super-hard accents. EIGHT ATOMIC ACCENTS. Then pandemonium. Dave let out 32 bars of higher and higher intensity solos to equal the most devastating Stevie Ray, Clapton, or Hendrix screams I’d ever heard. The band ended with an exploding crescendo of freeform solos by all. The house fell apart. By now the dance floor and area around the stage were packed. 60-year-old blues guitarists shook Dave’s hand. Some cooled him down with their hankies. Some wiped his brow. Others hugged Dave. Phil and I just nodded our heads and said, “That Dave is one bad Mo!” For the next four hours, no other guitarist dared follow Dave onstage. He kept laughing and trying to get off. But we wouldn’t let him. Someone would hand him a beer and push him right back onstage. Dave was the only guitarist who played the rest of that long night. That night Dave covered some forty or fifty blues, jazz, and rock standards from Howlin’ Wolf to the Animals to Jeff Beck to Zeppelin. Dave’s versatility was incredible. Power chords. Bends. Screams. Explosions. Beautiful melodies. Subtle phrases. Finger picking. Twangy Country. Jazz-chord melodies. Open string configurations. Altered tunings. Whammy bar pyrotechnics. Birds chirped. Lions roared. Boats, trains, planes, and sirens screamed. Never a missed chord. Never a sloppy fill. That night I realized what a talented and humble guy Dave is. What a musician!

Finally, bassist Joe Fuqua is a manager at Guitar Center in Merrillville, Indiana. I watched him at many a jam session play nonstop for hours with a string of HEAVY rockers, blues players, and jazz players and never miss a note. His forte is FUNK. Funk that would make your mom dance! To top this, Joe is a heavyweight live performer with body language that makes women go crazy. I’ve seen him take over a dance floor packed with beautiful women many times. Just another day at the office for this guy.

Somehow, these four exceptional talents are not world-famous. It defies all understanding and explanation.

So after discussing my favorite and not-so-favorite guitarists, I come back to Don Felder.

In all of music history, including all forms from classical to jazz to reggae to country to blues to folk to any international style, the most powerful, emotional music is rock. Not only that, rock is the most powerful form among all forms of entertainment including live theater, movies, bullfighting, or boxing. Rock is sonic and visual love, passion, and violence creatively and beautifully delivered. And guitar is by far the most powerful, emotional rock instrument. So to me, in all of human experience, listening to rock guitar at its best is the most powerful, beautiful experience. That is why I chose to play guitar.

You are no-doubt-about-it a virtuoso of this greatest of all instruments. Congratulations for being one MONSTER guitarist and thanks for giving your fans all those goose bumps all these years. Your playing will live forever and ever.

Now I’ll switch gears to your personal story, which is fascinating.

Of the many many books I’ve read, yours is the most personally revealing. You share candidly about your successes, mistakes, joys, and particularly your pains. I think if we put you on a relative emotional pain scale, you probably have experienced much more emotional pain than the average person. Given that, I’m going to focus on pain.

When discussing pain, here’s a story I’ve told many times. An Al Mora original.

If I could get into a time machine and go back to chat with myself at a younger age for one minute, I would visit myself at around age fourteen. And here is what I would say:
I have only one minute, so please listen carefully. I am here because I love you so much. I would not want to be anyone in the universe but you. No matter what you may experience, no matter what others may do to you, no matter how badly you may intentionally or unintentionally harm others, no matter how serious a mistake you might make, there is one thing I want you to promise. Promise that you will not worry. Every night of your life, let everything go. Love yourself. Forgive yourself. Take great care of yourself. Sleep peacefully. Every morning, promise yourself that no matter what is in store, you’re going to have the most beautiful day of your life. In your lifetime you will both succeed and fail so much more than you can begin to imagine, and you will feel joy and pain so much greater than you can begin to imagine at your age. I can not describe it for you. You must live it. However, though you may have difficulty believing this, the pain is under your control. Control it. You are so blessed. You are not cheated by any measure. You have stores of power you can not imagine. Life will expose this power to you. The power to learn. The power to survive. The power to work hard. The power to forgive. The power to love. Love yourself for exactly who you are. Love the world for exactly what it is. Be good as you can. Be happy every moment. Do not worry!

Don Felder, think about it. If you could go back to yourself at age 14, what would you tell yourself? If you think my message is a good one, that leads to the next twist.

What if my 80-year-old self appears to me tonight? I can guess what he’ll say. He’ll say the same thing I said to my 14-year-old self above. “Be good as you can. Be happy every moment. Do not worry.” And he would be right.

That is my message to you, Don Felder. I suggest you never, ever, ever let Glen Frye, Don Henley, your mistakes, your children’s mistakes, the pain and sins of the world, or anything else get you down! You are so powerful! Use your power to control your pain. Convert your pain to peace and happiness. That is the least you owe yourself and everyone who cares about you.



~ ~ ~


Here’s who I am.

You can view my music videos, including one of Hotel California, at youtube.com/ajmora. You can listen to music, read our history, see photos, etc. on our web site, freeverseband.com.

I am a guitarist and I love to sing (though I wouldn’t call myself a singer), and through the years I’ve steadily increased my focus on songwriting.

I started playing guitar at age fourteen and took it very seriously from the start. I tried to form my own band for years without success. Finally in 1980 I was discovered by Free Verse guitarist Mario Moreno. Mario had decided to leave the band and recommended me to replace him. I auditioned and fortunately was chosen to join.

I played five nights a week in three consecutive Chicagoland Top-40 nightclub bands (Free Verse, Big Apple Band, and Together) from 1980 to 1993 with no weeks off. In 1993 I alone revived the Free Verse band name and shifted focus to writing and recording originals. From 1997 to 2005 we lived in Southern California. Most Fridays and Saturdays I played for tips at the foot of Newport Pier in Newport Beach. During this time I started a music web site on mp3 which evolved to today’s web site.

In 2005 we moved from California back to Chicagoland. Samantha my 14-year-old daughter/singer and I play a few local shows a year. As you may see on our videos and web site, Samantha is a talented singer. Right now we’re working on recording a cover of the Carpenter’s “Close to You,” and a nice contemporary original I wrote for Samantha.



~ ~ ~


Groupies. Your book includes the familiar theme of wild flings between groupie-women and rock musicians. As you say, when women chase musicians, most musicians do not understand that they are being victimized. They foolishly go along, feeling that they’re succeeding in some form. I never went for this. My parents taught me better. To me letting someone prey on you sexually is worse than letting them steal your money. Over thirteen years onstage I had two serious girlfriends, each at separate times. The second one is my lovely wife Barbara.



~ ~ ~


Drugs. Short and sweet. I believe in being physically and mentally fit. Period.



~ ~ ~


I was a very shy high school student who never dated. I was 23 years old when Free Verse hit the road in 1981. Suddenly I’m onstage all over the Midwest and lots of women like me. Every night I play my guitar like it’s Woodstock. I jump all over the stage. I close my eyes with every solo. I grimace. I jump. I run. I jump on tables. I sweat. I rock. I’m bad. The crowd loves it, especially women. I come offstage and sign autographs. This is Heaven (without Hell)! One day we’re off the road, back in the Chicago area. I hear there are great jam sessions at Danny’s in Highland, Indiana. They’re held on Monday nights, when musicians are off. I, who am in a “road band,” am extremely excited to show off my chops to all these “local” musicians. I get to the jam session early and I’m the first to sign up. Some local dude I never heard of named “Bill” Miller or something is the host. He opens up on guitar and sings and plays a short, simple little blues tune along with a mix of guys on second guitar, bass, electric piano, organ, sax, and drums. Phil calls out my name. I plug my Les Paul into my Mesa Boogie. The guys quickly hum an old Hendrix standard to me and teach me the chords. All Along the Watchtower. “Yeah, I’ve heard it. I’ve never played it, but I can pull it off,” I say with total confidence. And yes, I play the rhythm parts fine and we’re sounding better than that local dude Bill whatshisname and I’m warming up. I’m playing my rhythm part better each verse and now I’m hopping around the stage. The room is full of players who’ve filed in. I look at the audience and they don’t look too excited. So I decide I’m going to blow their sox off, just like I do in Free Verse every night. My turn comes for a solo and I let it all hang out. I turn up my Mesa Boogie MarkIIB. I play nice juicy, thick Santana/Hendrix blues. Nice bends. Nice fast runs. Open string low notes combines with quick butterfly sweeps of minor seven and major nine chords, taking it slightly outside. A few hammer-ons for measure. Some helicopter and bomb action. Now I’m smiling ear to ear. I’m on the dance floor. Time for the big finish. I play some nice blues-scale-runs from low-E to the top of the neck. Slip a whole-note scale in on the way up to show some variety. We end with a wonderful flurry. I’m sweaty. I’m in Heaven (without Hell)!!! I open my eyes. All these musicians in the club are just chatting with each other, casually lighting cigarettes. I get light applause. Light applause! What the %#$ is going on here?

Bill whatshisname walks up and says, “Good job! Keep on going dude!” “No thanks,” I say, confused. “I’m going to get a beer.” “That’s fine,” says Bill, “you can come back later.”

I go sit at the bar, get a beer, and observe the whole scene. The guys I was up there with and a new guitarist start to play, and my musical education starts all over again. In fifteen seconds I get it. This next guitarist casually proceeds to sing and play absolutely devastating version of some old blues song. During the song, he smokes and plays with his cigarette without missing a chord. He tells a couple of jokes that bring down the house wile playing a solo with one hand, taking a puff on his cigarette, and placing it under the strings on the guitar head. He plays the chords to the song by swiping the mic stand against the guitar strings. He plays an incredible slide lead with the mic stand. Oh, look who’s up there with him? Bill whatshisname the host. Bill sings amazing backgrounds to this guys improvised lead vocals. He plays beautiful, tasty blues chords and every time it’s time to turn around to get back to the beginning, Bill and this guitarist think of new chord progressions to get there. After that song ends, Bill steps up to mic. His body language is different. It is powerful, with total command. He calls out a song. The drummer clicks his sticks slowly four times. Off they go. The song is slow-tempo, sad. Truly bluesy. Phil plays the best blues guitar I’ve ever heard in my life, and he sings blues like he’s dying in front of my eyes. He sings with so much feeling I cry. And for the rest of the night, a miracle occurs. Each guitarist who gets onstage is better than the last. Phil stops by several times to invite me back onstage. I say, “Absolutely not. I don’t belong on the same stage with any of you guys.” And every half-hour or so, Phil sits in with a group and his singing and playing takes everyone to another, higher level. By the end of the night I’ve heard ten guitarists better than anyone I’ve heard in my life. I’m considering quitting my band. I’m considering quitting music. I’m very, very depressed!

Fast forward five years.

I walk into Danny’s on a Monday night. I have my good old Les Paul and Boogie. I set them up. I’m the first person there. I check in with Danny, the owner. I turn on the sound system. I place the sign up sheet and pen on a table at the front of the stage. The crowd of musicians starts to roll in. I welcome in all my musician friends as they walk in. It’s 9:00pm. I put on my guitar. I invite the first guitarist, bass player, organ player, sax player, and drummer to sign in onstage. They tune up. I get on the mic. “Testing - Welcome to Danny’s in Highland on this beautiful Monday night. I am Al Mora, your host.” I proceed to keep the musicians organized as they make their way on and offstage. I tell a funny story or two I know about my fellow musician-warriors as they climb on and offstage. A few times during the night, if things get slightly too wild or too slow, I get onstage and do something to set the right mood. During the night, I sit in at various times. I make sure I play one one-hundredth of the chops I know. I save my thunder for other sessions. I look around at a room full of guitarists that I’ve learned so much from. And I feel comfortable that I’ve caught up with them. And I am truly in Heaven.

Long live rock guitar. God Bless.]]>
My name is Albert "Al" Mora.

This new blog is going to be GREAT!

I am a guitarist and a huge Don Felder fan. I posted a video of my cover of Hotel California on my youtube channel:

youtube.com/ajmora

I hope you get to enjoy it.

And I wrote the following very long letter to Don Felder, which I posted on the Eagles blog:

Crown Point, Indiana
March 13, 2009

Dear Don Felder,

I’m a Don Felder fan, and this is just a fan letter about your book, your music, and life in general.

I am an extremely-blessed person. I’m 50 years old with a great wife, five great kids, and two grandchildren. I’m an MBA with a busy corporate career. And I’m a guitarist.

As for your book, Heaven and Hell, congratulations! I’ve probably read a thousand books (now that I stopped to think about it), and have read many books about music. H&H is one of my favorite books about music or any topic.

In addition to being a book about a band and the music industry, it’s a very personal real-life adventure. It’s a fascinating journey from your modest childhood to talented young guitarist to music teacher to musical journeyman to studio stud to rock star to (successful!) litigant to author. It’s an intimate look at the extremely talented, successful, and tortuous Eagles; the long, hard dues unknown and famous musicians pay; the inspiration, work, and pain that goes into a song from songwriting and song selection to arranging, rehearsing, recording, mixing, to playing the song to live audiences around the world. That’s a long process! You give a colorful picture of life on the road. You show the friendship and conflict that can occur among bandmates. You show the price paid by so many others directly or indirectly related to the band. You show how some women (mis)behave toward musicians.

What a ride! The book is more than worthy of the Eagles and you. You’ve done a Fantastic job!

As much as I admire the book, I admire your success as a musician far more. You know as well as anyone that being talented and being a successful musician are related-but-different things. Literally millions of hopefuls start out convinced they’ll “make it.” Thousands have enough talent. But an extremely small number actually succeed. It takes talent, courage, intelligence, versatility, knowledge of equipment (guitars, amps, pedals, mics, recording setups, etc.), discipline, the right looks, the ability to just function in music’s unusual environment, and plain old good luck. And you did it! Good for you!

Now, as much as I admire your career success, I admire your guitar playing vastly more. Being a guitarist, I noticed as the Eagles sound evolved from mellow crossover Country pop to higher and higher energy levels. When you joined, your slick, smooth, bendy, edgy guitar playing fit perfectly with what they already had, and was an instant lift to the Eagles. Then when it was announced that Joe Walsh had joined, I predicted you and he would be a fantastic combination that could take the Eagles energy up another level. And you did!

You did so many great things with the Eagles, but the greatest was your writing and soloing in Hotel California. That is one of the greatest tunes in rock history! You are a superstar.

For the fun, here are my guitar rankings.

Tied for number one are Hendrix, Clapton, and Santana.

Tied for number four are Prince, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and Jimmy Page.

After those first six, I make no distinction in rank. I love many guitarists. Here they are as they come to mind in no particular order:

Don Felder, Duane Allman, Joe Walsh, John McLaughlin, Al DiMeola, Mark Knopfler, Larry Carlton, Chet Catello, George Benson, Eddie Van Halen, Mark Farner, Alvin Lee, Chuck Berry, Terry Kath, John Lee Hooker, Paco De Lucia, Chet Atkins, Glenn Campbell, Earl Klugh, Skunk Baxter, Roy Clark, George Harrison, Keith Richards, Neal Schon, B.B. King, Dick Dale, Brian May, John Fogerty, Ritchie Blackmore, Steve Howe, Joni Mitchell, Johnny Winter, Edgar Winter, James Taylor, Dan Fogelberg, David Gilmore, Neil Young, Angus Young, Vernon Reid, Jorma Kaukonen, John Mayer, Joe Perry, Robert Cray, Bonnie Raitt, and Gerry Beckley.

To me Gerry Beckley of America is the most under-rated of all these guitarists.

For the fun of it, here are guitarists that receive lots of recognition, but that I’m not so impressed by:

Jimmy Vaughan (I know many blues players from the Chicago area that I think are vastly better than him), Jeff Beck (Bores me. Tinkers around instead of getting on with it. The opposite of Don Felder.), Kirk Hammett (bores me), Jerry Garcia (bored me extremely), Buddy Guy (I saw him live in Chicago. Great showman, but lots of blues players bore me quickly. He did.), Les Paul (too busy for me, not enough patience, melody, and touch), Pete Townshend (good power rhythm player but not a strong lead player – not enough creativity, not enough runs, no memorable phrases, a bit scratchy and short on sustain, vibrato, and control), Andres Segovia (I know he’s important historically in classical but I find his playing lacks passion).

Finally, here are four fantastic musicians from the Chicago area that are not well-known.

Phil Miller is a guitarist extraordinaire and the bluesiest/funkiest white guy (or otherwise) in the world. Can rock you till you drop too! Phil sings and plays a MONSTER version of Superstition that has to be heard to be believed. His playing/singing coordination are out of this world. And his body language is unassuming, moderate, but so balanced and from deep within – when he closes his eyes and plays he takes you to another universe. His most widely-known work was with a band named Sonia Dada headed by one of the Pritzker family. He's done lots of jingles including stuff for McDonalds and other big names. And he’s an extremely intelligent dude who speaks more like a college professor than a musician.

In the mid-1980’s I saw guitarist/singer John Duich play lengthily many nights at jam sessions that were actually run by Phil Miller. Hendrix songs were covered the most, and John sang and played the best Hendrix covers I've ever heard hands down. He played Little Wing much better than Stevie Ray Vaughan, though Jimi’s is my favorite. I heard he passed away a few years ago, but from an unreliable source.

Dave Alamillo has been the lead singer and guitarist of local Northwest Indiana Top-40 band Monterrey for over thirty years. Within his Top-40 work Dave is a good singer, and his guitar playing is clean and competent. And that’s all I thought he was for years. At a jam session one day in 1985 my impression of him was changed forever. It happened at Danny’s in Highland, Indiana, ten minutes from the South Side of Chicago, where jam sessions were held throughout the ‘80s. These were the sessions run by Phil Miller. Every Monday night it seemed Danny’s jam sessions were getting hotter and hotter, and this Monday felt like a climax. The club was packed with 50 great musicians and 200 patrons. This night an African American blues band from Chicago opened up, with Dave accompanying them as a second guitar. Can’t remember the band’s name. I think Dave was old friends with the band, so they asked him to sit in. They had a singer, guitarist, organ (Hammond B-3 of course), bass, sax, and drummer. The group opened with some old blues standard. The singer was soulful and funny, and through the song he went around the stage having each player, except Dave, take a solo. Dave just kinda stood in the corner and smiled. Each solo built on the one before, and each verse took you to a new level. Finally to close, the singer nodded at Dave. I’ll never forget this moment in time. Phil Miller and I were chatting, commenting about what a good blues band they were. When Dave started playing, Phil and I stopped in mid-sentence to watch and listen to what was occurring onstage. Dave took the song all the way back to the first, simple lick of the first verse. The band followed him instinctively, getting very quiet. Dave repeated the theme a few times, each time enhancing it slightly, using body language to ask each player to accent something he was doing. A little pip there. A little squeak here. A hard accent. Two hard accents. Four super-hard accents. EIGHT ATOMIC ACCENTS. Then pandemonium. Dave let out 32 bars of higher and higher intensity solos to equal the most devastating Stevie Ray, Clapton, or Hendrix screams I’d ever heard. The band ended with an exploding crescendo of freeform solos by all. The house fell apart. By now the dance floor and area around the stage were packed. 60-year-old blues guitarists shook Dave’s hand. Some cooled him down with their hankies. Some wiped his brow. Others hugged Dave. Phil and I just nodded our heads and said, “That Dave is one bad Mo!” For the next four hours, no other guitarist dared follow Dave onstage. He kept laughing and trying to get off. But we wouldn’t let him. Someone would hand him a beer and push him right back onstage. Dave was the only guitarist who played the rest of that long night. That night Dave covered some forty or fifty blues, jazz, and rock standards from Howlin’ Wolf to the Animals to Jeff Beck to Zeppelin. Dave’s versatility was incredible. Power chords. Bends. Screams. Explosions. Beautiful melodies. Subtle phrases. Finger picking. Twangy Country. Jazz-chord melodies. Open string configurations. Altered tunings. Whammy bar pyrotechnics. Birds chirped. Lions roared. Boats, trains, planes, and sirens screamed. Never a missed chord. Never a sloppy fill. That night I realized what a talented and humble guy Dave is. What a musician!

Finally, bassist Joe Fuqua is a manager at Guitar Center in Merrillville, Indiana. I watched him at many a jam session play nonstop for hours with a string of HEAVY rockers, blues players, and jazz players and never miss a note. His forte is FUNK. Funk that would make your mom dance! To top this, Joe is a heavyweight live performer with body language that makes women go crazy. I’ve seen him take over a dance floor packed with beautiful women many times. Just another day at the office for this guy.

Somehow, these four exceptional talents are not world-famous. It defies all understanding and explanation.

So after discussing my favorite and not-so-favorite guitarists, I come back to Don Felder.

In all of music history, including all forms from classical to jazz to reggae to country to blues to folk to any international style, the most powerful, emotional music is rock. Not only that, rock is the most powerful form among all forms of entertainment including live theater, movies, bullfighting, or boxing. Rock is sonic and visual love, passion, and violence creatively and beautifully delivered. And guitar is by far the most powerful, emotional rock instrument. So to me, in all of human experience, listening to rock guitar at its best is the most powerful, beautiful experience. That is why I chose to play guitar.

You are no-doubt-about-it a virtuoso of this greatest of all instruments. Congratulations for being one MONSTER guitarist and thanks for giving your fans all those goose bumps all these years. Your playing will live forever and ever.

Now I’ll switch gears to your personal story, which is fascinating.

Of the many many books I’ve read, yours is the most personally revealing. You share candidly about your successes, mistakes, joys, and particularly your pains. I think if we put you on a relative emotional pain scale, you probably have experienced much more emotional pain than the average person. Given that, I’m going to focus on pain.

When discussing pain, here’s a story I’ve told many times. An Al Mora original.

If I could get into a time machine and go back to chat with myself at a younger age for one minute, I would visit myself at around age fourteen. And here is what I would say:
I have only one minute, so please listen carefully. I am here because I love you so much. I would not want to be anyone in the universe but you. No matter what you may experience, no matter what others may do to you, no matter how badly you may intentionally or unintentionally harm others, no matter how serious a mistake you might make, there is one thing I want you to promise. Promise that you will not worry. Every night of your life, let everything go. Love yourself. Forgive yourself. Take great care of yourself. Sleep peacefully. Every morning, promise yourself that no matter what is in store, you’re going to have the most beautiful day of your life. In your lifetime you will both succeed and fail so much more than you can begin to imagine, and you will feel joy and pain so much greater than you can begin to imagine at your age. I can not describe it for you. You must live it. However, though you may have difficulty believing this, the pain is under your control. Control it. You are so blessed. You are not cheated by any measure. You have stores of power you can not imagine. Life will expose this power to you. The power to learn. The power to survive. The power to work hard. The power to forgive. The power to love. Love yourself for exactly who you are. Love the world for exactly what it is. Be good as you can. Be happy every moment. Do not worry!

Don Felder, think about it. If you could go back to yourself at age 14, what would you tell yourself? If you think my message is a good one, that leads to the next twist.

What if my 80-year-old self appears to me tonight? I can guess what he’ll say. He’ll say the same thing I said to my 14-year-old self above. “Be good as you can. Be happy every moment. Do not worry.” And he would be right.

That is my message to you, Don Felder. I suggest you never, ever, ever let Glen Frye, Don Henley, your mistakes, your children’s mistakes, the pain and sins of the world, or anything else get you down! You are so powerful! Use your power to control your pain. Convert your pain to peace and happiness. That is the least you owe yourself and everyone who cares about you.



~ ~ ~


Here’s who I am.

You can view my music videos, including one of Hotel California, at youtube.com/ajmora. You can listen to music, read our history, see photos, etc. on our web site, freeverseband.com.

I am a guitarist and I love to sing (though I wouldn’t call myself a singer), and through the years I’ve steadily increased my focus on songwriting.

I started playing guitar at age fourteen and took it very seriously from the start. I tried to form my own band for years without success. Finally in 1980 I was discovered by Free Verse guitarist Mario Moreno. Mario had decided to leave the band and recommended me to replace him. I auditioned and fortunately was chosen to join.

I played five nights a week in three consecutive Chicagoland Top-40 nightclub bands (Free Verse, Big Apple Band, and Together) from 1980 to 1993 with no weeks off. In 1993 I alone revived the Free Verse band name and shifted focus to writing and recording originals. From 1997 to 2005 we lived in Southern California. Most Fridays and Saturdays I played for tips at the foot of Newport Pier in Newport Beach. During this time I started a music web site on mp3 which evolved to today’s web site.

In 2005 we moved from California back to Chicagoland. Samantha my 14-year-old daughter/singer and I play a few local shows a year. As you may see on our videos and web site, Samantha is a talented singer. Right now we’re working on recording a cover of the Carpenter’s “Close to You,” and a nice contemporary original I wrote for Samantha.



~ ~ ~


Groupies. Your book includes the familiar theme of wild flings between groupie-women and rock musicians. As you say, when women chase musicians, most musicians do not understand that they are being victimized. They foolishly go along, feeling that they’re succeeding in some form. I never went for this. My parents taught me better. To me letting someone prey on you sexually is worse than letting them steal your money. Over thirteen years onstage I had two serious girlfriends, each at separate times. The second one is my lovely wife Barbara.



~ ~ ~


Drugs. Short and sweet. I believe in being physically and mentally fit. Period.



~ ~ ~


I was a very shy high school student who never dated. I was 23 years old when Free Verse hit the road in 1981. Suddenly I’m onstage all over the Midwest and lots of women like me. Every night I play my guitar like it’s Woodstock. I jump all over the stage. I close my eyes with every solo. I grimace. I jump. I run. I jump on tables. I sweat. I rock. I’m bad. The crowd loves it, especially women. I come offstage and sign autographs. This is Heaven (without Hell)! One day we’re off the road, back in the Chicago area. I hear there are great jam sessions at Danny’s in Highland, Indiana. They’re held on Monday nights, when musicians are off. I, who am in a “road band,” am extremely excited to show off my chops to all these “local” musicians. I get to the jam session early and I’m the first to sign up. Some local dude I never heard of named “Bill” Miller or something is the host. He opens up on guitar and sings and plays a short, simple little blues tune along with a mix of guys on second guitar, bass, electric piano, organ, sax, and drums. Phil calls out my name. I plug my Les Paul into my Mesa Boogie. The guys quickly hum an old Hendrix standard to me and teach me the chords. All Along the Watchtower. “Yeah, I’ve heard it. I’ve never played it, but I can pull it off,” I say with total confidence. And yes, I play the rhythm parts fine and we’re sounding better than that local dude Bill whatshisname and I’m warming up. I’m playing my rhythm part better each verse and now I’m hopping around the stage. The room is full of players who’ve filed in. I look at the audience and they don’t look too excited. So I decide I’m going to blow their sox off, just like I do in Free Verse every night. My turn comes for a solo and I let it all hang out. I turn up my Mesa Boogie MarkIIB. I play nice juicy, thick Santana/Hendrix blues. Nice bends. Nice fast runs. Open string low notes combines with quick butterfly sweeps of minor seven and major nine chords, taking it slightly outside. A few hammer-ons for measure. Some helicopter and bomb action. Now I’m smiling ear to ear. I’m on the dance floor. Time for the big finish. I play some nice blues-scale-runs from low-E to the top of the neck. Slip a whole-note scale in on the way up to show some variety. We end with a wonderful flurry. I’m sweaty. I’m in Heaven (without Hell)!!! I open my eyes. All these musicians in the club are just chatting with each other, casually lighting cigarettes. I get light applause. Light applause! What the %#$ is going on here?

Bill whatshisname walks up and says, “Good job! Keep on going dude!” “No thanks,” I say, confused. “I’m going to get a beer.” “That’s fine,” says Bill, “you can come back later.”

I go sit at the bar, get a beer, and observe the whole scene. The guys I was up there with and a new guitarist start to play, and my musical education starts all over again. In fifteen seconds I get it. This next guitarist casually proceeds to sing and play absolutely devastating version of some old blues song. During the song, he smokes and plays with his cigarette without missing a chord. He tells a couple of jokes that bring down the house wile playing a solo with one hand, taking a puff on his cigarette, and placing it under the strings on the guitar head. He plays the chords to the song by swiping the mic stand against the guitar strings. He plays an incredible slide lead with the mic stand. Oh, look who’s up there with him? Bill whatshisname the host. Bill sings amazing backgrounds to this guys improvised lead vocals. He plays beautiful, tasty blues chords and every time it’s time to turn around to get back to the beginning, Bill and this guitarist think of new chord progressions to get there. After that song ends, Bill steps up to mic. His body language is different. It is powerful, with total command. He calls out a song. The drummer clicks his sticks slowly four times. Off they go. The song is slow-tempo, sad. Truly bluesy. Phil plays the best blues guitar I’ve ever heard in my life, and he sings blues like he’s dying in front of my eyes. He sings with so much feeling I cry. And for the rest of the night, a miracle occurs. Each guitarist who gets onstage is better than the last. Phil stops by several times to invite me back onstage. I say, “Absolutely not. I don’t belong on the same stage with any of you guys.” And every half-hour or so, Phil sits in with a group and his singing and playing takes everyone to another, higher level. By the end of the night I’ve heard ten guitarists better than anyone I’ve heard in my life. I’m considering quitting my band. I’m considering quitting music. I’m very, very depressed!

Fast forward five years.

I walk into Danny’s on a Monday night. I have my good old Les Paul and Boogie. I set them up. I’m the first person there. I check in with Danny, the owner. I turn on the sound system. I place the sign up sheet and pen on a table at the front of the stage. The crowd of musicians starts to roll in. I welcome in all my musician friends as they walk in. It’s 9:00pm. I put on my guitar. I invite the first guitarist, bass player, organ player, sax player, and drummer to sign in onstage. They tune up. I get on the mic. “Testing - Welcome to Danny’s in Highland on this beautiful Monday night. I am Al Mora, your host.” I proceed to keep the musicians organized as they make their way on and offstage. I tell a funny story or two I know about my fellow musician-warriors as they climb on and offstage. A few times during the night, if things get slightly too wild or too slow, I get onstage and do something to set the right mood. During the night, I sit in at various times. I make sure I play one one-hundredth of the chops I know. I save my thunder for other sessions. I look around at a room full of guitarists that I’ve learned so much from. And I feel comfortable that I’ve caught up with them. And I am truly in Heaven.

Long live rock guitar. God Bless.]]> http://forum.felderfans.com/showthread.php?tid=1 Mon, 21 Sep 2009 19:35:40 +0200 http://forum.felderfans.com/showthread.php?tid=1 two beers next time?]]> two beers next time?]]>