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sodascouts
06-13-2014, 11:05 PM
Don posted this on his Facebook:

"It's getting harder and harder to stay in touch with my fans so I wanted to do a live Q & A with all of you! Catch me on Pherver (https://www.facebook.com/pherver) this Tuesday, 6/17 at 6PM PST. I'll be live video chatting and answering questions as they come in online. I recommend signing up for your free account before Tuesday. Hope to see you all there."

Beneath that, there was this link and the following description:

http://www.pherver.com/studios/felder-forum/stage/

"Felder Forum is holding a live online performance, where the online audience is the only audience. Watch on your computer, phone, or tablet. Make song requests, meet other fans, and support Felder Forum!"

------------------------------------

Sounds interesting to me!!!

Lisa
06-14-2014, 07:48 PM
A video chat Don Felder question and answer session seems like a good idea; I like the paragraph that says the Felder Forum is a place for fans to make requests, as well as share discussions! These are two lively contemporary ideas.

SilverMoon
06-15-2014, 12:14 AM
That’s cool and very nice of Don!

sodascouts
06-15-2014, 04:17 PM
I requested "Wash Away" in a roundabout way.

sodascouts
06-17-2014, 08:46 PM
15 minutes, guys!

I have to admit, I'm a bit unsure how this works. I assume we just watch the live video stream and he answers the questions we've submitted? I wonder if they will allow us to submit or respond to things he says DURING the forum, like a live chat? I guess we'll see.

sodascouts
06-17-2014, 09:02 PM
It's not loading for me! Is anyone else having problems?

Blast it!!

ETA: He says on Facebook he's having technical difficulties. Fingers crossed it's resolved soon. At least I know I'm not missing anything!

ETA2: It's working now!

shunlvswx
06-17-2014, 09:57 PM
I did have problems, but I finally got in. One of my servers kept showing the spinning circle. The one I finally use was stuck on the picture of him and Tommy. Found out I had to sign in. LOL I forgot I had to sign in, but I thought it was only if you wanted to ask him a question.

The video chat ended before he answer a question about would he still be in the Eagles or a solo artist or something like that. I guess his 30 minutes was up, but it went over 3 minutes before the website shut it down.

It was a good chat. Don was looking good. I hope he does it again. It probably get better if he does it more.

sodascouts
06-17-2014, 10:40 PM
FELDER CHAT #1 - JUNE 17, 2014

That was fun, and I even got a question answered! My one (minor) complaint was that he answered a lot of questions from the same guy and I think it might have been better for him to move on to other people's questions, perhaps only answer one question from each user. I got so sick of hearing him say "Another one from GuitarTeen..." lol. Still, cool overall!

Here are some highlights (I paraphrase):

What's the best guitar?
He can't say what's the best because each has its own "unique voice," but his favorite is his '59 Les Paul Sunburst.

What do you think of the Frank Ocean controversy?
He has "mixed feelings." He thinks it's "artistically OK" but not "legally OK." There are rules that Ocean didn't follow.

Who is your favorite guitarist?
He listed lots of people here that he was influenced by or admired - a few I scribbled down were Chet Atkins, BB King, Eric Claption, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Jimmy Page, and Howard Roberts. However, he said they were all so different that he couldn't really pick a favorite.

Do you prefer being a solo artist to being in a band?
He said he agreed with what Joe has said about a band being easier in the sense of not having so many responsibilities - he says in a band he's a "shareholder" but solo he's "running [his] own business" which has its challenges. In the end, though, he just likes playing music no matter if it's solo or in a band.

Who would you NOT want in the Eagles?
[Note from Nancy: I was pissed off at this question. It seemed to be inviting him to diss his former bandmates. LAME.]
Felder was classy in his answer. He said the five of them were a "magic combination" and he wouldn't have wanted anyone to not be in the band, despite personal tensions.

When will you tour the UK?
He would love to go to the UK, Europe, and Australia, perhaps in 2015 or 2016, but nothing is cemented at this point.

What's it like touring with your son?
His son is no longer touring with him. He's married with three children and got out of the music industry entirely in order to be able to stay home and spend time with his family.

Who are the people in the pictures behind you?
[Note from Nancy: I took a screenshot for this one]
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b141/glennfreyonline/felder/FelderLiveChat1-2014.jpg
He did the chat from his office - he was going to do it from his studio but they were having technical difficulties in there. There's a photo of him with President Clinton, but most of the photos are of his family.

Do you enjoy playing with Alice Cooper?
He loves playing with Alice Cooper - not only music, but golf.

If you could, would you still be in the Eagles?
Being in the Eagles was very demanding of his time, not only in terms of touring but in terms of time spent in the studio and writing. He barely saw his kids when he was in the Eagles. During the 80s, he chose to be a stay-at-home dad and he really enjoyed taking them to school, coaching their sports teams, fixing them meals, etc. When the Eagles got back together in 1994, he sometimes invited Leah (who was about 8 at the time) and Cody to visit him, but he missed them. It wasn't just his family he missed; he missed his friends, playing golf with them. As a solo artist, he can balance his personal and professional life much better than he could if he were with the Eagles.

Did you ever imagine you would have the kind of success as a solo artist that you had with the Eagles?
When he was young, he was so poor that there was nothing to lose. He never imagined reaching the "rare" kind of success the Eagles had. He just worked hard and loved what he was doing.

Would you ever play with Joe again?
He enjoyed playing with Joe; they had a special musical chemistry and he had no problems with him. He would love to work with him again.

Do you have any plans to do something special in 2016 to commemorate the 40th anniversary of "Hotel California"?
He doesn't have anything planned, but it would be nice to do something special for it. He invited anyone who has any ideas about what he might do to post them on his Facebook page.

Did you play with Michael Jackson?
When Don was recording "Heavy Metal," Michael Jackson was recording Thriller with Quincy Jones across the hall in the same studio. Don knew Quincy Jones from the Flow days and so he hung out with them sometimes. Years later, the Prince of Bahrain tried to put together a "We are the World" type fundraiser album with Jackson writing songs. Jackson invited Don to be a part of it and he played on a few tracks, but then Jackson and the Prince of Bahrain had a falling out, got involved in a lawsuit, and the project never was released. Don said that perhaps the Jackson estate might release it one day.

Do you have any advice for aspiring musicians?
"You gotta love what you do." (he expounded upon this idea, but that was the heart of it).

When did you buy your favorite guitar?
Don bought it in 1974 or 1975, out of the back of a truck of a guy who came around with hundreds of guitars on a regular basis. Don would go through them all and that's how he found the '59 Les Paul Sunburst. It cost about $600 back then. It's currently on loan to the Laurel Canyon exhibit we've talked about elsewhere on the board.

Would you consider doing a "Duets" CD, perhaps with your daughter Leah?
He won't do a duets CD per se, but his next CD will probably involve a lot of guest appearances from other musicians. As for Leah, she sings on the bridge of "Road to Forever" and they have some unreleased recordings together that he might release online one day.

I heard you planned on doing "Wash Away" with Tommy Shaw on the "Soundtrack of Summer" tour but it didn't materialize. Would you consider adding it at any point?
[note from Nancy: this was my question!]
Since Tommy comes out to play "Hotel California" during Don's set now, they decided it would be too difficult for him to come out twice. Additionally, Don would rather focus on his current single "You Don't Have Me" which is enjoying success on Classic Rock radio; "Wash Away" was released over a year ago.

Then he said that if I come to a show, I should tell him and he'd see what he could do. I about DIED when he said that because I've already been to a show and it's too late for me! :weep:

Maybe sometime in the future, eh? One can hope!

------------------

I probably missed some things, but that's what I got!

shunlvswx
06-17-2014, 10:48 PM
I don't remember some of these questions. My video was cut at 8:33pm my time. So he was still talking. Darn. I tried to get back on.

sodascouts
06-17-2014, 10:55 PM
It sounds like you got cut off about halfway through, shun/ :(

shunlvswx
06-18-2014, 04:04 PM
I think so too, Soda. The video got cut off when he was about to answer the question about would he still be in the Eagles. I remembered him saying he would do 10 more minutes since they had started late, but it stopped at 8:33pm on my end.

I came in at the end of favorite guitarist and ended at the beginning of would you still be in the band. I was having problems too. I think a lot of people were, but it was still a good chat. It was cool that I got an response from Don even though it was about not being able to get in.

I just noticed from the chat that he and Katherin are not married. So they are still engaged.

SilverMoon
06-18-2014, 11:54 PM
The live chat didn’t load for me, so I missed it! Too bad! :-(

Thanks for the highlights and the screenshot, Soda!

Brooke
06-19-2014, 09:44 AM
Soda, thanks for posting that as I didn't remember it. He was pretty nice about everything here. :thumbsup:

Lisa
06-20-2014, 02:18 PM
Thank you very much for posting the Don Felder discussion and the questions! I think you picked some intriguing topics. I hope there's going to be another chat some time.

sodascouts
06-20-2014, 03:20 PM
This one went well, so I wouldn't be at all surprised if he does another. I'm glad you guys enjoyed my quasi-transcription!

Lisa
06-20-2014, 03:51 PM
I think the questions and answers presented Don well. The answers are cheerful to read; with not too much angst, and not too much inner conflict!

SilverMoon
06-27-2014, 11:37 PM
Don posted this on Facebook yesterday:

I'm going to give the live video Q & A another try this Wednesday, July 2nd at 4PM PST (7PM EST). Sign up to Pherver and tune-in next week to see if your question will be answered!
https://www.facebook.com/donfeldermusic/posts/572827476163582

sodascouts
06-28-2014, 02:51 AM
Shoot, I don't think I'll be able to make this one. I hope anyone who goes will report back!

shunlvswx
06-28-2014, 11:16 AM
I'll be heading out the door to church at that time.

I will catch the next one. I'm glad he's doing these chats. Its fun to get to chat with him and get to know him.

sodascouts
07-15-2014, 11:07 PM
So did anybody from here go to the last one? If so, what did he say?

He's doing another one. This time, I will be there!

From his facebook:

"I'm hoping to do another LIVE Q & A with all of you this Thursday at 6PM PST (9PM EST). Click the link below and let's get these questions started!"

http://www.pherver.com/studios/felder-forum/stage/

shunlvswx
07-15-2014, 11:32 PM
I will miss this one too. :-( I have choir rehearsal on Thursdays and this week is the first time we have rehearsal after being off for two weeks. If he has them on Wednesdays or Thursdays, I know I won't be able to go to them.

sodascouts
07-16-2014, 07:55 PM
I just realized that he's doing a show Thursday too. I guess that means he'll be doing the chat not too long after he finishes his set!

VAisForEagleLovers
07-16-2014, 07:57 PM
I missed the last one, I was too busy cleaning and such and I forgot about it. This time, I've set a reminder on my phone.

sodascouts
07-17-2014, 08:33 PM
Half an hour!

SilverMoon
07-17-2014, 08:50 PM
So did anybody from here go to the last one? If so, what did he say?
I watched the last video chat, but it kept cutting in and out, so I missed some parts. However, it was a nice chat. Don answered to a lot of questions.

Here are some screenshots that I took from the video chat:

http://i1278.photobucket.com/albums/y502/SilverMoon333/Album%20x/104_zps11df1cbb.jpg?t=1405637869

http://i1278.photobucket.com/albums/y502/SilverMoon333/Album%20x/105_zps0a0a7844.jpg?t=1405637928

http://i1278.photobucket.com/albums/y502/SilverMoon333/Album%20x/106_zps1928f935.jpg?t=1405637969

sodascouts
07-17-2014, 08:52 PM
From his hotel - cool!

sodascouts
07-17-2014, 09:46 PM
My screenshots from this time didn't come out as well, but here are the best I got:

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b141/glennfreyonline/felder/FelderChat03-01.jpg

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b141/glennfreyonline/felder/FelderChat03-02.jpg

sodascouts
07-17-2014, 10:32 PM
Again, I took notes - here we go:

DON FELDER CHAT #3 - JULY 17, 2014

1) What sports teams do you follow?
He follows the Gators, Lakers, and Clippers. He also follows golf.

2) Did the History of the Eagles boost your popularity and sales?
He believes that the documentary helped the sales of his book Heaven and Hell because people wanted to get "the other side of things." He also feels his touring with the Soundtrack of Summer tour has made his popularity and sales of Road to Forever increase.

3) Has Joe been prohibited from seeing you / talking to you?
He doesn't believe Joe has been told not to see him or talk to him. However, he says that he knows from experience that "When you're in the 'Eagles army,' if you associate with someone who's not in that army, you're the enemy." He hopes that once the Eagles disband, Joe will want to hang out with him again, because he really has a "warm spot" for Joe in his heart.

4) How do you feel about the Soundtrack of Summer taping of the Las Vegas show?
He's very excited about it and "can't wait." He says people have been wanting a DVD and the bands were having so much fun doing the tour that they wanted to share it with everyone. He loves working with these guys so much that he is hoping to play and write again with them in the future. Right now, though, he's ready for a break; after three solid months of touring, he'd like to be home again with his children and "fi-.. girlfriend" [Note from Nancy: he'd started to say fiancee, then stopped. Hmm!]

5) Are you married?
He's not married, but he's "deeply involved in a very special relationship." While the topic of marriage has come up, they have decided that they like things as they are. In fact, he went so far as to say marriage might "spoil it." However, while they are not legally married, they are "heart bonded" and he's very happy.
[Note from Nancy: I was astonished that he apparently feels being engaged for several years can be presented as nothing more than "the topic of marriage coming up" but I guess the engagement's off. No wonder he corrected himself when answering the last question!]

6) Are more shows planned for the future?
He constantly has offers to play all over the world, but he doesn't want to overwork himself. He wants to spend time with his family and have relationships outside of the music business, but he definitely doesn't want to give up the road either. It's a "delicate balance."

7) Will you play more songs from Airborne live?
Many songs from Airborne are "slow and sleek" and not necessarily conducive to the type of arenas he's currently playing. He'd love to do more songs from that album at some point, though; he says people have been requesting them.

8 ) What Eagles or solo songs from your career would you like to record?
[Note from Nancy: maybe I misheard this one? It didn't seem to make sense. Don looked confused, too.]
Don says he's already recorded the Eagles / solo songs he'd like to record... but in terms of doing new arrangements, he'd like to do a FOURTH arrangement of "Hotel California." The third arrangement he'd just done for the Soundtrack of Summer CD was a challenge because he had to include so many different talents. He thinks it would be fun to put together yet another arrangement of it. He noted that he really likes what the Gypsy Kings did with the song a while ago.

9) What artists would you like to play with in the future?
For a long time, he'd wanted to play with John Mayer, and was "delighted" when he finally got to do so for a recent Autism Speaks benefit. An artist he would love to work with in the future is Alicia Keys; although their styles are different, he feels she is the "Aretha Franklin of the 21st century."

10) Would you come to Columbus, Ohio? Can you release all of the tour dates you're planning right now?
He would love to come to Columbus, but this tour only had time to hit the major markets. It would be logistically impossible to play all of the cities out there that he'd love to visit, but perhaps one day he will be able to play Columbus, Cleveland, and other cities that have been skipped on this tour.

11) In History of the Eagles, Don Henley said that you continue to sue them. What is he talking about?
Don Felder says that he "can't discuss the finer points of the legal ramifications" but "there were certain issues that had to be addressed" and "those issues are in the process of being resolved." He went on to say that he misses Don Henley, and of course misses playing with Joe and Timothy. After a brief pause, he added, "I miss playing with Glenn, too, when he's in a good mood."

12) Did you enjoy playing with Jackson Browne on the Don Kirshner Rock Concert in 1974?
That was one of the first TV shows he'd ever done. They worked out how they were going to accompany Jackson on "Your Bright Baby Blues" at soundcheck, and that's when he decided to play slide guitar on it. He loves Jackson Browne.

13) Do you have any pre-show routines?
Those vary wildly depending on the amount of time he has. When he has a lot of time, he'll spent it going over gear, looking at emails and reviewing potential bookings, etc. One thing that he always does about 20 minutes before a show is gather his band in his dressing room and practice singing with them. It warms them up, loosens them up, and opens up their voices. He plays guitar during these pre-show sessions as well.

14) Do you use any alternate tunings?
[Note from Nancy: I tried hard to write these down accurately because I know we have guitarists on here who are very interested in these details! I hope I got it right.]
He uses alternate tunings all the time. On "You Don't Have Me," he took a regular guitar and re-strung it with 12 Gauge strings, then tuned it down a whole step to get a "fat" sound for the song. In the studio, he also dropped the low E down to a D. His tunings vary greatly from song to song; for instance, he's turned his slide guitar from E down to E flat. In "Southern Bound," the guitar solo in the middle has a different tuning.

15) Do you play "Hotel California" live a whole step lower than on the Eagles recording?
Yes, he does. He wrote the song in D Minor, which is a very good tuning for the guitar. However, it was too high for Don Henley to sing in. They dropped it to D, then C Minor, but still it was too high. They dropped it to A minor, but that was too low. Finally, they settled on B Minor. While that worked well for Don Henley's voice, it's an awkward guitar tuning. A Minor is much better for guitar, so when he's playing it, he puts a capo on the fifth fret and plays it in A Minor.

16) Do you listen to current music?
Since he's working on a new album, he tries not to listen to new music lest it influence him subconsciously and he finds himself echoing trends in his music rather than having it all come from himself. He's writing regularly now; today alone he spent 30 minutes writing a song.

17) When will the new CD be ready?
He never sets a date until he feels he has enough songs to make a strong album. He plans on involving many collaborators. He hopes to have it ready by late 2015 or 2016 - since 2016 is the 40th anniversary of the release of Hotel California, he might do something for that.

18 ) Do you fly yourself to your shows?
While he has a commercial pilot's license and flies for pleasure, it would be unwise to fly a plane from show to show. Performance days are very full and at the end, he's too tired to operate a plane safely.

19) Define excellence and elegance with regard to musicianship.
There are many different types of music, styles, techniques, and tones, but as long as a piece of music can "make the hair on the back of your neck stand up," it's "excellent." This applies to all art, not just music; if it "moves" you, if you can "feel" it - that's excellence. As for elegance, that word to him brings to mind a classical sound, like a string quartet. He loves that sound and when writing the music for "The Sad Cafe," he had envisioned a string quartet playing some of the instrumentation on it.

20) This isn't a question, but the Eagles will never be the same without you.
He repeated that those 5 guys - or 7, if you include Randy and Bernie - had something special when they got together that he's honored to have been a part of - a "serendipitous collision" of talents. While it's true that they're not the same now since he's left, that's the case when anyone leaves or joins a band. They weren't the same after he joined as they were before, either; the band changes with the players. "It is what it is."

He then said he had to leave because he was going to sit in with Styx. [Note from Nancy: I wonder when he started doing that? Gives Felder fans a reason to stick around. ;) ]

MaryCalifornia
07-18-2014, 02:01 AM
Thanks for doing this, Soda, very cool. Those were some good questions, and answers. Guess that confirms that the legal issues are still ongoing - crazy.

I can't remember, does he have a child with Kathrin?

UndertheWire
07-18-2014, 05:54 AM
Thank you for reporting back on this. He gives good answers and I like how he handled the last one. So they're filming a show for DVD and he's writing for a new album. Maybe that could inspire some other guys.

sodascouts
07-18-2014, 05:46 PM
I can't remember, does he have a child with Kathrin?

Yes - his name is Nicholas and he was born in 2008.


So they're filming a show for DVD and he's writing for a new album. Maybe that could inspire some other guys. I wish!

shunlvswx
07-18-2014, 09:51 PM
13) Do you have any pre-show routines?
Those vary wildly depending on the amount of time he has. When he has a lot of time, he'll spent it going over gear, looking at emails and reviewing potential bookings, etc. One thing that he always does about 20 minutes before a show is gather his band in his dressing room and practice singing with them. It warms them up, loosens them up, and opens up their voices. He plays guitar during these pre-show sessions as well.

No. 13 question sounds very familiar. The circle of fear anyone. lol I think that's cool that he's continuing what he did with the Eagles with his band.

VAisForEagleLovers
07-18-2014, 09:54 PM
I joined in for about the first half, but it kept breaking up and buffering, then repeating itself. Maybe I shouldn't have chosen the slowest (cheapest) internet speed available when signing up for DSL.

SilverMoon
07-18-2014, 11:58 PM
Great job with the recap, Soda! I watched the chat too and loved it. I could listen to Don speak all day. I especially love when he talks about music and guitar. I’m glad he’s writing songs for a new album.