Tommy Mora - Portrait of an Artist
Tommy Mora has become to Los Angeles what taco stands and palm trees are—a part of the landscape that everyone takes for granted, but doesn’t always appreciate. That has changed with the long-anticipated release of his sophomore CD “Keep on Movin’.” Tommy proves that classic rock is not just an “oldies” genre. The timelessness of music with a 60’s-70’s feel can be fresh and contemporary if put in the right hands. That is why the new CD, co-produced by AJ Vallejo, sparkles from beginning to end. But what brought Tommy to this creative milestone?
In this strange world we live in, sometimes a death can create a new life, and that was the case with Tommy Mora’s musical birth. The death of John Lennon when he was eight caused this curious El Paso youth to not only become a Beatle fan, but take up the guitar. While Tommy comes from a musical family (Dad was a drummer and organist in his teens in Cd. Juarez, and grandfather and uncle always brought a violin and guitar to family functions. It was only natural for Tommy to follow in their footsteps. However, the Lennon assassination is the ground zero that Tommy points to for the inspiration for following in the path of his newly-found idol.
At this time Dad purchased young Tommy a copy of the Beatles album 1962-1966 and Mom followed with a rather inexpensive guitar, and a new passion was discovered. He wanted to play guitar. He wanted to write songs. He wanted to honor his fallen inspiration. His mother enrolled Tommy in guitar school, and pushed him to learn.
After a few years in music school, Tommy at 12 was ready to debut on his elementary school stage backed by his cousin on drums and Dad thumping the bass. The lessons from legendary Mexican guitar player Aquiles Valdez had paid off, along with coaching from DJ Steve Crosno of El Paso’s KROD, who he met in his teens. Musical expansion to violin in the school orchestra broadened his horizon to classical, but rock guitar would always be Tommy Mora’s first love, from the initial chords he strummed on an Ibanez Carl Perkins model.
At age 15, Tommy and the Moondogs made their debut at El Paso’s popular hangout Lone Star Billiards, fueled by the inspiration of Jimi Hendrix, Santana and Led Zeppelin, as well as the Beatles. Soon this high school combo was the hit of local quinciañeras, house parties, to the occasional club gig that an under-age band could play. Already honing his studio skills, Tommy turned his parent’s garage into “The Blue Room,” his first recording studio while he was still in college. It soon became THE hang out place for musicians of all stripes in the greater El Paso area. But the siren of things to happen beyond the confines of this then-small border town was soon to beckon.
A local El Paso bassist had landed an A&R gig with BMG in LA, and urged Tommy and band mates to relocate to Los Angeles. Tommy decided to make the move with the end of the 90’s with it seeming like the perfect time for a new beginning. Arriving in LA in the first days of 2000, Tommy soon landed a gig at SIR, the giant equipment rental and rehearsal facility, where his audio engineering talents were immediately recognized. Soon he was in charge of mixing sessions for all Grammy show rehearsals. This paved the way for his role as musical director for Alejandro Fernandez Grammy appearance in 2005, and engineering for artists as diverse as Jennifer Lopez, Prince and Al Green.
The diversity of LA’s musical scene proved an inspiration to Mr. Mora and he was soon gigging all over the Metro area in both Anglo and Spanish showcases, from the legendary Whisky A Go Go to the House of Blues, while still making appearances in his native Texas. Audiences from both languages soon became aware of not only his diverse song writing ability, but the gift of his guitar dexterity. And the numbers attending these rousing live appearances of the musical melting pot that is Tommy Mora music grew.
In 2009, Tommy began recording what was to become Keep on Movin’. While tracked in ten different studios for “just the right feel” on various songs, the bulk of the recording was done at legendary A&M studios famous for many great recordings, including the all-star cast of “We Are The World.” In these days of digitally-enhanced recordings, Tommy was out to find a puro recording that would truly capture the essence of his songs the more traditional way. The results were stunning. It took over a year of an intense labor of love, but Keep On Movin’ did indeed fulfill the Tommy Mora musical dream, and was released in February of 2010.
The stew pot of musical gumbo from this CD showcases the dexterity of Tommy Mora. Whether in the rolling funk-rock of the title track “Keep On Movin’,” (which was a tribute to his Mother who recently passed on), to his updating of the Hendrix classic “Freedom ,” truly in his own style or the Chicano funk of “Going Down To The Border,” Tommy makes any musical style he visits truly his own. “Una Razón” en español provides a flavor of flamenco and conjunto, while “Tell Me” channels the Latino doo-wap of the 50’s and 60’s,( he wrote this song because he had a dream of being played on an oldies station with the classic artists of the period, and this dream became a reality due to DJ Pete Skaggs. and his hard-core fans always shout out for “You Got Me Running” regardless of where he places it in his live set.
Each track sounds fresh and contemporary, but most of the Keep On Movin’ tracks channel previous eras. Tommy goal is to one day stand proudly in the pantheon of the great rock artists of the modern era, and those who have heard his music agree.
While Tommy has gained much respect in the last decade among music industry insiders for his work as a shredding live guitar player, a respected session player, musical director and engineer, and among die-hard followers at live appearances in California and Texas, the incredible response to Keep On Movin’ will result in a national tour in 2011 to further expand his growing fan base. Because that’s the way Tommy approaches his music—he always “keeps on movin’.”
