03/23/2007

Record-Eagle/Tyler Sipe
Traverse City Central High School teacher James Filkins has recorded his own CD of acoustic guitar music titled "Borderline Normal." The CD is available at Borders and Horizon book stores.

Acoustic impressions

James Filkins' music inspired by northern Michigan

By Tom Carr

tcarr@record-eagle.com

Filkins

TRAVERSE CITY — James Filkins isn't sure how to categorize his acoustic guitar music, which draws some of its inspiration from life in northern Michigan.

"It's a bit New Age and a bit just plain hard to describe,” said Filkins, 47.

He recorded his first CD "Borderline Normal” at home on his computer.

"If you told me in the '70s I was going to play music like this, I'd say you're nuts,” he said.

Filkins' brother got him started on the guitar more than 30 years ago. He played folk rock similar to that of Dan Fogelberg, Jackson Browne, the Eagles and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.

Then about five years ago, he tried fingerpicking with an open tuning and decided to throw away the pick and further explore that style.

"That kind of opened the door,” he said. "Stephen Stills and Neil Young and a lot of guys I grew up listening to did that. There's more resonance and more dynamics to the sounds that are produced with the open tunings.”

Many of his song titles have names of up north places or experiences. There's "Round Lake Leelanau (A biking tune),” on which the notes rolling off his strings are like the spokes of a wheel; "A Bleak December,” which captures the mood of watching snowfall from indoors; the summery "Front Porch Serenade” and "Autrain River” which he wrote based on a visit to the Upper Peninsula.

Not all are regionally inspired. He also has such titles as "Oreo,” "Tears for a Princess” and "Compatibility.”

"It's just an impressionistic thing,” he said of the names.

When Filkins writes, he records the music right away to remember it, and then tweaks it until he's ready to commit it to a finished version. He likes the opportunities that modern technology offer to make quality recordings. A language arts teacher at Traverse City Central High School, he sees students doing it all the time.

"They're just going into the garage and laying this stuff down, so why can't (older people) do it?” he said.

Two of his former students, guitarist Matt Harting and percussionist Jon Tornga, also performed on his disc.

The CD cover shows artwork by Leelanau County's artist Glenn Wolff of an urban apartment building with a man playing guitar in a window, his face silhouetted behind a blind.

Filkins' CD is available at a couple of local book/music stores in Traverse City.