Smooth Operator

LISTENING TO MICHAEL Lee Firkins’ highly expressive and thoughtfully structured blues-rock guitar playing is exciting. Firkins is admired for his seemingly effortless way of creating melodies and musical moods, emotions and textures that hit you the moment you hear them. He’s always had one foot firmly rooted in rock and the other in blues, yet his eclectic style reveals an affinity for other genres as well, such as jazz, fusion, funk, country and bluegrass. His creative musical ideas, refined playing techniques and broad range of influences have helped him forge a highly appealing and instantly recognizable style.

While Firkins may not be a household name, the release of his self-titled debut album on Mike Varney’s Shrapnel Records back in 1990 quickly caught the attention of his peers and fans of great guitar playing. Arriving at the peak of the neoclassical shred guitar trend, Firkins was a breath of fresh musical air. His album, which also featured bassist Jeff Pilson (of Dokken fame), presented the guitarist’s and , and created an informative and inspiring instructional video for Hot Licks in 1992 titled . This highly acclaimed tutorial work offered viewers fascinating insights into his unusual and individualized playing style, which simultaneously inspired and baffled many viewers.