Zach Filkins
Encyclopedia
Zachary Douglas "Zach" Filkins (born September 15, 1978) is an American
musician
and model
, but as of 2007 he is best known as the lead guitar
ist of the pop rock
band OneRepublic
.
in Barcelona
, Spain
. Filkins attended Colorado Springs Christian High School in Colorado Springs, Colorado
and played for the high school soccer team. There he met and became friends with bandmate Ryan Tedder
during their senior
year. During a drive home, as Filkins and Tedder were discussing about their favorite musicians, they decided to put together a band. The two along with a few others played as 'This Beautiful Mess'. They had a couple of small gigs at Pikes Perk, attended by friends and family. Senior year ended and Tedder and Filkins parted ways, each attending different colleges.
. Filkins speaks fluent Spanish
. In this local interview in Spain
, he can be heard answering all the interviewer's questions in excellent Spanish. Filkins and Lindsay became parents on Tuesday 8 June 2010. Lindsay gave birth to a baby boy, Leighton. They are currently expecting again.
and starting OneRepublic, Filkins did some modeling on the side in Chicago
. He worked under Maximum Talent Agency and was featured in a few brands ads such as on Covington and Jockey Underwear. His torso image can still be seen on some packages of Jockey Underwear.
He is currently on hiatus from modeling since moving to Los Angeles and co-founding OneRepublic.
", "Sleep", "Something's Not Right Here", "Stop and Stare
", "Tyrant" and "Won't Stop".
on bass and cello and Eddie Fisher on drums and percussion. After only nine months in Los Angeles they were signed to Columbia Records and recorded a full album, which took two years. Two months before the album was set to be released, they were dropped from the label. As soon as they were dropped, the band's MySpace profile took off and they soon became the number one unsigned act in the social networking site. A number of labels offered them a record deal including Interscope Records
. Although hesitant to go under another major record label the band signed to Interscope under Timbaland's Mosley Music Group, as its first rock band.
Filkins was also a judge for the 10th annual Independent Music Awards
to support independent artists' careers.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
and model
Model (person)
A model , sometimes called a mannequin, is a person who is employed to display, advertise and promote commercial products or to serve as a subject of works of art....
, but as of 2007 he is best known as the lead guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
ist of the pop rock
Pop rock
Pop rock is a music genre which mixes a catchy pop style and light lyrics in its guitar-based rock songs. There are varying definitions of the term, ranging from a slower and mellower form of rock music to a subgenre of pop music...
band OneRepublic
OneRepublic
OneRepublic is an American pop rock band from Colorado Springs, Colorado. Formed in 2002 by Ryan Tedder and Zach Filkins, the band achieved massive success on MySpace, becoming the most prominent unsigned act on the website then...
.
Early life
A significant part of Filkins's childhood was spent intensely studying classical guitarClassical guitar
The classical guitar is a 6-stringed plucked string instrument from the family of instruments called chordophones...
in Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. Filkins attended Colorado Springs Christian High School in Colorado Springs, Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
and played for the high school soccer team. There he met and became friends with bandmate Ryan Tedder
Ryan Tedder
Ryan Benjamin Tedder is an American singer-songwriter and record producer. He is best known as the frontman of the pop rock band, OneRepublic, though he has an independent career as songwriter and producer for various artists such as Beyoncé, Kelly Clarkson, Far East Movement, Jordin Sparks, Leona...
during their senior
Twelfth grade
Twelfth grade or Senior year, or Grade Twelve, are the North American names for the final year of secondary school. In most countries students then graduate at age 17 or 18. In some countries, there is a thirteenth grade, while other countries do not have a 12th grade/year at all...
year. During a drive home, as Filkins and Tedder were discussing about their favorite musicians, they decided to put together a band. The two along with a few others played as 'This Beautiful Mess'. They had a couple of small gigs at Pikes Perk, attended by friends and family. Senior year ended and Tedder and Filkins parted ways, each attending different colleges.
Personal life
Filkins is married to a woman named Lindsay. He openly thanked and acknowledged her in the liner notes of OneRepublic's debut album, Dreaming Out LoudDreaming Out Loud (OneRepublic album)
Dreaming Out Loud is the debut album by American rock band OneRepublic. It was produced by Greg Wells, with two songs produced by singer Ryan Tedder, and was engineered and mixed by Joe Zook. The album was released on November 20, 2007, though many of the tracks were leaked months in advance of the...
. Filkins speaks fluent Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
. In this local interview in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, he can be heard answering all the interviewer's questions in excellent Spanish. Filkins and Lindsay became parents on Tuesday 8 June 2010. Lindsay gave birth to a baby boy, Leighton. They are currently expecting again.
Modeling
Before moving to Los AngelesLos Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
and starting OneRepublic, Filkins did some modeling on the side in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. He worked under Maximum Talent Agency and was featured in a few brands ads such as on Covington and Jockey Underwear. His torso image can still be seen on some packages of Jockey Underwear.
He is currently on hiatus from modeling since moving to Los Angeles and co-founding OneRepublic.
OneRepublic
Filkins plays guitar and sings background vocals for the band. In addition to guitar and background vocals, he also aids friend and co-founder, Ryan Tedder, in writing and composing music for the band. Filkins shares writing and composing credits on the songs "All Fall Down", "Prodigal", "Say (All I Need)Say (All I Need)
"Say " is a song by American pop rock band OneRepublic. It is the third single released from their debut album Dreaming Out Loud and follows the global success of their previous top ten singles, "Apologize" and "Stop and Stare"...
", "Sleep", "Something's Not Right Here", "Stop and Stare
Stop and Stare
"Stop and Stare" is the second single by American pop rock band OneRepublic from their debut album Dreaming Out Loud. "Stop and Stare" was released to US radio on November 27, 2007...
", "Tyrant" and "Won't Stop".
Formation
In 2002, Filkins got a call from Tedder asking him if he still wanted to put together a band. Tedder convinced Filkins to move to Los Angeles from Chicago. After a few line-up changes the band solidified with Tedder on keyboards and lead vocals, Filkins and Drew Brown on guitar, Brent KutzleBrent Kutzle
Brent Michael Kutzle is an American musician, born in Newport Beach, California. Brent is best known for playing the bass guitar and cello for OneRepublic, who are signed to Interscope Records...
on bass and cello and Eddie Fisher on drums and percussion. After only nine months in Los Angeles they were signed to Columbia Records and recorded a full album, which took two years. Two months before the album was set to be released, they were dropped from the label. As soon as they were dropped, the band's MySpace profile took off and they soon became the number one unsigned act in the social networking site. A number of labels offered them a record deal including Interscope Records
Interscope Records
Interscope Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group that currently operates as one third of UMG's Interscope-Geffen-A&M label group.-History:...
. Although hesitant to go under another major record label the band signed to Interscope under Timbaland's Mosley Music Group, as its first rock band.
Filkins was also a judge for the 10th annual Independent Music Awards
The Independent Music Awards
The Independent Music Awards is an international program that honors top-ranked independent artists and releases in more than 50 Album, Song, Music Video and Design categories....
to support independent artists' careers.