I grew up in Columbus Ohio and I began singing in church choirs when I was 6, and it was there that I first learned to read music. When I was 10 I went to the St. Thomas Choir School in New York City to further my musical training while singing in the world famous choir of St. Thomas Church 5th Ave.
While at St. Thomas I not only sang, but learned music theory, flute and piano and in the summers I began attending choir camps.

In 2001 I began to devote myself to the study of guitar and my musical devotion has grown exponentially since. In high school I participated in musicals as well as organizing many school concert events and running the school radio station.

In 2005 I began working on a BA in music at Kenyon College. While there I worked as a sound technician for live music events, I interned at a recording studio in New York City, and I have played in a number of bands and school ensembles.

During my summers I worked at Exploration Summer programs teaching guitar to 9 and 10-year-olds the summer of 2007 and teaching "Guitar History," "The Evolution of Punk Rock," and "Rock as Revolution" to high school students from around the world.

In 2008 I transferred to The Ohio State University's School of Music from which I graduated summa cum laude in 2010 with a BA in music. At Ohio state I sang with the Ohio State University Men's Glee Club and in my free time I began working at a local guitar store called the Guitar House Workshop.

At the Guitar House I was really able to make the most out of my love for guitars. Having recently built my own guitar amplifier, the owner took me on as his apprentice luthier and I began learning to set up, repair and even build guitars. When I wasn't repairing guitars, I also taught lessons in the store and I continued to take lessons myself.

I moved to Tucson in the summer of 2010, and shortly thereafter met one Michael A. Ludovici while working at a local sandwich shop.  We bonded instantly over our common love of speaking in fake British accents… and music.  A year later I was planning to do sound for Ensphere when they lost their previous guitarist and Mike asked if I could be ready to play a show with them in three weeks.