When I was six years old, I started my music training with four years of classical piano lessons from Los Angeles magician, Mike Wong. Beginning at age 12, I studied classical guitar and music theory at the University of Alaska in Anchorage. Around that time, my brother got me interested in heavy metal, so I picked up an electric guitar and learned to play my favorite metal tunes from tablature books. During high school, I jammed in several different bands. We played a lot of metal covers (mostly Metallica and Megadeth) and a few original songs for talent shows and parties. After graduation, I left Alaska and started writing acoustic guitar songs on my own. In 2004, I wrote and recorded a collection of six folk songs in my home studio and released them on an EP, entitled Pictures of Nothing, in 2006. This album features acoustic hybrid picking, hushed vocals, as well as some light strings and piano. In 2007, the title song, "Pictures of Nothing," appeared in the film, Red without Blue.

Elliott Smith, Damien Rice, Enya, Mozart, Metallica