A product of the forest, I grew up with an Italian mother and Cajun father in Portland, Oregon. Passion was never something we had too little of in my family.  Growing up, my connection to music came from many different places, from the old country-western influences and 60's rock of my father, and the 80's pop craze of my older brother, to the forced church choir attendance and school music lessons of my mother, I definitely had my share of eclectic musical education.  After trying piano, trombone, and guitar lessons, I found that my biggest interest was the voice.  I spent most of my adolescence in classical studies of the voice.  Throughout high school I was in various choirs as well as intense vocal study with the head of music from Portland State University.

After high school I spent the next few years trying to "find my soul."  After starting at Gonzaga University studying law, several different attempts at finding myself... car sales, construction, managing a catering business, I always seemed to see myself coming back to music.  After a long night in a friends basement listening to music, after witnessing me listening to the same song 3 times over, my friend looked at me and said, "you should look into music production."

That one silly idea turned into my enrollment into The Conservatory of Recording Arts and Sciences.  A year later, I was able to acquire a position as a runner at the famed Cello Studios (Now EastWest Studios). One of the "Temples of Sound," Cello was formerly known as Oceanway, and before that United-Western studios.  That is where I met my mentor Gary Myerberg-Lauter (chief technician of A&M Records, Cello Studios, EastWest Studios.)  I also was able to spend the next few years as an assistant engineer for the studio, where I got to work with and learn from some of the greatest producers and engineers in the world.  I also did a short stint as a house engineer for the famed Record Plant, where I was able to work with some great R&B and hip hop artists.