I first started playing music in the 6th grade after developing a love for listening to music in my earlier years. I joined middle school concert band as a drummer and formed a rock band with some of my friends. I would go to my friends house everyday after school, where there was a drum kit, and we would jam for hours until my parents came looking for me after work. By the time I got to high school, music had become a large part of my identity. My high school band teacher was the first person who told me that playing music full time was a real thing, and that there was an entire industry and culture of people who did just that. Where I grew up it was just something people did for fun in their spare time, not an actual profession to be respected and taken seriously.

I attended the University of Texas at El Paso, majoring in Music Performance with concentration in Instrumental Performance. There were little to no opportunities for drum set at the university, and live music/gig opportunities in the town were minimal. I heard about Austin being a major music town, so I packed a suitcase, and against my parents wishes, hopped in a car with a friend who had moved there. I began attending Austin Community College full time, while working long hours as a cook, and spending my evenings in search of music venues and opportunities to jam and play. I dabbled in booking/tour management with a mutual friend for a few years and even got to go on a major tour in Japan at one point. I graduated and now focus on my career as a professional musician, as a member of several bands.