I grew up in Rockford, Illinois, as the second of nine children. I started playing guitar when I was 11 and writing my own music at 15, which is also when my siblings and I started a family band. We played oldies and classic country and performed around our hometown. Dad named the band Scratch and Dent because he said, quite kindly, that our songs "had a lot of character." To this day, I have a love for performing covers of oldies that our family used to play.
I have always loved to play guitar. When I was 13, I won Brad Paisley tickets in a promotion sponsored by my favorite local country station and he became my hero. I couldn’t believe that anyone could play guitar as well as he did and committed myself to learning how to play like him.
When I graduated from high school, I taught guitar lessons at a local music store while taking classes at a junior college, and soon I was looking to perform more regularly. I ended up traveling the country on tour with two bands as their lead guitar player and made lifelong friends and gained valuable live performance experience.
After being on the road for four years, I decided to finish my undergraduate studies. And as I neared graduation, I raised the funds to finance my debut album, “Break Through,” via a Kickstarter campaign.
Soon after beginning the recording process, however, tragedy struck my family with the passing of my brother Max. Above all else, this loss forced me to find answers for purpose in the midst of pain. With the grace of God and the support of my community, I began to fully embrace pursuing my music career without reservation or excuse. Max was my biggest fan and dear friend, and I know he's still rooting for me and helping me to achieve my dream in music.
Since the release of my first album, I have played acoustic and full-band shows for a variety of audiences all over the United States and Europe. I love entertaining and sharing my story through my original music and fun country covers at concerts and family festivals. I am also blessed to be able to lead worship for a wide audience of people at conferences and parish events.
In addition to recording and performing, I serve as the Coordinator of Worship at Franciscan University in Steubenville, Ohio, where I live with my wife, Sarah, and our daughter.
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Back in 2018, I made a music video for my song “He’s Different,” which I wrote about my youngest brother, Sam. He has Down Syndrome and is one of the funniest, most loving and joyful people you will ever meet. I have been waiting for the right time to release it, so I am excited to finally share it with you. My goal is to give hope to parents expecting a baby with Down Syndrome and solidarity with families of people with special needs, as well as to combat and eliminate the stigma often associated with children who have special needs.
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I believe that by listening to my music you will learn about who I am, what I believe, where I come from, and who I love. But my greatest hope is that my music will speak to you and allow you to step outside yourself and take in the life that is going on all around you. Life is too short to be anything but fully alive.
I hope to see y’all soon,