Born and raised in rural Iowa, USA, graduated with honours from the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. His love of different cultures and music has influenced him in the development of his unique approach to incorporating hand drums with traditional drum set styles. In 1999 he began working with the Lebanese composer Rabih Abou-Khalil, shortly thereafter relocating to Europe where he has been actively touring and teaching throughout the continent. He is a percussionist for the internationally acclaimed singer Sezen Aksu from Turkey, and from 2011 – 2014 was an instructor at the State Conservatory of Music in Istanbul. He is the author of several method books for rhythmic development and instrumental instruction, notably Def Method (2014) for oriental tambourine, One by One rhythm method and accompanying composition 5 vor 7 vor 6 (2010) published by Ensemble Modern Media in Frankfurt. Other performing and recording credits include collaborations with Fahir Atakoğlu, Erkan Oğur, Derya Türkan, Fatih Ahıskalı, Joachim Kühn, Gvork Dabaghyan, Michel Godard, Luciano Biondini, Ricardo Ribeiro, Dusko Goykovich, Mehmet Emin Bitmez, Kudsi Erguner, Jean-Luc Fillion, Dalia Faitelson, Ferenç Snetberger, Dave Bargeron, Howard Levy, Joe Beck, & Dave Samuels. He is also a guest artist with the Ensemble Modern and The Next Step Percussion Group, and has been a featured soloist with the BBC Orchestra, the Macedonian Symphony Orchestra, and the Bundesjungendorchester from Germany. He conducts rhythmic training workshops for musicians and dancers, as well as frame drum and drum set clinics across Europe.