When Cr8on was in 3rd grade (temporarily living up North in Bemidji, MN), he had a peer who played drums and listened to all the same bands that one of Cr8on's older sisters was into. The 3rd grade peer also had a younger brother who played the electric guitar with him. Awestruck, at the time, by all the musical equipment they owned (and were happy to share), Cr8on describes this as being a very excitingly pivotal time for himself. "Ever since that time that I was able to experience having both power and delicacy there in my hands, I knew that involving myself in music was what I always wanted to do."
In his early teens, he studied the guitar with several reknowned guitarists (signed with shrapnel records) at Music Tech (now known as McNally Smith College of Music) in Minneapolis, MN. During high school, he was able to hone-in on his style at the Perpich Center for Arts Education as a guitar performer.
In the school's History of Rock 'n' Roll class, towards the end of his senior year, Cr8on met guitar instructor Jamie Carter from Walker West Music Academy (St. Paul, MN). After graduating, Carter offered Cr8on a mentor-ship, helping him grow in becoming a better composer, jazz musician and teacher. Cr8on, now an advocate of music education to adopted children with disabilities (through VSA), has continued to help the school (Walker West) with various recitals to this day.
With twelve years of experience in sound recording, Cr8on started out using analog 4-track tape machines before eventually (after high school) spending years with long-time associate Justin Schwartzbauer (now of Toefist Productions in Minnetonka, MN), learning to use computer technology with digital audio equipment.
In fall of 2000, award winning lyricist, Lor Renee (Schwartzbauer's mother), featured Cr8on's guitar playing on several tracks of her album "Shadows and Light". During that same time, Cr8on's guitar playing was featured on the ending track of Joe Dowdall's solo album, "The One". (Dowdall now plays drums with the Trilithium Jazz Trio and the Double-Stop Guitar Quintet.)
Since then, Cr8on has continued to be inspired in collaborating with various musicians from around the world while having a keen interest in helping traditional world music stay preserved through the art of recording.
During the last year-and-a-half, Cr8on has regularly performed with:
The Double-Stop Guitar Quintet
(jazz ensemble, founded by Carter, that consists of five guitars with bass and drums.)
Deretla
(metal band of the Twin Cities, formerly known as Paroxysm, that Cr8on is currently producing.)