 He began playing bass at age 13 to differentiate from his brother and others in his neighborhood who had opted for the guitar.He took bass guitar lessons in his youth.At the age of 19, he became a member of the heavy metal band Deadly Blessing from Turnersville, New Jersey, with which he wrote and recorded songs for their first album, titled "Ascend from the Cauldron", published by New Renaissance Records in 1988.