 Critics compared him to Wes Montgomery, Ry Cooder, Eric Johnson, Eric Clapton and Pat Metheny.In his youth Vlad was a member of popular Ukrainian bands Forte, Tea Fan Club (Клуб Шанувальників Чаю) and Loony Pelen gaining popularity in Ukraine and Eastern Europe.Born in Ukraine, but he moved to the Unites States to attended Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts in 1996 by the invitation of the college.