Raised in Saint Paul MN, like many of his peers John started playing bass at a young age and began playing in various garage bands, including a few with his older brother and high school friends. After a brief hiatus from playing while studying in technical college, John returned to the music world working at the Minnesota Renaissance Festival. There he was exposed to music ranging from the folk music of the British Isles, to dance music of the Middle East, Klezmer, and Romani. This led to his switching to playing Double bass exclusively in 2020.

Moving To Harrisburg Pennsylvania in 2014, John studied classical Double bass with Jim Miller but found fewer gig opportunities for Double bass in the Harrisburg area. Meeting Colin Alvarez after the 2020 pandemic, John found a kindred spirit and they set about to find other like minded musicians to form what would become the Colin Alvarez Band.