Justin was born in New York in 1988. He grew up taking classical piano lessons from age 8 to age 17. At age 17, shortly before beginning his college education at Brown University, he made the decision to switch from being a classical pianist to a modern guitarist.

Throughout his time at Brown, Justin explored the guitar and the many shapes of modern music. He is most interested in rock and jazz, especially in the improvisatory aspects of each. He graduated from Brown in 2010 with a degree in Computer Science, and decided to pursue his interest in music full time at Berklee College of Music.


"The instrument that drew me to pursue music full time, and 
always keeps me coming back is the electric guitar. I love the varied sounds, ranging from mellow to harsh, but always with the feel of what I like to call 'that electric-blue lightning-on-fire sound' which allows for infinite realms of self expression.

But more-so than the sound of the instrument, I was inspired by the ability of the greats to express themselves, fluidly and on the fly, as if music were pouring out of their bodies. I come from a background of classical piano, which allowed some musical self expression, but left me wanting more than just rote-recital of pieces composed by Chopin and Bach. The first times I truly heard musicians expressing themselves improvisationally, it was through the sound of rock guitar, and it touched my soul deeply. It is for this reason that I have made the study of guitar and performance in the rock and jazz idiom (and many points in between and elsewhere) such an integral part of my life."