Well I grew up in New York and started to play guitar seriously at the age of 13. I was initially inspired by Jimi Hendrix, Ritchie Blackmore and Michael Schenker era UFO. I played in many local bands all throughout high school playing clubs, dances etc. At 17 I left New York to attend Berklee College of Music in Boston. There I started to listen heavily to jazz/fusion guitarists Al Dimeola, John Mclaughlin and Alan Holdsworth as well as classical music. After 4 years at Berklee I played in various rock and fusion bands touring around and in the late eighties I formed metal band Trash Broadway. We released an album with Torrid records a New York based independent label in 1989, toured then several years later we broke up and I started my solo career. I secured a deal with Leviathan Records and my first all instrumental album Guitar Dominance came out in 1993. In 1994 Night Of The Living Shred followed and Guitar World magazine praised it as the best neo-classical shred album since Yngwie's first record. In between my first two records I spent a short period of time as the guitarist with former Anthrax singer Joey Belladonna's band.

After things didn't work out with him I formed Joe Stump's Reign of Terror a power metal vocal band in the style of Rainbow and Rising Force. Light In the Sky was released in 1995. In 1996 Super Sonic Shred Machine my third instrumental followed an album I'm extremely proud both playing and composition-wise. In 1997 Second Coming the 2nd Reign of Terror was released and in 1998 Rapid Fire Rondo my most intense classically influenced instrumental disc came out. Then Reign of Terror album Sacred Ground and 2001 A Shred Odyssey were released, followed by Conquer & Divide and Armed and Ready in 2003, Guitar Master in 2004 and Speed Metal Messiah in 2005. I have also released a number of instructional DVDs.