Ian has been playing music since he was young. Inspired by his elementary school music teacher, an ethnomusicologist, he started to play music by leaving Final Fantasy VI running in the background and playing along to the game on the piano. He has since learned several other instruments over the years including bass, bodhrán, bouzouki, smallpipes, and concertina. He has spent a large part of his life studying Irish traditional music.Ian has been a session singer and guitarist for a number of professional recordings for movies and television. He is also a club DJ and travels frequently to perform in a variety of different venues. He plays in a gamelan ensemble and a rock band in Santa Barbara. He received his M.A. in Ethnomusicology from UC Davis in 2013.  Ian plays Irish whistles from the collection of Frealon Bibbins.  Ian plays a mandolin by Macdara Ó Faoláin.