I owe a great deal of my growth as a guitarist to my good friend Miro Jugem, known throughout the open mic community as "No Repeat Miro." For years, he persistently encouraged me to attend an open mic he frequented at Grumpy D's Coffee House in Seattle's Ballard neighborhood.

In 2018, he finally convinced me to join him on stage during one of his showcases, where I played the lead guitar parts on Comfortably Numb and Key to the Highway, the final two songs of his encore set. That evening proved to be a turning point for me.

At Grumpy D's, I met an incredible community of musicians and music lovers who helped me overcome my reluctance to perform publicly and encouraged me to continue developing as both a guitarist and performer. For that, I owe heartfelt thanks to Alan Camhi, Katy Rudden, Dan Kurtz (the original Grumpy D), Steven Cristol, Judy Kaplan and many others whose friendship, encouragement, and support helped me find the confidence to share my music with others.