Ian was born in San Jose, CA and moved to Dallas, TX when he was 14. He got his first guitar for his 15th birthday and spent the following summer playing along to records from bands like X, The Clash and Dead Kennedys. At the age of 18, he grabbed the attention of established Denton, TX punk band The Riverboat Gamblers. One phone call later he found himself joining the band and embarking on his first national tour the summer after graduating high school. In 2005 the whole band relocated to Austin, TX where they currently reside. Ian toured all over the world and recorded with The Riverboat Gamblers over the next 10 years. In 2006 they were listed by “Spin” as one of 25 Greatest Live Bands to see.
After a decade on the road, Ian made the move to the production side of the music industry, starting as a runner to quickly making his way to becoming the assistant tour manager of The Foo Fighters. He traveled internationally with the band over the next few years. During this time he befriended and began working as Assistant Tour Manager for Grammy-nominated recording artists Band of Horses. Ian was eventually invited to join the band full-time as lead guitarist and performed with them internationally wrapping up the touring cycle for the “Why Are You Ok” album and on. He contributed songwriting and guitars heavily to the critically acclaimed album “Things Are Great” released in March of 2022.
He currently resides in Austin TX as a go to guitar for hire, music instructor, producer and performs consistently with his projects Broken Gold and the Riverboat Gamblers as well as performing as a solo artist.