Chris Rosenau picked up the electric guitar as a teenager. His only formal training consisted of two weeks of private lessons, at which point he simply began to play along with records by Led Zeppelin, the Cult, and Metallica and dived into the world of high-school rock bands. He went through everything between alternative rock and heavy metal, adding influences from folk guitarists like Harry Chapin, speed metalists Slayer, dreamy alt-rockers Gastr del Sol, and free improv legend Derek Bailey along the way.