He is Assistant Professor of Communication Studies at California Polytechnic State University, where he teaches courses in performance studies, intercultural communication, and cultural studies. He was raised in Chile, South America, and has lived in the U.S. since 1990. His research works out of-and back into-the intersecting of performance studies with popular music studies. He is currently working on a book manuscript: an extensive study of the performative, cultural, and communicative dimensions of Phish and phan culture. Ongoing research projects include an exploration of Chilean music (particularly of the politically-inflected work of Violeta Parra and of Los Prisioneros), as well as a critical unpacking of the cultural politics of inclusion/exclusion of the indie rock scene.