CJ Tywoniak had led the life of a typical teenager, growing up in a suburban community outside of Philadelphia, PA. Like many his age, he wanted to pursue an activity of interest, and so decided to pick up the guitar at age 10. Little did CJ know that by the age of 15 he would have already shared the stage with the likes of Eddie Vedder, Alice Cooper and Jon Anderson.

Before long, CJ’s parents realized the true potential of his talents, and enrolled him into the Paul Green School of Rock in Philadelphia, where he would learn the fundamentals of music and performance onstage. It was through the Rock School’s All-star program that he has toured the country playing shows with rock legends such as Eddie Vedder, Alice Cooper, Jon Anderson of Yes and Adrian Belew of King Crimson among many others. Other appearances include a guitar solo on MTVs TRL at the age of 14, and a feature in a documentary about the school, entitled “Rock School.”

After graduating from Rock School, CJ has been honing his compositional skills at the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami through the new Creative American Songwriting Program, sponsored by Bruce Hornsby, with whom he had the pleasure of sharing the stage.

All through his studies, CJ has remained productive, playing alongside Metalocalypse creator Brendon Small for an east coast tour. He has also made various radio and television appearances, where he had the pleasure of playing with Ace Frehley, Kyle Gas and Steven Adler for VH1’s Sober House. Additional performances with Steve Miller and Bruce Hornsby, and renowned Motown writer Lamont Dozier rounded out CJ’s University of Miami career.

Fresh out of school and into the music world, CJ is ready to take it to the next level with his career – he can be seen playing guitar alongside Diego Boneta in the star-studded feature film, Rock of Ages.

Primarily a performer and a composer of his own right, CJ plays fluently in a variety of styles ranging from hard rock to pop to folk and bluegrass, as well playing a variety of string instruments including electric and acoustic guitars, mandolin, and banjo. His music draws from the inspiration of the raw audacity of classic rock from the likes of Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, along with the musical ambition of the likes of Frank Zappa and King Crimson; all fitting into the rock paradigm of the modern era. He also channels his love of the blues and acoustic styles into the mix.