In 2004, he received his Ph.D. from the University of Colorado, Boulder. An avid acoustic guitar “flatpicker,” his dissertation research documented the “portable” forms of community that flourish in bluegrass festival settings throughout the American West. He has most recently turned his attention to the processes through which spontaneous grassroots volunteer organizations arise and take shape in post-disaster environments. He currently teaches courses in the sociology of community, environmental sociology, and music subcultures. Follow him on Twitter @howdyhoss.