Garrett Schwarz was working as a business consultant for IBM when he'd finally had enough. He was no longer interested in corporate business, since the repetitive routine wasn't creative enough for this musician in the making. He had a hidden agenda and Balligomingo was it. Schwarz grew up in the Chicago suburb of Romeoville, later moving to Minneapolis during his senior year of high school. He was already fond of the electronic sounds of Jean Michel Jarre and Pink Floyd thanks to his father's interests.