Howes played in a British Columbia band, Young Gun, and later fronted the group DDT which blended punk, ska, and rap.

The band was signed to Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich's label The Music Company, through Elektra Records, in the late 1990s.

With Brian Jennings, Axel G and Robin Diaz, Howes formed the alternative rock band Closure in 2002 in Vancouver[3] and signed to TVT Records.

They released a self-titled album in 2003[4][5] and their single, "Look Out Below", was included in the soundtrack of the 2003 film Darkness Falls.

[6] He produced, engineered and co-wrote Hinder's debut album, Extreme Behavior.