Relocated to Edmonton, Alberta, Canada from St. Petersburg at age three,[1] Creager began playing in punk bands while a student in high school.
He also befriended members of the influential skate punk band SNFU, becoming roommates with guitarist Marc Belke and serving as the inspiration for the song "Snapping Turtle" from their 1986 album If You Swear, You'll Catch No Fish.
[3] Creager co-founded the post-SNFU group the Ship of Fools (soon renamed the Wheat Chiefs) with Marc and Brent Belke in 1990.
In 1991, he joined the Belke brothers, singer Ken Chinn, and former drummer Jon Card in reforming SNFU and embarking on a reunion tour behind the compilation album The Last Of The Big Time Suspenders.
He opted against staying with the band thereafter as they relocated to Vancouver, British Columbia, signed to Epitaph Records and returned to a full-time workload.