[4] He performed in rock and smooth jazz bands during this time, including his group the Nova Shadow Quartet, which he said was "played in a sloppy unprofessional manner.

"[2] After he decided against a scholarship he relocated to California to pursue music further,[2] first to Berkeley before settling in Marin County.

He considered classical composers Ottorino Respighi, Maurice Ravel, and Claude Debussy, pianist Martin Denny, and guitarist Jimi Hendrix as particular musical influences during this time.

[2] Following his move to California, Iasos collaborated with other musicians for a short period but to no success, so he chose to become a solo artist.

[6] In 1989, research conducted by Professor Joel Funk at Plymouth State University reported that of people who have had near-death experiences referred to the track "The Angels of Comfort" from Iasos's album Angelic Music (1978) as being closest to the music they heard during these experiences by a wide margin.