Sackler-Berner was born in New York City. He began playing guitar and songwriting at the age of 11, playing in numerous bands throughout his teen years. He attended McGill University for Music Technology. Sackler-Berner's first professional band was Hearts of Palm, based in Montreal, Quebec. After releasing a full-length album the band had national television licenses on NBC and CBS, and two regional tours. Their final performance was at the international Live 8 festival in 2005.
