In his adolescence, he formed several local bands, which had only small presentations until when he turned 19 and he had his first tour.

On October 13, 2009, they released their first studio album, titled Leave the Gambling for Vegas, on which they covered the song "Bad Romance" by Lady Gaga.

In May 2010 after leaving A Smile From The Trenches, Derek moved to Las Vegas due to his commitment to Falling In Reverse.

[4] Jones died on April 21, 2020; his death was announced on social media by bandmate Ronnie Radke.

[5] His cause of death was revealed later in Ronnie Radke's book I Can Explain as subdural hematoma.