The band was founded by the original guitar player Mike Livingston (formerly of The Mau-Mau's) and Kevin Wood on bass.
They had previously played together in the band Ella and the Blacks, which also included Brian Grillo and Brendan Mullen (founder of The Masque, the first L.A. punk rock club).
In early 1988, Livingston was replaced by Morello.Chris Beebe on bass completed the lineup that released Lock Up's sole album on Geffen Records, Something Bitchin' This Way Comes, which came out in 1989.
His solos, in contrast to Livingston's rootsy blues oriented style mainly consist of arpeggios, tapping and overall fast fretwork.
Evidence of his experimenting with the toggle switch can be heard in a few tracks ("Can't Stop the Bleeding", "Nothing New" and "Punch Drunk").