He performs as a solo act and in the band Shovels & Rope since 2008.

[1] Trent first performed as the lead singer in the Denver, Colorado band Tinker's Punishment, before moving to the Southeast and renaming as The Films with Kenneth Harris, Jacob Sinclair and Adam Blake in Charleston, South Carolina.

[2] Trent collaborated with Butch Walker, performing two of his albums.

Trent recorded an album as a duo with his wife, Cary Ann Hearst, in 2008.

The pair then formed the group Shovels and Rope[3] and began touring, performing about 200 shows each year.