Throughout its existence, the band mainly consisted of Damon Locks (vocals/percussion), Chris DeZutter (guitar), Wayne Montana (bass), and Fred Armisen (drums).

[1] The band was founded in 1988 after Locks and Armisen dropped out of the School of Visual Arts and moved from New York to Chicago.

[1] Armisen went on to be a cast member of Saturday Night Live, and would later create, produce, and star in the TV sketch comedy series Portlandia.

In a 2014 Q&A also featuring musicians David Pajo and David Grubbs, Armisen revealed why he quit Trenchmouth: "It just felt like other bands kept passing us by," Armisen also said that "it was easy to convince himself some of those bands were more pop, and had a broader appeal."

[2] The band's first single, "Snakebite", was described as a post-punk track that "fills in the void between primitive acid-jazz grooves, worldbeat brazenness, and fetid Fugazi formula.