Matt Wolfe and Roadblock (born Jason Robinson) formed The Scrap Iron Pickers in 2008. Prior to the band's formation, Wolfe, the son of a CIA agent, had attended college in California, before he moved to England and joined the progressive rock band Byzantine. Roadblock was a teacher and a ditch digger who played in jazz-rock bands, including Noizbox, on the side. The two musicians met at a local jazz club and decided to form a progressive pop band with guitarist Johnny Sizemore.