The story of 15 Degrees Below Zero began on May 13, 2000, with Imperial Floral Assault Unit. Gary TVG of The Violet Grind put together a band for what was supposed to be a one-off performance on KSZU, Stanford University's radio station, for their annual Day of Noise, 24 hours straight of noise performances. The members were Gary, Michael Addison Mersereau (of CTC, Cipher Utopia, and 18 Frames Per Second, amongst others), Daniel Blomquist (of Decibel, which has slowly mutated into The Twittering Machine), and Mark Wilson (then about to start his own project Conure). Prior to this performance, only Mike and Gary had collaborated together before, one recording of which can be heard on The Violet Grind/Cipher Utopia release on Troniks. This was meant to be a one-off performance. After listening back to the recording of their set, they knew they couldn't allow that to be the end. (The recording was available on a split release with Stolen Light, Conure, and Goose.)

They continued as IFAU for another six months, releasing a few items, and playing several shows. However, in January, 2001, Gary decided he wanted to go his own way, and he split up the project. Despite the disappointment, Dan, Mike, and Mark decided to continue working together. The name 15 Degrees Below Zero was decided on in February, 2001, and they began our first recordings a month later.

They have played numerous west coast shows as well as the Providence Noise Fest in Rhode Island. Crunch Pod released a posthumous set of live IFAU material along with a set of live 15DBZ material. Their first CD (an EP) was released mid-2004 on the same label, and the full length follow up CD was released two years later on Force of Nature. Their first vinyl release was released on .Angle.Rec. in August of 2007, and their second full length CD is available on Edgetone Records.