Defever was raised in a strict religious household, along with his brothers, Johnny and Matt. He grew up a music fan. His grandfather was a musician from Saskatchewan and had taught Warren and his brothers how to play various musical instruments.[2]
Defever began recording while still in high school, and toured as the bassist of psychobilly rock band Elvis Hitler.[3]
For many years, Defever recorded in the basement of his parents' house, which he later bought from them.[4]
Around the same time His Name Is Alive was departing from 4AD Records, Defever opened his own recording studio, Brown Rice, in the Detroit area.[5] Along with Davin Brainard, Defever runs a home record label, timeSTEREO.[5]
In 2007, Defever opened The UFO Factory, a new studio in Detroit. Everything inside was painted silver, including the piano.[4]