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ERIC AMBEL
http://www.ericambel.com/
[BIOGRAPHY]
[PHOTOS]
[PRESS]
[TOUR DATES]
[AUDIO]
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BIOGRAPHY
Veteran singer/guitarist/songwriter/producer/raconteur Eric Ambel - known to friends, associates and bandmates as Roscoe - is the possessor of an estimable musical resume that's established his credentials as a deeply committed rocker as well as a witty and thoughtful songwriter. Between his current duties as producer, bandleader, studio proprietor, bar owner, member of uber-bar-band supergroup the Yayhoos and lead guitarist of Steve Earle's band the Dukes, he's found time to launch his own label, Lakeside Lounge Records, to redress the longstanding absence of Ambel solo product from the marketplace.
Lakeside Lounge Records' initial release is Knucklehead, the first new Eric Ambel album in nearly a decade. The disc compiles 15 previously unreleased tracks recorded by Ambel in a variety of locations over the past 14 years with a variety of notable collaborators, including his fondly-remembered '80s band the Del-Lords, the Bottle Rockets, Andy York (John Mellencamp), Warner Hodges (Jason and the Scorchers), Will Rigby (the dB's), Tony Maimone (Pere Ubu), Tony Shanahan (Patti Smith), Ron Gremp (the Morells), Steven Terry (Whiskeytown), Martin's Folly and Ambel's Yayhoos cohorts Dan Baird, Keith Christopher and Terry Anderson. Also lending a hand is Steve Earle, who contributes a previously unheard composition, "The Usual Time," and adds vocals to a new version of the Del-Lords chestnut "Judas Kiss."
Alongside Knucklehead, Lakeside Lounge Records has just reissued remastered editions of Ambel's two previous albums, 1988's Roscoe's Gang and 1995's Loud and Lonesome, with deluxe packaging and extensive liner notes. Both discs have been out of print for years and highly sought-after by ebay denizens and roots-rock aficionados. Roscoe's Gang is a loose, punchy party session with an all-star cast that includes alt-pop chanteuse Syd Straw, dB's member Peter Holsapple, and midwest rock 'n' roll legends the Morells, who serve as backup ensemble throughout. Loud and Lonesome contrasts its predecessor's lighthearted ambience with a compelling set of pensive, highly-charged urban rock.
Illinois native Ambel first took up the rock 'n' roll torch in the late 1970s while attending college the University of Wyoming, where he formed the punk combo the Dirty Dogs, who released the cult-classic single "Sorority Girl" before changing their name to the Accelerators and relocating to Los Angeles. In L.A. the Accelerators recorded and released an EP called "It's Cool To Rock" produced by Danny Holloway (Plimsouls, Bob Marley), then after playing with Rik L Rik and Top Jimmy he began a two-year stint as lead guitarist in Joan Jett's original Blackhearts, touring extensively and playing on her I Love Rock 'n' Roll album. He exited in the early '80s to co-found the gritty New York foursome the Del-Lords, which also included ex-Dictator Scott Kempner and future Cracker drummer Frank Funaro, which released four highly-regarded studio albums and helped usher in the '80s roots-rock mini-boom.
While still a member of the Del-Lords, Ambel launched Roscoe's Gang, which began as an informal side combo but soon evolved into a serious vehicle for his songwriting skills and his less-is-more rock 'n' roll philosophy. That outfit's maverick spirit survives in its current incarnation, the Roscoe Trio. Meanwhile, Ambel built a prolific career as producer, overseeing albums by the likes of the Bottle Rockets, the Blood Oranges, Nils Lofgren, Freedy Johnston, Blue Mountain, the Backsliders, Go to Blazes, Tammy Faye Starlite and Mary Lee's Corvette.
In 1996, Ambel co-founded the Yayhoos with ex-Georgia Satellites frontman Dan Baird, Satellites/Shaver/Roscoe's Gang bassist Keith Christopher and noted drummer/tunesmith Terry Anderson, who released their long-brewing debut album Fear Not the Obvious on Bloodshot Records in 2001 and recently finished recording their sophomore outing. Also in 1996, Ambel opened the popular East Village bar the Lakeside Lounge, which he co-owns and where he sometimes performs. In 1999, he inaugurated Cowboy Technical Services, his own 24-track analog/digital recording studio in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, which has since played host to the likes of Ryan Adams, Robert Randolph, Steve Wynn, Marshall Crenshaw, Laura Cantrell, Marah, the Silos, the Damnwells and Martin's Folly. In 2000, he became lead guitarist in Steve Earle's touring and recording band the Dukes, appearing on such projects as Earle's acclaimed Jerusalem album, the documentary profile Just An American Boy and the Grammy Award winning record The Revolution Starts.....Now.
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PHOTOS
Click on a thumbnail to download the hi-res JPEG (suitable for publication):
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TOUR DATES
- 9/19/08 * Lakeside Lounge * New York, New York
- 9/21/08 * Drewstock for Drew Glackin * Easton, Pennsylvania
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PRESS
L.A. Times - June, 2006
Unsung treasures would surely rather be sung, but when you're a guy like Eric Ambel, maybe modest fame is the perfect thing. This roots-rock utility player has made waves with his own bands, from the Del-Lords to Roscoe's Gang and the Yayhoos; he's also a noted producer and sideman (that's him providing guitar fire on Steve Earle's most recent albums). His solo stuff's sweet, wise and charming, reflecting his experience helping invent punk Americana.
Guitar Player Magazine - December, 2004
Eric Ambel:Knucklehead
By ANDY ELLIS
Known for providing edgy lead guitar for Joan Jett’s Blackhearts and Steve Earle’s Dukes,
Eric "Roscoe" Ambel is also an acclaimed producer. For this collection of swampy, gritty rockers,
he dips deep into his library of orphaned tracks recorded between 1990 and 2004. His two
previous solo discs epitomize rowdy guitar tone, and the 15 songs on Knucklehead uphold
this tradition. Offering a woozy mix of NYC garage rock, early Neil Young, and Sticky
Fingers-era Stones, the songs range from 8-track cassette demos to studio tracks cut with
his pals from the Bottle Rockets, Martin’s Folly, the Del-Lords, the Yayhoos, and Roscoe's Gang.
As a bonus, the liner notes include intriguing details about the personnel, gear, and instruments.
Next time you feel the urge to loosen a few screws, crank up Knucklehead. Lakeside Lounge.
Rolling Stone Magazine - July 8-22, 2004 - Issue 952/953
By DAVID FRICKE
Singer/guitarist/songwriter Eric Ambel is no knucklehead. He is many other things: an alumnus 1980's roots-punk band The Del-Lords; member of both Steve Earle's band the Dukes and cheerful hell raisers the Yayhoos; running buddy of the Skeletons and the Bottlerockets' leader of his own cool crew, Roscoe's Gang. Ambel gives you some of everything in this hat trick: two ace reissues (Roscoe’s Gang, from 1988, ‘94’s Loud & Lonesome) and a new, jumpin' trawl thru the outtakes drawer, which yields a knuckle-cracking Del-Lords cover of the Flamin' Groovies "Shake Some Action" and a home-cooked take on Tom Waits "Union Sqare", in which Ambel rocks like the '72 Rolling Stones-all my himself.
Time Out New York - July 8-15, 2004
Eric Ambel:Knucklehead
By SCOTT SCHINDER
Eric Ambel has been a cornerstone of the local rock scene since the early '80s, when he left Joan Jett's Blackhearts and cofounded the roots-rockin' Del-Lords. Since then, he's built an estimable resume as a producer and musician, currently serving as lead guitarist of Steve Earle's Dukes and as a member of all-star neoshitkickers the Yayhoos.
The singer-songwriter and guitarist's own projects deliver crunchy, catchy guitar rock with smart-alecky lyrics prone to revealing harsh emotional truths. That's the case on Knucklehead, Ambel's third solo effort and the
inaugural release of his Lakeside Lounge label (which shares its name with the East Village bar that he co-owns). Although the 15-track collection is drawn from a decade and a half's worth of studio odds and ends, Ambel's punchy ethic unites the rockiest rush of "Hole in My Head," the chugging surrealism of "Stepside" and the bruised vulnerability of the reworked Del-Lords number "Judas Kiss." Elsewhere, the artist's uneasy take on Neil Young's "Revolution Blues" lends urgency to that song's sense of looming societal breakdown, while his reading of the sentimental pop standard "Always on My Mind" captures the late-night regret that's the flip side of
his bar-band bluster.
Like all of Ambel's best work, Knucklehead suggests a parallel universe in which the Stones never got shitty, the Faces never broke up, and adulthood never conflicted with the ability to rock like a mofo.
Amplifier Magazine - July/August, 2004
Eric Ambel:Knucklehead
By JOHN HOLCOMB
Eric Ambel is a godhead. There, I've said it. If you don't own his first two solo records, Roscoe's Gang and Loud & Lonesome, I suggest you pick them up right now, as they have been reissued on his own Lakeside Lounge label. Oh yes, and then there's the new one, Knucklehead, my favorite record so far in 2004. Knucklehead is simply a roots rock tour de force combining ace song writing, muscular guitar playing (I've said it before here in print that NO ONE gets a better guitar sound on tape than Ambel), and stellar support (Terry Anderson, Dan Baird, Keith Christopher, Steve Earle, Andy York, Warner Hodges, Jeremy Tepper and others). Things kick off in a righteous manner with "Feel So Good," a swingin' pre-Yayhoos Ambel-Anderson-Baird co-write. "Stepside" is an ominous rocker featuring distorted drums, wah-wah guitar, and rap (!). A great version of "Shake Some Action" is from the last Del Lords session, and this version of "Judas Kiss" (featuring the Yayhoos and Steve Earle) is easily the best ever. "Garbagehead" is a blistering party tune you'll turn up to eleven, and the cover of Neil Young's "Revolution Blues" that closes the record is plain spooky. Eric Ambel can do no wrong. Pick up all three of his records right now, or risk an unfulfilled life!
Billboard Magazine - May 01, 2004
The Indies: Record Label Next Venture For Veteran Rocker Ambel
By CHRIS MORRIS
Guitarist/producer/club owner Eric "Roscoe" Ambel has founded his own label, Lakeside Lounge Records, and will issue his first titles June 22.
The imprint—named after Ambel's bar in New York's East Village—bows with "Knucklehead," a compilation of 1990-2004 recordings, and reissues of "Roscoe's Gang" (first issued by Enigma in 1988) and "Loud and Lonesome" (originally out on East Side Digital in 1995).
Ambel, a true rock'n'roll flame-keeper, has cut a solid groove as a sideman over the course of two decades. After establishing himself in Joan Jett's Blackhearts, he was a key member of New York's Del-Lords.
He most recently partnered with Dan Baird of the Georgia Satellites in roots unit the Yayhoos, and he has worked extensively with Steve Earle as lead guitarist for the singer/songwriter's band the Dukes.
But Ambel is a strong writer, singer and player in his own right, as the three Lakeside Lounge titles demonstrate.
Fans will welcome "Knucklehead," a rocking retrospective that includes appearances by the Yayhoos, the Del-Lords, Roscoe's Gang and the Bottle Rockets.
Tracks include originals, covers of the Flamin' Groovies' "Shake Some Action" and Neil Young's "Revolution Blues" and a previously unreleased Steve Earle tune, "The Usual Time."
All three Digipak packages include extensive new liner notes. Lakeside Lounge's releases are currently available from online retailers Miles of Music and Village Records, and at Ambel's site, ericambel.com.
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AUDIO
Click on an audio track below to download a mp3:
Eric Ambel - Knucklehead [2004]
Feel So Bad [mp3] - 3.14 mb
Lonely Town [mp3] - 3.78 mb
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