Eric Lindell

Born in San Mateo, California in 1969, Lindell spent countless hours in San Francisco, soaking up the musical sounds of the city, eventually leading him to pick up first the bass and then the guitar and harmonica. With a love of music and skateboarding, Lindell formed a few punky garage bands early on while his musical horizons expanded. He listened to the deep blues of Buddy Guy, Junior Wells, Jimmy Reed and Albert King before drifting toward the R&B sounds of The Impressions, Stevie Wonder and Donny Hathaway, soaking up the soul and learning how to craft a song. After performing at bars on the West Coast with a few short-lived bands, Eric formed his own group in 1993. He quickly gained a loyal Northern California audience thanks to countless performances and many late-night jam sessions. Established stars like Charlie Musselwhite and Tom Waits attended his shows, as did overflow crowds of music fans.

With music on his mind, Lindell headed to New Orleans in 1999, where he quickly discovered the pulsating and dynamic roots scene. He gravitated toward the West Bank dive bars of Gretna and Algiers, where he befriended many older area musicians who helped him get regular work as a performer. Some of New Orleans' finest players, including keyboardist Ivan Neville and drummers Harold Brown (War), Stanton Moore (Galactic) and Johnny Vidacovich (Professor Longhair, Astral Project) often joined him on stage. Galactic bassist Rob Mercurio began sitting in as well, and word of Lindell's immense talents quickly spread around the city. Stars like Branford Marsalis, The Neville Brothers and John Scofield began showing up at his gigs and embracing this fresh California kid's funky music. According to Lindell, "It's a great feeling to be recognized for your music in New Orleans." Since 2003, in addition to his own gigs, Lindell regularly joins forces with Ivan Neville, Moore and Mercurio (when time and schedules permit) and they perform to overflow crowds as Dragon Smoke.

2006's Change In The Weather delighted and surprised music fans hungry for a truly original artist. Lindell's deceptively simple sounding songs, laid back grooves and hook-laden melodies were fueled by guests including Brown, Neville and Moore. Critics across the country went wild, with reviews and features in Relix, OffBeat, Guitar Player, Down Beat, The New Yorker, The New York Press and many other national and regional publications. Singer And Musician magazine put Eric on the cover and many newspaper entertainment sections did the same.

2007's Low On Cash, Rich In Love and 2009's Gulf Coast Highway pushed Lindell farther into the spotlight. Appearances on Late Night With Conan O'Brien and National Public Radio's Mountain Stage solidified his stature as an artist who simply could not be ignored. Many of his songs have appeared in films and television shows, including Boston Legal and Treme. He has collaborated and shared stages with blues and rock luminaries, including John Fogerty, Luther Dickinson and Anson Funderburgh.

With Revolution In Your Heart, Lindell was more than ready to come home to Alligator. "The timing is perfect. I'm so excited to get back to focusing on what I do and have such a great team behind me," he says. Upon release of the album, Lindell and his band will tour heavily, reuniting with old friends and, as always, earning new fans at every stop. AllMusic declares Lindell a singular talent, saying, "He plays soulful, funk-drenched, tight and focused grooves. He is a quadruple threat as a solid songwriter, impressive guitarist, affecting singer and harmonica blower. This is music that's deceptively difficult to create. Lindell makes it seem not just easy, but natural."