Lindell grew up in the
San Francisco Bay Area. He began playing in bands at the age of 15. Among his early musical influences were
Fishbone and
Black Flag. Lindell started playing in Northern California bars and clubs, first on guitar, and later moving to bass, while working as a baker during the day to make ends meet. After a few years, he moved to New York City briefly, and then relocated to
New Orleans in 1999. In New Orleans, he recorded with
Harold Ray Brown (formerly of
War) as well as members of Galactic, including
Galactic's
Stanton Moore and
Ivan Neville (with whom he now occasionally plays in a side project called Dragon Smoke.) By 2005, he had become well known on the New Orleans music scene, having appeared in local clubs and at the
New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. As a result of the exposure, he was signed by
Alligator Records. Alligator's initial release by Lindell was
Change in the Weather, a compilation of tracks from his various self-produced albums and EPs, some released on his own Sparco Records label. Notably, the self-titled album and Piety Street Sessions with Marty Joyce on drums, Cass Faulconer on bass and Marc Adams on B3 as well as others.
Change in the Weather yielded the radio single "Give It Time" which received major play on
adult album alternative-formatted stations around the country and was featured in an episode of the
Boston Legal TV show. His second Alligator release was produced for the label by Lindell. The radio single, "Lay Back Down", was again well received by AAA, and also appeared in the TV shows
True Blood and
Friday Night Lights.
Gulf Coast Highway, his third Alligator release (also self produced), found him accompanied by members of Galactic as well as members of Lindell's touring band. "If Love Can't Find A Way" was the featured radio track. He typically performs about 100 live appearances a year. He has made recent trips to perform in Europe and made his first Australian appearance in 2007. He made his network television debut on ''
Late Night with Conan O'Brien'' in February 2008. Lindell's
Change in the Weather was nominated for the 7th annual Independent Music Awards for Jam Album of the year. ==Critical reviews==