Vindaloo

"People outside Seattle may not know it, but Seattle isn't only about coffee and cookie-cutter indie rock bands. Beneath the surface lies a culture of bands that don't make the music you would find playing at your nearest hipster joint. Bands that are raw and get down to the rock n' roll nitty-gritty do in fact exist, and it is only a matter of time before these bands are exposed.

Say goodbye to the average verse chorus verse combination and say hello to something much more experimental and raw

Say hello to Vindaloo.

Hear that Seattle? It's time to bust loose and pass on the shows where everyone is too cool to move."

Vivian Hua - Redefine

Hello Rock Fiends, Last Thursday I had the pleasure of once again having my face melted off by one of Seattle's best up and coming bands. I stumbled onto "Vindaloo" accidently when I decided to check out a free local rock showcase over at the Liquid Lounge some time ago. They fucking rocked the place and nobody knew who the hell they where, at least I didn't and of course I pride myself on being up to date with the local rock scene. After that I was hooked. Vindaloo are a special band, one that has the capacity to tear your head of one minute and then stop on a dime the next. Guitar player Ben Harwood, is probably one of the most underated or undiscovered as the case may be guitar players I have seen in a while. The southpaw can flat out shred. With recent write ups in local music mags as well as a mention in Spin magazine, it looks as if Vindaloo may be making a name for themselves with their high powered, aggressive & manic rock shows. They have a bunch of northwest gigs lined-up in the next month including shows at the Comet, High Dive, and at Jimmy Z's in my hometown. (Did I just say that?) Vindaloo also are headed into the studio with famed producer Jack Endino to record their new album. Now thats a compliment! Vindaloo have recently made a line-up change as well, switching drummers. Last Thursday was their first show with the new drummer, needless to say they were tighter than ever, and rocked a bunch of strong new material. Take a listen to Vindaloo's demo version of "Electromatik Lunatic." Hopefully soon enough we will have an Endino produced record, that'll blow our heads off. Go see this band!! Enjoy.


The month of July I have christened local music month. Each week this month I will showcase a kickass local band. There are some great local bands right now. As you know I like to share the wealth as well as always support the local scene in hopes these bands will flourish and be around for awhile, as to feed my need for rock!!


- Nik D MySpace.com Music Critic

Vindaloo list their influences on MySpace as "LOUD Noises, quiet noises, circus midgets on unicycles,..." That's some mismash guys,...but from the good reviews we've been hearing of your on-fire shows, and the sample tracks from your new album, it sounds like you're channeling something good."

Friday, August 25th, 2006

In Reference to "Machine Gun" - The Seattle Weekly

"To use an old but apt cliche. this hard-rockin' band amps the volume to 11. Massive walls of grunge guitar and gritty and aggressive vocals and Pink Floyd-style moments add variety."
by Tizzy Asher

08/11/2005 - Tizzhy Asher

"Seattle ass burners Vindaloo rip this bitch open with a thunderous arena-metal riff that sounds more than a little like “Electric Eye”. That’s pretty much the only time these guys sound like Judas Priest, but fuck it, it does grab yr attention, and the rawk n’ roll that happens afterwards is worth the bait and switch. Suddenly, the guitars get sweeter, and darker; the rhythm section locks into a stoner-glam groove, and Ben Harwood’s classic chest thumping, Flannel God vox kick in. As opener “Diary” rolls on, the room fills with needles and rain and sunshine and pain, and it’s like 1991 all over again, only without all the crazy girls in granny sweaters. And since I was still young and good looking back then, that’s all fuckin’ right with me. Vindaloo’s sound shares similar muddy ground with Kentucky fried whiskey grungers Supafuzz, only with a dash of the rootsy, plaintive mellow-yellow of Blind Melon and a pinch or two of preening flash metal excess. The best of the bad old days, in other words."

"...the hard shit is dynamic and compelling enough to keep you coming back, and riot baiters like the sleazy “Swing on the Devil’s Toe” and crunchy cock rocker “Looks” are as gut punching and headbanging as anything by nu-breed biker-brawlers like Brand New Sin or Underride. Bracing stuff, and unlike the dangerously potent grub they named themselves after, Vindaloo won’t mangle your guts and leave you in a pile of your own puke. Unless you really beg ‘em." - Sleazegrinder

There's a lot of rumbling on this set, sonically and lyrically. That works to lead singer Ben Harwood's advantage, as his impassioned tenor works in counterpoint to the ominous thrumming of the music, as in "Mocking," which evokes early Live before launching into a thrash-metal interlude. Harwood manages to sound like a number of different vocalists, from Lindsay Buckingham to Dave Mustaine, while maintaining his own style, which is fortunate, as Vindaloo displays an ambition in their music that a less capable vocalist wouldn't be able to match. From the soaring thrash ballad "Suffer For Now" to the blues-rumble riffs of "Professional," Vindaloo is after something more accomplished than your standard hard rock album.

This attention extends to the recording of the album. Despite its low-budget limitations, particularly noticeable in a tinny sound in the upper ranges, the total sound is clean and well-engineered. On my system, the bass thumped without overwhelming the guitar lines, and the vocals were out in front without being garbled, which was a refreshing change from other low-budget studio efforts I've listened to in the past. And, as a visual bonus, the album's liner art depicts a sumptuous-looking Indian meal that should go a long way to explaining why they named themselves Vindaloo (although a scratch-and-sniff version might have worked better). Overall, Vindaloo shows a lot of promise and the ability to fulfill it.

Brandon Nolta

05/06 - Boise Weekly

Seattle-based Vindaloo gets the album kicking with a nifty guitar riff and crashing drums that lead into a toe-tapping frenzy of rock. The noise quickly dissipates into a calming web of bass chords and Benjamin Harwood’s gruff vocals flowing over his clean guitar.
The album carries on to noticeable track “Looks”, where Harwood and bassist Matt Fortin’s solid rhythm begins a head bobbing verse that blossoms into full on head-banging carnage. Harwood extends the carnage as he slays through his listener’s peace with a simmering guitar solo sure to get even the mildest rocker pumping their fist.
Vindaloo cools it down with the very next track showing a little of their versatility as they launch into one of their softer tunes “Suffer for Now”. Proving they aren’t a bunch of softies, however, they fire right back into rock with “Zombie Love Song” whose intro involves a tasteful mix of straight palm-muted eighth notes and open distorted chords.
Perhaps the most intriguing track on the album is “Eccentric”, a five-minute rocker with a killer intro of light guitar and high wailing harmonics that dives into a thick rhythm. Harwood’s voice comes in sultry and heavy atop the music, eventually joined by the rest of his band who sing haunting back up to his lead. The song maintains an eerie feel throughout until its end, flowing into the light yet well written “Stuck in a Rut”.
The last song on the album ends Vindaloo’s effort with a bang. Beginning with a guitar delay effect that makes one want to get up out of their chair and beat box on the spot, “Swingin’ on the Devil’s Toe” stumbles into a foot-stomping song that has rock’n’roll written all over it. Reminiscent of Black Betty and Clutch, this song combines fast verses and a slow chorus to produce one fine rock tune.
As a whole the album contains several good rhythms and leads, and drummer Adam Kozie lays down solid percussion throughout to keep the boys on tempo. Harwood and Fortin’s guitar and bass playing are excellent throughout the album; there’s no doubt that these guys know how to rock.

-Erik William - Independent Clauses

The High Energy rock of Seattle's Vindaloo employs multiple delay pedals, dramatic, experimental bass, and heavily jazz-influenced drums." M.S. (Spin Columnist and Critic, May 2006) - Spin Magazine

January 24th, 2006.

"Seattle rockers Vindaloo destroyed a crowd at The Bouquet last night. The band returns in April. That is all."

Michael Deeds - The Washington Post

(Blue Moon) I originally liked Vindaloo simply because they reminded me that I need to go out for Indian food more often, but luckily the quality of their material elicits much more than hunger pangs in me now. Skating precariously close to fret-burning wankmanship, the Loo avoid sounding like caricatures by flexing the sheer muscle rippling through their rhythm section and capitalizing on the sardonic, slyly sexy delivery of frontman Ben Harwood. They are hoping to head into the studio with iconic producer Jack Endino sometime soon, a logical pairing that could take them to the next level in the local rock hierarchy. HANNAH LEVIN

- The Stranger (week 01.04.06-01.10.06)