He has worked with a wide range of artists including Nils Lofgren, Steve Earle, the Yayhoos, Del Lords, The Bottle Rockets, Joan Jett, Mojo Nixon, Blood Oranges, Blue Mountain, Freedy Johnston and Mary Lee's Corvette.

"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.

He exited in the early 1980s 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 1980s roots-rock mini-boom.

Between his current duties as producer, bandleader, studio proprietor, bar owner, member of the 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.

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.

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.

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.