Amped: The Ben Verellen Sound

On a Thursday night in early fall, two men stand with their backs pressed against the wall in the rain-drenched alleyway next to Neumos, swathed in a cloud of smoke. Taking a break from the sound check going on indoors, they drag on their cigarettes, seemingly unaware of the oddly humid waters soaking into them. The first is dressed in black, while the more forbidding of the two has a beard to rival Zeus’s and a matching mass of rusty brown curls.

Suddenly, from amidst the beard, Ben Verellen opens his mouth, and a disarmingly light voice shatters first impressions, making him seem far more huggable than horrifying. And the surprising juxtapositions don’t end there. Although the Tacoma native majored in electrical engineering at the University of Washington, he also happens to be the lead singer of hard-core band Helms Alee. 

This second combination of interests is the reason for the evening. Beginning in November 2007, Verellen decided to combine his electrical engineering degree with his long-time love of music. The result was Verellen Amplifiers, the business he created with friend and business partner Mike Erdman (Verellen’s black-clad companion). “Instead of getting a real job, I decided to try this,” jokes Verellen. They’ve been aiding and abetting some of Seattle’s heaviest bands ever since, including those playing the Verellen Amps showcase this particular evening. 

It’s not hard to see that Verellen Amplifiers is about more than business for Verellen and Erdman – it’s about art. Their special if somewhat pricey tube amps, custom made, hand wired and carefully crafted out of dovetailed Baltic Birch, have been sought out by notable bands such as Minus the Bear and Sunny Day Real Estate. 

To say that the amps do what they are made for is an understatement; they have been known to cause partial deafness lasting for days from the sheer intensity of sound (believe me). 

“These amps aren’t cheap,” Akimbo singer Jon Weisnewski screams out during his band’s set,  “but they’re worth every fucking dollar!” And the crowd roars. •

Photo by Jimmy VanGalder