Riverboat Gamblers

The Riverboat Gamblers are a punk rock band originally from Denton, Texas but now residing in Austin, Texas. They are currently signed to Volcom Entertainment.
In 1997, former Blanks member Pat Lillard («Spider Stewart») (Bass), formed The Riverboat Gamblers with Fadi el-Assad («Freddy Castro») (Lead Guitar), and Mike Weibe («Rookie Sensation») (vocals). Lillard’s original intention was to emulate Virginia rockers The Candy Snatchers. In direct contrast to the popular emo music at the time, The Riverboat Gamblers’ premiere show featured over-the-top songs relating to drinking and of course, gambling. Tongue planted firmly in cheek, The Riverboat Gamblers continued to play house parties and shows throughout Denton and the Dallas/Fort Worth area. The Gamblers burst out of the Denton college scene in September of 2001 on the back of their self-released 7» single «Jenna Is A No Show.» Both 2001’s self-titled release and 2003’s Something to Crow About were produced by Texas punk rocker Tim Kerr (Big Boys, Lord High Fixers).

After the warm reception of Something to Crow About, the band soon relocated from Denton, Texas to Austin, Texas. The band first received attention from major record labels after their energetic and rowdy showcase at the 2003 South by Southwest (SXSW) music festival in Austin, Texas, but the band ultimately signed with indie label Gearhead Records. In 2005 they were signed to Volcom Entertainment and performed a stint on the 2005 Warped Tour, where the band was often noticed for its deranged live shows. The silliness of some of the earlier material has given way to a more complex breadth of material about America’s maligned. They will be opening for Rancid and Rise Against in the summer of 2009. Underneath The Owl was certified platinum in the US in August 2009.

They have also appeared on the soundtracks to the videogames Tony Hawk’s American Wasteland, Madden 07 and Skate 2

Band members:
Mike Weibe («Teko Buller» or «Rookie Sensation») - vocals
Fadi el-Assad («Freddy Castro») - Lead Guitar
Ian McDougall - Guitar
Rob Marchant - Bass
Eric Green - drums

Previous members have included bassist Pat Lillard («Spider»), guitarist Jeremy Diaz («Smokey»), guitarist Colin Jones («Colin Ambulance»), drummer Chris Adams («Tuffy McKeller»), and drummer Jesse Hamilton («Jesse 3X»). Jeremy Diaz was the first to leave due to legal troubles in his home of Fort Worth. Clayton Mills, who also recorded their first demo, filled in for Jeremy for a short time as rhythm guitar. At a number of shows Mills also came on stage to form a 6-piece, 3-guitar band. Pat Lillard was the most recent original member to leave the band in 2008 due to lycanthropy.

http://www.theriverboatgamblers.com
http://www.myspace.com/theriverboatgamblers