What can I say about the Riverboat Gamblers? They hold a special place in my heart, as I remember seeing shows of theirs in college at a small, quirky little venue called Rubber Gloves in Denton, Texas.
Riverboat Gamblers - Castastrophe by VolcomEnt
After playing the Dallas/Ft. Worth scene for a while, the band decided to chuck it and head for Austin, Texas around 2003. The band proceeded to garner buzz at SxSW that year, and has since enjoyed a slow and steady growing fan base in Austin. Riverboat Gamblers have since played many a showcase in the yearly festival, and the has also been featured in several video games; Tony Hawk's American Wasteland ("Hey! Hey! Hey!"), Madden NFL 07 ("On Again Off Again"), Skate 2 ("Uh Oh!") and Rock Band 3 ("Don't Bury Me... I'm Still Not Dead"). In 2010 they performed on the Vans Warped Tour in the United States and the Eastpak Antidote Tour in Europe.
I recently caught these guys at the Slidebar in Fullerton and proceeded to have my socks rocked off. Lead singer Mike Weibe has demure, well-spoken controlled exterior off-stage. However his on-stage persona takes quite a jolting u-turn. There was crowd surfing, climing on stage fixtures, and ample sweaty rocktitude at the Slidebar show.
What I'm finding hard to put together is the seeming disconnect between what's available online for RG, and what I experienced at the show. What I remember from college, and seemed to re-connect with at this recent show, is that they are no-frills, non-emo un-apologetic rock with a little punk and perhaps a sprinkle (just a tad) of ska. What I feel like I'm finding online is more emo-sounding Blink-182 reminiscent guff. I tried to dig and find the better bits to share. Hope it is enjoyed.
Bottom line, Riverboat Gamblers put on a kick ass live show, and I highly recommend checking them out in any live venue settling. Online samplings may prove to be slimmer pickings.
-Laura in LA
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