riverboat gamblers new album

The Riverboat Gamblers' Something to Crow About Turns 20

The album that made austin's apex punks earns anniversary vinyl remaster, by tim stegall , fri., aug. 11, 2023.

"That's the one that put the band on the map," says Riverboat Gamblers guitarist Ian MacDougall of Something to Crow About , the second full-length release from Austin's apex punk outfit. Long out of print, Crow relaunches in a special 20th anniversary edition , pressed in three different colors of vinyl, on August 18 via the band's own GFFG Records. Local genius engineer Jack Control of Enormous Door Mastering breathes new life into the Tim Kerr-produced album.

Crow was released June 3, 2003, by Gearhead Records . The A-list garage/punk indie label run by former Maximum Rocknroll contributors Mike Lavella and Michelle Haunold previously broke the Hives' motorik garage hit "Hate to Say I Told You So." Big Boys/Poison 13 legend Kerr successfully transferred the Gamblers' incendiary live sound – 1969 Detroit protopunk invested with the ballistic energy of Japan's Teengenerate – to 1-inch tape at the late Sweatbox Studio in 2002.

Meanwhile, the still-Denton-based band's buzz grew steadily . Frequent visitors to town since a late-Nineties Blue Flamingo appearance, they made Beerland their de facto Austin HQ. Then- Rolling Stone writer David Fricke became an early champion, reviewing a typically explosive Emo's South by Southwest showcase in 2003, before declaring them one of the "Top 5 bands to break out at this year's SXSW" in 2006.

"That was way outside of what we thought was possible, or what we were capable of," says guitarist Fadi El-Assad, who started the Riverboat Gamblers in Denton when he was 18 with bassist Patrick Lillard and singer/spectacle Mike Wiebe . "That's when we started getting a little bit of juice, and it started building and it felt really exciting at that time.

"None of us had stars in our eyes. There was nothing like, 'Oh yeah, we're going to make it now.' It was more of a confused flattery. Like, 'Are they really into this? All right, cool.' It was more of that kind of attitude than anything else. But we were young and ready to do it, so we were like, 'Let's give it a shot.'"

A few years earlier, Lillard, El-Assad, and Wiebe were enthralled with what the singer calls "the Gilman Gold Rush, when all the Lookout and Epitaph stuff was blowing the fuck up." Denton was alive with young bands playing an active house show circuit, everyone playing in everyone else's bands several times over. Lillard approached El-Assad about doing something "more big rock/rock & roll/garage rock." El-Assad played with Wiebe in two other bands, both desiring to rock harder. Wiebe says they bonded over discovering the source of Nineties group Teengenerate's name was a song by NYC punk pioneers the Dictators – which led them to the latter act's 1978 Bloodbrothers album and the path ultimately chosen.

Kerr produced the Gamblers' first two albums. "I have always thought that band was great," he writes via text message. "[ Crow ] was recorded how I/we did all the recordings [at Sweatbox]: Basic tracks live, no headphones."

El-Assad recalls one song during the Crow sessions not going well. Kerr told them to take a break, drink some beer, then come back and try again. They finally got it, but the guitarist remained skeptical.

"I said, 'That's not how it's supposed to go.' His reply always stuck in my head, and I think about this – about life events, about music, anything: 'What do you mean that's not the way it's supposed to go? That's the way it went.'"

Crow was the first widely distributed evidence of the band's flamethrower superiority. They still play nearly half of its 13 songs live: "What's What," "Rattle Me Bones," "Ice Water," "Save You," "Lottie Mae," "Last to Know." According to El-Assad, "Sparks & Shots" returned during recent gigs. The album also transformed them, per Wiebe, into "road dogs extraordinaire.

"I think we'd done one tour beforehand," says the lead vocalist, speaking on a break from writing new material for the Gamblers and his other project, Drakulas. "But that was the record that opened us up to really kind of living on the road for a while there."

The 2003-2005 Crow tours also brought an 18-year-old MacDougall to the band, shoving him into the tour van shortly after his high school graduation, upon guitarist Colin "Ambulance" O'Donnell's exit. Previously in '77-style punk band the Kicks, then-tour manager Bryan McClellan advised him: "No creepers, no skinny ties, no neon shirts, any of that shit." MacDougall has remained in the band's core since, alongside Wiebe, El-Assad, and bassist Rob Marchant, who replaced Lillard in 2007. Drummer Sam Keir came aboard in 2010, leaving after three years to become a firefighter, but returning in 2021. He's remained drumming since.

All that touring made a machine out of the Gamblers by the summer of 2006, the year Alternative Press magazine declared them one of the "100 Bands You Need to Know." Their van rode behind tour buses holding X and Rollins Band, as they traversed America with the L.A. punk legends in support of To the Confusion of Our Enemies , the Gamblers' first LP under their new contract with skateboard manufacturer Volcom's short-lived record label. That July, they were the first live act I got to see upon returning to town after several years away.

I honestly had no idea how either X or Henry Rollins would be able to follow them at Stubb's that night. The Gamblers clearly absorbed everything MC5 and the Clash taught them, but with more demonic energy than either in their prime. And Wiebe put life and limb on the line every night.

"I was on a real mission, back then," he acknowledges. "It had to be a more intense show than everybody else. Sometimes that was more like, 'How can I physically hurt myself rather than sing alright.' I had a lot of injuries. I was constantly in and out of the ER with some kind of new break or laceration or something."

"It was like that onstage, and honestly it was like that offstage," chuckles El-Assad. "Recklessness was sort of the engine that was powering the band at that time."

After Stubb's, it wasn't their new LP I purchased as my first Riverboat Gamblers LP. It was Crow . Such is that record's power: It defined them, even then. It led to their Austin relocation, MacDougall's membership, their road seasoning – virtually everything.

After a long absence, it's back. Control's remaster, only available on the new vinyl issue, sounds like it's had a shower, a shave, and two cups of coffee. The Riverboat Gamblers support their ultimate creation's rebirth with a to-be-announced series of shows presenting Crow live, in full, in sequence, plus other select tunes. Their first studio album since 2012's The Wolf You Feed is forthcoming, as well as a live album. But for now, the Riverboat Gamblers celebrate the album that made them.

A note to readers: Bold and uncensored, The Austin Chronicle has been Austin’s independent news source for over 40 years, expressing the community’s political and environmental concerns and supporting its active cultural scene. Now more than ever, we need your support to continue supplying Austin with independent, free press. If real news is important to you, please consider making a donation of $5, $10 or whatever you can afford, to help keep our journalism on stands.

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Richard Whittaker, Aug. 17, 2012

Dec. 8, 2023

June 20, 2023

The Riverboat Gamblers , Ian MacDougall , Jack Control , Tim Kerr , Gearhead Records , David Fricke , Fadi El-Assad , Patrick Lillard , Mike Wiebe

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Riverboat Gamblers Have ‘Something To Crow About’, Again.

Riverboat Gamblers' Iconic Album Reissued: Something To Crow About Turns 20

Texas-based power punk five-piece The Riverboat Gamblers today announce the vinyl reissue of their breakout 2003 album Something To Crow About . This pressing (a Cobraside Exclusive Release) is available in three limited edition variants and celebrates the much-beloved album’s 20-year anniversary with a remaster and its first pressing since its initial release.

In the two decades that have passed since that release, Something To Crow About remains a keystone part of the Gamblers live set, but the album got snared in one of those inscrutable music industry contract snafus and has been a glaring omission from the band’s merch table up until now. While Something To Crow About was just the group’s second album, it was their last to be released with no sense of external expectations. The primal punk and raw rock n roll energy encased within would come to define the Gambler’s sound for their career to this point. 

Reflecting on the album, songwriter and guitarist Fadi El-Assad notes, “ I was undeniably invested in this record and had the high hopes of perfection that only youth can offer. It isn’t perfect. It isn’t even close. It is riddled with flubs, pockmarks, and last minute changes. The only perfection found in it is the mirror reflection of a young, pockmarked, and unprofessional band. It was frantic, frustrating, joyful, and chaotic. I felt alive hearing the messy grit of the final mix. And I love every beat of it.” Alongside this announcement the band are also sharing a new video for “Rattle Me Bones” that captures behind-the-scenes photos and videos of the song being performed over the years.

Vocalist Mike Wiebe explains how Something To Crow About set in motion some of the events that this video captures.  “It’s a weird experience revisiting these moments 20 years ago.  It feels like a lifetime and another person who worked on this scrappy little record.  Putting this remaster together has given me a chance to reflect on how much this collection of songs changed my life. Whatever I had hoped the record to be, it was ultimately much more. It changed the trajectory of having a local band to becoming a working band. It took us out of Texas and to the rest of the world. It introduced us to people who would help us learn the business of life inside music and the art that surrounds music.”

Something To Crow About  is available to order in white, black, and slate gray variants now. Black + White Variant Slate Grey (Garageland Exclusive) Variant

Riverboat Gamblers – Something To Crow About Originally Released June 3, 2003 Reissued August 18, 2023 [G.F.F.G Records]

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The Riverboat Gamblers Announce “Something To Crow About” 20th Anniversary Reissue

• Phinky posted 18th August 2023

Austin, TX power punk five piece  The Riverboat Gamblers  have today announced the vinyl reissue of their breakout 2003 album,  Something To Crow About . The Cobraside Records exclusive release is available in three limited edition variants and celebrates the beloved album’s 20th anniversary with a remaster and its first vinyl pressing since its initial release. In the two decades that have passed since that release,  Something To Crow About  remains a keystone part of the The Riverboat Gamblers live set, but the album got snared in one of those inscrutable music industry contract snafus and has been a glaring omission from the band’s merch table up until now.

While  Something To Crow About   was just the group’s second album, it was their last to be released with no sense of external expectations. The primal punk and raw rock n’ roll energy encased within would come to define the Gambler’s sound for their career to this point. Alongside this announcement the band are also sharing a new video for  Rattle Me Bones that captures behind-the-scenes photos and videos of the song being performed over the years.

“I was undeniably invested in this record and had the high hopes of perfection that only youth can offer. It isn’t perfect. It isn’t even close. It is riddled with flubs, pockmarks, and last minute changes. The only perfection found in it is the mirror reflection of a young, pockmarked, and unprofessional band. It was frantic, frustrating, joyful, and chaotic. I felt alive hearing the messy grit of the final mix. And I love every beat of it.” (songwriter and guitarist  Fadi El-Assad )

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News / Shows Riverboat Gamblers curate AC Hell Fest

Posted by loren on september 12, 2023.

Riverboat Gamblers, in addition to a new reissue of album  Something To Crow About , are also hosting a new festival in Austin, TX: AC Hell Festival, taking place Oct. 14 at Hotel Vegas in Austin.

At the festival they'll play their 2003 album in its entirety, but also with sets from Starving Wolves, The Oxys, Tiny, Del-Vipers, The Get Lows, User Unauthorized, and No Association.

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Arms outstretched in the desperate hope of fulfilling dreams that had dissipated, longing for when life was simpler devoid of political persuasion, social media meanderings and opinionated pigs snorting in their own shit hiding behind the keyboard shooting out grammatical inaccuracies chock full of hateful smiling emojis. Festering open sores, drool pouring from the cocked head unbalanced and teetering onto … Read more

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Mike Wiebe (Riverboat Gamblers, High Tension Wires) SPB: In addition to your multiple bands, you've taken to stand-up comedy recently too. What drew you to the medium, and what has struck you the most about it? Wiebe: I was drawn to it initially just from being such a huge fan … Read more

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Riverboat Gamblers - Something To Crow About (20th Anniversary)

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ATX power punk 5-piece The Riverboat Gamblers announce the vinyl reissue of their breakout 2003 album Something To Crow About. This pressing (courtesy of Cobraside) celebrates the much-beloved album’s 20-year anniversary with its first pressing since its initial release.

In the two decades that have passed since that release, Something To Crow About remains a keystone part of the Gamblers live set, but the album got snared in one of those inscrutable music industry contract snafus and has been a glaring omission from the band’s merch table up until now.

While Something To Crow About was just the group’s second album, it was their last to be released with no sense of external expectations. The primal punk and raw rock n roll energy encased within would come to define the Gambler’s sound for their career to this point. 

Reflecting on the album, songwriter and singer Fadi El-Assad notes, “ I was undeniably invested in this record and had the high hopes of perfection that only youth can offer. It isn’t perfect. It isn’t even close. It is riddled with flubs, pockmarks, and last minute changes. The only perfection found in it is the mirror reflection of a young, pockmarked, and unprofessional band. It was frantic, frustrating, joyful, and chaotic. I felt alive hearing the messy grit of the final mix. And I love every beat of it.”

Riverboat Gamblers

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While the most visible wing of the early-2000s American punk scene has been marked by Warped Tour-ready pop-punk and emo acts, Texas's Riverboat Gamblers offer up a necessary dose of old-fashioned trash-punk sleaze. Singing about the glories of boozy late nights, too many cigarettes in the ash tray, and the pride of the working man, the Gamblers offer a raucous counterpoint to the heart-on-our-sleeves earnestness of many of their contemporaries.

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Dwarves and Riverboat Gamblers announce southern shows

In December, the The Dwarves and Riverboat Gamblers will be headed down south. They'll hit Texas, Louisianna, Tennesse, Florida, and Georgia. Next month, the Dwarves released The Dwarves Concept Album . You can see the dates below.

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Justin Timberlake Relies on Past Sex and Love Sounds on the Middling ‘Everything I Thought It Was’: Album Review

By Steven J. Horowitz

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Something shifted with 2018’s “Man of the Woods” (to put it mildly), a project presented as a callback to Americana and folk, or even country, all wrapped up in a flannel button-down. But with the exception of a handful of songs co-penned with Chris Stapleton and a few twangs thrown in for good measure, “Woods” doubled down on what Timberlake has continuously embraced: R&B in lockstep with pop. The promotional churn of “Woods” and its singles didn’t align with what its overall theme promised, and it felt like a misstep for Timberlake and his track record for assembling albums as a fully realized statement.

Perhaps it’s because he’s largely operated in pop music before social media democratized the perception and standing of any one celebrity. Timberlake has nimbly controlled his narrative since he split off from NSYNC, so it felt like the beginning of a reappraisal when the internet sunk its teeth into “Woods.” The past few years haven’t helped. At present, Timberlake is coming off of a public reckoning for past faults, namely how he treated former girlfriend Britney Spears (who kicked dust back up by revisiting their relationship in last year’s bombshell memoir “The Woman in Me”), and for letting Janet Jackson take a brutal career blow after their Super Bowl performance while he walked away unscathed. He apologized in a post on Instagram in 2021, but repairing the cracks in the foundation of a career built over decades can’t be done with the click of a button.

The lead single “Selfish,” a soft, dressed-down ballad about wanting someone all to yourself, sums up the theme of “Everything,” and much like his first few albums aligns with the broader vision at play. Timberlake excels when he puts on the show fans expect. His forays into funk-pop stand tall and bold: “Fuckin’ Up the Disco” and “No Angels” slot neatly into the pantheon of Timberlake dancefloor paeans; “My Favorite Drug” leans on the age-old trope of love-as-drug, yet it feels fresh and vibrant thanks to a snapping, Euro-inflected Timberlake co-production with pop artisans Louis Bell and Cirkut. Timberlake’s versatile voice is as strong as ever on “Everything,” and his ability to interlace harmonies and layer them in at just the right time adds richness to songs like the emotive “Love Is War” and bass-popped “Play.” 

Timbaland returns to the boards on five of the album’s tracks, and you can sense them trying to replicate the magic of “FutureSex” right down to the beat shift halfway through the seven-minute “Technicolor.” But it all often feels like a recall of past successes without the suave sexiness Timberlake once exuded. Presently, he is a 43-year-old father of two; his days of seductively posing shirtless on the cover of Rolling Stone are over. And it’s a blemish on the album, particularly when it comes to the lyrics, which can feel overwrought — and that’s being charitable. “Soon as all your clothes hit the floor, pray this hotel room is insured / How many times, I stopped keeping score, I’m not sure / But if I had to guess, infinity sex,” he sings on, yes, “Infinity Sex.” “Call in sick, we gon’ be up all night / On my way to clock in, get you right,” on “What Lovers Do.” The pained metaphors soldier on.

Timberlake has always been sort of cheesy, something that’s been on full display in his comedic skits on “Saturday Night Live,” and he’s managed to largely keep that out of his music. Yet on “Everything,” it seeps into his creative process. To say that Timberlake has completed his transition into a family man is an understatement, and the album’s weaker moments pay its toll. But he can still bank on the fact that he hasn’t lost his charm, in part due to his sincerity. “Paradise,” his second NSYNC reunion song following last September’s “Better Place,” has all the workings of a schlocky ballad you’d find in the closing credits of a rom-com. Yet despite that, it works — chalk it up to the nostalgia of hearing the quintet harmonizing once again, or the fact that you know he means it when he sings, “I don’t mind waiting, I’ve been waiting forever / Right here for this moment between you and I / Everything is happening and it’s just what I imagined.”

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