August 9, 2004

{ The Riverboat Gamblers - Something To Crow About }

I got poisoned a few days back- someone slipped me some of that whiny guitar-heavy screamo shit, trying to tell me how hard it was and how much it rocked. It made me puke blood (in a bad way). The Riverboat Gamblers proved to be the antidote for what ailed me- a sure-fire tonic against party-pooping mainstreamo bullshitters. A few tracks into Something To Crow About and I was feeling better than ever, ready to take on the world and/or a few six-packs of cheap beer. These boys play some full-swagger street-punk-influenced motherfucking rock and roll. It's catchier than mono at a make-out party, and 7 times rawer than raw horsemeat. Full of garagey chords, anthemic shout-along lyrics and some concise yet wailing guitar, Something To Crow About is the perfect soundtrack to your back porch white trash barbecue beer-fest, charity cock-fighting tournament or back-alley best-friend brawl. It's just a lot of damn fun. Released last year on Gearhead Records, Something To Crow About is the band's second full-length, their self titled debut came out in 2000 on Vile Beat Records. They've pretty much been touring non-stop since its release, only pausing for medical disaster (see below) and uncontrollable acts of God, bringing their legendary live show to the masses and probably having one helluva good time while they're at it. I have to give them some props for ducking major-label interest and signing with Gearhead. As catchy as their tunes are, it would have been easy to turn the sugar-sweet up a notch and the down-and-dirty down a notch to make a quick buck. As it stands, The Riverboat Gamblers have their integrity intact and an uncompromisingly solid album under their feet. I'll drink to that. Here's a quote I feel compelled to share, concerning bassist Patrick Lillard's on-stage injury, (he took a mic to the mouf) and the band's subsequent delaying of their US tour, last year- Frontman Mike Wiebe was quoted on the band's Yahoo newsgroup: "I'm not going to try and explain a Riverboat Gamblers show. We have so much to get off our chest that sometimes the band is a little "rough" on ourselves. Things happen. Sometimes when you get kicked in the balls, the boot is steel-toed. After months of scrimping and saving and only a week into the life altering audience-participation reaffirmation seminars or "concerts" as we call them in the biz, tragedy strikes. Mr. Lillard still has 2 more 4 hour surgeries in order for him to not look and talk like Rocky Dennis in that movie "Mask." On top of the fact that we now have an enormous debt of medical bills, Mr. Lillard's future career as a J.Crew model is over. But don't leave the theater yet. We are gonna save our money, get Mr. Lillard a platinum grill that reads "Boo-ya", hop in the van, play shows, change lives and create such a noise that even the pillars of heaven will shake. We will be back on our feet faster than I can write a run-on sentence. The Riverboat Gamblers will not be defeated."

» The Riverboat Gamblers
» Gearhead Records

By Adam in Music | Comments:

Comments

Something to Crow About is the Gamblers 2nd full length, not their first. Their self titled debut came out in 2000 on Vile Beat Records, it is pretty hard to find though.

Posted by: freddy jones at August 18, 2004 10:59 PM

Thanks go out to Freddy Jones, schooling me on the history of this great band. I've modified the article above to reflect this recently gained knowledge.
Freddy takes home a Crown Dozen fun pack that includes a half-eaten Ultimate Sandwich and a dubbed VHS copy of Crown Dozen The Movie.

Posted by: Adam at August 20, 2004 6:32 PM