History
The Riverboat Gamblers are a punk rock band originally from Denton, Texas, but now residing in Austin, Texas. The band currently consists of Mike Wiebe, Fadi el-Assad, Rob Marchant and Ian MacDougall, and are currently signed to Volcom Entertainment.
In 1997, former Blanks member Pat Lillard ("Spider") (Bass), formed The Riverboat Gamblers with Fadi el-Assad ("Freddy Castro") (Lead Guitar), and Mike Wiebe ("Teko Buller" or "Rookie Sensation") (Vocals). Lillard's original intention was to emulate Virginia punk-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).