Underneath the Owl [Digipak] (CD - 2009)

Personnel: Mike "Teko" Wiebe, Todd Congelliere (vocals); Fadi El-Assad, Ian McDougall (guitar); D.J. Bonebrake (vibraphone); Rob Marchant (bass instrument); Eric Green (drums).

Audio Mixers: Ai Fujisaki; Al Fujisaki; Mudrock .

Recording information: The Hobby Shop, Highland Park, CA.

Photographer: Gary Copeland.

On UNDERNEATH THE OWL, Texan punk upstarts Riverboat Gamblers raise a racket reminiscent of 1970s Motor City mayhem with a significant '90s pop-punk influence. While opener "Dissdissdisskisskiss" leans closer to the latter, it's ragers like "Catastrophe" that live up to the reckless implications of their titles, thanks in large part to the propulsive hard-rock production of Mudrock, who generally works with the progressive metal of acts like Avenged Sevenfold. OWL is indeed for night-prowlers, and is a welcome dose of effectively polished punk. minimize