Feature / One Question Interviews
Riverboat Gamblers

Words: Loren • January 14, 2014

Riverboat Gamblers
Riverboat Gamblers

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 of good stand-up since I was a little kid. The idea of getting up on stage without a band or without songs was just petrifying. I was sort of bothered by how much it scared me and it just set up a challenge. It’s been very humbling to have to truly start over at something. It’s really difficult and I feel very amateurish at times. Its humbling and frustrating and exciting. Even if I never get as good as I want to, I think it’s making me a better overall performer.

Also it’s nice not having to lift heavy things before and after a performance.

Loren • January 14, 2014

Riverboat Gamblers
Riverboat Gamblers

Related features

Shizune

One Question Interviews • March 30, 2026

Filippo (Shizune – bass) SPB: Breviario d'oblio is something of a comeback after 8 years. What triggered this comeback? Filippo: It was not meant as a comeback. We were almost ready to enter the studio in 2020, then Covid happened and we lost our practice room. It was hard to … Read more

The New York Dolls: Reflections and Legacy

Music • March 30, 2026

I first discovered the New York Dolls in the mid-to-late 1980s, just as I was beginning to stretch the boundaries of my musical journey. Up until then, my exposure to music had mostly come through my parents, aunts, and uncles. They planted the initial seeds, and those seeds quickly grew, … Read more

East End Redemption

Interviews • March 24, 2026

Punk’s never been about polish. It’s about passion, sweat, and the grind it takes to keep going when most people quit. East End Redemption carry that spirit like a trophy. Out of the East Coast underground, they’re mixing hard-earned experiences with the urgency of a band that still believes in … Read more

Meth

One Question Interviews • March 18, 2026

Seb Alvarez (Meth) SPB: Is there a regional food you look forward to when you go on the road? Alvarez: Gravy lunch Read more

Remina

One Question Interviews • March 17, 2026

Heike (Remina) SPB: In the artwork of the last two releases (the EP Erebus and the album The Silver Sea) the black and white art is highlighted with a red accent. It feels like it is part of a story, is this the case? Heike: Throughout all the artworks, there … Read more

Related news

FEST 22 lineup, ticket info posted

Posted in Shows on April 20, 2024

Riverboat Gamblers curate AC Hell Fest

Posted in Shows on September 12, 2023

Riverboat Gamblers' Something To Crow About

Posted in Records on August 18, 2023

Related reviews

The Riverboat Gamblers

The Wolf You Feed
Volcom (2012)

The Riverboat Gamblers are an established band. So much so that it surprised me to see that The Wolf You Feed is just their fifth full-length, following last year’s Smash/Grab EP. With that history, they’ve jumped styles and labels, going unfettered rock to slick anthems, and successfully straddling the lines between punk, hard rock, and garage. The Wolf You Feed … Read more

The Riverboat Gamblers

Smash/Grab EP
Paper + Plastick (2011)

When The Riverboat Gamblers released their last full length, Underneath the Owl, many fans were put off by the cleaner production and poppier approach. Their newest EP, Smash/Grab, was a return to the raw sound and more aggressive song writing, but offers something different by blending in a bit of Garage-Rock.The first of the 4-song EP is arguably the weakest … Read more

More from this section

Shizune

One Question Interviews • March 30, 2026

Filippo (Shizune – bass) SPB: Breviario d'oblio is something of a comeback after 8 years. What triggered this comeback? Filippo: It was not meant as a comeback. We were almost ready to enter the studio in 2020, then Covid happened and we lost our practice room. It was hard to … Read more

Meth

One Question Interviews • March 18, 2026

Seb Alvarez (Meth) SPB: Is there a regional food you look forward to when you go on the road? Alvarez: Gravy lunch Read more

Remina

One Question Interviews • March 17, 2026

Heike (Remina) SPB: In the artwork of the last two releases (the EP Erebus and the album The Silver Sea) the black and white art is highlighted with a red accent. It feels like it is part of a story, is this the case? Heike: Throughout all the artworks, there … Read more