The Rifleman String Band Bring Bluegrass to Punk Rock Bowling and Beyond
Up early and loving The Rifleman String Band at Punk Rock Bowling—photo ©dickslaughter.com
There’s a band that, on first listen, you might not think would jive with the discerning—and often fickle—Punk Rock Bowling audience. But they landed the coveted opening slot during that brutal Vegas heat, when stepping outside feels like sticking your head in an oven. That band is The Rifleman String Band, a bluegrass-punk-folk trio who delivered one of my favorite sets of the PRB weekend.
Their style and energy brought life to the hungover masses, and the kids and families—always the earliest in attendance at PRB—loved them. Call it acoustic folk-punk, hillbilly punk, or whatever label you want; it’s nothing new, but The Rifleman are doing it their own way—and maybe that’s why it feels fresh, or maybe it’s simply that people are more willing to hear it now.
Editing Hambone’s belly out would’ve been easy, but keeping it in was the sexier call. —photo ©dickslaughter.com
I sat down with all three members of The Rifleman, though as you’ll see, Hambone and I did all of the talking.
Hambone: Nice room, Dick.
Dick: Yeah, it’s Paul Holstein’s. I’m over at the Downtowner. I think they gave this to him—he’s a compulsive gambler.
Hambone: Where is he?
Dick: Gambling or at a gig—it is what he does.
Dick: So, tell me about your band. You’re not exactly a punk band—you’re more like bluegrass-folk or hillbilly-punk adjacent?
HamBone: It’s hard to pin down. I always joke that it’s whatever you think it is. Some people hear punk, some hear folk, and some hear rockabilly. We just play it the way we feel.
Dick: Can you all please introduce yourselves—and help yourselves to any of Detroit Paul’s beer and other refreshments?
I am Marie, and I play the upright bass.
Ham Bone, acoustic guitar, and singing.
Hello, I am Nathan, and I play the mandolin.
Dick: How long has Rifleman been around?
Hambone: Technically, for years. It started with me, my brother-in-law (who was just my best friend back then), and Nolan Robbins. We kicked it off after my first band fell apart. Eventually Nolan moved back to Oregon, my best friend ended up marrying my sister, and life happened—family, kids, responsibilities. But I didn’t want to stop, so I just kept going. Over the years I’ve brought in new friends, and here we are.
Dick: And you’re all Vegas-based?
Hambone: Yeah. I grew up here—I came out from North Carolina as a kid and basically grew up in Vegas. So yeah, we’re a Vegas band through and through.
Dick: Where do you play locally?
Hambone: The Double Down and the Dive Bar are staples, of course. But honestly, the Red Dwarf is the best venue in town. It’s run by our friends Russell and Natalie. It’s a little punk tiki bar with a lot of heart. Funny enough, it used to be the most notorious coke bar in Vegas back in the day—nobody went there for the drinks, let’s put it that way. Now it’s just the perfect spot for punk shows.
Dick: And now you’re on the Punk Rock Bowling lineup. How did that happen?
Hambone: Still figuring it out! [Laughs] One day, Cody Levit from Asteroid M Records texted me, asking if we wanted to play PRB. Around the same time, Mark Stern emailed me directly. I guess word had gotten around from people we’d been playing with. We didn’t even think it was real at first, but here we are.
Dick: Do you see the Rebellion Festival or a European tour in your future?
Hambone: We’d love to, but traveling outside the U.S. is tough right now. Passports, border restrictions, all that. Canada won’t even let me in. So for now, it’s Vegas, PRB, and keeping the wheels rolling here.
Photographic evidence that the breeze wasn’t just a PRB myth.—photo ©dickslaughter.com
Dick: Who are your biggest influences?
Hambone: Rancid for sure. The Stray Cats were the first upright-bass band I ever heard, and they blew my mind. Koffin Kats are friends of ours. Doom Scroll is my favorite folk-punk band right now. Growing up, my dad had Patrick Fitzgerald records from the ’70s, which made me realize folk-punk has been around a lot longer than people think. I’d even argue people like Townes Van Zandt and John Prine basically started this whole thing.
Dick: Any unusual influences?
Hambone: Unknown Hinson, for sure. The guy behind Squidbillies. He once toured with Reverend Horton Heat, and that show changed the way I looked at what music could be.
DICK: What about day jobs—what do you guys do outside the band?
Hambone: One of us is an AV tech—audio/visual gigs. Another is a jazz major in school, which is a whole different world. The other works in restaurants. You do what you gotta do to keep the music alive.
Marie of Rifleman String Band at Punk Rock Bowling—photo ©dickslaughter.com
Dick: What’s the hardest thing about living in Las Vegas?
Hambone: The cost of living—it’s brutal now. Used to be you could move here and afford a house, but that’s out the window. The heat is its own beast, but you get used to it. The real challenge for bands is how much is going on here all the time. There’s always another show, another event—it’s hard to compete for attention. But that can also push you to work harder.
Dick: What’s been your proudest moment so far with Rifleman?
Hambone: Honestly, being on this bill. Sharing the stage with Social Distortion—that’s a dream. Also Bridge City Sinners; we’re friends with a couple of them, and it’s rad to see them blowing up.
Dick: Since you brought them up—are you going to meet Mike Ness?
Hambone: [Laughs] Probably not. They told us no one’s allowed to talk to Mike Ness tomorrow, which is not surprising. But hey, just being on the same poster is wild enough.
Dick: Why is the band called The Rifleman and not The Riflemen? Or maybe Two Riflemen and a Riflewoman?
Hambone: It’s funny, because whenever people ask me why it’s not pluralized, I always reference the movie Airheads.
Dick: Never seen it. Do you actually have any rifles?
Hambone: I have enough for the revolution.
Dick: No, I want a list.
Hambone: Really, it’s just two small rifles, three shotguns, and a pistol. Nothing special, really.
Dick: OK, last one. Can you spend $3,500 on a couch and still be punk rock?
Hambone: Depends on the couch. I’ve slept on some fine couches in my day.
The Rifleman String Band in Paul’s suite at the Golden Nugget—photo ©dickslaughter.com
On paper, The Rifleman are the oddball bluegrass-folk-punk band who lucked into a lineup of heavy hitters at Punk Rock Bowling. In person, they’re exactly what PRB is supposed to be about: locals and real lovable motherfuckers who’ve spent over a decade grinding, making music because they love it, and suddenly finding themselves on the same bill as Social Distortion.
They may not know what’s in the cards yet for a world tour, but in Las Vegas, The Rifleman are already hometown heroes—and now they’re hitting the road across the U.S.
Below is the tour poster, designed by Mrs. Hambone herself—tattoo artist Jamie Hayles of Midway City Tattoo. More dates are being added every day, so keep an eye on The Rifleman’s Instagram for updates.
Support my sponsors, the scene, and the bands by buying records. Show this article at checkout on your phone and receive 10% off all used vinyl, tapes, and CDs at both of these sponsors
