Austin trio, Rickshaw Billie’s Burger Patrol, have just shared an official music video for their new single, “Clowntown.” The song is taken from the band’s 2024 album, Big Dumb Riffs. On March 19th, they launch their Western U.S. tour, followed by their first ever EU and UK shows, kicking off on May 15th. Catch the “Clowntown” video, live listings, and more below.
Stream/buy Big Dumb Riffs here: https://songwhip.com/rickshawbilliesburgerpatrol/big-dumb-riffs
Get tickets here: https://taplink.cc/rickshawbillie
“Our catalog has never been short on big dumb riffs, but the idea on this record was to really turn the screw,” says RBBP bassist Aaron Metzdorf. On Big Dumb Riffs, that screw is cranked incredibly tight. “We just wanted ‘the part’: The opening of Pantera’s “Primal Concrete Sledge,” the breakdown in Primus’ “Pudding Time” — the shit that makes you move and lose your mind. Just that part the whole time.”
Across 11 concise, taut songs — most clocking in around 2 minutes or less — Rickshaw Billie’s Burger Patrol demonstrates their skillful ability to blend the merciless low end of Leo Lydon’s 8-string guitar, Aaron Metzdorf’s masterful chordwork on the bass, and Sean St.Germain’s driving drumming.
Hot on the heels of their breakout 5th studio release Doom Wop (2023), Rickshaw Billie’s Burger Patrol returns with Big Dumb Riffs: A whole new variant of the fuzzed out, overdriven, melodic, groovy music they have been making since 2016. While Big Dumb Riffs is decidedly more aggressive and rhythmic, it still retains the overtly melodic feel of Doom Wop. But Leo Lydon’s vocals are considerably more angry and negative.
“The whole writing process was, ‘what if we just played two notes the whole song’,” Metzdorf says. “‘What if we tuned down to almost unusable string tension?’, ‘what if we write a record that will make everyone say ‘wow that is dumb’? Leo and I really move around on stage a lot. Being a dingus is crucial to the groove. All these riffs were designed to allow us to act bigger and dumber on stage.”
Rickshaw Billie’s Burger Patrol – US live 2025:
03/15 Austin, TX – Empire Control Room – SXSW – 5:30pm
03/15 Austin, TX – Sagebrush – SXSW – 11pm
03/19 Phoenix, AZ – Linger Longer Lounge
03/20 San Diego, CA – Whistle Stop
03/21 Los Angeles, CA – Zebulon
03/22 Oakland, CA – Thee Stork Club
03/24 Portland, OR – Show Bar
03/25 Seattle, WA – Barboza
03/27 Salt Lake City, UT – Urban Lounge
03/28 Fort Collins, CO – The Coast
03/29 Denver, CO – Bluebird Theatre
03/30 Colorado Springs, CO – Vultures
04/10 Dallas, TX – Granada Theater (w/ The Sword)
04/11 San Antonio, TX – Paper Tiger (w/ The Sword)
07/26 Denver, CO – Unhinged Fest
Rickshaw Billie’s Burger Patrol EU/UK live 2025:
May:
15 Brussels, BE – Obsidian Dust Festival
16 Nijmegen, NL – Sonic Whip Festival
17 Wolverhampton, UK – Dive
18 London, UK – DesertFest London
20 Paris, FR – Mécanique Ondulatoire
21 Lille, FR – Le Bulle Café
22 Bochum, DE – Die Trompete
23 Berlin, DE – DesertFest Berlin
24 Lübeck, DE – Treibsand
25 Stockholm, SE – Bar Brooklyn
27 Malmö, SE – Plan B
28 Dresden, DE – Chemiefabrik
29 Traunstein, DE – Cafe Festung
31 Ljubljana, SI – Menza Pri Koritu
June:
01 Zagreb, HR – Vintage Industrial Bar
02 Vienna, AT – Arena
03 Budapest, HU – Szimpla
05 Gdansk, PL – Mystic Festival
06 Brno, CZ – Kabinet MUZ
07 Prague, CZ – Bike Jesus
Big Dumb Riffs tracklisting:
01 Clowntown
02 1-800-EAT-SHIT
03 Papa Pop It
04 Peanut Butter Snack Sticks
05 Whip It Around
06 Body Bag
07 Brat
08 El Sapo
09 Bastard Initiated
10 Blue Collar Man
11 In a Jar
Follow Rickshaw Billie’s Burger Patrol:
https://rickshawbilliesburgerpatrol.com/
https://taplink.cc/rickshawbillie
https://rickshawbilliesburgerpatrol.bandcamp.com/album/big-dumb-riffs