Dexter and The Moonrocks, a “Western space grunge” band, have decided to leave outer space and tour the United States. They have San Antonio on their schedule, so The Paisano knew we just had to tell their intergalactic story before the show.
We chatted with drummer Ryan Fox — though he just goes by “Fox” — and lead guitarist Ryan Anderson. Sorely missed for the interview were lead singer James Tuffs and bassist Ty Anderson. Tuffs and Ryan knew each other from high school and decided to recruit Ty, Ryan’s cousin, as their bassist. They found Fox on BandMix, which they described as “Tinder for musicians.”
It was a perfect match because the four have been honing their sound together ever since. Their sound is an intriguing one, combining the dark, raw and energetic vibe of ‘90s grunge with the riveting, simple and storylike qualities of Texas country music, specifically the tone that musicians in the region cultivated between 2015 and 2019.
Fox shared that he learned drums as a kid playing in Sunday School, and Ryan explained that he “grew up in a family of musicians on both sides and just got sick of watching.”
But it is written in the stars that no one will ever get sick of watching The Moonrocks perform live. Their sound goes hand in hand with their stage presence, which is equally exciting, energetic and really just a rockin’ good time.
They hail from Abilene, which may as well be outer space, and they transitioned from playing bars in Austin, Dallas and Lubbock to touring the country in just a year. You are probably dying to ask how they did it, and their answer will not come as a shock.
“The internet is such a big push and driver and I think [it is] a lot of what helped us explode onto the scene the way we did and be able to get a tour going a year into this thing,” Fox explained, adding that “being consistent on the internet and getting the message out and kinda just being ourselves” was a huge proponent of their tour.
“It’s good music,” they say, explaining that their “crowds are awesome” and truly embody the duality of their grunge and country influences. You will have “country bumpkins” befriending “the most fishnets, tatted-up, blue-haired person you’ve ever seen.”
And there will most likely be some moshing, too, even though “it is not warranted moshing,” Ryan humorously stated.
Fox elaborated that, “It’s like, you know, you’re singing a song about breaking up with your long lost love and there’s people just throwing elbows.”
But the drummer added that, in all honesty, “The community is awesome. You know, we say this a lot, but you’re gonna find people in a pair of boots, either cowboy or combat. It’s for the hippies and the cowboys.”
The Moonrocks are especially excited to play Stable Hall in San Antonio because “we’re playing a new venue, which is not something we get to do a lot.”
Ryan mentioned that many cities and music scenes advertise their venues as “historic,” but “Just ‘cause a venue is covered in filth and grime and it’s older than 30 years does not make it historic.”
“And the sound guy has one eye, and he looks like he’s 117, and he’s like ‘let me just tell you a story about how Mick Jagger did cocaine off this baseboard right here,’ like dude, I’m just trying to play a show dog,” Fox asserted.
In the end, they are just “really hoping Victor Wembanyama pulls up,” and they are hoping that you all will show up, too. The Moonrocks have families they would like to afford to see, dogs they would love to afford to feed and Fox admitted that “my girlfriend wants me to propose and I can’t afford a ring.”
So don your boots and maybe your space helmets, too, and check out Dexter and The Moonrocks’ vibrant sound and presence at Stable Hall on June 29 at 8 p.m.
