Before they leaned all the way into the rocking, southern sound that Dexter and the Moonrocks is known for today, the band actually started as full-fledged country band.
The “y’allternative band” consists of James Tuffs (lead vocalist and guitarist), Ryan Anderson (lead guitarist and backing vocals), Ty Anderson (the bassist) and Ryan Fox (the drummer and social media guru). Fox joined the Whiskey Riff Raff podcast on behalf of the band and discussed how he took over the social media manager role for the group, why fans always think their music is from a different time, how Dexter and the Moonrocks always split songwriting credits, and their fanbase being as diverse as they come.
Fox also touched on the similarities between the country and grunge genres, their song “Freaking Out” going viral, why they believe the Turnpike Troubadours should be the biggest act in the world, and how Dexter and the Moonrocks got their name after originally starting as a country band.
To make a long story shorter, Fox confirmed with us that the band’s name is a bit of a Hootie and the Blowfish situation. Dexter and the Moonrocks is a fun, zany name, and like how there’s actually no Hootie playing with the Blowfish, there’s no Dexter sharing the stage with the Moonrocks.
So how did they land on that name? Fox told us it was a birthed out of a band reimagining:
“Funny enough, and the boys don’t like when I tell this, and I don’t care, because I think it’s fun. We’ve been Dexter and the Moonrocks for a little over four years. The boys have been grinding as a band for almost eight years I think. They dropped out of college, and I was in college while they were a country band called James Tuffs and the Southern Trouble.
If you ever want to hear what we would sound like as just a hick-a** f***ing band, (listen to that). They changed in August of 2021 and released ‘Couch,’ and they were like, ‘We need a drummer,’ and so they picked me up. They had already been named Dexter and the Moonrocks.”
I’ve got to admit… James Tuffs and the Southern Trouble has a pretty good ring to it as well.
Once Fox got on with the rest of the band, he apparently tried to shake things up a bit and encouraged them to spring for yet another name change. They didn’t go for it, and he’s happy they didn’t… because now he loves Dexter and the Moonrocks:
“The first thing I said at practice was, ‘Hey y’all are cool, the music is fun. The name’s kind of sh*t though.’ I was like, ‘We should change it.’ And they were like, ‘Shut the f*** up.’ That’s the name we kept, and it’s a great name. I love it.”
Yeah, two band name changes in that short amount of time wouldn’t have been ideal for anyone trying to follow along as a fan.
And Fox made sure to clarify that a) no one in the band is named Dexter, b) where the Moonrocks portion comes from, and c) how drunk fans always think he’s Dexter:
“Nobody is named Dexter, and ‘moonrocks’ is just marijuana. It’s just a certain type of weed… it’s a 100% Hootie and the Blowfish situation. Drunk people call me Dexter, which I’m like, if anyone is gonna be Dexter, why would it not be the lead singer?”
@whiskeyriff 🤯@Dexter & The Moonrocks #whiskeyriff #whiskeyriffraff ♬ original sound – Whiskey Riff
Fair point.
Dexter and the Moonrocks fans love the band name, and they can’t wait for the group’s first album to come out. Fox was hesitant to provide a timeline, but he and the rest of the group are shooting for their debut record – which will include “Freakin’ Out” – to drop sometime in 2026:
“I’ve learned from authors that if you give a timeline and you don’t meet your timeline, your fanbase is gonna be pissed. The goal is this year. Just because of the success of ‘Freakin’ Out,’ and we want to be able to build on that. That’s why we’re (in Nashville). We’re writing, we’re working with out producer. There’s a lot of really cool stuff that’s already happened and is happening.”
Fox went on to say that the album is coming together nicely, and it may or may not include features with artists that they are really big fans of. So while there’s no concrete release date just yet, fans have to be excited to hear that Dexter and the Moonrocks are putting together a project they are really proud of.
You can hear about all of that and more from Ryan Fox by checking out the interview on YouTube or making sure to download the podcast on Apple Podcasts by searching “Whiskey Riff Raff” or by clicking here.
We’re also available on Spotify and wherever else you can listen to podcasts.
Cheers, y’all.
