Interview & Photos: Dexter and The Moonrocks at Brooklyn Bowl Philly 11/14/2024
words & photos: Izzie Chausse
image: Izzie Chausse
Dexter and The Moonrocks, the self-described “Western Space Grunge” band, took the stage at Philadelphia’s Brooklyn Bowl to deliver their special mix of y’allternative grunge-rock. The Abilene, Texas natives that make up the group started their careers far from the bright lights of your favorite local venue. As a former fry cook, oil field operator, concrete surface decorator and kids baseball coach, the band’s members bring a level of earnestness and grit that can be heard throughout their entire discography.
We sat down in the bowling alley lanes with vocalist James Tuffs, drummer Ryan “Fox” Fox, guitarist Ryan Anderson, and bassist Ty Anderson, to hear a bit more about their background, tour life, and what they’d like to explore here in Philly.
Are there any aspects of your previous jobs that serve as assets in your experience as touring musicians?
Tuffs: “I think partly, yes. Just having a type of job where it doesn't allow too much focus, so you can kind of think of, you know, a song that you're just working on in your head, and that's sometimes where it starts.”
Fox: “Yeah, true. Also motivation to just be able to do what you love for a living that comes along too. That's very nice.”
Do you think you'll be forever tied to the Western Space Grunge sound and aesthetic, or are you open to exploring something different, either visually or musically, in the future?
Tuffs: “We never want to put ourselves in a box, but definitely right now, it's something we agree with. We're never going to say ‘we'll never go this direction or that direction,’ because we don't know how we will want to evolve as musicians in a couple years.”
Is there a common thread amongst your fans? Any trait they all have in common from your POV?
Tuffs: “They come in all sorts. That is the coolest thing about it, is just how many different kinds of people you'll see coming to support us. It's pretty nuts.”
Fox: “I love this saying that we have: ‘We have people who think a pair of boots could mean cowboy or combat.’ So you've got people in worn-out cowboy boots, and people in Doc Martens - Very country, very grunge, still blended together. It's very interesting to see super Western versus, like, split-dyed hair, versus that kind of vibe.
What have you enjoyed most about touring so far? What is the least glamorous aspect, and what has been surprising?
Tuffs: “I had barely left Texas, ever, before we started touring a couple years ago. So, I mean, my favorite part is the food. I'm not gonna lie. I'm a foodie.”
Fox: “We're getting to the point where we're getting big enough that other people who are also big in their field are fans. So then, they're like, ‘Hey, we’re fans of y'all. Come tour this baseball field. Come out and watch batting practice,’ and that's cool to me, because we get to do fun things whenever we're in different cities. We went to the Basketball Hall of Fame yesterday, so like, just cool stuff.
Is there anything you want to have or do while in Philly?
Tuffs: “I want to go get a Philly cheesesteak. I heard about Angelo's Pizzeria. They say you have to wait in line forever.”
Fox: “I want to go to a Phillies game at Citizens Bank Park, really, really bad.”
Tuffs: “I’m just trying to not get beat up because I like the Cowboys.”
Any movie soundtrack you wish you could have one of your songs featured in?
Tuffs: “If you could throw us anywhere in ‘Shrek 2,’ one of the greatest soundtracks of any movie. I think we belong.”
Fox: “I think my three top movies that I’d love for our songs to be on the soundtrack of would be ‘Bohemian Rhapsody,’ ‘Ray,’ the movie about Ray Charles, and ‘Walk the Line’ about Johnny Cash. I think every new biopic music movie [...] should just be our music. I'd also say ‘Perks of Being a Wallflower,’ or a good coming of age movie, like ‘Sixteen Candles’ or some shit like that.
Song, album or artist you’ve had on repeat as of late?
Tuffs: “I have gotten back into Remo Drive. Their greatest hits album is incredible. And Mom Jeans. I'll never stop listening to them. And I'm always listening to Death Cab for Cutie and stuff like that.”
Fox: “Chappell Roan is one for me. And then I forget how good Alice in Chains is. I think, ‘Oh, I've listened to all of their good songs,’ and then I find one that I've never heard before. I'm like, wow, they're an amazing band.”
R. Anderson: “I love Slow Pulp - They are an indie band from Chicago.”
Tuffs: “There is a song I listen to by them called, ‘High.’ It’s a great song.”
Fox: “Also, King Lazy Eye, a very small dude from Nashville who is very much in the weird, western-grunge space that we're in. He's phenomenal.”
Tuffs: “And then Ty exclusively listens to Limp Bizkit.”
Fox: “He likes the Icelandic Symphonic Orchestra, so he listens to a lot of that and a lot of Mongolian throat Metal. He’s into a band called ‘Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs.’”
Any pre-show superstitions?
Tuffs: “We take a moment and just be together and be thankful for where we're at before every show.”
R. Anderson: “This is not a joke. I have to wash my hands. I don’t know why but I’m not a germaphobe.”
Fox: “I have to pee because I have a really bad bladder. I remember very early on, when we weren’t selling tickets, we were playing a car show outside, and I looked at James, and I was like, ‘Dude, I need you to play two acoustic songs.’ The bathroom was all the way in the back and [...] I was like, ’Just make something up. I'll be back.’ I ran to go to the bathroom, and he stopped the show and went, ‘Everyone, that's our drummer. He had to go piss.’ Everyone laughed. So now I go pee before every show.”
This interview has been minimally edited for clarity and length.
Their latest releases include Western Space Grunge, an EP that was released in July, along with their single “Messed Up Kid (Live),” released on November 13. Check out photos from the Brooklyn Bowl show with Red Leather below.
We sat down in the bowling alley lanes with vocalist James Tuffs, drummer Ryan “Fox” Fox, guitarist Ryan Anderson, and bassist Ty Anderson, to hear a bit more about their background, tour life, and what they’d like to explore here in Philly.
Are there any aspects of your previous jobs that serve as assets in your experience as touring musicians?
Tuffs: “I think partly, yes. Just having a type of job where it doesn't allow too much focus, so you can kind of think of, you know, a song that you're just working on in your head, and that's sometimes where it starts.”
Fox: “Yeah, true. Also motivation to just be able to do what you love for a living that comes along too. That's very nice.”
Do you think you'll be forever tied to the Western Space Grunge sound and aesthetic, or are you open to exploring something different, either visually or musically, in the future?
Tuffs: “We never want to put ourselves in a box, but definitely right now, it's something we agree with. We're never going to say ‘we'll never go this direction or that direction,’ because we don't know how we will want to evolve as musicians in a couple years.”
Is there a common thread amongst your fans? Any trait they all have in common from your POV?
Tuffs: “They come in all sorts. That is the coolest thing about it, is just how many different kinds of people you'll see coming to support us. It's pretty nuts.”
Fox: “I love this saying that we have: ‘We have people who think a pair of boots could mean cowboy or combat.’ So you've got people in worn-out cowboy boots, and people in Doc Martens - Very country, very grunge, still blended together. It's very interesting to see super Western versus, like, split-dyed hair, versus that kind of vibe.
What have you enjoyed most about touring so far? What is the least glamorous aspect, and what has been surprising?
Tuffs: “I had barely left Texas, ever, before we started touring a couple years ago. So, I mean, my favorite part is the food. I'm not gonna lie. I'm a foodie.”
Fox: “We're getting to the point where we're getting big enough that other people who are also big in their field are fans. So then, they're like, ‘Hey, we’re fans of y'all. Come tour this baseball field. Come out and watch batting practice,’ and that's cool to me, because we get to do fun things whenever we're in different cities. We went to the Basketball Hall of Fame yesterday, so like, just cool stuff.
Is there anything you want to have or do while in Philly?
Tuffs: “I want to go get a Philly cheesesteak. I heard about Angelo's Pizzeria. They say you have to wait in line forever.”
Fox: “I want to go to a Phillies game at Citizens Bank Park, really, really bad.”
Tuffs: “I’m just trying to not get beat up because I like the Cowboys.”
Any movie soundtrack you wish you could have one of your songs featured in?
Tuffs: “If you could throw us anywhere in ‘Shrek 2,’ one of the greatest soundtracks of any movie. I think we belong.”
Fox: “I think my three top movies that I’d love for our songs to be on the soundtrack of would be ‘Bohemian Rhapsody,’ ‘Ray,’ the movie about Ray Charles, and ‘Walk the Line’ about Johnny Cash. I think every new biopic music movie [...] should just be our music. I'd also say ‘Perks of Being a Wallflower,’ or a good coming of age movie, like ‘Sixteen Candles’ or some shit like that.
Song, album or artist you’ve had on repeat as of late?
Tuffs: “I have gotten back into Remo Drive. Their greatest hits album is incredible. And Mom Jeans. I'll never stop listening to them. And I'm always listening to Death Cab for Cutie and stuff like that.”
Fox: “Chappell Roan is one for me. And then I forget how good Alice in Chains is. I think, ‘Oh, I've listened to all of their good songs,’ and then I find one that I've never heard before. I'm like, wow, they're an amazing band.”
R. Anderson: “I love Slow Pulp - They are an indie band from Chicago.”
Tuffs: “There is a song I listen to by them called, ‘High.’ It’s a great song.”
Fox: “Also, King Lazy Eye, a very small dude from Nashville who is very much in the weird, western-grunge space that we're in. He's phenomenal.”
Tuffs: “And then Ty exclusively listens to Limp Bizkit.”
Fox: “He likes the Icelandic Symphonic Orchestra, so he listens to a lot of that and a lot of Mongolian throat Metal. He’s into a band called ‘Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs.’”
Any pre-show superstitions?
Tuffs: “We take a moment and just be together and be thankful for where we're at before every show.”
R. Anderson: “This is not a joke. I have to wash my hands. I don’t know why but I’m not a germaphobe.”
Fox: “I have to pee because I have a really bad bladder. I remember very early on, when we weren’t selling tickets, we were playing a car show outside, and I looked at James, and I was like, ‘Dude, I need you to play two acoustic songs.’ The bathroom was all the way in the back and [...] I was like, ’Just make something up. I'll be back.’ I ran to go to the bathroom, and he stopped the show and went, ‘Everyone, that's our drummer. He had to go piss.’ Everyone laughed. So now I go pee before every show.”
This interview has been minimally edited for clarity and length.
Their latest releases include Western Space Grunge, an EP that was released in July, along with their single “Messed Up Kid (Live),” released on November 13. Check out photos from the Brooklyn Bowl show with Red Leather below.
Dexter and The Moonrocks at Brooklyn Bowl Philly 11/14/2024
Red Leather at Brooklyn Bowl Philly 11/14/2024
Watch 'Messed Up Kid' released by Dexter and The Moonrocks November 13th
