Date Signed: November 2023
Label: Severance Records, Big Loud Rock
Band Members: James Tuffs, vocals; Ryan Fox, drums; Ryan Anderson, guitar; Ty Anderson, bass
Type of Music: Western Space Grunge
Management: Chris Schoemann, Lions Claw Entertainment
Booking: Mike Krug, WME
Legal: Kent Marcus
Publicity: Ashley White, Ashley White Public Relations
Web: dexterandthemoonrocks.com
A&R: Steve Robertson
Beginning as a country project, Dexter and the Moonrocks gained fast traction after they began incorporating grunge and rock elements into their sound. After just a year and a half of touring, they were selling out 1,000-head shows. Beyond the two-year mark, they’d amassed 670,000 followers on TikTok and over 50 million streams.
With those numbers, it was inevitable that labels would express interest. “We didn’t want to go the independent route,” divulges drummer Ryan Fox, known simply as Fox, partly because there’s another Ryan in the group. In July and August of last year, they were considering three candidates.
Before the performers could firm up a decision, they were told to wait—something was coming. Eventually, their radio rep broke the news: Steve “Steveo” Robertson and Mike Easterlin were forming a new label, Severance Records, and they wanted the spacey alt-rockers to be the inaugural signing for the Big Loud Records imprint.
The prospect was instantly appealing, especially since they worried about getting lost on a roster of bigger acts. Simultaneously, being part of Big Loud was an enticing thought. They got along swimmingly with the industry veterans, whose star-studded resumes include stints with Atlantic Records and Elektra Entertainment. “They just got it,” contends Fox. “They were comfortable letting us be us.”
Convening amongst themselves, the guys fast elected to pull the trigger. It was another instance of the players being in sync as a band. They sealed the deal at a show in Austin, TX. Because Texas is the state where they began, that moment brought them full-circle.
“[We’re] three dudes who grew up in a town of 700 people,” amazes the 23-year-old law school dropout, noting that the group’s humble beginnings include recording in a closet. “We’re so lucky that Mike and Steveo found us.”
