Concert Review: Dexter and the Moonrocks at Scoot Inn

With support from Mitchell Ferguson and Parker Ryan, Dexter and the Moonrocks brought their sad space cowboy music to an animated Austin crowd on September 9.

Written by C.S. Harper

Photo courtesy of Joshua Ihrie

Much has changed for Abilene band Dexter and the Moonrocks since their interview with Afterglow earlier this year. Now with a sizable social media following under their belt, the four-piece group has a new song out and an upcoming West Coast tour. But before the beloved country-rock outlaws hit the road outside of Texas, they stopped by Austin for the first time to grace the Scoot Inn outdoor stage.

The first opener, Mitchell Ferguson, came onstage at 7:30 p.m. sharp with a flurry of guitars and percussion behind him. “Austin, Texas!” he shouted over the crowd’s excited chatter. “My name is Mitchell Ferguson. This next song is about your narcissistic ex.” The stage lit up as the Dallas singer and his backing band performed bluesy breakup songs “Hurt So Bad” and “Dramatic.” His phlegmy growls soared over the wall of sound as he delivered impressive vocal runs while shredding his guitar. Aside from flaunting his technical prowess, he made sure to keep his set entertaining, telling audience members to hold their middle fingers up during “F.Y.S.” and sing along during his preview of upcoming single “Whole Lotta Sauce.” Ferguson ended his high-energy performance with latest single “Over It,” an upbeat rock track that provided the perfect transition into second opener Parker Ryan’s more serene set.

In typical Parker Ryan fashion, a hip-hop song — “100 Shots” by Young Dolph — played over the stage speakers to announce the singer’s arrival at 8:20 p.m. Taking the stage right as the beat dropped, Ryan made no haste to kick off the set with “The Coldest Thing,” leaning back to nonchalantly shred his guitar and climbing on the edge of the stage to the crowd’s roars during his solo. Joking that he’s toured with the headliner before but has “yet to meet Dexter,” he followed up with 2022 ballad “Stop Calling His Phone.” The crowd swayed along to the plucky guitar as the stage flooded with soothing blue lights. To liven up the mood, Ryan followed up with “Beachtown Bars,” which he prefaced by talking about his life in Galveston. Two raunchy guitar and rhythm section solos later, the singer-songwriter performed the rebel anthem “The Train Song” as his final song. With his lowkey blues tracks, Ryan hyped up the audience for the headliner of the night.

Photo courtesy of Eli Ridout

At 9:30, BixXthaPlug’s “Texas” rang through the venue as vocalist James Tuffs, drummer Ryan “Fox” Fox, guitarist Ryan Anderson, and bassist Ty Anderson of Dexter and the Moonrocks took the stage. The quartet promptly began performing “Where I Steer,” an upbeat blues track with a hint of Nirvana from their 2021 self-titled EP. “Make some motherfucking noise!” James hollered over Fox’s thunderous drumming as the audience members cheered. Dexter and the Moonrocks’ crowd of devoted misfits made each performance all the more lively, yelling “Give it to us!” during the group’s rendition of “Behave” and singing along to the chorus of “Freaks” as James quasi-duck-walked and strummed his guitar.

During the next song, “Brain Stew,” the band was ready to take their performance to the next level. Now shirtless, Fox delivered powerhouse drum fills over Ryan’s heavy riffs. James invited Parker Ryan back onstage to sing the second verse, a highlight of the night that demonstrated the Abilene group’s respect for their contemporaries. After performing a medley of “Intro” and “Callahan,” the band asked the crowd, “Does anyone want any Cheez-Its?” Keeping with the tradition of giving fans Cheez-Its every concert, Fox handed audience members a box of the salty cheddar crackers before moving on to Tyler Childers’ “Shake the Frost.” The crowd swayed along to the tender song with their arms held high, holding up phone flashlights and  lighters for ambiance.

A few tracks later, the band performed fan favorite “Space Invader.” “La la’s” filled the outdoor stage as fans eagerly sang along to the upbeat instrumental. The four-piece cooled things off with a soulful rendition of Radiohead’s “Creep,” supported by vocals from Mitchell Ferguson, who had returned onstage for the track. Headbanging and punching the air, Ferguson gave an impassioned performance. During the next cover, Angus & Julia Stone’s “Big Jet Plane,” James sat on the edge of the stage, bringing him closer to the audience for an intimate performance over a stripped-back instrumental.

Photo courtesy of Eli Ridout

The sky was pitch black, and the stage lit up brightly as the band performed upcoming ballad “Sad in Carolina.” “I’m sad in Carolina / Looking for a way to find ya,” James howled in an emo-esque drawl over Ryan’s distorted guitar. Continuing the sad cowboy vibes, the group followed up with “Autopilot” and breakout single “Couch.” During the latter, the quartet invited a fan to perform with them, a sweet moment that showcased the group’s undying devotion to their fanbase. Halfway through “Couch,” Fox delivered a monologue reflecting on the band’s growth, ending it by quoting one of the song’s lyrics before chugging a can of beer: “My mom always texts me before every show … She texts me to ‘stay away from bitches.’” After a fast breakdown at the end of “Couch,” the band left the stage as promptly as they had arrived. However, the crowd chanted for an encore, begging them to come back to perform “Birds and the Bees” or “She Likes Girls.” Sure enough, the four-piece came back to play both, inspiring the audience to jump and sing along to their hearts’ content until the band left the stage for real at 11:00 pm sharp.

With the help of fans and friends like Mitchell Ferguson and Parker Ryan, Dexter and the Moonrocks knocked it out of the park with their first Austin performance. Equal parts fun and heartfelt, their show was a testament to their talent as musicians and their profound love for their fanbase.