Three guitar slingers. No adult supervision.
Three of Texas’ most formidable guitar players are back at it. Texas Headhunters — Ian Moore, Johnny Moeller and Jesse Dayton — release their second album, Rise and Shine, today via Hardcharger / Blue Élan Records, delivering another blast of blues, rock, country and everything in between from a trio that clearly has no interest in playing it safe.
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If the band's acclaimed debut established the chemistry between these three longtime Texas guitar slingers, Rise and Shine takes it further. The album sounds like three old friends pushing each other, listening to each other and having a hell of a lot of fun doing it. The playing is fierce, but there’s more to the record than three guys trading guitar licks. Their songwriting has grown, their voices are stronger and the songs move through a wide range of sounds without ever losing the identity of the band.
The album’s focus track, “Favored Nation,” is a perfect example. Written by Moore, the song starts with a jacked-up shuffle before shifting into a rousing Merseybeat-inspired groove, bringing together the blues, rock and alternative influences that shaped him.
“Growing up in Austin, I got into mod rock and alternative,” Moore says. “Sure, I loved Howlin’ Wolf and Buddy Guy, but I also loved the Jam, Rockpile and X. That’s kind of what the song is about – how if you go looking for the truth, you realize you aren’t just one thing; you’re a combination of everything.”
That idea runs throughout Rise and Shine. Dayton brings the high-octane shuffle of “Cut N Run,” a nod to Freddie King and Billy Gibbons, while Moeller steps forward with “Drive You Crazy,” “Rise and Shine” and the instrumental “Funky So N So,” which gives all three guitarists a chance to cut loose. Moore’s “Bigshot” comes charging in on a Bo Diddley-inspired groove, while Dayton’s “I Did It Anyway” moves from haunting blues into raw psychobilly.
The band once again self-produced the album, recording it in the same no-frills spirit that defined their debut. With Michael Archer on bass and Jay Moeller on drums, the tracks were recorded with the goal of capturing the live chemistry that makes Texas Headhunters such a force onstage.
“This is the first band I’ve been in that’s free of anxiety,” Dayton says. “We vamp through three or four songs, and pretty soon we sound like us. You just can’t force that. It’s either there, or it’s not.”
That chemistry has already translated beyond the studio. Since releasing their debut, Texas Headhunters have earned airplay across SiriusXM’s Outlaw Country, Bluesville and Little Steven’s Underground Garage, where they were also named “Coolest Song in the World” and will join Little Steven’s Underground Garage Cruise next April 2027. Guitar World, Guitar Player, No Depression, Goldmine and other outlets have taken notice of the trio’s anything-goes approach to Texas roots music.
For Moeller, who has spent years as a member of the Fabulous Thunderbirds and as one of Austin’s most respected guitarists, the band has also opened a new door creatively.
“I’ve never thought of myself as a real songwriter before, but being in this band has taught me a lot – and quickly,” Moeller says. “We seem to work on deadlines – ‘We’re going in the studio!’ – and that lights a fire under my ass.”
Three players. Three distinct styles. One very loud, very Texas combination.
Rise and Shine is the sound of Ian Moore, Johnny Moeller and Jesse Dayton doing what they do best — plugging in, turning it up and seeing where the music takes them.