Article Contributed by Devious Planet
Published on 2026-08-26
Just when you thought your speakers were safe, Texas Headhunters are back with “Bigshot,” the latest single from their forthcoming album Rise & Shine, due October 9 via Hardcharger / Blue Élan Records. Listen HERE. Watch HERE.
If the band's acclaimed debut introduced the world to the dangerous chemistry between Ian Moore, Johnny Moeller, and Jesse Dayton, “Bigshot” proves they weren't just warming up. It's swaggering, hypnotic, riff-heavy and impossible to ignore—the kind of song that makes you instinctively reach for the volume knob... to turn it up to eleven.
Let's face it: there are plenty of guitar players keeping the blues alive. Texas Headhunters are more interested in setting it on fire.
For more than three decades, Moore, Moeller and Dayton have each carved out distinctive careers spanning blues, rock, country and Americana. Together, they're less a supergroup than a friendly six-string cage match, where everyone wins—especially the audience.
Written by Ian Moore, “Bigshot” stomps in on a Bo Diddley-inspired groove before exploding into a tribal, fuzz-soaked workout fueled by Moore, Dayton's and Moeller's unmistakable guitar work and Moore's larger-than-life storytelling.
“I like telling stories,” Moore says. “I was driving with my wife and saw an overpass that said, ‘Big Shot Cyrus James.’ It sparked this character in my head—a New Orleans guy, kind of like a Mardi Gras Indian. Whenever somebody asks his name, he just says, ‘I'm a big shot.’ There's a little Bo Diddley and Johnny ‘Guitar’ Watson in there.”
He adds with a laugh, “People ask how we know the songs are good. It's because we all really trust each other's taste. That gives me confidence in the material.”
Since releasing their debut last summer, Texas Headhunters have become one of the most talked-about guitar bands in roots music. SiriusXM simultaneously spun three of the band's tracks across Outlaw Country, Bluesville, and Little Steven's Underground Garage, where they also earned the coveted “Coolest Song in the World” honor.
Critics have been equally enthusiastic. Guitar World and Guitar Player hailed the trio as a “triple-guitar threat” keeping “a Lone Star tradition alive,” while No Depression celebrated their love of “raucous barroom blues.” Goldmine called them “the real deal,” The Alternate Root declared, “No filler and all riffs,” American Blues Scene praised their “full-throttle return to roots,” and Blues Rock Review summed it up simply: “Individually, each member is a masterful musician, but as a trio, they're exceptional.”
With “Big Shot,” Texas Headhunters continue to prove that in an age of algorithms, backing tracks and guitar influencers explaining pentatonic scales for the millionth time, there's still no substitute for three old friends plugging into loud amps, pushing each other to the limit and having the time of their lives doing it.
Texas Headhunters On Tour
9/8 - Ruidoso, NM - Downshift Brewing Company - Riverside
9/10 - Phoenix, AZ - Rhythm Room
9/11 - Las Vegas, NV - Big Blues Bender 2026
9/15 - Fresno, CA - Fulton 55
9/16 - Morro Bay, CA - The Siren
9/17 - Agoura Hills, CA - The Canyon - Agoura Hills
9/18 - Bakersfield, CA - World Records
9/19 - Napa, CA - Napa Music Hall
9/20 - Menlo Park, CA - The Guild Theatre
9/23 - Bend, OR - Tower Theatre
9/24 - Seattle, WA - Hidden Hall
9/26 - Spokane, WA - Knitting Factory
9/27 - Portland, OR - Show Bar
April 24-28, 2027 - Little Steven’s Underground Garage Cruise
More dates TBA
