T-Rextasy (NY)

Remember when you were 11 and you stayed up all night at a sleepover in an adrenaline frenzy, AIM-ing all of your crushes? That’s the feeling New York City-based T-Rextasy inspires. Since playing their first show (not in a band member’s bedroom) at Brooklyn’s Silent Barn the night before senior prom, the “hyper-verbal rock & roll goddesses” (Rolling Stone) have acquired a dedicated following in the five boroughs and beyond. Their disciples range from queer middle schoolers who reveal the band is the reason they started to play music, to not-quite-21-year-old-punks who hop fences to get into their bar gigs, to nostalgic middle-aged dads. An Olympic feat for born-and-raised city kids, the members learned to drive, bought a glamorous used minivan, and hit the road to tour their debut record, Jurassic Punk, on Father/Daughter Records and Miscreant Records. In 2017 alone, they played exactly 100 sets across the U.S. and Canada, refining their captivating live show and making stops at festivals like South by Southwest and Brooklyn’s Northside. Their live show is full of spectacular antics: neon ensembles, synchronized dancing, witty banter and audience participation that could more be likened to a musical theater-inspired performance art carnival act than a rock gig. Committed to social justice and intersectional feminism, the group uses their shows and social media platforms to raise awareness, often donating a portion of their proceeds to organizations that support these causes. The self-proclaimed Dashing Dino Dames, who “don’t sound anything like their peers,” (Stereogum) are currently gearing up to release their crowd-funded sophomore album recorded in New Paltz, NY at Salvation Recording Co. (Vagabon, Diet Cig) The group’s songwriting style has matured without losing its signature playfulness and spontaneity; their lyrics more nuanced, their instrumental abilities sharpened. Via ecstatically shrieked group vocals and 60’s inspired licks, the group’s upcoming release deals with relationship communication issues, consent, queerness, growing up, the internet and isolation- themes that inspire critical thinking but that also make you giggle. Dashing Dino Dames