DexFest | Thursday, June 25-Sunday, June 28 | Various Venues, Chapel Hill and Carrboro
A month before Carrboro musician Dex Romweber’s death, Lapin Blue owner Mike Benson watched him perform one last time.
“He started sitting down, very quiet,” Benson recalled. “Then [the playing] got progressively louder and angrier. He was pacing up and down, barking at the walls and bar chairs, howling. People who wandered in for a casual drink had no idea what they were witnessing. I told them, ‘That’s Dexter Romweber. Enjoy.’”
Dexter Romweber would have been 60 years old this summer. As a musician, Romweber’s fusion of rockabilly, blues, and punk was paired with a legendary stage presence that earned him cult status among the underground music scene.
Romweber founded the Flat Duo Jets alongside drummer Chris “Crow” Smith; a band that was cited by Jack White as being a powerful influence on his approach to music. He cultivated relationships with iconic punk bands like X and the Cramps and Athens legends REM and the B-52s.
This weekend, musicians and artists will gather in Chapel Hill and Carrboro to remember the life and legacy of Romweber at the 2026 Dex Fest, the second iteration of its kind. The four-day event—what organizers call a “living memorial”—kicks off Thursday at Lapin Bleu, followed by the main events at the Cat’s Cradle, with more events and shows at Local 506 and the Cave.
Friday night at the Cat’s Cradle features standouts like Lenny Kaye & Friends, Pylon Reenactment Society, and Flat Do-over Jets. Saturday, also at the Cradle, highlights rockers David J (of Bauhaus and Love and Rockets) and Ramona & the Holy Smokes. Late-night afterparties at The Cave keep the energy going with local DJs. The festival’s final day moves beyond performance, with interactive art, shared food, and a closing gathering at Local 506.
“He was unapologetically authentic, but I also think he had no choice but to be authentic.
em gee, founder, dexfest
He just was who he was.
One hundred percent Dex,
all the time.”
The musician Em Gee, founder of Dex Fest, only knew Romweber during the last few years of his life, but emphasizes the impression he made.
“I would absolutely consider him a legend,” Em Gee said. “He was unapologetically authentic, but I also think he had no choice but to be authentic. He just was who he was. One hundred percent Dex, all the time.”
What Romweber left behind, Em Gee argues, extends beyond the music itself. His success helped define the Triangle’s independent music identity, inspiring others to start bands, book shows, and help build the scene that still exists today.
“A really important value of mine is bringing community together,” Em Gee said. “Meeting your neighbors. Talking to strangers. Leaving your phone in the car.”
Michael Rank, longtime North Carolina musician and former member of Chapel Hill band Snatches of Pink, knew Romweber as a teenage bandmate and as a friend.
“The thing I think of with Dex is that he was a lifer,” he said. “This is what he did. He was all in.”
Benson, who had also been friends with Romweber since high school, remembers Romweber’s intensity from the beginning.
“He wore cut-off black T-shirts, chicken bones around his neck, leather biker jackets, and giant pompadour hair. At Chapel Hill High School, he really stood out,” Benson said. “He would flop onto the floor and do the Curly shuffle while playing guitar. You couldn’t look away.”
As Chapel Hill and Carrboro continue to change, Benson worries about what gets lost when places lose their oddballs and originals.
“We need the weirdness,” he said.
Em Gee agrees, though they remain hopeful.
“I think we still have a town full of weirdos,” they said. “Music-obsessed weirdos.”
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