Buxton

Playing a lively, intelligent fusion of folk and rock, Buxton were formed in La Porte, Texas, a town on the Gulf of Mexico roughly 25 miles east of Houston. Guitarist, singer, and principal songwriter Sergio Trevino formed the band in 2003; through his younger sister, he had met a pair of fellow musicians, multi-instrumentalist Jason Willis (who plays guitar, mandolin, pedal steel, and banjo) and bassist Chris Wise. The three musicians began jamming together, and before long Buxton were playing local gigs in La Porte. In 2006, the trio recorded and self-released its debut album, Red Follows Red. The album fared well enough to recover the cost of production, and the band pulled up stakes, relocating to the brighter lights of Houston. By 2009, Buxton had expanded to a quartet with the addition of drummer Justin Terrell, and the band released its second album, the more thematically ambitious A Family Light. The album received enthusiastic reviews in the Texas music press, and Buxton began touring throughout the state and around the Southwest and West Coast. In early 2010, the group began filling out its sound with the addition of guitarist and keyboard player Austin Sepulvado, and by the end of the year, Buxton became a six-piece when Trevino invited a fan of the group, Haley Barnes, to join as a keyboard player and harmony vocalist. In 2011, Buxton attracted the attention of the celebrated independent roots music label New West Records, and the band and the company struck a deal, with New West releasing Buxton's third album, Nothing Here Seems Strange, in January 2012.