Big nights for music in Houston are about more than big names. Witness a trace of this city’s homegrown talent as local acts Buxton, listenlisten and Phillip Fosh’eacute;e share folk-imbued tunes starting at 8 p.m. Friday at The Mink, 3718 Main St.
Buxton, nominated for Best Neo-Folk Band in this year’s Houston Press Music Awards, offers a sound you can more than tap your foot to. The group of 20-somethings breathes life into the simpler and, at times, haunting sounds rooted in the Old South.
The quartet’s jack-of-all-trades, Jason Willis, who plays a slew of instruments from mandolin and piano to xylophone and guitar, offers a range of well-placed, twangy string work that, coupled with vocalist Sergio Trevino’s Southern drawl, creates a stirring brew of songs that transcend those nostalgic tones into a rich sound.
While Buxton’s refreshing blend of Americana and indie rock is set to close the show, Friday night patrons would do well to get a jump-start to the venue as Phillip Fosh’eacute;e warms up the stage with an acoustic indie-folk set.
What the one-man band – complete with harmonica and guitar – lacks in members he makes up for in tightly knit songs and thoughtful lyrics.
Fosh’eacute;e draws from an imaginative foundation of lyrical themes, ranging from renewable energy to love, and weaves them into a dynamic sound laced with subtle guitar strokes, old-time harp breaks and engaging vocal harmonies.
listenlisten will follow the solo act with a repertoire of songs that scale the darker tones of folk music. The band’s latest works, comprising its upcoming debut album Hymns From Rhodesia, are based on a collection of old hymns, and resurrect the simple melodies of the songs by stringing together pieces of the original lyrics with bleak brass sounds and muted piano and strings, while reinforcing their meanings in a new light.
Though each of the sets lay within a distinct realm of the folk genre, one couldn’t ask for a more well suited line up. Each band goes a long way to revitalize traditional sounds as they come into their own.
Buxton, listenlisten and Fosh’eacute;e are all set with shows in Houston within coming months, so if you like what you see, make it a point to catch one of their next performances.
For more information, call (713) 522-9985, or visit www.themink.org.
