On the surface, Buxton and the Tontons don’t have much in common: A folky alt-country band and psychedelic-tinged garage-rock crew fronted by a bewitching jazz singer. But they’ve come up in the local scene at about the same time (both emerged around 2007 or ’08), and have developed into successful working bands that regularly tour and record. Besides that, one never seems to be far from the other, both onstage and off; they’ve shared many a Fitzgerald’s bill, and members of one band can often be spotted in the audience at the other’s show. Before they reduce their local profile for the summer — Buxton, still touring behind New West debut Nothing Here Seems Strange, is headed out for the Papa Joe’s Banjo B-Que & Bluegrass Festival (ha) and a southeastern tour with the Donkeys; the Tontons are going to a secluded farm to finish writing the follow-up to last year’s Golden EP — they’ll play for the largest non-festival local audience of their relatively short careers. They both deserve it.
This article appears in May 24-30, 2012.
