The Boxmasters | |
|---|---|
 The band performing at Slims inSan Francisco, California, in September 2007 | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Bellflower, California,United States |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 2007–2010, 2015–present |
| Labels | Vanguard NDR Records Thirty Tigers |
| Members | Billy Bob Thornton J.D. Andrew Kirk McKim Raymond Hardy Nick Davidson |
| Past members | Micheal Wayne Butler Brad Davis Daniel Baker Teddy Andreadis Dave Fowler Eric Rhoades Marty Rifkin Mike "Bubba" Bruce Chuck Garric |
| Website | theboxmasters.com |
The Boxmasters is an American rock band founded inBellflower, California, in 2007 by actorBilly Bob Thornton and Grammy Award-winning recording engineer J.D. Andrew. The group released their 17th albumLove & Hate In Desperate Places in August of 2024 and finished multiple other records, that are still waiting to see the light of day.
Before he formed the Boxmasters, frontmanThornton had played in bands since middle school, worked as aroadie, recorded in 1974 in Muscle Shoals, Alabama and in the 2000s released four solo albums. After listening to "Yesterday's Gone" byChad & Jeremy and thinking aboutcovering it in ahillbilly musicstyle, he had the idea of making Americanized version ofBritish Invasionpop songs. From mid-2008 to late 2008, the group embarked on a tour across the United States, ending inLos Angeles. It also played for the March 2009South by Southwest conference. After opening several tours for Willie Nelson in 2009 & 2010, The Boxmasters ceased touring for five years, which they used to write multiple albums and emerged with a more natural sound, as opposed to their early hillbilly leanings.
Billy Bob Thornton—credited on the band's material as W. R. Thornton—has said that "[he] never intended to become a movie star, it happened accidentally. [...] Music is what I love."[7] Before his acting career started, he played incover bands ofCreedence Clearwater Revival,ZZ Top, and also worked as aroadie withNitty Gritty Dirt Band,Johnny Paycheck,Blood, Sweat & Tears, theStatler Brothers, and other bands during high school.[8][9] He also released a record with a band called 'Hot Lanta' in 1974.[10] During his acting career, Thornton released four solo albums from 2001 to 2007.[11]
Thornton brought insound engineer J. D. Andrew to help with his 2007 albumBeautiful Door. Afterjamming together, they started to record some of their material. Andrew had known Mike Butler "for six or seven years" and called on him to play guitar for them. According to Andrew, after the trio played together, they said "Shoot, this sounds like a band." The three came up with the name "Boxmasters" after a piece ofSouthern slang, which they later described by saying "remember the bad boy in high school who got all the girls and left a trail of broken hearts ... and more?"[11] Thornton had also briefly played incountry starPorter Wagoner's similarly titled band 'The Wagonmasters', which he later said had brought chills down his spine.[8]
The band started inBellflower, California, in 2007. During its early days, the band played several live shows in theCalifornia area, as well as inTecate, Mexico.[7][12] Their first album,The Boxmasters, was released on June 10, 2008, byVanguard Records. It received a mostly poor review fromAllmusic, which stated that "The Boxmasters might work live because there will be visuals; but merely as a listening exercise, it's best taken in small doses so the novelty doesn't wear off." The review also alleged that "Thornton can't drum to save his life, and he can't sing".[13]The Washington Post praised the album, and the paper remarked that listeners will get their money's worth if they enjoy the music even half as much as the band did during the recordings.[14]
The group resumedtouring in July 2008,[9] adding musicians Bradley Davis onmandolin,guitar, andvocals,Teddy Andreadis onharmonica andorgan, and Mike Bruce ondrums.[12] Their tour across the United States ended on September 7, 2008, when they played at theHouse of Blues inLos Angeles.[8] The band released their second album,Christmas Cheer, on November 11, 2008, also throughVanguard Records.Allmusic gave another critical review, calling the music "an acquired taste".[15]USA Today music criticBrian Mansfield named it one of his favorite holiday albums.[16] The Boxmasters went on a post-album 12-city tour withWillie Nelson, playing from November 22 inEnid, Oklahoma, to December 6 inChampaign, Illinois.[17] They then embarked on a six-city tour ofTexas in March 2009, which included a March 18 appearance at theSouth by Southwest music conference.[18]
The band releasedModbilly on Vanguard on April 21, 2009.Houston Press praised the album, saying that it "confirms that Billy Bob Thornton's writing talents aren't confined to hisOscar-winningscreenplays."[19]Allmusic stated that it "goes on far too long, never changing, never peaking".[20]Prefix gave a mostly positive review, calling it "for real" and stating that "Thornton’s distinct voice continues to be a nice fit with the material".[21]Entertainment Weekly criticized it as "unmemorable".[22]
The group hascoveredThe Beatles,The Who,The Rolling Stones,The Turtles, andMott the Hoople in its unique style. It also plays original songs, mostly written or co-written by Thornton based on the "white trash" figures he had seen in hisArkansaschildhood.The Montreal Gazette has called his original material "at turns dark and funny, with world-class hooks".[7] The members play while wearing well-dressed 'Mod' outfits such astailored blacksuits, white shirts, and narrow blackneckties.[23]
Aside from playing, Thornton has said that he plans on creatingcomic books based on him and other band members. Plots would involve the band coming to the aid of townspeople as they tour. He said, "We're not sure what our superpowers are going to be yet".[24]
In April 2009, the band was scheduled to tour across Canada,opening forcountry music veteransWillie Nelson andRay Price.[7][23] On April 8, the band appeared on the nationalCBC Radio One programQ, hosted byJian Ghomeshi. During the first half of the interview, Thornton was "surly and uncooperative", and responded with "I don't know" when asked how long the band had been together. When asked about his musical tastes and influences as a child, he gave his longest answer, but it was about his favorite magazineFamous Monsters of Filmland. He also stated that he had "instructed" the show's producers to not ask any questions about his career as a screenwriter and actor.[25][26] The interview is satirized in the Detective Crashmore sketch in Season 2, Episode 3 ofI Think You Should Leave.
Ghomeshi, in introducing the band, mentioned the acting credentials of Thornton, but never based his questions to Thornton about his show business career. Thornton went on to say that Canadian audiences were generally reserved and that the band was used to playing in places where people move around and throw things at each other. He then added, "it's likemashed potatoes with nogravy." This caused an outpouring of criticism from across Canada and around the world for the star's behavior.[27][28]
The following night, the band opened forWillie Nelson atToronto's prestigiousMassey Hall. A series of boos and catcalls erupted mid-set, with people in the audience yelling "here comes the gravy!" when Thornton tried to explain he liked Canadians but not the CBC radio host. Before the show, when asked about his "gravy" comment, Thornton claimed he was talking about the radio host.[29] Local reviews of Thornton's Toronto performance were not positive.[30]Toronto Star called Thornton's voice a "high, tinny whine" andThe Globe and Mail commented that "Nelson could teach Billy Bob Thornton more than a few things".[23][31] On April 10, The Boxmasters dropped out of the tour early, announcing that they would not be playing with Nelson during subsequent concerts scheduled inLondon, Ontario, andMontreal. Thornton said that band members had come down with theflu. Willie Nelson's publicist had no comment.[30]
The band resumed touring inStamford, Connecticut, on April 14.[32] In the aftermath of the controversy, Thornton appeared onJimmy Kimmel Live! and he said, "The fact that was news was astounding to me... But it gave humpbacked geeks all over the world something to do for a couple of days." He added that he only wants to be perceived as a musician in the context of the band, remarking that "I'm just in their band, I'm just one of those guys".[33]
In 2010, The Boxmasters ceased touring for almost five years. During that timeBilly Bob Thornton wrote & directed the feature filmJayne Mansfield's Car.
In 2015 the Boxmasters returned with the albumSomewhere Down The Road released by 101 Ranch Records. Rolling Stone said "This sprawling double album, which amazingly doesn't feelUse Your Illusion bloated, finds him and the ace 'Masters — who play the Grand Ole Opry on August 18th — mixing country noir with bright jangle pop. One disc is all Americana gothic, while the other isNuggets by way of Liverpool. "Always Lie," from the twangy half of the project, is Thornton devilishly sharing his trick for dealing with the press and ranks with some of country's most honest songwriting. (Or does it?)"[34]
While the British Invasion-loving Boxmasters have been called everything from psycho-billy to country-rock
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