Billy Bob Thornton & The Boxmasters - 2026 Morro Rock Tour

In conjunction with the release of their newest album on June 12th, The Boxmasters will follow by kicking off a tour of the United States in June. This marks their 21st release as the ever-prolific J.D. Andrew and Bud Thornton showcase their love as always for the sounds of the sixties and the inspiration of their heroes on an album of called ‘In The Bay.’
Says Bud in regard to the album. “’In The Bay’ is our 21st release for The Boxmasters. Songs were all inspired by and either written or partially written in the small beach town of Morro Bay, California. It’s a slight departure from our Abbey Road influenced album ‘Pepper Tree Hill,’ but is still in the same wheelhouse. ‘In The Bay’ has a strong Brian Wilson influence in the way the instrumentation is used. It is our humble attempt at making our ‘Pet Sounds’. We’re certainly not The Beatles or The Beach Boys, no one will ever be, but those heroes continue to inspire us.”
“When we started this album, we had the general idea that we were going to make one of our more Sixties pop influenced albums. The songs came very easy and are based on Bud’s time spent on the central coast of California when he was spending time with his daughter at college. But what we didn’t realize until we spent time listening to the rough mixes on the bus during last years tour was that we were paying more homage to our heroes The Beach Boys than we had ever done. We didn’t intend to make a Beach Boys style record, but when their influence runs so deep through us it just happens” Says J.D.
Joining Bud and J.D. on piano on a couple of songs is Teddy Andreadis who has been a longtime collaborator and band member since Bud’s first major label release “Private Radio.” Notably, Teddy plays the “wind-up” piano on the song “The Swift” which was a production technique popularized by The Beatles’ producer George Martin. It involves recording a part on the tape machine at half speed and then playing it back at full speed to give it a “Chipmunky” effect.
Formed in 2006, The Boxmasters have recorded an impressive and diverse catalogue of music that touches on their love of a wide array of influences, but most importantly, the rock and roll of the 1960’s. Listening to The Boxmasters, one can hear obvious odes to the Beatles, Byrds and Beach Boys, but also important to The Boxmasters are The Mothers of Invention, The Allman Brothers, Kris Kristofferson, John Prine and Big Star.
As a touring band, The Boxmasters have cultivated a rabid cult fanbase across the United States, Canada and now Europe and the United Kingdom. In 2025, The Boxmasters opened for one of the top 3 bands in history, The Who, on their “The Song Ends Tour” in Sunrise, FL and Newark, NJ. In Sunrise, manager Bill Curbishly told Bud that only 3 bands had received a standing ovation as the opening act in The Who history. The Boxmasters were the third.