Billy Bob Thornton and the Boxmasters Take Over Penn Peak Thurs June 22 2023
As a touring band, The Boxmasters have cultivated a rabid cult fanbase across the United States and Canada.
Opening for the likes of ZZ Top, Steve Miller, George Thorogood and Kid Rock, The Boxmasters have proven to win over large audiences.
Formed in 2007, 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, Kris Kristofferson, John Prine and Big Star.
Since forming The Boxmasters, several long-time friends have contributed to the sound of the band, but the core of The Boxmasters has always been Andrew and Thornton.
During the shutdown of 2020, the recording studios in Los Angeles were closed for several months. For avid creators Bud and J.D., this was a time to start planning and writing for the day that the studios would open again and what sort of new songs would emerge.
Over the course of the next year, The Boxmasters would record three new albums.
A very personal album called “Nothing Personal” which is yet to be released, “Christmas In California” which was released in November of 2021 and “Help…I’m Alive” which is to be released on April 15th on Keentone Records / Thirty Tigers.
“It’s been difficult for people to live in this world for the past few years. Normally you hear someone cry out ‘Help, I’m drowning’ or ‘Help, I’m dying’.
This song is a tongue-in-cheek way of saying,
‘Wow it sucks being here right now. Help…I’m Alive.’
Well, okay, it’s really not so tongue-in-cheek.
“…I came up with the chorus and melody just walking around the house during lockdown. It just came out in that moment, just as it is on the record. I picked up a guitar and Facetimed J.D.” recalls Bud about the creation of the title track on the album.
See Billy Bob Thornton and the Boxmasters at Penn’s Peak
For more information on Penn’s Peak, go to www.pennspeak.com or call 866-605-7325.
“This album was really a cathartic release for us. We were able to be in our favorite place in the world, which is the recording studio. So we made a joyful noise. Meanwhile there was a lot of pain and suffering and fighting all around us. I lost one of my best friends from childhood who took his own life on one of the days that we were recording. So there are those bits of sadness in these poppy and fun sounding songs” says J.D.
Billy Bob Thornton and the Boxmasters perform at Penn Peak
The “2022 Help…I’m Alive” Tour runs from April into June and makes stops in all areas of the United States.
Familiar stops in Kansas City at Knuckleheads, Atlanta, Annapolis, Oregon and California are joined with new venues in Texas, Wyoming, Ohio and Kentucky.
“We were having the best tour of our careers last summer before we had to stop due to the coronavirus. So we are very excited to get back out there and in front of the fans” says J.D.
“We should have some new merchandise as well as a few new songs from both “Help…I’m Alive” as well as new songs that we’ve been writing in the last few months.”
Formed in 2007, 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, Kris Kristofferson, John Prine and Big Star.
Since forming The Boxmasters, several long-time friends have contributed to the sound of the band, but the core of The Boxmasters has always been Andrew and Thornton.
As primary songwriters, the sound of the Boxmasters has been an evolution as the duo constantly strive to find new inspiration, new sounds and new ways of expressing what is in their hearts and on their minds. But at the core, there is a backbeat, a lyric with meaning and music played with emotion.
As a touring band, The Boxmasters have cultivated a rabid cult fanbase across the United States and Canada. Opening for the likes of ZZ Top, Steve Miller, George Thorogood and Kid Rock The Boxmasters have proven to win over large audiences.
As a headliner, frequent stops in Kansas City at “Knuckleheads”, Springfield, Illinois at “Boondocks” and “Merrimack Hall” in Huntsville, Alabama have shown dedicated yet still growing audiences. Two appearances at Levon Helm’s “Midnight Ramble” in Woodstock, New York were highlight performances for the band, as well as the “Ramble at The Ryman” that Levon hosted in 2008. The Boxmasters performed on “The Grand Ole Opry” in 2015, another in a growing resume of must-play venues.
Tickets on sale Friday, January 27th at 10:00AM at all Ticketmaster outlets, the Penn’s Peak Box Office and Roadies Restaurant and Bar. Penn’s Peak Box Office and Roadies Restaurant ticket sales are walk-up only, no phone orders.
Reserved Seating
Premium Reserved: $25.00
Regular Reserved: $20.00
About Penn’s Peak
Penn’s Peak, a beautiful mountaintop entertainment venue located in Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania, can comfortably host 1,800 concertgoers. Enjoy a spacious dance floor, lofty ceilings, concert bar/concession area and a full service restaurant and bar aptly named Roadie’s. Complete with a broad open-air deck for summertime revelry, Penn’s Peak patrons enjoy a breathtaking overlook of nearby Beltzville Lake, plus a commanding, picturesque 50-mile panoramic view of northeastern Pennsylvania’s Appalachian Mountains. Choose Penn’s Peak for your next wedding, banquet or special event and treat your guests to an event truly “Above the Rest”.
Geographically convenient to residents of major population zones in Hazleton, Scranton, Wilkes-Barre, Stroudsburg, the Lehigh Valley, Philadelphia and New York City, Penn’s Peak is an ideal location for any event. It is located only four miles from Exit 74 of the northeast extension of the Pennsylvania Turnpike.
For more information on Penn’s Peak, go to www.pennspeak.com or call 866-605-7325.