Billy Bob Thornton and the Boxmasters to perform at Ponte Vedra Concert Hall July 15

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Billy Bob Thornton and The Boxmasters will play at the Ponte Vedra Concert Hall on Monday, July 15, according a press release distributed by the music venue on Monday. 

Consisting of actor, musician and drummer Billy Bob “Bud” Thornton, J.D. Andrews on bass, guitars and vocals, and Michael Wayne Butler on guitars and lap steel, Billy Bob Thornton and The Boxmasters put a unique spin on the genre by adding a dash of British Invasion-era rock to the mix.

In late 2017 and 2018, The Boxmasters teamed up with legendary engineer/producer Geoff Emerick for an album that Emerick has called, “one of the most exciting projects I’ve worked on since The Beatles.” The album, “Speck,” will be released on June 7 through KeenTone Records /Thirty Tigers. Emerick, however, died on Oct. 2, 2018, before the album was released. 

Known for taking over the engineer’s chair on The Beatle’s albums “Revolver,” “Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” and more, Emerick added a familiar sonic touch to the sound of The Boxmasters, who have been Beatles and British Invasion fans. His work on albums by Badfinger, The Zombies, America and Paul McCartney, among many others, have always been huge influences on The Boxmasters. 

According to the Ponte Vedra Concert Hall, “Speck” touches on all of The Boxmaster’s influences, including The Beatles, The Byrds and Big Star, but there are new sonic touches as well. Ukulele, cardboard boxes and the Beatle’s famous “tea towels on the drums” trick pop up on songs throughout the album.

“Geoff really did an amazing job on the mixing of this album and did it in a way that you recognize sounds you’ve known all of your life, but at that same time are in a new way,” J.D. Andrews said. “And I really loved being able to sit back and enjoy the mixes of an album instead of sweating every tiny detail of every song.”

Billy Bob “Bud” Thornton said the album deals with everything from personal relationship to politics to social issues. 

“The theme being that we are all specks in this universe trying to navigate it, during trying times in the world we still have our own loves, desires, problems and dreams as individuals,” Thornton said. “We're just little humans. No matter what our standing is in society.”

The Boxmasters have also been working on finishing another long-awaited project titled, “And Then We Drove,” as well as contributing music to an upcoming independent feature film titled, “Spare Room.”

Tickets for the Boxmasters’ show go on sale Friday, May 10, at 10 a.m. They range in price from $59 to $69, and are available at the Ponte Vedra Concert Hall and The Amp Box Offices and at ticketmaster.com.