caption current_members website years_active label article_title past_members background alt genre image origin name
the california in september 2007 band performing at slims in san francisco , j.d. andrew billy bob thornton unknown hinson -lsb- http://www.theboxmasters.com/ theboxmasters.com -rsb- 2007 -- present vanguard the boxmasters
 micheal wayne butler group_or_band billy bob thornton standing , singing into a microphone country rock , rockabilly , mod billybobthornton.jpg bellflower , california , united states the boxmasters
the boxmasters

the boxmasters is an american country rock/rockabilly band founded in bellflower , california in 2007 .
it features academy award-winning actor billy bob thornton playing the drummer and vocalist , with j.d. andrew on rhythm guitar , danny baker -lrb- aka unknown hinson -rrb- on bass guitar , brad davis doing vocals and playing lead guitar , and micheal wayne butler on guitars and lap steel .
the group has released three albums on vanguard records , the first being the eponymous `` the boxmasters '' and the second being the holiday album `` christmas cheer '' , in 2008 .
before he started the boxmasters , frontman thornton had played in two cover bands , worked as a roadie , and released four solo albums .
after listening to `` yesterday 's gone '' by chad & jeremy and thinking about covering it in a hillbilly music style , he had the idea of making americanized version of british invasion pop songs .
during its early days , the band played several live shows in the california area , as well as in tecate , mexico .
from mid-2008 to late-2008 , the group embarked on a tour across the united states , ending in los angeles .
it also played for the march 2009 south by southwest conference .
the group went on to play in canada in early-2009 .
in the aftermath of a controversial interview on the cbc radio one program `` q '' in early-april 2009 , in which thornton labeled his canadian audience ` mashed potatoes with no gravy ' , the band stopped its canadian tour early .
it resumed touring in mid-april 2009 in the united states .
