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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.

The “2026 Morro Rock Tour” starts in mid-June and runs into August, ending on the 8th

in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin. Legendary venues The Ryman in Nashville, Billy Bob’s in Fort

Worth and Gruene Hall in New Braunfels, Texas, 2 nights in Kansas City at Knuckleheads on

July 3rd and 4th are of course highlights. Cities that have always supported The Boxmasters

such as Huntsville, AL, Sellersville, PA and Tomball, TX are on the tour schedule as well.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.

On April 25, 2026 The Boxmasters will make their Stagecoach Festival debut playing

along with a huge lineup of Rock and Country artists.

Opening for the likes of The Who, ZZ Top, Steve Miller, & George Thorogood, The

Boxmasters have proven to win over large audiences. As a headliner, frequent stops in Kansas

City at “Knuckleheads”, Los Angeles at “The Troubadour” and in Sellersville, PA at the

“Sellersville Theater” 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. Other highlights

include The Boxmasters performing on “The Grand Ole Opry” in 2015, and in 2023 The

Boxmasters fulfilled a life-long dream of playing The Cavern Club in Liverpool.