People love Billy Bob Thornton . . . or they hate him. Either way, they owe themselves a listen to selections from his new band’s new album.

The Boxmasters combine the English Invasion with 60s hillbilly music to form “electric hillbilly.” It’s heavy on steel guitar, which gives all their songs the twang that screams “old country.” I love the sound. Thornton’s voice and accent fit the songs the way Johnny Cash fit black.

The Boxmasters were formed long ago when W.R. ‘Bud’ Thornton went in to a fast food chicken restaurant in Bellflower, California and got in an argument with the young man working the counter over a coleslaw incident. That young man was J.D. “J.D.” Andrew. The incident turned out to be a misunderstanding and the two had a laugh about it and they became fast friends. They started hanging out together and eventually discovered that they had both come to California in search of the big time in the world of ELECTRIC HILLBILLY Music, W.R. ‘Bud’ from Hot Springs, Arkansas and J.D. from Gypsum, Kansas.

The album will be available in stores on June 10, but you can download cuts and a preview album from Dell Lounge. Cuts are $ 0.99 each and the full set is $7.90. The Boxmasters kick off a tour on July 11 in Jacksonville, OR. It arrives in St. Louis in August in the Bottleneck Blues Bar in the Ameristar Casino in St. Charles.

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