Whether you know Billy Bob Thornton from his acting, or are part of the Boxmasters band’s cult following, his rock project with J.D. Andrew celebrates 20 years

As Billy Bob Thornton and J.D. Andrew’s 1960s-inspired rock project the Boxmasters approaches 20 years, the duo continues to churn out music and find ways to reinvent themselves – similar to their “Fab Four” inspirations.

In July, the pair released their second album of the year and their 19th record so far, “Pepper Tree Hill.” With as much music as the Boxmasters churn out, the two will be the first to admit they lose track of when one project ends and another begins.

“I literally cannot tell you when we recorded something,” Andrew said as Thornton laughed in agreement. “That’s what we love to do. Every second we have we’re writing songs and recording them.”

One reason the Boxmasters are capable of this impressive output goes back to their specifically designed studio. Located on Thornton’s property, below the hill his house sits and on a road lined with pepper trees, the two find inspiration and curate their classic sound.

“Our stuff is set up, we can walk in, flip the power switch on and the lights, and be ready to go in just a few minutes,” Andrew said. “We also have kind of everything dialed for the sounds we like to have … if we’re not making music and coming up with stuff, it’s not that we don’t have the resources.”

How Andrew and Thornton (for some, better known for his roles in “Sling Blade,” “Monster’s Ball” and “Bad Santa”) view the world from the vantage point of the studio (acting as a muse of sorts) is heavily addressed throughout the new album. In fact, their sheer love for the studio, alongside heavily prominent Beatles inspirations, led to the Boxmasters taking a page out of the Fab Four’s book.

“We started thinking, ‘Well, you know, they did their Abbey Road, we’ll do our Pepper Tree Hill,’” Thornton said. “We’re doing our version of that.”

The Beatles and their fellow British Invasion counterparts (the Kinks, the Animals, The Who, etc.) have always been primary inspirations for the Boxmasters. Just as countless musicians before and after them, they simply saw the Beatles and, as Thornton put it, “wanted to be just like them.” Throw in the classic California pop-rock sound with a bit of the Memphis sound, and you have the Boxmasters.

Although these sonic inspirations are very noticeable, with every record they become more and more distinctly “The Boxmasters.” With the band’s 20-year-anniversary coming in 2026, they continue to explore, evolve and develop.

“We do have different themes for different records, but the good news is that we’ve developed a sound where you can always tell it’s us,” Thornton said. “So you have that consistency and at the same time some different sounds and different subjects on certain records.”

The Boxmasters recently opened a couple shows for one of those inspirations, The Who, as part of their North American Farewell Tour. From ZZ Top to the Steve Miller Band to Elvis Costello, it’s not like the band has been short on featured talent, but with The Who, there was a sense of energy similar to that of lightning that may never strike twice.

“It was incredible,” Thornton said. “We got a standing ovation in Miami, and their manager told us that in their history they had only had standing ovations for four opening acts, and the first one was Lynyrd Skynyrd, and we were the fourth.”

Passion for the music and the sense of familial comradery among the entire band and crew have pushed the Boxmasters forward for years, as well as the devoted love of the fans and their “cult following.”

Although, these fans also continue to keep them on their toes. Their sheer passion led to a recent fight over the last copy of an exclusive independently released record at the merch booth that the two can’t help but find comical.

“I can say in 20 years we’ve never had a fight at the merch table … we’ve had plenty of fights in the crowd or in the parking lot, but just never at the merch table, so the other night was a brand new one for us,” Andrew said before Thornton laughed and added, “And in no way are we condoning or advertising that … please do not fight in Spokane!”