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Our Review

Ooooooh, I've been waiting to receive this fine offering for months. Though somewhat slim in presentation (only 33 minutes), the promise of Billy Bob Thornton (W.R. "Bud" Thornton here) with his Boxmasters cohorts (J.D. Andrew & Micheal Wayne Butler) wailin' away on Christmas Cheer piqued my curiosity, and I enthusiastically tossed the CD into my player. Self-described "electric hillbilly" musicians, the Boxmasters' Christmas Cheer successfully combines country honky-tonk stylings on classic holiday numbers with shades of "Bad Santa."

The album cover provides the first clue. On the front, the Boxmasters stand stiffly in black suits, wearing black expressions; on the back, a Christmas tree erupts in flames. Christmas Cheer, of course, is an ironic title; the release blends the darkest sides of the holiday with some seasonal fun.

Christmas Cheeer contains three Thornton originals (with co-writers), jaded portraits of familial dysfunction over the holidays. On the opening cut (My Dreams of Christmas by Thornton/Andrew), little Billy Bob "got screwed by Santa Claus again" in a home where unemployed daddy drank too much, and mommy suffered from domestic abuse. In Slower Than Christmas (by Thornton/Davis/Andrew), Thornton describes Christmas as "the day of Hell"; his crazy family members "even send Santy Claus climin' up the walls." Two other tracks treat Christmastime behind bars (including John Prine's fine Christmas in Prison). Don't get me wrong--I actually enjoyed Christmas Cheer quite a bit. After all, almost all of us can identify with the sentiments of holiday disappointment in a season where expectations are overbuilt, and more than a few have experienced dysfunctional private lives to varying degrees. It is frankly refreshing to have a seasonal album that addresses these issues head-on with dark humor and creativity. In real life, most Christmas seasons provide uneasy mixes of joy and trepidation.

In addition, the recording is definitely not all doom and gloom. In fact, the Boxmasters do nice, country-tinged turns on holiday standards such as Silver Bells and the honky-tonk Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. The rockin' We Three Kings of Orient Are is particularly upbeat, and the offering ends well with the Lennon/Ono anthem Happy X-mas (War Is Over).

Christmas Cheer is an eclectic holiday mix for those with a dark sense of humor and an affection for country-laced seasonal offerings (or perhaps just a hankering to hear Billy Bob Thornton croon Blue Christmas). In any event, the Boxmasters boys are in fine form on this CD; they're clearly enjoying themselves, and the right audience will have a grand time, too!

--Carol Swanson
(Reviewed in 2008)

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From the liner notes:

The Boxmasters are:
W.R. "Bud" Thornton (lead and harmony singing, drums, tambourine)
J.D. Andrew (bass, electric and acoustic guitars, harmony singing)
Micheal Wayne Butler (electric guitars, dobro, lap steel)

Additional Boxmasters Help-age:
Brad Davis (mandolin, electric guitar)
Teddy Andreadis (organ, accordion)

Produced by W.R. "Bud" Thornton & J.D. Andrew
Recorded & Mixed by J.D. Andrew at The Cave


From the Website:

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. They also shared a love of 60's pop and rock music and the 60's in general. They decided to combine those things and form a band. But, they needed at least one more member.

J.D. knew a talented, lead guitar player named Micheal Wayne Butler from Brattleboro, Vermont. They formed 'The Boxmasters' and rehearsed for months in J.D.'s apartment or 'Flat' as the British Invasion groups called it. They played small club dates around Bellflower, Long Beach, Hawthorne, Downey, Southgate and even as far as the Inland Empire as well as a couple of shows in Tecate, Mexico. And so the Boxmasters were born. What happened between now and then is somewhat hazy, but all you need to know is they finally landed a great record deal with Vanguard Records. W.R. 'Bud' Thornton handles the lead and background vocals and drums and tambourine. J.D. plays electric and acoustic guitar and bass and sings background vocals with Micheal Wayne on electric guitar and lap steel.

The Boxmasters

Christmas Cheer

Artist link

Track List