11/20/2025

“ON THE BUS WITH TROY VOLLHOFFER” CONTINUES SEASON 3 WITH THE BOXMASTERS EPISODE FEATURING BILLY BOB THORNTON & J.D. ANDREW

Country Thunder — the largest Country music festival brand in North America — excitedly presents the latest installment of its popular podcast “On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer” today. The new episode is a very special conversation with The Boxmasters, Billy Bob Thornton and J.D. Andrew.  Once again, Country Thunder CEO and host Vollhoffer dives into the origins of the group, stories from the road, and the making of their most recent full-length album, Pepper Tree Hill.

In The Boxmasters, Thornton and Andrew have lived out some of their greatest rock ‘n’ roll fantasies, including recording at Abbey Road Studios. Earlier this year, they notably supported The Who on a handful of shows during the legendary group’s final North American tour. Even though they’ve shared stages with everyone from ZZ Top and Steve Miller to Elvis Costello and George Thorogood, this run proved to be particularly special.

Thornton smiles, “When you see these guys on Ed Sullivan when you’re a kid and you follow them their whole career and the next thing you know you’re opening up for them, it’s very humbling. We’re proud that we got to be there for that moment.”

The guys also take Vollhoffer on a trip down memory lane, recounting how they got together in 2006 and worked on Thornton’s last solo album The Beautiful Door.

“It was December,” recalls Andrew. “I worked at Record Plant in Los Angeles. My boss Rose Mann-Cherney and her husband Ed had a Thanksgiving party. Ed was my mentor at the studio…They pulled me aside at one point and said, ‘Hey, it’s a possibility that Billy would need somebody to work with him for a couple of weeks to finish the record.’ I went over and heard what they had got going, and it’s like from the first note of [‘It’s Just Me’]…it hits hard. It’s beautiful.”

Subsequently, they also recorded more at Thornton’s house (which had previously belonged to not only Slash but Cecil B. DeMille). The Guns N’ Roses six-stringer had dubbed it “The Snake Pit,” but The Boxmasters re-christened it “The Cave.”

“We didn’t have any boa constrictors,” assures Thornton with a laugh.

Discussing The Boxmasters’s back catalog, Andrew singles out 2014’s Dinosaur as a watershed creative moment. “Dinosaur is all over the map musically. It’s got hard rock songs, it’s got bluegrass songs, it’s got all sorts of different genres of stuff, but it has a thread starting at the beginning.”

They also get into Pepper Tree Hill. Among many highlights, the band collaborated with both Brad Davis and Herb Alpert on the standout title track “Pepper Tree Hill.” About Alpert, Thornton exclaims, “He’s still touring, and he’s awesome. He is a wonderful human. He’s played on several songs. That’s the only one that’s been released so far. But the great thing about Herb is when you hear him play trumpet, it’s him.”

The same could be said of The Boxmasters…

As always, they’ve got more touring, music, and surprises on the horizon.

 

WATCH THE EPISODE HERE

 

It’s been a stacked year for “On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer,” with Season 3 guests including MULTI-PLATINUM Country superstar Cody Johnson, history-making award-winning band Old Dominion, Tennessee-born singer and songwriter Larry Fleet and GRAMMY® Award-nominated, MULTI-PLATINUM Country star Cole Swindell. Prior, Season 3 launched in September with an episode featuring 23x No. 1 hitmaker Tyler Hubbard. Now, the podcast has steadily emerged as one of the premier Country music podcasts, elevating Vollhoffer as an industry tastemaker and sharp businessman. Over the course of its first two seasons, he sat down for insightful, revealing, and often hilarious interviews with the likes of Jake Owen, Blake Shelton, HARDY, Gavin Adcock, Koe Wetzel, Dierks Bentley, Bailey Zimmerman, Ashley McBryde, Marty Stuart, and many more. During Season 1, the podcast notably shook the charts and reached #1 in Music among Apple Podcasts in the U.S. Not to mention, the Dustin Lynch episode debuted in the Top 1% of all podcasts. Following this success, all episodes in Seasons 2 and 3 performed better than 95% of podcasts in their first seven days. Additionally, with the expansion to video in Season 2, Blake Shelton’s episode received over 105K views, with Jordan Davis and Gavin Adcock each gaining over 95K views.

With cameras rolling and tape running, he engages in funny and freewheeling discourse with major Country talent as well as buzzing acts. The episodes are filmed from Vollhoffer’s tour bus and home studio, providing an unfiltered vignette into the lives of artists as they tell stories, recall memories, and share unwavering passion for music.

The podcast stands out as a must-listen for Country aficionados and music fans at large. Boasting an intimate format, exclusive content, and an elite lineup of all-star guests, there’s nothing quite like it.

 
 

 
 

ABOUT BOXMASTERS:
In conjunction with the release of their newest album on July 11th, “Pepper Tree Hill”, The Boxmasters will follow by kicking off a tour of the United States in August. This marks their 19th 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 studio on an album called “Pepper Tree Hill.”

“Abbey Road was the studio the Beatles recorded their album “Abbey Road” in and are a huge influence on us,” says Bud. “In a way , since our studio is called Pepper Tree Hill , you could say this is our Abbey Road and you can hear odes to our influences the British Invasion including the Beatles, Badfinger, The Kinks etc.”

Joining The Boxmasters on the title cut “Pepper Tree Hill” is the legendary trumpeter and bandleader Herb Alpert. “I talked to Herb on the phone and he asked what we were up to and told him we were recording a new album and he said to send him a song. He sent it back right away with an immediately recognizable part that you instantly know is Herb Alpert.” Says Bud.

Also joining on the song “Pepper Tree Hill” is longtime collaborator and Boxmaster alum Brad Davis. “Brad was out at the studio while we were working on another album with him and we thought that “Pepper Tree Hill” would be a great song to have him play guitar on and of course he played an amazing part.” Says J.D.

Aside from the song “Pepper Tree Hill”, the rest of the album contains all of the familiar sounds of the sixties that The Boxmasters are fond of. Jangly guitars, Mellotrons, and solid backbeats drive the songs about nostalgia, hope, happiness and with the title song “Pepper Tree Hill,” a salute to the creative atmosphere that The Boxmasters thrive in.

The “2025 Pepper Tree Hill Tour” starts in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina on August 20th and ends in Los Angeles on October 19th. Some familiar stops like in Kansas City at Knuckleheads, and Tomball, TX at Main Street Crossing are joined by 5 nights at the Bourbon and Bonfire weekends in Livingston, Montana and many other new towns and venues across the country.

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. Opening for the likes of ZZ Top, Steve Miller, George Thorogood and Bubbles and The Sh*t Rockers, 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.

ABOUT COUNTRY THUNDER:
Attracting nearly 625,000+ fans to its seven multi-day events, Country Thunder Music Festivals boast unparalleled reach with a diverse demographic profile spanning the USA and Canada. Featuring top-tier Country artists, Country Thunder Festivals draw diverse crowds, fostering a vibrant atmosphere that celebrates the essence of Country music. The Country Thunder Music Festivals organization has a 22-year history which boasts six other major multi-day events in North America, including Wisconsin, Florida, Arizona, Saskatchewan, and Alberta. 

ABOUT TROY VOLLHOFFER:
Troy Vollhoffer is an American entrepreneur from Nashville, TN and currently serves as the President of Country Thunder Music Festivals, Big Valley Jamboree, and Premier Global Production Company. One of the most beloved festival brands in the world, Country Thunder has seen tremendous success, receiving numerous awards including the ACM Festival of the Year for Country Thunder Arizona, Wisconsin, and most recently, Bristol in 2023. For his transformation of the festival, Vollhoffer was honored with the Academy of Country Music Lifting Lives Award and the Don Romero Talent Buyer of the Year Award at the ACM Honors in 2023.

Vollhoffer played professional ice hockey from 1982-1992 and has served on the boards of the T.J. Martell Foundation, Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital, ACM Lifting Lives, ACM and CMA. His dedicated philanthropic commitment was recognized at the 2018 CCMA Awards, where he received the Slaight Music Humanitarian Award.

ABOUT ON THE BUS WITH TROY VOLLHOFFER:
Troy Vollhoffer, owner and founder of Country Thunder Music Festival, invites the biggest Country artists and industry giants to join him for a one-on-one celebrity interview “On the Bus.”  As Troy opens his home, his tour bus, and festival venues to his audience for behind the scenes conversations, he asks exclusive questions, discusses festival do’s and don'ts, and highlights the tracks fans will hear on stage at Country Thunder this summer. Guests include Dustin Lynch, Koe Wetzel, Tigirlily Gold, Dierks Bentley, Bailey Zimmerman, Jon Pardi, Ashley McBryde and countless other music industry legends, taking you backstage to share stories of their concerts, their careers, and their entertainment industry journeys. Be ready to be thunderstruck, "On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer."

 

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