It’s bluegrass, outside the box! The energetic quintet The Box Band has been hard at work playing live shows and making waves in the studio, as they prepare to release their first full-length studio album “Don’t Buy It.”
The singles are rolling out – check out Weepin’ Willow below – and the release show is set for May 4th at Robert’s Westside in Forest Park. Tickets here!
But before you go to the show, check out one of our favorite tracks from the Box Band and read our Q&A below!
BC: Tell us more about your new album. Is this your first full-length studio album for the Box Band? Are the tunes all original or are there some covers mixed in there as well?
BB: We have recorded numerous tracks, mostly as singles throughout the years, but yes this is our first full length studio album to be released as a whole. All the music is indeed original, written, arranged, and composed by all the members of the group.
BC: Where did you record and what was a highlight of the process?
BB: We recorded the entire album in two days at a family cabin of the guitar player, Mike Morgan. About 5 hours north into Wisconsin on the Menominee River. The highlight of the recording process was most certainly that we wanted to “capture” the essence of what the band actually sounds like live as a whole. It was recorded all live in the cabin together, as we wanted to convey the “energy” that comes out in a live performance.
BC: Seeing your tag line is ‘bluegrass. outside the box’ what does that mean to you?
BB: “Bluegrass Outside The Box” really kind of sums up the sound of the group. It’s a delightful play on words, but also a definition of where the group started and where it is now. It’s really an ever evolving process, and we live in the roots of the traditional sound of bluegrass, but allow the music to break free of any constraints that the genre may have (a.k.a the box) and let it breathe naturally with different sounds, styles, and influences. .
BC: How did you all meet/form the band?
BB: The drummer and guitar player, Collin Nordine and Mike Morgan, have been playing music together for almost 20 years. They began a small acoustic duo to play in the corner of a restaurant. They then met David Hannibal very shortly after, the mandolin player. The three of them continued their antics for about 8 years, playing festivals, weddings, and everything in between. Then they met Georgia Rae through a mutual friend, and she recorded on some studio tracks about 4 years ago. She soon joined the group full time a few years later. Georgia has a group, Georgia Rae Family Band, whose bass player, Trevor Mooney soon joined the group a little over a year ago. A quote from the drummer Collin Nordine, “I’ve never been a part of a group that has had more love, understanding, and excitement reciprocated equally between all the members of the same group.”
BC: What are your plans following album release? What are you looking forward to?
BB: The Band plans to tour in Kentucky and the midwest after the release, as well as start plans for the next full album to come out next year. We are truly excited mostly to release the album to a wider audience that won’t always have a chance to see us live. That’s why this album is special to us, because it truly captures what we sound like as a group in person. It’s not over produced, over mixed, it’s really just a pure and honest sound of friends making music together for themselves and to share with others.
Thank you to the Box Band for sharing their fresh new sound and Q&A!
Don’t miss the Box Band album release at Roberts Westside!
Tickets for May 4th here