Compelled by a mutual desire for simplicity, and a musical formula that clicked flawlessly, The BoxCutters arose from the razing of a former project. Armed only with their storied pasts, sculpted by the elemental realities of childhood in Montana, and the musical influences they held most dear; William Birkenbuel (vocals/guitar), and Abraham Jindrich (drums) set out and created their vision of the music of Montana.
Growing up in Great Falls, William Birkenbuel was always exposed to great stories and storytellers of mythical proportions. He took the story telling of his grandfather and ran with it. Soon music was introduced and his stories unfolded to the tunes that coursed through his head. After a brief bass playing stint in a punk band in California, William returned to the guitar and home to Montana and hasn’t left either. Guitar playing comes naturally to William, and it shows. His catchy hooks and riffs are equalled only by the earwig quality of his lyrics. You will sing his songs over and over, and be humming his tunes days after a show.
Vacillating between East Glacier and Missoula for most of his childhood, Abraham Jindrich was destined to play drums. His parents caught him beating on their good cookware again and again, and finally realized that his energy would be better spent on equipment designed to take that beating. Music and drumming have been part of Abraham’s life since those early pot bashing sessions, and he has developed his own style of machine-gun drumming. Combine this drumming with the power and poignancy of Birkenbuel’s guitar and vocals you have a formula for rock and roll.
In an off-the-grid cabin in the hills outside of town, The BoxCutters laid down their debut album, The Evil in Young Men, in one day of recording. The BoxCutters’ music is an all-original meditation on the devilish details of life, and living that life in the Big Sky Country; from spotlight hunting coyotes for the bounty on their hides, to chickening out at the opportunity to talk to a beautiful woman, to the scars borne by friends returning from service in war. The BoxCutters’ William Birkenbuel’s songwriting conveys the drama of life as it truly is, insistent, and ever-present. At the root of it all, The BoxCutters play gritty, energetic, two-man music. Many are fooled by their small number, only to be blown away by the ferocity of The BoxCutters’ live show. This two man band holds the stage down harder than any five piece out there.
Working tirelessly to improve their craft, The BoxCutters have sharpened their set on the notoriously fickle audiences of their home state. Cutting teeth in such an environment has honed their set to a razor’s edge, trimmed the fat, and left this band hungry to bring it’s vision of Montana Rock to the world. Make no mistake, after you have listened to their music, you will have one of The BoxCutters’ songs ‘livin’ inside your head’, and you will be dying to see them again.
