Centro-Matic

Centro-Matic
Centro-Matic at the Echo Lab
Background information
Origin	Denton, Texas, United States
Genres	Alternative country
Years active	1995–present
Labels	Idol, Misra, Quality Park
Associated acts	South San Gabriel Baboon Monsters of Folk
Website	www.centro-matic.com
Members
Will Johnson Matt Pence Scott Danbom Mark Hedman

Centro-Matic is an alternative country band based in Denton, Texas. It started in 1995 as a side-project for Will Johnson. It released a few singles that year and grew into a full-fledged group in 1997.^[1] The initial 60 songs recorded in a Millstadt, Illinois studio supplied the material for the quieter, more emotional Navigational on Idol Records and the louder, lo-fi The Static vs. the Strings, Vol. 1 on Quality Park Records.

Throughout his career, Johnson has had a reputation for being prolific and dynamic. So much so, that he built an entirely separate band, the much quieter side-project, South San Gabriel, named after the San Gabriel river fork north of Austin, Texas. The group consists of the same players from Centro-matic with the inclusion of guests, but focuses on more introspective and subdued offerings from Johnson's repertoire. Will has alternated between the two projects, while also releasing solo albums. Centro-matic released Distance and Clime on Idol in 2001 and "Love You Just the Same" on Misra in 2003. South San Gabriel released Welcome, Convalescense and The Carlton Chronicles in 2003 and 2005, respectively. Johnson's solo albums, Murder of Tides and Vultures Await, appeared in 2002 and 2004. Centro-matic followed up Love You Just the Same with Fort Recovery in March 2006. The two-disc set Dual Hawks was released in 2008, with one disc featuring the songs of Centro-matic and the other featuring South San Gabriel.^[2]

Johnson was recently introduced as an "official member" of the band Monsters of Folk,^[3] also consisting of Conor Oberst, Jim James, and M. Ward, on an episode of Austin City Limits the group performed on. On the taping, and on tour, Johnson serves as the band's drummer, provides backup vocals, as well as performing some material of his own.

Johnson was also a member of the group The Undertow Orchestra featuring David Bazan, Mark Eitzel, and the late Vic Chesnutt.

Johnson and Scott Danbom have performed as part of Drive-by Truckers frontman Patterson Hood's band, during his solo tours.^[4]

Centro-Matic has been managed by Bob Andrews of Undertow Music since 1997.

Members

• Will Johnson (singer, guitarist, songwriter)
• Matt Pence (drums and percussion)
• Scott Danbom (piano, violin, backing vocals, bass)
• Mark Hedman (bass, guitar)

Discography

LPs:

• Centro-matic: Redo the Stacks (Steve 1996)
• Centro-matic: Navigational (Idol 1999)
• Centro-matic: The Static vs. The Strings Vol. 1 (Quality Park 1999)
• Centro-matic: All the Falsest Hearts Can Try (Quality Park/Munich 1999)
• Centro-matic: South San Gabriel Songs/Music (Idol/Munich 2000)
• Centro-matic: Distance and Clime (Idol/Munich 2001)
• Will Johnson: Murder of Tides (Undertow 2002)
• South San Gabriel: Welcome, Convalescence (Undertow/Munich 2003)
• Centro-matic: Love You Just The Same (Misra/Munich 2003)
• Will Johnson: Vultures Await (Misra/Munich 2004)
• Will Johnson: Survey/Voyage (Misra 2005)
• South San Gabriel: The Carlton Chronicles - Not Until The Operation's Through (Misra/Munich/Houston Party 2005)
• Centro-matic: Fort Recovery (Misra/Cooking Vinyl/Houston Party 2006)
• Centro-matic/South San Gabriel: Dual Hawks 2 CD/LP (Misra/Cooking Vinyl/Houston Party 2008)
• Will Johnson/Jason Molina: Molina and Johnson (Secretly Canadian 2009)
• Centro-matic: Candidate Waltz (Undertow Music Collective 2011)

EPs:

• Centro-matic: Most Everyone Will Find (Munich 2000)
• Centro-matic: Opportunity Split EP with Vermont (Quality Park 2001)
• Centro-matic: Flashes and Cables EP (Misra 2004)
• South San Gabriel: I Am Six Pounds Of Dynamite (Munich 2005)
• Will Johnson: CDEP (Sixgunlover 2005)
• Centro-matic: Triggers and Trash Heaps EP (Misra 2006)
• Centro-matic: Operation Motorcide (Houston Party 2007)
• Centro-matic/South San Gabriel: Eyas (online 2010)
• Will Johnson: Little Raider EP (Undertow 2011)

7" Records:

• Centro-matic: Transistor EP (Automatic 1996)
• Centro-matic: Forget The Sixth Step (Steve 1996)
• Centro-matic: Tympanum (Transcontinental Recording Company)
• Centro-matic: Split w/ Tripping Daisy (Good 1999)
• South San Gabriel: Split w/ Okkervil River (Tight Spot 2002)
• Will Johnson: Split w/ The pAperchAse (Idol 2004)
• Will Johnson: Blackest Sparrow/Darkest Night 8" Lathe (People In a Position To Know 2007)

Cassettes:

• Centro-matic: Non-Directional Jetpack Race (1995)
• Centro-matic: Line Connection Aim (1997)

Soundtracks:

• Will Johnson: Greater Southbridge (2003)
• Centro-matic: "Fall To Grace" (Green Room Pictures 2005)
• Will Johnson: Score for "Hill Country" Documentary (University of Texas 2007)
• South San Gabriel: "Troubadours" (Downstate Productions 2007)
• South San Gabriel: "Salt Creek County" (Downstate Productions 2008)

Compilation Appearances:

• Centro-matic: Dallas Observer Scene/Heard (1995)
• Centro-matic: Band-Kits (Quality Park 2000)
• Centro-matic: Oorgasm #4 (Oor Magazine Holland 2000)
• Centro-matic: Awesome (Munich 2000)
• Centro-matic: Electric Ornaments (Idol 2000)
• Centro-matic: Esto No Es Un Cactus (Sinedin 2001)
• Centro-matic: New Voices (Rolling Stone Germany 2001)
• Centro-matic: Oorgasm #7 (Oor Magazine Holland 2001)
• Centro-matic: Best of Americana (Uncut Magazine 2002)
• Centro-matic: Just For Fun (Loretta Records 2002)
• Centro-matic: De Avonden Christmas 2003 (VPRO Holland)
• South San Gabriel: All Areas 41 (Visions Magazine)
• Will Johnson: Lost Notes From Forgotten Songs (Suicide Squeeze 2003)
• Centro-matic: New Noises 60 (Rolling Stone Germany 2003)
• Centro-matic: Sounds-Now! (Musikexpress 2003)
• Centro-matic: Already Gone - A Compilation of Texas Bands (2004)
• Will Johnson: Songs For Another Place (Awful Bliss 2005)
• South San Gabriel: Gimme Danger (Uncut Magazine 2005)
• Will Johnson: Almost There Compilation (Almost There 2005)
• Will Johnson: Across The Great Divide: Music Inspired By The Band (Uncut Magazine 2005)
• South San Gabriel: Comes With A Smile 14 (2005)
• Centro-matic: Live At Austin City Limits Music Festival (2006)
• Will Johnson: Live at KDHX Vol. 4 (2006)
• Centro-matic: Do It Again: A Tribute To Pet Sounds (Houston Party 2006)
• Centro-matic: Great (Misra/Absolutely Kosher 2008)
• Centro-matic: A Splash Of Sunshine Vol. 2 (679 Recordings 2008)
• Will Johnson: Are You Still With Me? A Tribute To Huey Lewis And The News (2008)
• Will Johnson: Of Great And Mortal Men - 43 Songs For 43 Presidents (Standard Recording Company 2009)

References

• Biography Heather Phares, Allmusic, Retrieved October 13, 2007

1. ^ http://www.dallasobserver.com/1997-04-03/music/centro-matic-for-the-people/
2. ^ http://www.dallasobserver.com/2008-05-29/music/centro-matic-s-will-johnson-is-a-study-in-opposites/
3. ^ http://video.pbs.org/video/1726171249/
4. ^ http://www.musichallofwilliamsburg.com/event/2985/

External links

• Official site
• Centro-Matic Interview at www.CountryMusicPride.com
• Will Johnson's 2011 interview with NPR's All Things Considered