Newspaper Page Text
SPENCE
1 SIS OF W
HUMIC i MU Ml in
W ith the proper punctuation trailing it, his
name instantly becomes a question, and
that phenomenon is appropriately ironic
considering the number of genuinely
curious inquiries the career of Texas-based
songwriting machine Will Johnson inspires.
That irony is lost, and unfortunately the
questions are left unanswered, if one were to
consider the artist with the same casual regard
the general (record-buying) public does. Yes,
that is to say that Johnson, whether operat
ing as a solo artist, peddling dusty lullabies
in side project South San Gabriel or boldly
navigating his flagship band Centro-matic into
rockier waters—is criminally underappreciated.
At half-past press time, Flagpole was able to
connect with Johnson, and because thorough
biographies aren't found in 600-word spaces,
he remains somewhat of a mystery.
We can be certain of a few things after
following the footsteps and reviewing the
substantiated facts. Johnson is bringing both
South San Gabriel (which counts local pedal-
steel player Matt Stoessel as a member) and
Centro-matic to the familiar environs of the 40
Watt on a breakneck fall mini-tour (13 shows
in 15 nights) to support their summer '08
two-disc release Dual Hawks (Misra Records).
The Centro-matic side of Hawks represents the
most straightahead rock sound of the band's
decade-plus history. The snapshot offers a
more cerebrally countrified and mature ver
sion of the band (see "Remind Us Alive" and
"Twenty-Four"), begging the question: If you
live in Texas long enough, does it become
impossible to avoid writing country tunes?
"I don't necessarily subscribe to that belief,"
says Johnson with a laugh, adding, "It hap
pens to a lot of people... I'm trying to resist
at this point."
While the stripped-down, roots-rock
approach represents somewhat of a departure,
the band is holed up in the same laboratory—
simply experimenting with different equations
and chemicals. The album is decidedly less
fuzzy, psychedelic and lyrically vague (cr per
haps Johnson's codes and images are becom
ing easier to decipher after all these years)
than predecessors All the Falsest Hearts Can
Try, a Flaming Lips-esque mythological freak-
out, or Love You Just the Same, a fine collec
tion of indie-rock ballads and weirdo anthems
that should find itself bn the decade-ending
"Best of' lists that will undoubtedly crop up
all over the place over the course of the next
365, or so, days. Does Johnson agree? Were
bells and whistles dropped, or asked to play
subtle roles in the mix, in favor of a more
rock-and-roll-purist approach? "I think that's
a pretty fair assessment," concurs Johnson.
"We wrote the majority of the record during
the recording process—sometimes I'd work in
the morning and by nighttime we had a song
that didn't exist 12 hours earlier. It was raw
and in the moment."
To what can we attribute Centro-matic's
pleasingly prolific tendencies (nine full-
lengths and a handful of EPs and other
releases) and unusual longevity (together for
more than a decade), considering the atten
tion deficit that ravages the human condition
and an art world plagued by egocentric ten
dencies? If forced to guess using the available
empirical evidence, Flagpole would channel
our inner Freud and suggest that Johnson and
his critically important cohorts Scott Danbom
(multi-instrumentalist), Mark Hedman (multi
instrumentalist) and Matt Pence (percussion)
have never bothered with egos. As Johnson
explains, "The longevity can be attributed to
our inherent nature of keeping friendships at
the forefront. We've become adults together.
We truly enjoy being in each other's company,
and we look forward to seeing each other
again, hopping in a van and playing music."
If one, or in this case four (sometimes
more) folks are able to consistently satiate the
demands and needs of the Id, and the creative
process continues to be a pleasurable one,
there is no need to abandon the impulses that
have guided you to fruition, time and again.
Unfortunately, within the more experimen
tal end of the musical genre that has come
to be known as Americana there seems to be
room for only one Wilco on the tributary that
spills into mainstream consciousness. That's
a shame, because we deserve steady doses
of Will Johnson in whatever incarnation he
chooses to manifest.
David Eduardo
*
WHO: Centro-matic, South San Gabnel,
Baptist Generals
WHERE: 40 Watt Club
WHEN: Friday, Nov. 21
HOW MUCH: FREE!
v J
os again this year for our
giving Day Buffet complete
h all of your favorites!
Jwill lie from lnooam until 2:30pm
For reservations please call
706.549.7020
wwyRfoundryparkinn.com
Nov. 27*
$29 for adults
wwwioundiyparkinn.t
1 order by Chef with
with Warm Maple S
Butternut Squash Bisque n|
(nn Baby G
Vegetable
Blind Pig
Tavern
INTERNET ACCESS
HR SUNDAY TICKET
Ion our big screen plasma ml
18 BIG SCREEN
& PLASMA TVs
485 BALDWIN STREET • (706) 548-3442
NOVEMBER 19,2008 • FLAGP0LE.COM 19