Pitchfork: Centro-Matic's Will Johnson: Two Albums, Tour

Centro-Matic's Will Johnson: Two Albums, Tour
Hollywood's Steve Guttenburg: Still a jackass

It's that time again, so let's take a spin on the Will Johnson newswheel and see where we land, shall we? ClickClickClickClick Click Click...Click.........Click! And it looks like the arrow has landed on Will Johnson! Well, Johnson has for some months been working on a new solo record, which according to the official Centro-Matic/South San Gabriel/Will Johnson website, is now completed. Entitled Vultures Await, the album will be released September 7th on Misra Records, and according to a recent report from the Misra folks, this one should be a bit more fleshed-out than the mostly "one guy and a guitar" approach of Johnson's solo debut, A Murder of Tides. The tracklist, you say? Well, hey:

01 Catherine Dupree
02 Just to Know What You�ve Been Dreaming
03 Vultures Await
04 Just Some Silence
05 Sleep a While
06 As Victims Would
07 Closing Down My House
08 On, Caledonia
09 Your Bulldozer
10 A Thousand Other Parts
11 Fly, My Sweet Dove
12 Nothin� But Godzilla

Before we move on, it should be noted that, like the insanely driven musician that he is, Will Johnson has recorded another album, this one a lo-fi affair mainly consisting of reworkings of Centro-Matic songs. Entitled Survey/Voyage 2004-2005, the record is a limited edition CD, is all acoustic, and was recorded live to four-track in Johnson's kitchen. You can buy it straight from the man himself on tour this August (don't worry, we'll get there), or check out Misra's website around the same time. Tracklist numero dos:

01 Who's Telling You Now?
02 Parade of Choosers
03 Mandatory on the Attack
04 Limited Quality
05 If We Had Our Say
06 D. Boon-Free
07 Slip Away
08 Are You Ready for the Shutdown?
09 All Along
10 Caught Between Us

As for South San Gabriel, the boys have finished recording the follow-up to 2003's quite wonderful Welcome, Convalescence. The album is as yet untitled and untracklisted, but should be out sometime in 2005. And Centro-Matic? Well, they'll be playing a few dates and the Austin City Limits Festival, with every other indie band in the world. There are also a couple Will Johnson dates, with the promise of many more to come. Here's the schedule for now:

08-05 Dallas, TX - Gypsy Tea Room (Centro-Matic) *
08-06 Norman, OK - Opolis (Centro-Matic) *
08-07 Austin, TX - Continental (Centro-Matic) *
08-12 Birmingham, AL - Work Play (Will Johnson) #
08-13 Atlanta, GA - The Earl (Will Johnson) #
08-14 Nashville, TN - Mercy Lounge (Will Johnson) #
09-19 Austin, TX - Austin City Limits Festival (Centro-Matic)

* with Death Ray Davies
# with Patterson Hood