Will Johnson (born March 23, 1971)[1] is an American musician, singer-songwriter, author and painter who was the lead singer of the bands Centro-matic and South San Gabriel. Called "one of the most prolific artists in American indie rock",[2] Johnson has also released solo records, and is a member of the bands Monsters of Folk, New Multitudes and Overseas, and has also performed as part of the Undertow Orchestra.[3] He is currently a member of Jason Isbell's band, the 400 Unit.
Johnson attended the University of North Texas, where he was involved in Denton's active music scene. He double-majored in English and elementary education.[2]
Music career
Early music
Johnson began playing drums, piano and sang in his church choir at an early age. After moving to Killeen, Texas, from Kennett, Missouri, he was a founding member and drummer for the jangle-rock band The Benjamins. They released two cassettes in 1988 and 1989 before Johnson left to attend the University of North Texas. While there, Johnson played in bands such as Polyester, Salt Lick, The Dooms UK, and was a founding member of Baboon.
Funland
On Super Bowl Sunday 1991, Johnson joined Peter Schmidt and Clark Vogeler to form the band Melt, which changed its name to Funland in 1992. Funland signed with Arista Records that year, releasing the EP Sweetness in March 1993. The band toured regularly in the US and released its only full-length album, The Funland Band, on Steve Records in 1995. After five and a half years, Funland disbanded in June 1996.
Centro-matic began as a four-track cassette project when Johnson returned to college in May 1995. It was the first time he had written and sung songs, and later that year saw the release of the cassette Non-Directional Jetpack Race. A handful of 7-inch releases followed, and Johnson began playing live under the Centro-matic moniker in March 1996 as a solo performance with electric guitar and vocals. In December 1996, Johnson recorded the first Centro-matic full-length album, Redo The Stacks. Johnson played all the instruments except violin (Scott Danbom) and cello (Lindsay Romig), with a longtime friend Matt Pence engineering the lo-fi record.
In February 1997, Johnson started performing full-band Centro-matic shows with Mark Hedman on bass guitar and Pence on drums. Choosing to keep things informal, the band's first rehearsal was held after its second show. In March 1997, Danbom joined the band on the piano, fiddle, bass guitar, and vocals. Centro-matic continued to record and tour extensively in the United States and Europe under the same lineup until deciding to disband in 2014.
The band released ten albums and five EPs, plus several 7-inch recordings, cassettes, and compilation, and soundtrack appearances. The band worked with Jeff Powell, Anders Parker and Scott Solter. The full-lengths Navigational, B-sides compilation Static vs. The Strings Vol. 1 and All The Falsest Hearts Can Try was recorded at Jay Farrar's studio in Millstadt, Illinois. The band subsequently recorded most of its material at The Echo Lab in Argyle, Texas.
With his Centro-matic bandmates, Johnson formed the band South San Gabriel in the spring of 2001. It resulted from Centro-matic wanting to collaborate with and include other musicians while experimenting with a more spacious and atmospheric approach to writing and recording. South San Gabriel has a fluid lineup, with the band performing with anywhere from 3–10 members. South San Gabriel has released three full-length albums, plus EPs and singles.
Johnson collaborated with songwriter Jason Molina for the joint album Molina and Johnson, released on the Secretly Canadian label in November 2009. They met by chance at the SXSW festival in Austin in 2003 or 2004. They recorded the album over a week and a half in early 2008.[1] Johnson describes Molina as a "whirlwind of dedication and activity".[1] Another collaboration was discussed but it never came to fruition before Molina's death in 2013.[1]
Johnson has performed as part of the Undertow Orchestra with David Bazan, Vic Chesnutt and Mark Eitzel. Johnson first met Chestnutt in 1999 in Dallas. Chesnutt was a fan of Eitzel's music, and the two were long-time friends.[1]
According to Johnson, Bob Andrews, the manager for the four musicians, had the idea in 2005 to create a band called the Undertow Orchestra from members of the Undertow Music Collective. Johnson said Chesnutt was adamant that the shows not feature any solo performances, with the members working to play each other's songs as backing musicians.[1]
From 2009 to 2012, Johnson collaborated with Jay Farrar, Jim James, and Anders Parker on the Woody Guthrie archive project New Multitudes. The project involved the four songwriters setting music to Guthrie's unrecorded lyrics, and was recorded in several locations. The tribute album was released in 2012 with a short US tour following.
As part of the Monsters of Folk, Johnson participated in Neil Young's Bridge School Benefit in 2009. At the benefit, Johnson reconnected with former babysitter and family friend Sheryl Crow, who is also from Johnson's hometown.[1]
Writing
Johnson authored a novel If or When I Call which was published by Goliad Media and released on March 15, 2021.[6]
Painting
An avid baseball fan as a child, Johnson roots for the St. Louis Cardinals. Since 2008 Johnson has produced folk art paintings, mostly centering on the subject of baseball and its history. Commissions from friends eventually led to his work being exhibited in group and solo art shows.[1]
Exhibitions
April 2009: Cactus Music/The Record Ranch
August 2009: Good Records – Joint show with Matt Pence
2010: IF+D Gallery, Austin, TX – Solo show
2010: Bottletree, Birmingham, AL (2010) – Group show with Elliott McPherson
2010: The Downtown Gallery, Tuscaloosa, AL – Group show
2010: Bergino Gallery, New York, NY – Group show
2011: The Meme Gallery, Denton, TX – Solo show
2011: Lancaster Museum of Art, Lancaster, PA – Group show
2012: Webb Gallery, Waxahachie, TX – Group show with Jad Fair, David Fair, Tim Kerr, and Dan Phillips
2012: Team Love Gallery, New Paltz, NY – Solo show
2013: Yard Dog Gallery, Austin, TX – Solo show
2014: Bergino Gallery, New York, NY – Solo show
2014: Cenote, Austin, TX – Group show with Jessie Johnson
2015: Yard Dog Gallery, Austin, TX – Solo show
2015: Pioneer House, Knoxville, TN – Solo show
2016: Neighborhood Gallery, Dallas, TX – Group show with Tim Kerr
2017: Collide, Austin, TX – Group show with Mollie Tuggle
2020: Kessler Theater, Dallas, TX – Group show with Bruce Lee Webb and Tim Kerr
2020: Lenny's, Bloomington, IN – Solo show
2022: Yard Dog Gallery, Austin, TX – Solo Show
2023: The Long Time, Austin, TX – Group Show with Tim Kerr, Cruz Ortiz, Jack Sanders, Kathie Sever, Liz Gutierrez and more.
Personal life
As of 2022, Johnson currently lives in Hays County, Texas .[1]
Discography
Solo Discography
LPs
Will Johnson: Murder Of Tides (Undertow Music Collective 2002)
Marie/Lepanto: The Fix Is On (Constant Stranger, 2022)
Compilation appearances
The Six Parts Seven Lost Notes From Forgotten Songs" (Suicide Squeeze, 2003) [Will Johnson sings "Song Of Impossible Things"]
"Just To Know What You've Been Dreaming" on Across The Great Divide: Music Inspired By The Band (Uncut, 2005) [United Kingdom]
"The Schizmatists' Curse" on Songs For Another Place (Awful Bliss, 2005) [Italy]
"Cracking Of The Seal" on Turn 1 (Almost There, 2005)
"Catherine Dupree" on Live at KDHX, Vol. 4 (KDHX, 2006)
"Just To Know What You've Been Dreaming" on We Have The Technology (Misra, 2006) [compilation also includes Centro-Matic]
"Hearts" [Huey Lewis and The News cover] on Are You Still With Me?! (Bandcamp, 2008) [free digital compilation]
"Just To Know What You've Been Dreaming" on New Colors (Misra, 2007) [compilation also features Centro-Matic and South San Gabriel]
J. Matthew Gerken, Christian Kiefer, and Jefferson Pitcher Of Great And Mortal Men: 43 Songs For 43 presidents (Standard Recording Company, 2009) [Will Johnson contributes]
"The Big Game Is Every Night" [Songs: Ohia cover] on Weary Engine Blues (Graveface, 2013)
"34 Blues" [Molina and Johnson cover] on Farewell Transmission (Rock The Cause, 2014) [with Briton Biesenherz]
Producer
Austin Collins: Roses Are Black (2008)
Telegraph Canyon: The Tide and the Current (2009)
Collin Herring: Ocho (2009)
Austin Collins: Wrong Control (2010)
Chris Porter: This Red Mountain (2014)
Chris Porter: Don't Go Baby, It's Gonna Get Weird Without You (2017)
Jon Hoff: Forthcoming Release TBA
Parker Twomey: Forthcoming Release TBA
Austin Lucas: co-producer, Immortal Americans
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah: co-producer, New Fragility
Touring or guest musician
Funland: Drums, Vocals 1991–1996
Varnaline: Guitar, Vocals Winter and Spring 2002
Jay Bennett and Edward Burch: Drums, Vocals 2002
Undertow Orchestra: Guitar, Vocals, Drums 2006
Son Volt: Drums, October 2007
Jandek: Drums Summer 2007, Spring 2008
Monahans: Guitar, Vocals Spring 2008
The New Year: Guitar, Fall 2008
Patterson Hood and The Screwtopians: Guitar, Vocals. Summer 2009
Monsters Of Folk: Drums, Vocals Fall 2009
Strand Of Oaks: Drums, Stephen Colbert Show Appearance 2019
Guest musician/vocalist
Little Grizzly: Please Let Me Go, It Wasn't Meant To Be (1999)
Little Grizzly: I'd Be Lying If I Said I Wasn't Scared (2001)
Deathray Davies: Return of the Drunken Ventriloquist (2001)
