Summary: Centromatic Centro-Matic is an indie rock 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. The initial 60 songs recorded in a Millstadt, Illinois studio supplied the matierial 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 repetoire. 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. “What makes (Will Johnson) such a phenomenal lyricist is that he opts for the simplest language when painting an abstract picture.” -- Ben Gibbard of Death Cab for Cutie in the New York Times "It's unforgettable in a Neil Young or Jeff Tweedy kind of way… As multifarious as the indie rock canon it's practically everything: from the South, in the basement, smoking pot, on the porch, plugging in, plucking soft and clocking out. It's a hootenanny of sweetly weathered proportions, free-wheeling clap-alongs and perfectly boozy balladry - not to mention ass kicking pop songs about rotary wheels and shotgun shells. Love You Just the Same is what a trucker cap would sound like if it could sing. Oh, and play violin." -- Magnet "HOT LIST! Oct 2003 - Country twang with a pinch of emo, held together by Will Johnson's raspy, searching voice. It's hearty, stick-to-your-ribs fare that makes you proud to be an American." -- Rolling Stone "These resonant fables of half-loved underdogs, essentially preposterous scenarios reported with apocalyptic seriousness, call to mind the last two Flaming Lips discs... the band hugely rawks here in an unprecedented approximation of their live show, often summoning the moldy hearts of Mould and Hart. Hell, a harnessed Cobain twang even surfaces..." -- Pitchfork "I like Love You… just the same as Icky Mettle or Harmacy or Mag Earwhig!... Which is what's kind of great about it: Johnson's just this guy banging out heartfelt rock songs with his friends down in Texas for a devoted audience who eat them up.” -- Seattle Weekly "Johnson's yearning voice is even reminiscent of Doug Martsch, but more soulful, tender and ragged. Centro-matic do more than nod at their classic rock affection -- notably Neil Young -- but with a natural, instinctive knack of melody that so many of today's bands lack, particularly those currently sprinkling Americana seeds over their indie rock roots – imagine Grandaddy throwing away their Casio keyboards and replacing their technology fetish with good-ol' fashioned desert heartache and a shot or two of whiskey-drenched bar room rock... the key here is Johnson's songs, 13 tracks and each one memorable and heartfelt as the one before." -- Other Music "Like a flannel shirt that's lost its shape and clings to you with a welcoming familiarity, there's something gloriously lived-in about Will Johnson's songs… Will Johnson is a genuine freak-pop genius." (8/10) -- NME
