The duality behind Centro-matic
Will Johnson is a two-band man
What do Guns N' Roses, Bruce Springsteen, and Will Johnson have in common? That's easy, silly. Each artist, at one time or another, has released two albums simultaneously. But Johnson has done Axl and Bruce one better.
As the multitasking singer-songwriter behind not one but two musical projects - the noisy Centro-matic and the contemplative South San Gabriel - Johnson this month released an album by each band. Each group's disc has the same title, "Dual Hawks" (which has got to be a pop music first), and each is available individually or as a deluxe-format or standard double-album edition. (And yes, there will be a double-vinyl edition available.)
"This is the first time we've done that," says Johnson. "We kind of had double album on the brain a couple of years ago, and we initially discussed releasing [2006's] 'Fort Recovery' as a double album, but in the end we wound up backing down. But we were still attracted to the idea."
Backing down? Somehow, that doesn't sound like Johnson or his respective bands, which, under his stewardship, have flown and flourished independently for more than a decade now. In fact, Johnson's penchant for following his unconventional muse - quickly following up a Centro-matic record of woolly indie-rock with a South San Gabriel concept album about the life of a cat, for instance - is a trait that's won him a fiercely dedicated and diverse fan base.
Over the years, for example, Centro-matic (which comes to the Middle East Upstairs tomorrow night) has toured with both Death Cab for Cutie and the Drive-By Truckers, which should give you some idea just how diverse Johnson's appeal is.
Centro-matic and South San Gabriel are almost as different from each other. The former is the electric epitome of what the kids used to call indie rock, while the latter is a quieter, carefully orchestrated acoustic affair. The connecting thread is the emotional resonance of Johnson's stylishly strained voice, which recalls East River Pipe's F.M. Cornog or My Morning Jacket's Jim James. Listened to side by side, the two versions of "Dual Hawks" constitute a compelling blend of light and dark, day and night. Which of them is which is entirely up to the listener.
"We felt that both sessions, as different as they were, sat together well and appropriately represented where we'd been for the last couple of years," Johnson says from a tour stop in Illinois. "Hopefully it was a nice cross-section of the journey we'd been on. Thematically if not sonically, there are definitely some seams that link up here and there between the two records: post-relationship themes."
The major differences, he says, were in tempo and execution. Whereas South San Gabriel's scrupulously layered arrangements were, he says, "a more calculated affair with many more bodies and instrumentation," much of Centro-matic's material was spontaneous, with songs written off-the-cuff and recorded the same day. With Centro-matic, Johnson says, the band wanted "to just pull the ripcord and go for it." Consequently, most of that album was written and recorded inside of one week.
"I think each band helps keep the other one vibrant and has helped add longevity to the other," Johnson says of juggling both bands. "The change in atmosphere helps keep us inspired and on our toes musically. I feel lucky because it keeps things from getting stale. I see it definitely as a luxury, where you get to examine all sides of yourself musically and emotionally."
Perhaps that's also a feeling shared by the audience Centro-matic has amassed over the years. "It feels like a cliche to say this - because every band will tell you that their audience is loyal and kindhearted - but I truly do find the more we travel and get to interact with these people, that they are extremely loyal," Johnson says. "I think there's an understanding among the people who have followed us for a long time that we don't have a ton of publicity dollars. We don't show up on a lot of glossy pages of magazines. But people are excited about telling other people about music they've heard, and I, as a music fan, behave the exact same way."
That mindset forges a close connection, he says. "I try to remember how lucky we are to get to travel around and play some music for some really fine folks," he adds. So, no restraining orders for overzealous fans then? Johnson laughs. "No, we haven't had to do anything like that," he says. "I've received a couple of voice mails that sounded strange, but fortunately it stops there." 