Will Johnson

As the leader of critically acclaimed indie rock band, Centro-matic, and it’s more laid back country-ish cousin, South San Gabriel, prolific singer/songwriter Will Johnson has spent the last few years building an extensive catalog of original and remarkable records; seven full-length records, a couple of EPs, and a handful of 7” singles to be exact.

Johnson clearly has an intuitive understanding of what makes different musical genres successful and is able to use that understanding to write high-quality songs very quickly. It's obvious that writing is a muscle, and Johnson only gets stronger the more he uses it. He's also blessed with a distinctive voice, which is versatile and emotionally powerful - a high, thin, tenor that warbles and wanders through idiosyncratic, stream-of-consciousness lyrics. Johnson proves equally adept at singing the parts of wild-eyed rock prophet, ragged-voiced folkie, and tender balladeer.

Although he fronts two bands, he found himself with songs that did not quite fit with either. His first solo album, Murder Of Tides, was recorded over a few days by Centro-matic’s drummer/audio engineer/producer, Matt Pence, at his Echo Lab Studio in Denton, Texas. Johnson’s songs are stripped bare featuring just his haunting voice, acoustic guitar, vintage keyboards, ambient noises, and bursts of fiddle from Centro-matic’s Scott Danbom - it all adds up to a sparse and sad record that is a perfect soundtrack for lonely days.

Johnson has toured extensively in the U.S and Europe over the past few years with Centro-matic and South San Gabriel. Both bands have become legendary for their dynamic live performances. He turns the volume down with his solo recordings and performances - at least a for a while.

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