Even if his name isn’t instantly familiar to you, Will Johnson has probably been a part of at least one musical project you’re a fan of. After moving to Denton, Texas, in the early ’90s for college, Johnson formed Centro-matic, which has released numerous records since 1996. In 2002, Johnson, his Centro-matic bandmates and guest musicians started issuing more introspective records under the South San Gabriel moniker; the same year, Johnson released his first solo LP. Since, Johnson has played drums with Monsters Of Folk, toured with the Undertow Orchestra (featuring David Bazan, Mark Eitzel and Vic Chesnutt) and started work on a Woody Guthrie project (with Jay Farrar, Jim James and Anders Parker) in the vein of the Wilco/Billy Bragg Mermaid Avenue albums. Johnson’s latest release is the self-titled debut by Molina And Johnson (on Secretly Canadian), his duo with Jason Molina (Songs: Ohia, Magnolia Electric Co.). As if he wasn’t busy enough already, the Austin-based Johnson will be guest editing magnetmagazine.com all week. Read our Q&A with him.
Johnson: Mulatu Astatke made some of the most punk-rock strides of the ’60s and ’70s, melding jazz, funk, Latin, psych and exotic pop into one unique vibraphone/keyboard/horns-intensive tapestry. New York-Addis-London: The Study Of Ethio Jazz 1965-1975 takes a look at his formative years in London, recordings made for Worthy Records in New York and his later recordings from Addis. Some have said Astatke was a walking genre unto himself. The more time I spend with these recordings, the more I think he was sent to us from some other world. Video after the jump.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snHzqUP8Zeo
