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: Between lesser-health-disciplined, beer-friendly chapters of touring, I try to run a good bit. The piney woods of Bastrop County and the miles of winding Greenbelt in the Austin area are home to a lot of great trails. This provides little excuse not to get out there and run and laugh wildly while the pale ale drips from my pores. Since age 10, I guess I’ve probably checked out/chewed up some 40 pairs of running shoes, and in that time, I’ve never felt any kind of impassioned fire to write a damn thing about them. I guess that ends right here. The Pearl Izumi SynchroSeeks that I have recently happened upon are so impressive in their construction that I can’t help but mention the Christmas-morning-like joy I feel when I run/walk/hike/live in them. There are no seams in the upper, which means there are no “hot” spots that develop while running. During our shitty, syrupy Texas summers, that is huge. The balance throughout the shoe continues to dazzle the peaches out of me, and the heel possesses a support and sturdiness I’d not encountered in a running shoe. The mid-sole cushioning and impact-vs.-rebound factor presents a foot-to-shoe love fest as I run my pasty, buck-forty, Chariots Of Fire ass off over hill and dale. Video after the jump.
