Author: Centro-matic

NEW ALBUM!
We’re pleased to announce Will Johnson’s new album “Swan City Vampires.” It’ll be released worldwide on September 25. You can pre-order it now and get a download of the entire album instantly.

BUY IT HERE

1. Paradise, Basically
2. You vs. Off The Cuff
3. Nameless, But A Lover
4. Call, Call, Call
5. (Made Us Feel Like) Kings
6. Pulleys
7. It’s a Pretty Fucked Skyline
8. Mulnomah
9. Thug Life Pt. 2
10. The Watchman
11. Chalked Lines/Waxed Sun

Engineered and Mixed by
Britton Beisenherz at Ramble Creek/Austin, TX
John Congleton at Elmwood Recording/Dallas, TX
Mastered by Matt Pence

“Swan City Vampires, the new solo album from former Centro-matic frontman Will Johnson finds him in peak form. At times as beautiful and melodious as he’s ever been, at others with a primal immediacy beyond anything I’ve ever heard him do. Raw and urgent, this album is a thing of immense beauty that only gets better with each repeated listen. This could end up being my favorite album he’s ever made.” – Patterson Hood (Drive-By Truckers)

“Swan City Vampires is another fantastic release from Will Johnson. It’s melancholy, hazy but hopeful. It’s tuneful, complex, and beautiful. At times it seems to me like a fever dream, but with sudden stunning moments of clarity. I’ve been listening to it a lot in the early mornings, but I think it’s also a dusk record, as it’s shadows reveal new things each time. Scary like a vampire, pretty like a swan, buzzing like a city. Will again delights and surprises.” – Craig Finn (The Hold Steady)

“Will Johnson is one of my favorite songwriters on Earth, and this album is as literate and addictive as any of his previous work. These songs are honest and specific while remaining open to multiple layers of interpretation. The melodies are beautiful and memorable, and Will’s voice is a complex and delicate instrument. As a long-time fan, it makes me happy to know that Will is still challenging himself to make music that truly can be called art.” – Jason Isbell

TOUR DATES
Will is gearing for a very busy fall with a ton of tour dates. Tickets for the first leg of the Living Room Tour on sale now.

BUY TICKETS HERE

8/27 : Denham Springs LA – Living Room Show
8/29 : New Orleans LA – Living Room Show
9/02 : Dallas TX – Living Room Show
9/03 : Fort Worth TX – Living Room Show
9/25 : Austin TX – Waterloo Records
9/26 : Denton TX – Oaktopia Fest
9/28 : Colorado Springs CO – Living Room Show
9/29 : Denver CO – Living Room Show
9/30 : Cheyenne WY – Living Room Show
10/1 : Fort Collins, CO – Living Room Show
10/3 : Boise ID – Living Room Show
10/4 : Seattle WA – Living Room Show
10/5 : Portland OR – TBA
10/6 : Eugene OR – Living Room Show
10/7 : Reno NV – Living Room Show
10/8 : Sacramento CA – Living Room Show
10/9 : San Francisco CA – Living Room Show
10/10 : Petaluma CA – Living Room Show
10/11 : Los Angeles CA – Living Room Show
10/13 : Las Vegas NV – Living Room Show
10/15 : Phoenix AZ – Living Room Show
10/16 : Albuquerque NM – Living Room Show
10/18 : Austin TX – Living Room Show

We’ll see you out there!

Hello Friends! Will’s new album will be released on September 25 (more details on that soon!) and he’ll be touring this fall and winter. We’re looking for people to host Living Room Shows in September and October in the western states. If you are in or near any of the areas listed below and interested in hosting, please read everything below and get in touch! Contact info at the end.

We’ll make this as easy as possible for the hosts. All you have to do is let us borrow your living room for about 3 hours, check names off the list at the door… in return you’ll get 5 additional free tickets for friends and our eternal gratitude.

Deadline for submissions is August 12th.

9/28 : Colorado Springs CO – HOST PENDING
9/29 : Colorado
9/30 : Colorado
10/1 : Wyoming
10/2 : OFF
10/3 : Boise ID
10/4 : Seattle WA – HOST PENDING
10/5 : Portland OR
10/6 : Eugene OR – HOST PENDING
10/7 : Reno NV – HOST PENDING
10/8 : Off
10/9 : Northern California – HOST PENDING
10/10 : Northern California / Bay Area
10/11 : Northern California / Bay Area
10/12 : Los Angeles CA area
10/13 : Las Vegas NV
10/14 : OFF
10/15 : Phoenix AZ - HOST PENDING
10/16 : Arizona or New Mexico
10/17 : Travel
10/18 : Austin TX

Here’s how it works.

1. You have a house, loft, small gallery, studio or other private space that can comfortably and safely host 40-50 people. A place with a big living room, finished basement or other interior space would be ideal. There needs to be street parking, parking garage or public transportation nearby and your neighbors should be cool. It would be a huge bummer if someone called the cops because of all the extra cars and people coming to your house. You probably shouldn’t do this if you live in a small apartment with a bunch of uptight neighbors or a cranky landlord. Be realistic on how many people your place can hold. We need to know how many tickets we can sell in advance. Sorry, we can’t do these shows outside.

2. Ticket price will be $20. Everyone must buy tickets in advance. No tickets will be sold at the door. There will be no reselling or third-party tickets sales. All tickets sales are direct to fans from Undertow. Limit 4 tickets per person. We want everyone to have the same chance of getting tickets.

3. We’ll provide the host with a list of everyone coming to the show. The host won’t have to deal with any money and will only need to check people off the list as they arrive. We ask guests to arrive between 7:00-7:45pm. The shows start at 8pm and we ask everyone to be out of your space by 10pm.

4. The host gets 5 additional free tickets for the show. If you have other friends beyond your 5 guests who want to come to the show you should direct them buy tickets on-line.

5. Your home address will not be published on the web and will only be given to people who purchase tickets.

6. The shows will promoted on our websites, Facebook and Twitter and word-of-mouth.

7. We’ll need your help to spread the word on your Facebook and Twitter too. We’ll create a Facebook event for each show and make you a host of the event so you can easily invite your friends (Thank you!). Remember, please don’t post your address. The address only goes to people after they buy tickets. We need to keep the location private so random people don’t try to show up and pay at the door.

8. You don’t need any sort of sound system. All we is an armless chair for Will to sit on and glass or bottle of water near where he’ll be playing. It’s nice if you have some kind of ambient lighting like a lamp on coffee table, floor lamp, or overhead lights with a dimmer to help create a cozy mood.

9. You don’t need seating for everyone. If you have a bunch of chairs, great! But most shows are floor seating and we let guests know they should bring a cushion or pillow to sit on during the show.

10. There will be no opening acts on the living room shows.

11. We love dogs and cats… we really do! But an excitable pet running around during the show can be distracting for the guests and performers. If you have curious and friendly 4-legged family members, would you be ok with putting them in another part of the house or sending them to a friend’s house during the show?

After reading all of this, if interested please follow these steps:

IMPORTANT!
You read everything above and it’s all cool?

1. send an email to will@living-room-shows.com with this info:
– a. Your address.
– b. A few photos of the space where the show will happen.
– c. Please put “Will Johnson Living Room Show” and the name of your city in the subject line.

2. Sit tight and we’ll get back to as soon as possible if we can book the show at your house.

Thanks for your help!

After we have the dates sorted out we will announce the shows and tickets will go on sale at undertowtickets.com.

Hello Friends! We’re looking for people to host Will Johnson Living Room Shows in August and September in the areas listed below. If you are located in or near any of these cities and interested in hosting please read everything below and get in touch! Contact info at the end.

August 29 – New Orleans LA or Lafayette LA
August 30 - New Orleans LA or Lafayette LA
August 31 - Louisiana or Arkansas
September 1 - Arkansas
September 2 - North Texas
September 3 - North Texas

Deadline for submissions is July 17th.
Tickets go on sale July 24th at 2pm (central time).

We’ll make this as easy as possible for the hosts. All you have to do is let us borrow your living room for about 3 hours, check names off the list at the door… in return you’ll get 5 additional free tickets for friends and our eternal gratitude.

Here’s how it works.

1. You have a house, loft, small gallery, studio or other private space that can comfortably and safely host 40-50 people. A place with a big living room, finished basement or other interior space would be ideal. There needs to be street parking, parking garage or public transportation nearby and your neighbors should be cool. It would be a huge bummer if someone called the cops because of all the extra cars and people coming to your house. You probably shouldn’t do this if you live in a small apartment with a bunch of uptight neighbors or a cranky landlord. Be realistic on how many people your place can hold. We need to know how many tickets we can sell in advance. Sorry, we can’t do these shows outside.

2. Ticket price will be $20. Everyone must buy tickets in advance. No tickets will be sold at the door. There will be no reselling or third-party tickets sales. All tickets sales are direct to fans from Undertow. Limit 4 tickets per person. We want everyone to have the same chance of getting tickets.

3. We’ll provide the host with a list of everyone coming to the show. The host won’t have to deal with any money and will only need to check people off the list as they arrive. We ask guests to arrive between 7:00-7:45pm. The shows start at 8pm and we ask everyone to be out of your space by 10pm.

4. The host gets 5 additional free tickets for the show. If you have other friends beyond your 5 guests who want to come to the show you should direct them buy tickets on-line.

5. Your home address will not be published on the web and will only be given to people who purchase tickets.

6. The shows will promoted on our websites, Facebook and Twitter and word-of-mouth.

7. We’ll need your help to spread the word on your Facebook and Twitter too. We’ll create a Facebook event for each show and make you a host of the event so you can easily invite your friends (Thank you!). Remember, please don’t post your address. The address only goes to people after they buy tickets. We need to keep the location private so random people don’t try to show up and pay at the door.

8. You don’t need any sort of sound system. All we is an armless chair for Will to sit on and glass or bottle of water near where he’ll be playing. It’s nice if you have some kind of ambient lighting like a lamp on coffee table, floor lamp, or overhead lights with a dimmer to help create a cozy mood.

9. You don’t need seating for everyone. If you have a bunch of chairs, great! But most shows are floor seating and we let guests know they should bring a cushion or pillow to sit on during the show.

10. There will be no opening acts on the living room shows.

11. We love dogs and cats… we really do! But an excitable pet running around during the show can be distracting for the guests and performers. If you have curious and friendly 4-legged family members, would you be ok with putting them in another part of the house or sending them to a friend’s house during the show?

After reading all of this, if interested please follow these steps:

IMPORTANT!
You read everything above and it’s all cool?

1. send an email to will@living-room-shows.com with this info:
– a. Your address.
– b. A few photos of the space where the show will happen.
– c. Please put “Will Johnson Living Room Show” and the name of your city in the subject line.

2. Sit tight and we’ll get back to as soon as possible if we can book the show at your house.

Thanks for your help!

After we have the dates sorted out we will announce the shows and tickets will go on sale at undertowtickets.com.

We’re pleased to announced the release of Will Johnson’s first two solo albums “Murder of Tides” and “Vultures Await” for the first time on vinyl.

Our goal was to create the best sounding albums possible for these reissues. The running time for Murder of Tides was short enough to comfortably fit on two sides of a single LP while maintaining the highest possible sound quality. The running time of Vultures Await was just at the limit of being able to fit on two sides of a single LP. Instead of trying to squeeze the entire album on a single and compromising the fidelity, we decided to spread the album out over four sides to create an a fantastic sounding double LP set.

The audio has been remastered for vinyl by TW Walsh and the artwork has been reformatted from the original hi-resoulution elements for the new album jackets. New full-color LP labels have been created for these reissues.

+ Murder of Tides: Single LP in full-color single album jacket.
+ Vultures Await: Double LP in full-color gatefold album jacket.
+ Album jackets printed on high quality uncoated paper.
+ 150g high-quality virgin black vinyl.
+ Re-mastered for vinyl by TW Walsh.
+ Pressed by Gotta Groove Records in Cleveland OH.
+ Vinyl pre-orders get instant full-album WAV and MP3 downloads.

PRE-ORDER NOW

NEW BASEBALL PAINTINGS BY WILL JOHNSON
“Chalked Lines/Stolen Signs”
Opening Reception
Saturday, April 25
7 – 9 pm

Yard Dog Art Gallery
1510 S Congress Ave, Austin, TX 78704
PH: 512-912-1613

HEM LINES/PYLONS/NEW FLORA:
It’s not yet April 1 and there’s already a sweet surplus of farmer tans roaming the neighborhood. It’s a noticeably early crop this year. There’s a kid with a thousand-yard stare that I see every once in a while out on the sidewalks. He’s never without a cigarette and a 44oz cup of something. Some have talked like he might be trouble, but then again, he might not be. Safe to say we both got to the farmer tan trough fast, and I feel really good about mine. Long winter by most everyone’s standards, so the energy is understandably steady. The new noises and smells and insects are a welcome ruckus. Even you, wasp.
I’ve been in some comforting bunker of a recording thing with my friends John Congleton and Ricky Ray Jackson (Phosphorescent, The Happen-Ins) recently, and the next LP sits about half way complete. I’ll head out on the road in a few days for some shows, breaking the new songs in and ironing the old ones out over the course of thirteen shows. This will be the only tour until Fall, once the record comes out, so stop down if you’re around these areas:

April 02 : Saint Louis MO
April 03 : Chicago IL
April 04 : Cincinnati OH
April 05 : Columbus OH
April 06 : Pittsburgh PA
April 07 : Buffalo NY
April 08 : Montpelier VT
April 09 : Gloucester MA (near Boston)
April 10 : Weehawken NJ (near NYC)
April 11 : Media PA (near Philadelphia)
April 13 : Falls Church VA (Near DC)
April 14 : Baltimore MD

BUY TICKETS

CHALKED LINES/STOLEN SIGNS
I have a lot of of new baseball paintings stacked and ready for an opening at Yard Dog Gallery in Austin on Saturday evening, April 25. I suspect there will be more info as the time nears, but save the date if you look to be in or around Central Texas then.
Onward, and good springtime to all. -Will J.

Will is headed out to play Living Room Shows in April. No stage, no sound system. Each show limited to 35-45 tickets. All tickets must be purchased in advance. You’ll get a link to download a PDF with the secret location of the show and your name will be on the guest list at the door. Tickets go on sale Friday, February 27 @ 2pm (central time)

BUY TICKETS

April 02 : Saint Louis MO
April 03 : Chicago IL
April 04 : Cincinnati OH
April 05 : Columbus OH
April 06 : Pittsburgh PA
April 07 : Buffalo NY
April 08 : Montpelier VT
April 09 : Gloucester MA (near Boston)
April 10 : Weehawken NJ (near NYC)
April 11 : Media PA (near Philadelphia)
April 13 : Falls Church VA (Near DC)
April 14 : Baltimore MD

Hello Friends! We’re looking for people to host Will Johnson Living Room Shows in April in the areas listed below. If you are located in or near any of these cities and interested in hosting please read everything below and get in touch! Contact info at the end.

April 2 : Saint Louis MO
April 3 : Chicago IL
April 4 : Indiana or Ohio
April 5 : Ohio
April 6 : Buffalo NY
April 7 : Pennsylvania, Massachusetts or Vermont
April 8 : Pennsylvania, Massachusetts or Vermont
April 9 : Boston MA
April 10 : Upstate NY or NYC
April 11 : NYC or Brooklyn
April 12 : Philadelphia PA
April 13 : Baltimore MD
April 14 : Wash DC or North Carolina
April 15 : North Carolina
April 19 : Huntsville AL

Deadline for submission is February 13
Tickets will go on sale February 23 @ 2pm (central time).

We’ll make this as easy as possible for the hosts. All you have to do is let us borrow your living room for about 3 hours, check names off the list at the door… in return you’ll get 5 additional free tickets for friends and our eternal gratitude.

Here’s how it works.

1. You have a house, loft, small gallery, studio or other private space that can comfortably and safely host 40-50 people. A place with a big living room, finished basement or other interior space would be ideal. There needs to be street parking, parking garage or public transportation nearby and your neighbors should be cool. It would be a huge bummer if someone called the cops because of all the extra cars and people coming to your house. You probably shouldn’t do this if you live in a small apartment with a bunch of uptight neighbors or a cranky landlord. Be realistic on how many people your place can hold. We need to know how many tickets we can sell in advance. Sorry, we can’t do these shows outside.

2. Ticket price will be $15. Everyone must buy tickets in advance. No tickets will be sold at the door. There will be no reselling or third-party tickets sales. All tickets sales are direct to fans from Undertow. Limit 4 tickets per person. We want everyone to have the same chance of getting tickets.

3. We’ll provide the host with a list of everyone coming to the show. The host won’t have to deal with any money and will only need to check people off the list as they arrive. We ask guests to arrive between 7:00-7:45pm. The shows start at 8pm and we ask everyone to be out of your space by 10pm.

4. The host gets 5 additional free tickets for the show. If you have other friends beyond your 5 guests who want to come to the show you should direct them buy tickets on-line.

5. Your home address will not be published on the web and will only be given to people who purchase tickets.

6. The shows will promoted on our websites, Facebook and Twitter and word-of-mouth.

7. We’ll need your help to spread the word on your Facebook and Twitter too. We’ll create a Facebook event for each show and make you a host of the event so you can easily invite your friends (Thank you!). Remember, please don’t post your address. The address only goes to people after they buy tickets. We need to keep the location private so random people don’t try to show up and pay at the door.

8. You don’t need any sort of sound system. All we is an armless chair for Will to sit on and glass or bottle of water near where he’ll be playing. It’s nice if you have some kind of ambient lighting like a lamp on coffee table, floor lamp, or overhead lights with a dimmer to help create a cozy mood.

9. You don’t need seating for everyone. If you have a bunch of chairs, great! But most shows are floor seating and we let guests know they should bring a cushion or pillow to sit on during the show.

10. There will be no opening acts on the living room shows.

11. We love dogs and cats… we really do! But an excitable pet running around during the show can be distracting for the guests and performers. If you have curious and friendly 4-legged family members, would you be ok with putting them in another part of the house or sending them to a friend’s house during the show?

After reading all of this, if interested please follow these steps:

IMPORTANT!
You read everything above and it’s all cool?

1. send an email to will@living-room-shows.com with this info:
– a. Your address.
– b. A few photos of the space where the show will happen.
– c. Please put “Will Johnson Living Room Show” and the name of your city in the subject line.

2. Sit tight and we’ll get back to as soon as possible if we can book the show at your house.

Thanks for your help!

After we have the dates sorted out we will announce the shows and tickets will go on sale at undertowtickets.com.

Come out and say hello! No stage, no sound system. It’s just Will and a guitar, playing songs and telling stories. Each show is limited to 35-45 tickets.

Tickets on sale now!

Feb. 11 : San Antonio TX - Living Room Show – TICKETS
Feb. 12 : Houston TX - Living Room Show - TICKETS
Feb. 13 : Mobile AL – IMC @ Satori Coffee House
Feb. 14 : Waverly AL – Living Room Show @ Standard Deluxe - TICKETS
Feb. 15 : Birmingham AL - Living Room Show - TICKETS
Feb. 16 : Atlanta GA - Living Room Show - TICKETS
Feb. 18 : St. Petersburg FL - Craftsman House Gallery

* Tickets for shows in Mobile and St Petersburg available directly from the venues.

Will is headed out to play Living Room Shows in November. No stage, no sound system. It’s just Will and a guitar, playing songs and telling stories. Each show is limited to 35-45 tickets.

Tickets on sale Monday, October 13 @ 2pm (central time)
BUY HERE

Wed Nov 12 : Tulsa OK
Thu Nov 13 : Springfield MO
Sat Nov 15 : Sioux Falls SD
Sun Nov 16 : Minneapolis MN
Mon Nov 17 : Charles City IA
Tue Nov 18 : Madison WI
Wed Nov 19 : MiIwaukee WI
Thu Nov 20 : Champaign IL
Fri Nov 21 : Bloomington IN
Sat Nov 22 : Lexington KY
Sun Nov 23 : Memphis TN

Please help us spread the word about these shows. Click here to join the Facebook Event for the show you’re attending and invite your friends.