Here’s a video blog, of sorts, from Centro-matic about August 16-18, 2009.
August 16– Good Records hosts an exhibition of Matt Pence’s photos and Will Johnson’s paintings. Will and Scott Danbom played some songs, and included is Riot Jack from Will’s Murder of Tides album. Somebody forgot to charge the camera battery, or more would be included from that show.
August 17– Centro-matic begins work on album #9 (or is it #10?) at the Echo Lab in Argyle, TX. Scott Solter is producing along with Matt Pence. The overlay music is some guitar tracks from the first song we started, “Around, Pullin’ Vines”. Day one means lots of work for Matt Pence and Scott Solter.
August 18– A few studio shots from the first day of actual recording. With a nice little Danbomian piano moment to round out the day.
Jay, Edward, Paul, Scott and I all got together for our first rehearsal in Jay’s Arlington Heights basement on Sunday, June 23, 2002. Some of us were just meeting for the first time, and others of us had long running friendships. The syrupy Chicago summer afternoons had well arrived, and we only had a couple of days to get ready for the first trek in support of “The Palace at 4am”. The room was a sweatbox, a mesmirizing musical laboratory of guitars, keyboards, amplifiers and curiosities. Tools, master tapes, coffee cans full of god knows what. In all, I quickly found we were surrounded by artifacts of constant pursuit, souvenirs and useful belongings from Jay’s long running and undamageable relationship with music. Felt like I could have hidden away in there behind, between, inside of something, and it might’ve been hours before anyone found me. The musician/fan factor split me down the middle viciously. It felt sensible and familiar, but in some ways I was just flat out geeked, suppressing the holy-shit! levels once every couple hours. I was playing drums with a musician that I’d respected from afar, that had played in bands I’d loved, and now was making his own unbelievably good creative path with his best friend. I championed Jay and Edward’s energy out of the gates, revelling in the momentum. Scott and I were right off the plane, worn and temperamental from the crowded meat grinders of D/FW and O’Hare, but, safe to say, honored to be thrown feet first into the experience. We were suddenly at camp. We rehearsed up more than a record’s worth of material over two and a half short days, and for two midsummer weeks afterward toured happily until our faces hurt from the laughter, the learning and newfound friendships. We were comfortable and confident in one another, and we played really, really long shows right out of the gates. Risks were taken, and we spent a good bit of time right on the fenceline that separated pulling it all off and total musical collapse. Some songs were played for the first time right there onstage, which became more often the rule rather than the exception. Sometimes we fell, and sometimes we held to our brief, sweaty and slightly smelly tradition of Shirtless Loadout. It wasn’t perfect, but it was damn sure spirited and inspired. I was where I wanted to be, doing exactly what I wanted to do with the people I wanted to do it with.
Centro-matic will be answering questions live on Twitter from the first stop of their tour at the Granada Theatre in Dallas, TX. Please join us Thursday, May 7th from 7pm to 8pm (central time). 
Centro-matic will be doing one tour in 2009 and these are the dates. Don’t miss your chance to see the band this year.