Centro-matic – “Rat Patrol”

Centro-matic and South San Gabriel are currently on tour supporting their latest effort, a Split 2xCD called Dual Hawks which came out in June of this year. They are playing the Mercury Lounge tonight, but tomorrow night (November 18) they’ll be at The Bell House and I’ve got a pair of tickets to give away to a lucky reader who can tell me the name of a Will Johnson solo record. Email me at contests@bumpershine.com and tell me your answer for a chance to win.

In case you’re having a hard time telling these two bands apart, here’s a helpful little bio and starting lineup card for these two separate yet related groups:

Keeping track of the distinctions between Centro-matic and South San Gabriel could be a full-time effort, if one were so inclined. Based in Denton, Texas, Centro-matic once titled an album South San Gabriel Songs/Music, only to give a splinter faction of the participating musicians””meaning Centro-matic and more friends””the name South San Gabriel and releases that album in Europe under the new band name. South San Gabriel includes the four core members of Centro-matic, plus additional members, but we’ll get to that shortly. You might be inclined to say that Centro-matic material tends to be more rockin’, with SSG its mellow, literary counterpart, and Will Johnson’s solo material as”¦well”¦usually (how shall I put this?) skinny-dipping in the abyss””but it would be a gross oversimplification. Each of these projects shares all of the aforementioned respective qualities and more. What is distinctive about the release of Dual Hawks is that we get the chance to hear side-by-side the various ways in which Centro-matic and South San Gabriel complement and play off of each other””sort of the full-length equivalent of a split single.

Named for a model of an Italian accordion, Centro-matic began as little more than a home-recording outlet for Will Johnson’s unstoppable muse. Redo the Stacks (1997) was primarily the work of Johnson, with soon-to-be Centro-matic members Scott Danbom on violin and Matt Pence in the recording engineer’s seat. The band soon grew to become a more collaborative effort, with Danbom (“the pride of Ponca City, Oklahoma”) on keyboards, bass, and vocals, as well as the occasional violin, Pence on drums and production/engineering duties, and Mark Hedman on bass and guitar.

Centro-matic is:
Will Johnson – vocals and guitar
Matt Pence – drums
Mark Hedman – bass and guitar
Scott Danbom – keyboards, bass, and vocals, as well as the occasional violin

South San Gabriel is:
Will Johnson – vocals and guitar
Matt Pence – drums
Mark Hedman – bass and guitar
Scott Danbom – keyboards, bass, and vocals, as well as the occasional violin
Matt Stoessel on pedal steel guitar
Bryan Vandivier on bass and guitar

Chris Flemmons of The Baptist Generals will be playing in the middle slot between SSG and Centro-matic.

DOWNLOAD: South San Gabriel – “Trust To Lose” (mp3)
DOWNLOAD: Centro-matic – “I, The Kite” (mp3)

More Centro-matic and South San Gabriel tour dates after the jump.

Centro-Matic and South San Gabriel Tour Dates
11/17 – New York – Mercury Lounge
11/18 – Brooklyn – The Bell House
11/19 – DC – R n R hotel
11/20 – Chapel Hill – Local 506
11/21 – Athens – 40 Watt
11/22 – M’Boro, TN – Wallstreet (also with Glossary)