Centro-Matic

Though they are among the most astoundingly prolific songwriters from the vibrant Austin underground, the simplest introduction to Centro-Matic is by way of singer/bandleader Will Johnson's graveled vocal malaise and impeccable one-liners. Starting in 1995 as a vehicle for Johnson's songwriting, the band was immediately embraced as disciples in the post-Uncle Tupelo underground after issuing a pair of singles. The band recorded its 1997 debut, Redo the Stacks, in drummer Matt Pence's home and recorded over 50 songs in a marathon session at former Tupelo frontman Jay Farrar's Illinois studio soon after. Those songs would be split up between two 1999 releases, Navigational and The Static vs. the Strings, Vol. 1. Johnson continued to write and tour with amazing reliability, and the band's output through the early '00s came steadily, as did wider American and European audiences.