Election is near, very near + 3 from Will Johnson

Hey!! Stop what you're doing! You're not going to find that Arcade Fire live bootleg today, nor will you be stumbling across the b-side to "Hand In Glove", and there's no way you'll be finding that unreleased Pixies album. What you need to do is get ready to vote in the most important election of our lives. Figure out where your nearest polling place is and make sure you are registered. Tell your friends to vote, tell your enemies for that matter. But just vote.

Worried that you're not informed enough to vote? You're on the internet - the information is out there waiting for you. Not a U.S. citizen? Then please call or email all your American friends and make sure they plan on voting. Many artists/organizations are stepping up and helping with the Get Out the Vote campaign, and now so are many of us in the music blogging community.

Of course the national election is of grave importance, but hopefully all voters and potential voters are also familiar with whatever issues you'll be voting on locally. Don't lose site of the myriad local and state measures, candidates and propositions that are also due your attention. Educate yourself in these remaining hours and vote with an educated mind. At the very worst look at the enndorsements of a trusted local paper or, for that matter, a hated local paper. It's a good place to start.

I'm torn about posting any songs today or not. I certainly love to do it, but am I detracting at all from the importance of this election? Probably not, in fact if you've read this far perhaps you deserve a song or two. Also in case we wake up Wednesday morning in a banana republic with the country so divisively torn that it'll seem like civil war is imminent, I think I'll post before I'm recruited into some Terminator like battle for the sole of the country. So I'm going to do a 3 song post today but there won't be anything but encouragement to vote until Wednesday, mostly because I'll be glued to the TV watching returns (also the Warriors home opener is Wednesday night, yeah NBA).

I've been thinking alot about Centro-matic/Will Johnson/South San Gabriel for a while. I think it's for two reasons 1) Matt Pence is the mix man on all the Centro stuff and recently worked on American Music Clubs Love Songs for Patriots and I feel like you can feel his hands all over that record. 2) My buddy Dave Douglas is the drummer for John Vanderslice and he's originally from Denton, tx (home to Will Johnson and all his related projects) and just returned from a month and half tour. It's good to have him back. Will Johnson, Centro-Matic and South San Gabriel albums can all be purchased here here. The common link in all three is Will Johnson's cracked throaty voice. It shouldn't work but it does, and to great effect. He's got an excellent ear for melody no matter what project he's involved with, be it the rocking distorted pop sensibility of Centro-matic, the slightly calmer folk rock of South San Gabriel or his own broken hearted guitar and voice solo work. So until Wednesday here's three from the heart of Texas.

Strahan Has Corralled The Freaks - Centro-Matic

Philo Manitoba - Will Johnson

Smelling Medicinal - South San Gabriel