An Evening of Art and Musical Meditation at the Old Bailey
A write up of my experience at the opening of the exhibit Players: Paintings by Will Johnson and Morgan Jones Johnston at the Old Bailey Gallery in Birmingham, AL.
On May 23rd, a new exhibition called “Players” featuring the work of Morgan Jones Johnston and Will Johnson opened at the Old Bailey Gallery in Birmingham, Alabama, with a reception featuring acoustic sets by Duquette Johnston and Will Johnson. As soon as this event was announced, I knew it was worth making the trip from Tuscaloosa to Birmingham. I love supporting the Alabama art scene, and Will Johnson is an artist I deeply appreciate and admire. I try to see him any chance I can. This night exceeded expectations. The art and music genuinely impacted me, and I felt inspired to write up a reflection on the evening.
For those unfamiliar with the Old Bailey Gallery, it was founded in 2023 by curator Dan Bailey with a mission to help promote Birmingham as an emerging art city. They’ve hosted artists from London, New York, and beyond. Dan is also a longtime friend of Will Johnson, and it was mentioned at the opening that when the two were discussing the exhibit, Will wanted a local artist represented alongside him, and Morgan Jones Johnston was selected.
Morgan is a painter and storyteller. She’s the creator of Rugged and Fancy and co-owner of lifestyle brand Club Duquette. All of her pieces in the exhibit were colorful abstract portraits, bright and eye-catching. They hung directly across from Will’s baseball player portraits, which feature a much more muted, darker palette. The contrast between the two bodies of work was striking. Will’s paintings are cropped portraits, usually showing only half the figure on the right side of the canvas. The player’s name runs along the top, and the left side features a painted short bio of the subject. I don’t know much about baseball, but I’m completely fascinated by these pieces and love learning the stories behind each player. A standout was Macho Man Randy Savage. I had no idea he was a baseball player who played for the Cardinals, Reds, and White Sox. While Will’s paintings name their subjects and tell their stories, Morgan’s portraits leave the subject anonymous, inviting the viewer to imagine who that person is and what their life holds. I loved how different both artists were from each other, and I spent a good amount of time with each piece before the music started.
The music kicked off with Duquette Johnston, a local Birmingham musician and one of the founding members and bass player of indie rock band Verbena. Duquette has released four solo albums, his latest being It Sings Because It Has a Song, released on Single Lock Records. I wasn’t familiar with his work going in. I had a front row seat and watched the whole set in awe. It was intimate and moving. During his performance, the overhead lights were off, and a couple of small spotlights and a lamp held the room in a moody glow that paired perfectly with the music. It felt more like a living room listening session than an acoustic set at an art gallery. I was completely captivated. I’m looking forward to diving deeper into his catalog.
Then it was time for Will Johnson. If you read this blog, you're probably familiar with Will, but if not: he's a singer, songwriter, painter, author, and multi-instrumentalist born in Kennett, Missouri who now lives in Texas. He’s released several solo records and has been in a number of bands, including Centro-matic, Monsters of Folk, Funland, and South San Gabriel. He was a close friend and collaborator of Jason Molina’s, and in 2025, Molina’s band Magnolia Electric Co. teamed up with Will for a new project called Magnolia and Johnson Electric Co. I discovered Will’s music after he joined Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit and became an instant fan. I had the opportunity to interview him in 2024, and I left that conversation feeling very inspired. The 400 Unit keeps a busy touring schedule, so seeing Will play solo is a rarity. This was only my second time seeing him perform alone. The first was at Rocker Gallery the day before Shoalsfest, which was also paired with an exhibit of his art. That night I kept running into friends and spent most of my time catching up, so I didn’t get to fully take in the paintings. This show gave me the space to read every piece and immerse myself completely.
He opened with one of my favorite Centro-matic songs, “The Mighty Midshipman,” off the 2003 record Love You Just the Same. What struck me immediately was how different the acoustic version sounds from the recording. The original opens with a driving drumbeat, a guitar line coming in right behind it, the kind of song that makes you bob your head without thinking. The acoustic version is slower and more melancholy. Stripped of the full-band sound, Will’s raw vocals carry the full weight of the lyrics, and they land like a gut punch.
He’s constantly caught and he’s constantly traumatized / He’s the mighty midshipman / He’s totally motorized and he’s constantly caught.
The set moved through a nice balance of Centro-matic songs and solo tracks like “All Dragged Out” and “El Capitan.” The dimly lit room and the rain outside all added to the atmosphere. It felt almost spiritual. I found myself closing my eyes, fully present, soaking in every word. In a world of constant distraction, there was something deeply refreshing about spending 45 minutes completely off my phone, lost in a kind of musical meditation. Taking in every strum, every tap of his boot on the floor, every lyric. I felt completely at peace.
The highlight of the set was when he played my favorite song, “Just to Know What You’ve Been Dreaming.” I think it’s one of the most beautifully written love songs ever put to tape. Every time I listen to it, my heart swells, and hearing it live brought tears to my eyes.
And I would tell a thousand tales / just to know what you’ve been thinking / And I would swim the seven seas / just to crawl along your beaches.
Those lyrics are poetry to me. Hearing it in such an intimate setting made it feel even more rare and precious.
After the set, I got to talk with Will for a bit. We discussed the book recently written about him: Patience for the Ride: The Art and Life of Will Johnson by John Krajicek. Each chapter features someone in Will’s life, friends, collaborators, family, sharing their personal stories, memories, and how his work has shaped them. Contributors include Jim James, Jason Isbell, Patterson Hood, Craig Finn, Dan Bailey, and Will’s wife Jessie. Will mentioned it took him a while to get through it, that reading an entire book of people’s love for you is a little overwhelming and emotional. I got emotional just reading it as a fan, so I can’t imagine how it feels to be the subject. What makes the book so special is the approach. It’s not a straightforward musical history. His story is told through the people who love him, each with their own favorite song, their own memory, their own way his music became part of their life. It captures something true about who Will is: not just someone with an extraordinary creative output, but genuinely one of the kindest, most down-to-earth people you’ll ever meet.
I’m always grateful for the chance to stand in front of his paintings and hear him play. This was a very special night, one I’ll treasure for a long time.
The Players exhibit runs May 29 through June 22. I highly recommend visiting.
Gallery hours and address:
Fridays • 12-4pm
Saturdays • 12-4pm
Sundays • 12-4pm
Mondays • 12-4pm
The Old Bailey Gallery
4909 5th Ave South
Birmingham, AL 35222