S9E471 - Elvis Costello 'This Year's Model' with Don Cento
This week, Austin-based guitarist, singer-songwriter, composer, and recording producer Don Cento (Cento Threeo) brings us Elvis Costello's second studio album - and the first with his crack new band the Attractions - 1978's 'This Year's Model'
Always a singer-songwriter in spirit but a punk in attitude, this collection of songs proved Costello's stunning debut 'My Aim Is True' was no fluke.
Songs discussed in this episode: No Action (Elvis Costello cover) - The Muffs; The Judy Valve, Halfway To Mellowtown, Filibuster in E Minor - Cento Threeo; Kids In Japan - El Cento; Alison, The Other End Of The Telescope, No Action - Elvis Costello; Stupid Girl - The Rolling Stones; This Year's Girl, Watching The Detectives, Radio, Radio - Elvis Costello; Summer Holiday - Cliff Richard; The Beat, Pump It Up - Elvis Costello; Brutal - Olivia Rodrigo; Little Triggers - Elvis Costello; The Last Time - The Rolling Stones; You Belong To Me, Hand In Hand - Elvis Costello; Seven Year Ache (Rosanne Cash cover) - Cento Threeo; (I Don't Want to Go to) Chelsea, Lip Service - Elvis Costello; Radio Soul (Demo take 2) - Flip City/Elvis Costello; Living In Paradise, Lipstick Vogue, Night Rally - Elvis Costello; Make The Silence Louder - Cento Threeo
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Composer / Guitarist
Don Cento is an Austin-based guitarist, singer-songwriter, composer, and recording producer. Growing up in rural Southeast Missouri, he has been making music since 1985 and holds a BA in Jazz Guitar Performance from the University of North Texas (1995).
Over the course of his career, Don has recorded, toured, and shared the stage with a wide range of acclaimed artists, including Sarah Jaffe, Ume, Bonnie Whitmore, Little Jack Melody, Jude, Chomsky, The Tomorrow People, Bluesqueezebox, Trey Johnson, and The Barton Hills Choir.
Since 2018, Don has operated CenTones, a private recording studio in Austin, TX, where he produces, records, and mixes for artists including Jerry David DeCicca, Matt Kivel, Vitskar Suden, Ralph White, Jonny Burke, Eamon Fogarty, Chris Gantry, and many others.
Beyond his work as a sideman and producer, Don leads several projects of his own. He is co-leader of the instrumental rock group Shibboleth, which has released two full-length albums, and records and performs under the solo moniker El Cento. In 2023 he founded Cento Threeo, a jazz-adjacent guitar trio whose debut album, Halfway to Mellowtown, releases June 19, 2026.