Magnolia Electric Co.
BIOGRAPHY
You might have heard of Magnolia Electric Co. before, either as Songs: Ohia or, if you know the leader of the pack a little more personally, as Jason Molina, a singer songwriter from Lorain, Ohio in the USA who’s used a variety of names over the years to deliver his distinct brand of classy, gorgeous rock and roll.
Though starting out as a bassist for various heavy metal bands around Cleveland, Molina was all the while recording his own solo material under aliases such as Songs: Albian, Songs: Radix and Songs: Unitas with a rotating cast of supporting musicians and handing them out to fans at shows. One of these pseudonyms, Songs: Ohia, became more of a full time concern around 1996, when the ‘band’ released the ‘Nor Cease Thou Never Know’ single on Palace Records, and a follow up album, Songs Ohia (more usually referred to as The Black Album) on Secretly Canadian – the same label who still release all Molina’s work some thirteen years later.
Though the imprint may remain the same, Molina’s musical vehicle underwent many changes throughout its years as Songs: Ohia. Solo albums were made and went out of print, records were put to tape everywhere from Glasgow to Chicago, collaborations happened with everyone from My Morning Jacket to Will Oldham and dabbles were had in everything from bluegrass to gospel.
In 2003, Songs: Ohia released their seventh album, a record titled Magnolia Electric Co. Something of a line in the sand, the album was recorded with Steve Albini live in the studio with a full touring band for the first time. Drawing as much seventies folk rock as it did acknowledged influences like Black Sabbath and featuring guest vocalists on a handful of tracks (including one from label-mate Scout Niblett), it inspired the change of name from Songs: Ohia to Magnolia Electric Co. in whilst on tour that March. Stylistically and in terms of personnel, the new band would continue the themes of the record of the same name.
Molina would continue to release solo work under his own name (confusingly, the first of these solo records was called Pyramid Electric Co., initially intended as the second part of a double album with Magnolia Electric Co. being part one), the first Magnolia Electric Co. output arriving in the form of a live LP titled Trials and Errors, quickly followed by studio LP What Comes After The Blues and the Hard To Love A Man EP all in a very busy 2005. Fading Trials followed it the year after.
Don’t freak out too much about the point at which Songs: Ohia became Magnolia Electric Co. – nobody really knows. Molina has said that the album of the same name marked the first output by the band (and indeed the name Songs: Ohia appears nowhere but on the cellophane wrapping), but Secretly Canadian still technically counts it as a Songs: Ohia record. The Magnolia Electric Co. live album Trials and Errors was itself recorded at gigs where the band were still billed as Songs: Ohia, too. So, nobody really knows, and though a lot of people care, it doesn’t really matter anyway.
Far more important is new LP Josephine, a stunningly beautiful work conceived as a tribute to late band member Evan Farrel and released by Secretly Canadian records earlier this year. Again recorded with long term producer Steve Albini, you can expect to hear its honeyed tones floating on the Dorset winds as Molina’s troupe take to the stage at the End of the Road Festival this week.
LINKS –
http://www.magnoliaelectricco.com – The band’s official site, maintained themselves, is reminiscent of one of those old school band websites that were in existence more widely before MySpace came and ruined everything – it’s all here, but perhaps most excitingly, you’re given the lyrics to every Songs: Ohia, Jason Molina solo or Magnolia Electric Co. song, and can spend all day crying over what a lovely way with words the boy has.
http://www.myspace.com/magnoliaelectricco - four songs to stream from the bands latest LP, Josephine.
http://www.last.fm/music/Magnolia+Electric+Co. – “every single time I listen to this year's album I fall in love with it again”, notes one last.fm user – stream some of Josephine here and agree.
http://www.secretlycanadian.com/artist.php?name=magnolia – download MP3s free and legally of two of the best tracks from Josephine – namely the title track and the delightfully menacing ‘Little Sad Eyes’.
TOUR DATES –
7/9/09 – ICA, London
9/9/09 – Schocken, Stuttgart
10/9/09 – El Lokal, Zurich
11/9/09 – Le Romandie, Lausanne
12/9/09 – Radar Festival, Le Grand Mix, Tourcoing
13/9/09 – End of the Road Festival, Dorset
14/9/09 – Cafe de la Danse, Paris
15/9/09 – Ancienne Belgique, Brussels
1/11/09 – Patronaat, Haarlem (Jason Molina solo)
2/11/09 – MC Frist Philips, Eindhoven (Jason Molina solo)
VIDEOS –
FAREWELL TRANSM (LIVE):
LONESOME VALLEY (LIVE):
HARD TO LOVE A MAN (LIVE):