* En anglais uniquement
After retiring
Songs: Ohia,
Jason Molina started up
Magnolia Electric Co., a new avenue to explore his country-rock. The name of the new group was taken from the title of the last
Songs: Ohia record and proved to be the appropriate connection from the past to the next phase of
Molina's projects. The early makeup of the four-piece band in 2003 consisted of Pete Schreiner (
Panoply Academy,
Coke Dares) on drums, Mike Kapinus (
Okkervil River) on bass and trumpet, Jason Groth (
Impossible Shapes,
John Wilkes Booze,
Coke Dares) on guitar, and
Jason Molina providing the other guitar and vocals.
Magnolia Electric Co. recorded
Trials & Errors live in Brussels in 2003, which Secretly Canadian released in January 2005. With later tours,
Magnolia Electric Co. shifted the lineup of the band, adding
Mark Rice (
Impossible Shapes,
John Wilkes Booze) on drums and moving Schreiner to bass and Kapinus to trumpet and keyboards, while Groth and
Molina remained on guitar.
Magnolia Electric Co.'s full-length studio debut appeared to glowing reviews in spring 2005 via Secretly Canadian. The band didn't slow down, touring for most of the summer and issuing the five-song EP
Hard to Love a Man in October. The band released
Fading Trails in September 2006, and then followed it up in August 2007 with
Sojourner, a limited-edition four-CD set for the fans. Sadly,
Jason Molina suffered from alcoholism for years, which ultimately led to his death from organ failure in March 2013 at the age of 39. ~ David Serra