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― Mule, Tuesday, 12 November 2013 15:29 (ten years ago) link
Really detailed profoundly sad story of Jason Molina's long roadrecommended
http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/jason-molina-songs-ohia-magnolia-electric-co-secretly-canadian/Content?oid=15163643
― cross over the mushroom circle (La Lechera), Wednesday, 1 October 2014 19:27 (nine years ago) link
i liked that article but i still think it indulges in some romantic mystification of alcoholism
― I dunno. (amateurist), Wednesday, 1 October 2014 19:30 (nine years ago) link
also i guess molina was living a few blocks from me in the early 2000s? i didn't know.
― I dunno. (amateurist), Wednesday, 1 October 2014 19:37 (nine years ago) link
i don't think it sounds romantic at all
― cross over the mushroom circle (La Lechera), Wednesday, 1 October 2014 19:37 (nine years ago) link
i dunno just all the mentions of "darkness" etc
alcoholism is a chemical dependency...
― I dunno. (amateurist), Wednesday, 1 October 2014 19:39 (nine years ago) link
addiction is more complex than chemical dependency
― cross over the mushroom circle (La Lechera), Wednesday, 1 October 2014 19:39 (nine years ago) link
yeah but it's not just about "the darkness that lurks w/in" or w/ever. i guess i just get irritated by cliches like that.
― I dunno. (amateurist), Wednesday, 1 October 2014 19:41 (nine years ago) link
There are lovely extended tributes to JM on the latest Rivulets and Strand of Oaks records.
― Simon H., Wednesday, 1 October 2014 19:41 (nine years ago) link
jesus, sounds like if he had been able to continue addiction treatment we might be having a different conversation about him right now.
― call all destroyer, Wednesday, 1 October 2014 19:55 (nine years ago) link
I posted above about a memory of the Secretly Canadian guys coming to Oberlin to meet Jason after the Palace record came out, but maybe that was after meeting him in NY?
I don't know if this link will work, but this is the poster we made for one of his shows:
http://instagram.com/p/rBJ_UStkxj
― dan selzer, Wednesday, 1 October 2014 19:57 (nine years ago) link
I don't know how I only ever saw Magnolia Electric Co. one time. I must've seen the side dudes' bands (Coke Dares, etc.) dozens of times in Bloomington during the early '00s. But I don't remember Molina being much of a presence at all during his time there.
― Portly Backgammon (Old Lunch), Wednesday, 1 October 2014 19:58 (nine years ago) link
i saw him... three times i think? once solo, opening for tindersticks, ca. 2000/2001.
― I dunno. (amateurist), Wednesday, 1 October 2014 20:00 (nine years ago) link
thanks for posting that link to the Chicago Reader story.
― Ludo, Wednesday, 1 October 2014 20:04 (nine years ago) link
I'm with La Lechera on this - tragic , desperate story.
Fucking alcohol. A marriage in the depths of hell.
― Jessie Fer Ark (Mobbed Up Ping Pong Psychos), Wednesday, 1 October 2014 21:35 (nine years ago) link
Damn the no edit function. JM really could express 'the darkness' through his music - as well as anyone
― Jessie Fer Ark (Mobbed Up Ping Pong Psychos), Wednesday, 1 October 2014 21:38 (nine years ago) link
http://I.imgur.com/S9xCc20.jpg
:'-)
― a pleasant little psychedelic detour in the elevator (Amory Blaine), Sunday, 30 November 2014 16:57 (nine years ago) link
ah!
look at the dude in the background making the "slit my throat" gesture
― I dunno. (amateurist), Monday, 1 December 2014 04:26 (nine years ago) link
whoa!
― marcos, Monday, 1 December 2014 14:58 (nine years ago) link
avon lake is super close to where i grew up
90s high school kids in ohio breaking my old heart this morningmy hs bff had a sweater just like hers and she gave it to me a long time ago and i still wear it
― La Lechera, Monday, 1 December 2014 15:00 (nine years ago) link
An unreleased track has been posted today, with notes from Alasdair Roberts, who participated.
http://secretlycanadian.com/blog/2015/01/listen-jason-molina-september-11-2001-featuring-will-oldham-alisdair-roberts/
― Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 14 January 2015 17:55 (nine years ago) link
Not many people saw The Circle, it got awful reviews, but I loved the book so I checked it out. "Farewell Transmission" is featured for exactly three seconds when Emma Watson's luddite ex-boyfriend pulls up to meet her on the side of the highway. Best moment in the movie.
So I came back to this song, which I only discovered after Molina died four years ago. I'm obsessed with it all over again, especially after finding out that it was done live in one take, and the final "LISTEN!" was improvised. Like that interview says above, it really is absolutely stunning, the whole piece. Talk about a masterpiece.
― flappy bird, Wednesday, 3 May 2017 17:13 (seven years ago) link
a book about molina is coming soon
https://rowman.com/ISBN/9781442268678/Jason-Molina-Riding-with-the-Ghost#
Erin Osmon presents a detailed, human account of the Rust Belt–born musician Jason Molina—a visionary, prolific, and at times cantankerous singer-songwriter with an autodidactic style that captivated his devoted fans. The songwriting giant behind the bands Songs: Ohia and Magnolia Electric Co. had a knack for spinning tales, from the many personal myths he cultivated throughout his life to the poems and ballads he penned and performed. As with too many great musicians, Molina’s complicated relationship with the truth, combined with a secretive relationship with the bottle, ultimately claimed his life. Jason Molina: Riding with the Ghost details Molina’s personal trials and triumphs and reveals for the first time the true story of Molina’s last months and works, including an unpublished album unknown to many of his fans. Offering unfettered access to the mind and artistry of Molina through exclusive interviews with family, friends, and collaborators, the book also explores the Midwest music underground and the development of Bloomington, Indiana–based label Secretly Canadian. As the first authorized and detailed account of this prolific songwriter and self-mythologizer, Jason Molina provides readers with unparalleled insight into Molina’s tormented life and the fascinating Midwest musical underground that birthed him. It’s a story for the ages that speaks volumes to the triumphs and trials of the artistic spirit while exploring the meaningful music that Molina’s creative genius left behind
Jason Molina: Riding with the Ghost details Molina’s personal trials and triumphs and reveals for the first time the true story of Molina’s last months and works, including an unpublished album unknown to many of his fans. Offering unfettered access to the mind and artistry of Molina through exclusive interviews with family, friends, and collaborators, the book also explores the Midwest music underground and the development of Bloomington, Indiana–based label Secretly Canadian.
As the first authorized and detailed account of this prolific songwriter and self-mythologizer, Jason Molina provides readers with unparalleled insight into Molina’s tormented life and the fascinating Midwest musical underground that birthed him. It’s a story for the ages that speaks volumes to the triumphs and trials of the artistic spirit while exploring the meaningful music that Molina’s creative genius left behind
here is an excerpt:
http://pitchfork.com/thepitch/1494-how-jason-molina-charmed-will-oldham-and-first-got-signed/
― marcos, Wednesday, 3 May 2017 17:15 (seven years ago) link
'farewell transmission' is definitely one of my favorite ever songs
― jason waterfalls (gbx), Wednesday, 3 May 2017 23:07 (seven years ago) link
likewise.
Jason lived with me the year after the period discussed in that excerpt, though most of those guys had graduated by then (Tom and Jeff were two years ahead of me) and I was with him when the guys from Secretly Canadian came to visit. I didn't really know him during that year, I just heard people talking about "Sparky" and somehow got it in my head they were talking about this guy Ebin who had a sparkly shirt. Definitely brought some stuff back, he was certainly some kind of pathological liar. Would just tell these stories and you'd look at him thinking "that's probably not true" but it was a good story so you just went along with it.
― dan selzer, Thursday, 4 May 2017 03:17 (seven years ago) link
Echoing the Farewell Transmission love--a harrowing track that I wish were 30 minutes long
― passionate plant-based athlete (voodoo chili), Thursday, 4 May 2017 04:05 (seven years ago) link
the song + the performance is just a staggering achievement
― call all destroyer, Thursday, 4 May 2017 04:10 (seven years ago) link
and all the players are so good! god, to be in that room, watching, listening, participating, all while it builds... what do you say when that's done?
― flappy bird, Thursday, 4 May 2017 04:56 (seven years ago) link
I recently rediscovered my love for that song when I tried to play it and I could. I was surprised! It sounds like a song that has always existed and just happened to pop out when those people were planted in that room (even though I know that's not how it works).
― weird woman in a bar (La Lechera), Thursday, 4 May 2017 12:53 (seven years ago) link
i would love a neil young/crazy horse 25min cover of it
― jason waterfalls (gbx), Thursday, 4 May 2017 12:59 (seven years ago) link
great tune and that whole album has an amazing vibe
― marcos, Thursday, 4 May 2017 13:36 (seven years ago) link
A couple of my friends/neighbors were in that band, and it sounds like Erin (a former editor of mine) did a good job with this thing, looking forward to it.
― Josh in Chicago, Thursday, 4 May 2017 13:51 (seven years ago) link
If anyone wants to play an endless jam of this song I'm in!
― weird woman in a bar (La Lechera), Thursday, 4 May 2017 14:00 (seven years ago) link
The bonus track on the new Mark Eitzel album is dedicated to Jason Molina, and is absolutely gorgeous.
― nikola, Thursday, 4 May 2017 14:26 (seven years ago) link
New Arriver album, awesome metal band featuring three members of the Mag. Elec. Co. band:
https://arriver.bandcamp.com
― Josh in Chicago, Wednesday, 10 May 2017 15:34 (seven years ago) link
here comes midnightwith the dead moon in its jaws
― Universal LULU Nation (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Wednesday, 5 July 2017 14:44 (six years ago) link
I only just realised that Steve Albini recorded The Magnolia Electric Co. after he got referenced in the title of 'Steve Albini's Blues' on Didn't It Rain.. wonder if that shout out tipped it
― You (bleeping) need me. You can't Finn without me (fionnland), Thursday, 11 October 2018 22:20 (five years ago) link
Ha. I thought this post was to promote the new release
https://songsohia.bandcamp.com/
― Duke, Thursday, 11 October 2018 22:44 (five years ago) link
The first — and likely the best — love songs album of the new millennium now expanded into a 2xLP compendium. Featuring:• An entire album of never-before-heard recordings from The Lioness sessions• 16-page booklet with photos and meditations by Jason’s family, collaborators• Packaged in deluxe tip-on gatefold jackets• Replications of ephemera from Jason’s life from the time of recording, including: a two-sided postcard, a check for “one million kisses,” a two of hearts playing card, a handwritten letter in an envelope, a guitar pick, and a photograph of Jason and his wife-to-be
1. 'Love & Work: The Lioness Sessions' on limited edition translucent purple vinyl2. Limited edition 2-sided tote bag
The Lioness expanded reissue
― Duke, Thursday, 11 October 2018 22:45 (five years ago) link
Excited for this, but not sure whether to jump on the pre-order from the US or hold off for UK - with shipping and likely taxes it’s going to end up around the £50 mark.
― michaellambert, Friday, 12 October 2018 10:31 (five years ago) link
I may just get the digital version
― Duke, Friday, 12 October 2018 15:46 (five years ago) link
Reading some great reviews of this. A pity it's not available on CD
― Duke, Saturday, 24 November 2018 18:17 (five years ago) link
Seven years already. This was a tough loss.
If the blues are you hunterThen you will come face to faceWith that darkness and desolationAnd the endless depressionBut you are not helplessAnd you are not helplessTry to beat it
― Mule, Sunday, 22 March 2020 18:38 (four years ago) link
I mourn the loss regularly.
― brechtian social distancing (Simon H.), Monday, 23 March 2020 03:11 (four years ago) link
Posthumous album of solo songs recorded in 2008 due in August, Eight Gates. Sounds like mostly solo acoustic songs mixed with field recordings from his time in London. Torn between really wanting to hear anything new from Molina and wondering if he wanted this stuff released...
https://secretlycanadian.com/record/eight-gates/
Eight Gates:
01 Whisper Away02 Shadow Answers the Wall03 The Mission’s End04 Old Worry05 She Says06 Fire on the Rail07 Be Told the Truth08 Thistle Blue09 The Crossroad + The Emptiness
― soaring skrrrtpeggios (jon /via/ chi 2.0), Wednesday, 20 May 2020 14:06 (four years ago) link
The track thus far released is really doing it for me:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZLrnk0h8nE
― Soundslike, Wednesday, 20 May 2020 22:21 (four years ago) link
Torn between really wanting to hear anything new from Molina and wondering if he wanted this stuff released...
I'm very ambivalent about this as well but this track is really nice.
― Dinsdale, Saturday, 23 May 2020 21:51 (four years ago) link
I'm on a Molina binge rn and was thinking about whether I should get this.
― Duke, Friday, 3 July 2020 22:36 (three years ago) link