Jason Andrew Molina (December 30, 1973 – March 16, 2013) was an American musician, singer and songwriter. Raised in northern Ohio, he came to prominence performing and recording as Songs: Ohia, both in solo projects and with a rotating cast of musicians in the late 1990s. Beginning in 2003, he garnered a further indie following for his releases with the band Magnolia Electric Co. Molina had a prolific career between his two musical projects and solo releases, producing a total of sixteen studio albums, eight EPs, and numerous singles. His overall discography was noted by critics for blending elements of

indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom, United States and New Zealand in the early to mid-1980s. Although the term was originally used to describe rock music released through independent reco ...

, blues, and

alternative country Alternative country (commonly abbreviated to alt-country; also known as alternative country rock, insurgent country, Americana, or y'allternative) is a loosely defined subgenre of country music and/or country rock that includes acts that diffe ...

with his

tenor A tenor is a type of male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. Composers typically write music for this voice in the range from the second B below m ...

vocal range. In 2009, Molina canceled a European and U.S. tour with Will Johnson, citing health problems. He spent the next four years dealing with alcoholism, which ultimately resulted in his death from

multiple organ failure Multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS) is altered organ function in an acutely ill patient requiring immediate medical intervention. There are different stages of organ dysfunction for certain different organs, both in acute and in chronic ...

in March 2013.

Early life

Molina was born December 30, 1973 in

Oberlin, Ohio Oberlin () is a city in Lorain County, Ohio, United States. It is located about southwest of Cleveland within the Cleveland metropolitan area. The population was 8,555 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Oberlin is the home of Oberlin ...

. His father was a middle school teacher. He had one brother, Aaron, and one sister, Ashley. Molina was raised in

Lorain, Ohio Lorain () is a city in Lorain County, Ohio, United States. It is located in Northeast Ohio on Lake Erie, at the mouth of the Black River (Ohio), Black River about west of Cleveland. It is the List of cities in Ohio, ninth-most populous city in O ...

, an industrial town 25 miles west of

Cleveland Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–U.S. maritime border and approximately west of the Ohio-Pennsylvania st ...

, and grew up in a single-wide trailer on

Lake Erie Lake Erie ( ) is the fourth-largest lake by surface area of the five Great Lakes in North America and the eleventh-largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and also has the shortest avera ...

. He began playing guitar at age 10. Molina attended Admiral King High School, graduating in 1992. During school, he played bass guitar, most notably with the

metal A metal () is a material that, when polished or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electrical resistivity and conductivity, electricity and thermal conductivity, heat relatively well. These properties are all associated wit ...

band Spineriders. Molina attended

Oberlin College Oberlin College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college and conservatory of music in Oberlin, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1833, it is the oldest Mixed-sex education, coeducational lib ...

, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in art history in 1996. After playing bass guitar in various metal bands in and around Cleveland, Molina became a solo artist under an assumed band name, recruiting other musicians for each project as needed. He made several home recordings under various names, including "Songs: Albian", "Songs: Radix", and "Songs: Unitas", which he distributed himself at live performances.

Career

Songs: Ohia: 1995–2003

Songs: Ohia was largely a project of revolving musicians with Molina as its center and sole stable member. The band's genre is generally considered

lo-fi Lo-fi (also typeset as lofi or low-fi; short for low fidelity) is a music or production quality in which elements usually regarded as imperfections in the context of a recording or performance are present, sometimes as a deliberate stylistic ch ...

folk Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk hero ** Folk horror ** Folk music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** Folk religion * Folk taxonomy Arts, entertainment, and media * Fo ...

, or

alt-country Alternative country (commonly abbreviated to alt-country; also known as alternative country rock, insurgent country, Americana, or y'allternative) is a loosely defined subgenre of country music and/or country rock that includes acts that diffe ...

. The second part of the name is an allusion to both the Hawaiian tree '' 'Ōhi'a lehua'' and Molina's home state of Ohio. The first Songs: Ohia release came in 1995 as a single on

Palace Records Drag City is an American independent record label based in Chicago, Illinois, established in the city in 1989 by Dan Koretzky and Dan Osborn. It specializes in indie rock, noise rock, psychedelic folk, alternative country, and experimental music. ...

, ''Nor Cease Thou Never Now''. This was followed by the 1997 full-length album Songs: Ohia (known among fans as ''The Black Album''), released on the

Bloomington, Indiana Bloomington is a city in Monroe County, Indiana, United States, and its county seat. The population was 79,168 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is the List of municipalities in Indiana, seventh-most populous city in Indiana and ...

-based label Secretly Canadian. In 2000, Molina released three albums: '' The Lioness'', recorded near

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

by producer Andy Miller with help from Alasdair Roberts and members of

Arab Strap Arab Strap are a Scottish indie rock band whose core members are Aidan Moffat and Malcolm Middleton. The band were signed to independent record label Chemikal Underground, split in 2006 and reformed in 2016. The band signed to Rock Action Reco ...

; ''Ghost Tropic'', recorded by

Mike Mogis Mike Mogis is an American producer/mixer/engineer and multi-instrumentalist who owns ARC Studios (Another Recording Company) in downtown Omaha, Nebraska, Omaha. Mike, along with his brother A. J. Mogis, A.J. Mogis, founded Presto! Recording Stud ...

; and '' Protection Spells'', a solo album sold at live shows and now out of print. By 2000, Molina had given his

tenor guitar The tenor guitar or four-string guitar is a slightly smaller, four-string relative of the steel-string acoustic guitar or electric guitar. The instrument was initially developed in its acoustic form by Gibson and C.F. Martin so that players o ...

a rest in favor of a regular six-string electric guitar and put together a full band to back him, including brothers Rob and Dan Sullivan on bass and guitar, Jeff Panall on drums, and Jim Grabowski on organ. In the same year the touring band recorded a live album near

Modena Modena (, ; ; ; ; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) on the south side of the Po Valley, in the Province of Modena, in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy. It has 184,739 inhabitants as of 2025. A town, and seat of an archbis ...

, Italy, released locally in 2001 as ''Mi Sei Apparso Come Un Fantasma''. In 2002, Molina recorded '' Didn't It Rain'' in Philadelphia with members of bluegrass band Jim & Jennie & the Pinetops. On the album, named after a

Mahalia Jackson Mahalia Jackson ( ; born Mahala Jackson; October 26, 1911 – January 27, 1972) was an American gospel music, gospel singer, widely considered one of the most influential vocalists of the 20th century. With a career spanning 40 years, Jackson was ...

song, the band achieved an almost gospel sound that was a vast departure from the dense feel of '' Ghost Tropic''. Constantly recording and writing new songs, Songs: Ohia released a handful of singles and EPs in 2002, including a split EP with

My Morning Jacket My Morning Jacket is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Louisville, Kentucky, in 1998. The band consists of vocalist/guitarist Jim James, bassist Tom Blankenship, drummer Patrick Hallahan, guitarist Carl Broemel, and keyboardist Bo Kos ...

and a collaborative EP (under the name Amalgamated Sons of Rest) with

Will Oldham Joseph Will Oldham (born January 15, 1970) is an American singer-songwriter and actor. From 1993 to 1997, he performed and recorded in collaboration with dozens of other musicians under variations of Palace (Palace, Palace Brothers, Palace Son ...

and Alasdair Roberts. The 2003 release '' Magnolia Electric Co.'' marked a shift in direction for Songs: Ohia. Every song was recorded live in the studio with a full touring band plus musicians from ''Didn't It Rain''. The album's sound draws heavily from the

heartland rock Heartland rock is a genre of rock music characterized by a straightforward, often roots musical style, often with a focus on blue-collar workers, and a conviction that rock music has a social or communal purpose beyond just entertainment. The g ...

and folk-rock of the 1960s/70s, as well as Molina's heavy metal roots.

Magnolia Electric Co.: 2003–2012

In March 2003, while on tour, Molina announced that he would rename the band Magnolia Electric Co., retaining the stylistic direction of the album of the same name. He also continued to release solo work under his own name. The first such release came in January 2004 as the full-length vinyl release ''Pyramid Electric Co.'' Engineered by Mike Mogis, who also engineered ''Ghost Tropic'', ''Pyramid'' found Molina alone at the microphone with only his voice and a piano or guitar. Magnolia Electric Co.'s first official release was a live album, ''Trials and Errors'', followed by a studio album, ''What Comes After the Blues'', and an EP, ''Hard to Love a Man'', all released in 2005. In 2006, Molina released two more records: the sparse solo ''Let Me Go, Let Me Go, Let Me Go'' and the more conventional ''Fading Trails'' with Magnolia Electric Co., the latter culled from three separate sessions over the previous year. It is not entirely clear when Songs: Ohia became Magnolia Electric Co. In interviews, Molina claimed that he considered the tenure of Songs: Ohia over after ''Didn't It Rain'', which would make ''Magnolia Electric Co.'' the self-titled debut album under the new name. The name "Songs: Ohia" appears nowhere on the artwork of the album and only a promotional sticker on the

cellophane Cellophane is a thin, transparent sheet made of regenerated cellulose. Its low permeability to air, oils, greases, bacteria, and liquid water makes it useful for food packaging. Cellophane is highly permeable to water vapour, but may be coate ...

wrapping connects it with the prior name. Nevertheless, Secretly Canadian still promotes the album under the Songs: Ohia moniker. On the other hand, the Magnolia Electric Co. live album ''Trials and Errors'' was recorded on April 16, 2003, at the

Ancienne Belgique The (''AB'') is a concert hall for contemporary music in Brussels, Belgium. Located in the historic heart of Brussels, it is one of the leading concert venues in Belgium, hosting a wide variety of international and local acts. Some 300,000 pe ...

club in

Brussels Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...

, at a time when the band was still touring under the Songs: Ohia name.

Pitchfork Media ''Pitchfork'' (formerly ''Pitchfork Media'') is an American online music magazine founded in 1996 by Ryan Schreiber in Minneapolis. It originally covered Alternative rock, alternative and independent music, and expanded to cover genres includin ...

later reported that name change would be made official after the Spanish tour in October 2003.

Later years and illness: 2009–2013

According to Magnolia Electric Co. bandmate Jason Groth, Molina "and the bottle had a complicated relationship" dating back as far as 2003.The Beach Dog:
Magnolia Electric Company Tour Diary, August 24, 2009
The full extent of his alcoholism was not revealed to many of his close friends until after 2009. A European tour for Molina & Johnson in support of their self-titled album was scheduled for November and December 2009; the tour was canceled on November 23, three days before it was to begin. A brief note on the band's website blamed "health problems" (without elaborating) for the cancelations and noted, "Jason Molina is extremely disappointed but there is no way he can be on the road at the present time." A U.S. leg of the Molina & Johnson tour was scheduled for January and February 2010 but was canceled in early December with another brief note on the band's website citing Molina's "present health issues". Following this announcement, Molina effectively withdrew from public life. On September 19, 2011, a message from Molina's family was posted on the Secretly Canadian Records website, titled "Where Is Jason Molina?", which said that over the preceding two years Molina had visited rehab facilities and hospitals in England, Chicago,

Indianapolis Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...

, and

New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

for an unnamed condition. His family wrote that he was "currently working on a farm in West Virginia raising goats and chickens for the next year or so, and is looking forward to making great music again." On May 5, 2012, a post titled "a note from jason" was posted on the Magnolia Electric Co. website, explaining certain aspects of his situation for the first time.Magnoliaelectricco.com post:
a note from jason
." Saying that it had been "a long hospital year", Molina expressed gratitude and appreciation for the monetary and emotional support he had received from fans and friends. He gave a brief update on his condition, saying, "Treatment is good, getting to deal with a lot of things that even the music didn't want to. I have not given up because you, my friends have not given up on me." The note concludes optimistically, saying that there were a few music projects on the "distant radar screen".

Death and legacy

Molina died on March 16, 2013, in

of alcohol abuse-related organ failure. He was 39. His friend Henry Owings published an article in his online music magazine '' Chunklet'' that said Molina had struggled with alcoholism for most of the decade leading up to his death. Owings also wrote that Molina had "cashed out on Saturday night in Indianapolis with nothing but a cell phone in his pocket". Chunklet article:
Jason Molina RIP
Molina was cremated. Following 2013, two posthumous 7-inch singles of

Townes Van Zandt John Townes Van Zandt (March 7, 1944 – January 1, 1997) was an American singer-songwriter.

and

Black Sabbath Black Sabbath are an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward (musician), Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler, and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. After adopting the Black Sabbath name in 1969 (the band ...

covers were released. In May 2013, Graveface Records released a double CD called ''Weary Engine Blues: A Tribute to Jason Molina''. Additionally, a biography of Molina, ''Jason Molina: Riding with the Ghost'', was published in May 2017 by Erin Osmon.Jason Molina: Riding with the Ghost, By Erin Osmon, 9781442268678 – Rowman & Littlefield
/ref> A plaque dedicated in Molina's memory was erected on the entrance of Secretly Canadian's second storage facility. In January 2018, the indie label

Dead Oceans Dead Oceans, Inc., is an American independent record label founded in 2006 and based in Bloomington, Indiana. History On June 30, 2006, Phil Waldorf founded Dead Oceans with Chris Swanson. Swanson suggested the name Dead Oceans, which came fro ...

published in homage to Molina the cooperation single ''Farewell Transmission b/w The Dark Don't Hide It'' by

Kevin Morby Kevin Robert Morby (born 2 April 1988) is an American musician, singer, and songwriter. A former member of Woods (band), Woods and The Babies, Morby has released seven solo studio albums: ''Harlem River (album), Harlem River'' (2013), ''Still Li ...

and

Waxahatchee Waxahatchee is an American indie music project, formed in 2010 by American singer-songwriter Kathryn Crutchfield (born January 4, 1989), known professionally as Katie Crutchfield, following the breakup of her previous band P.S. Eliot. The ban ...

. Two posthumous albums, ''Live at La Chapelle'' and ''Eight Gates'', were released by Secretly Canadian in 2020.

Artistry

Music critics noted Molina's music for its unique blend of indie rock with blues, alternative country, and lo-fi music, which combined "

Rust Belt The Rust Belt, formerly the Steel Belt or Factory Belt, is an area of the United States that underwent substantial Deindustrialization, industrial decline in the late 20th century. The region is centered in the Great Lakes and Mid-Atlantic (Uni ...

grit with

Americana music Americana (also known as American roots music) is an amalgam of Music of the United States, American music formed by the confluence of the shared and varied traditions that make up the musical ethos of the United States of America, with particul ...

's pastoral imagery." ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

''s William Yardley characterized Molina as a "balladeer of heartbreak". He possessed a

vocal range. According to Molina, he treated his work as a musician like a standard job, writing music eight hours per day. "I throw away most of what I write", he said in a 2006 interview. "I feel a lot of guilt about the freedom that being an artist provides. I ask myself, 'Why am I not the guy emptying the trash, why am I the guy who is watching the guy empty the trash?

Personal life

Molina was married to Darcie Schoenman Molina.Jason Molina: Riding with the Ghost, By Erin Osmon, 9781442268678 – Rowman & Littlefield
/ref> They had no children and were estranged at the time of his death.

Discography

All releases on the Secretly Canadian label, unless otherwise specified.

Songs: Ohia

; Studio albums * 1997: '' Songs: Ohia'' (also known as The Black Album) * 1998: ''

Impala The impala or rooibok (''Aepyceros melampus'', lit. 'black-footed high-horn' in Ancient Greek) is a medium-sized antelope found in eastern and southern Africa. The only extant member of the genus '' Aepyceros'', and tribe Aepycerotini, it ...

'' (originally released on Happy Go Lucky) * 1999: '' Axxess & Ace'' * 2000: '' The Lioness'' * 2000: '' Ghost Tropic'' * 2002: '' Didn't It Rain'' * 2003: '' The Magnolia Electric Co.'' ; Live albums * 2001: '' Mi Sei Apparso Come Un Fantasma'' (Paper Cut Records) * 2017: ''Live At WOBC October 12, 1994)'' (Secretly Canadian) * 2022: ''Live: Vanquishers (Tilburg, Netherlands. Oct 9, 2000)'' (Secretly Canadian) ; Tour-only releases * 1999: ''The Ghost'' (tour-only release) * 2000: '' Protection Spells'' (tour-only release) ; EPs * 1997: ''Hecla & Griper'' * 1998: ''Our Golden Ratio'' (Acuarela) * 2001: ''Howler'' (Absalom) * 2001: ''Travels in Constants'' (Temporary Residence) ; Singles * 1996: "Nor Cease Thou Never Now" (

) * 1996: "One Pronunciation of Glory" * 1999: "Untitled" (Western Vinyl) * 2002: "The Gray Tower"/"Black Link to Fire Link" * 2002: "Keep It Steady"/"United or Lost Alone" * 2004: "No Moon on the Water"/"In the Human World" (Chunklet) * 2022: "VU Anxiety" (Secretly Canadian)

Jason Molina

; Albums * 2004: '' Pyramid Electric Co.'' * 2006: '' Let Me Go, Let Me Go, Let Me Go'' * 2012: ''Autumn Bird Songs ''(Graveface) * 2020: ''Eight Gates'' ; Live albums * 2020: ''Live at La Chapelle'' (Secretly Canadian) ; EPs * 2012: ''Autumn Bird Songs'' ; Singles * 2004: ''No Moon On The Water'' * 2016: ''The Townes Van Zandt Covers'' * 2017: ''The Black Sabbath Covers''

Magnolia Electric Co.

; Albums * 2005: '' Trials & Errors'' (live album) * 2005: '' What Comes After the Blues'' * 2006: '' Fading Trails'' * 2007: ''

Sojourner A sojourner is a person who resides temporarily in a place. Sojourner may also refer to: People * Sojourner Truth (1797–1883), abolitionist and women's rights activist * Albert Sojourner (1872–1951), member of the Mississippi House of Rep ...

'' (boxset) * 2009: '' Josephine'' ; EPs * 2005: ''Hard to Love a Man'' * 2009: ''It's Made Me Cry'' ; Singles * 2009: ''Rider.Shadow.Wolf''

Collaborations

; Albums * 2009: '' Molina and Johnson'' ; EPs * 2002: "Translation" on Split: My Morning Jacket / Songs: Ohia ( Jade Tree) * 2002: '' Amalgamated Sons of Rest'' with

and Alasdair Roberts (Galaxia) ; Singles * 1998: "Nay, 'Tis Not Death" (Alternate) on split 7-inch with

Appendix Out Alasdair Roberts (born 8 August 1977) is a Scottish folk music, folk musician. He released a number of albums under the name Appendix Out and, following the 2001 album ''The Night Is Advancing'', under his own name. Roberts is also known for ...

(Liquefaction Empire) * 1999: "Journey On" on split 7-inch with Oneida (

Jagjaguwar Jagjaguwar is an American independent record label based in Bloomington, Indiana. History In 1996, in Charlottesville, Virginia, University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public resear ...

) * 1999: "How to Be Perfect Men" on split 7-inch with Rex (Temporary Residence) * 2000: 7-inch single with Alasdair Roberts * 2000: "Fade St." on split 7-inch with

Glen Hansard Glen James Hansard (born 21 April 1970) is an Irish singer-songwriter and musician. Since 1990, he has been the frontman of the Irish rock band The Frames, with whom he has released six studio albums, four of which have charted in the top ten o ...

(Road Relish) * 2001: "Lioness" (Version) on split 7-inch with Scout Niblett

References

External links

Official Magnolia Electric Co. website

Secretly Canadian official artist page for Songs: Ohia

Secretly Canadian official artist page for Magnolia Electric Co.

Secretly Canadian official artist page for Jason Molina

Songs: Ohia Tabs – Fan Site with Guitar Tablature, Discography, Tour Dates, Lyrics, and Online Forum
{{DEFAULTSORT:Molina, Jason 1973 births 2013 deaths American country singer-songwriters American folk musicians American tenors Drag City (record label) artists Singer-songwriters from Ohio Oberlin College alumni People from Lorain, Ohio American alternative country musicians Alcohol-related deaths in Indiana People from Oberlin, Ohio Country musicians from Ohio Secretly Canadian artists American male singer-songwriters