Magnolia Electric Co.

After retiring <a href="spotify:artist:3uQ5cxFHxXddqPL58egs1z">Songs: Ohia</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:4tBNwdhdWAXGzzaPTp9dRE">Jason Molina</a> 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 <a href="spotify:artist:3uQ5cxFHxXddqPL58egs1z">Songs: Ohia</a> record and proved to be the appropriate connection from the past to the next phase of <a href="spotify:artist:4tBNwdhdWAXGzzaPTp9dRE">Molina</a>'s projects. The early makeup of the four-piece band in 2003 consisted of Pete Schreiner (<a href="spotify:artist:3w9z13aDv3OwBTAY6Y6yKf">Panoply Academy</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:5zR2KjcmAWUFNrUeQTUQ9B">Coke Dares</a>) on drums, Mike Kapinus (<a href="spotify:artist:5E7zSu46SqTmgKqsc0tFkY">Okkervil River</a>) on bass and trumpet, Jason Groth (<a href="spotify:artist:5GvoOzC8SnnziNKcpN9pFu">Impossible Shapes</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:1T6kWX6TkJ3eESqKO65YC4">John Wilkes Booze</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:5zR2KjcmAWUFNrUeQTUQ9B">Coke Dares</a>) on guitar, and <a href="spotify:artist:4tBNwdhdWAXGzzaPTp9dRE">Jason Molina</a> providing the other guitar and vocals. Magnolia Electric Co. recorded Trials & Errors live in Brussels in 2003, which <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Secretly+Canadian%22">Secretly Canadian</a> released in January 2005. With later tours, Magnolia Electric Co. shifted the lineup of the band, adding <a href="spotify:artist:06HlSZF47fHWTw4Xj84bRa">Mark Rice</a> (<a href="spotify:artist:5GvoOzC8SnnziNKcpN9pFu">Impossible Shapes</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:1T6kWX6TkJ3eESqKO65YC4">John Wilkes Booze</a>) on drums and moving Schreiner to bass and Kapinus to trumpet and keyboards, while Groth and <a href="spotify:artist:4tBNwdhdWAXGzzaPTp9dRE">Molina</a> remained on guitar. Magnolia Electric Co.'s full-length studio debut appeared to glowing reviews in spring 2005 via <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Secretly+Canadian%22">Secretly Canadian</a>. 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, <a href="spotify:artist:4tBNwdhdWAXGzzaPTp9dRE">Jason Molina</a> suffered from alcoholism for years, which ultimately led to his death from organ failure in March 2013 at the age of 39. ~ David Serra, Rovi