Transmissions From The Molinaverse - 20th May

A regular update on all things JM

Hey everyone,

Hope you’re all keeping well.

Putting these together is becoming a real pleasure - today we’ve dug up a new ambient / drone EP released in tribute to Jason, new live videos of MECo and have some beautiful writing from Ryder, a fan who contacted us to share their feelings on Jason and his music.

Hope you enjoy.

As ever, if there is something you want to share here you can reply to this email or get us at Molina@secretlycanadian.com

All the best,

S&D

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‘For The Reverend Jason Molina’

Cardiff / Belfast based artists Ghost Signs & Veins Full Of Static have collaborated on a new drone EP via Manchester (UK) label Decaying Spheres, titled ‘For The Reverend Jason Molina’ in tribute to Jason with the first track nodding to Farewell Transmission and titled ‘No End To The Desert’

You can hear the EP & pick up a tape via the labels Bandcamp page here

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Photograph courtesy of Wes Frazer

We Have Signal unearth live video from The BottleTree

We’re sure lots of you will be quite familiar with this excellent Magnolia Electric Co. show captured by Alabama Public Television’s We Have Signal at the BottleTree in Birmingham, AL.

Recently some new footage from this performance was discovered and shared weekly via the shows Facebook page. New videos include performances of ‘Whip-poor-will’, ‘Shiloh’ and ‘O! Grace’.

To see these new sessions head to WeHaveSignals Facebook page

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Fan Corner…

Lots of you responded to our previous call out with some lovely writing on what Jason and his music means to you. We’ve decided to periodically share some of these here - hopefully as a fan of Jason’s, some of this will resonate with you.

Thank you to Ryder for submitting this.

I was born in 1999, two years after the first Songs: Ohia record came out. I was ignorant to Jason's music for years. In middle school, I had 12" liberty spikes and listened to Slipknot non-stop. A few years later, it was Converse and grunge records. By the time I was graduating high school, it was Neil Young, jazz, and the Grateful Dead. A musician myself, I became obsessed with music of all types. Sufi chants, gamelan, black metal, bluegrass, electronic music, avant-garde jazz—I wanted to learn about it all. And that is how I first discovered Jason's music.

I remember looking up lists of "the best folk rock" albums after becoming a Neil Young devotee. One of those lists prominently featured the Magnolia Electric Co. record, which was already a classic by that time. I downloaded the album (illegally—I've since purchased it, multiple times over), took a drive, and put it on. As the opening chords of Farewell Transmission washed over me, I knew I made a good choice. When Jason's voice kicked in, I was stunned. His voice was honest, plaintive, plain, and pained all at the same time. It had the shake of Neil Young, the soulfulness of Jerry Garcia, and the sorrow of George Jones. A perfect example of perfection in the imperfect. The music itself doubled down on this imperfection. The guitars were ragged, the solos raw, the harmonies reminiscent of the Horse with Neil.

But what stood out above everything else was Jason's writing. His songs felt old, yet new at the same time. His lyrics referenced the America of myth and legend, yet they hinted at the future. He talked openly and plainly about depression, anxiety, and hopelessness—emotions I knew very well by that point in my life. Like Neil, Jason was able to express the darkest of human emotion in such an honest and relatable way, all while conveying the duality of those emotions. Sometimes almost is good enough. Sometimes it's endless depression. Jason expressed the feeling of waking up and wanting to sleep for a thousand years, and he expressed the feeling of seeing a flower and seeing a light at the end of the tunnel in its beauty. Few artists have been able to so consistently and eloquently convey those emotions. But Jason did, and seemingly with every song.

After hearing that first album, I immediately scoured his back catalog. First, the rest of the MECO records. Then, onto the Songs: Ohia material. Being a deadhead, I pretty quickly discovered that many of Jason's shows were available on the internet archive. I've spent hours upon hours, days at this point, listening to his music. When the sun is down, my friends are gone, and no one else is around, Jason's music is there to show me that there is a light in the darkness. As long as there are sundowns, there will always be the West.

I don't know where I'm going with this, but I just felt the need to attempt to convey what Jason's music means for me. I have a feeling his music means something similar for a lot of other people here too. Though I never met Jason or saw him live, I feel as though the connection I have with him is deep and unshakeable. No matter where the road of life takes me, I know that Jason's music will always be there like the North Star, shining its light through the darkness.

-RH

Shared in reference to the George Jones comparison above. Jason meeting his hero, George.