Jason Molina

Jason Molina (b. Oberlin, Ohio, December 30, 1973 - d. Indianapolis, March 16, 2013) -- Singer, songwriter, guitarist, and bassist. Molina graduated from Oberlin College in 1996 and then played bass in heavy metal bands in the Cleveland area before focusing his energies on original music. From 1996 to 2003, he led, sang, and wrote for Songs: Ohia, which was an indie rock band made up of revolving musicians. Under the same name, he sometimes played solo and was known for his tenor acoustic guitar, which he tuned unconventionally. He cut eight albums with the Songs: Ohia project, which fluidly transitioned into the Magnolia Electric Company, which created five albums. A prolific songwriter, Molina also recorded three albums as a solo artist. Throughout his career, Molina toured extensively in the United States and Europe. He was strongly connected to Indiana, as he moved to Bloomington 1997 -- i.e. early in his career -- and stayed with brothers Ben and Chris Swanson, who founded the local label Secretly Canadian. Over the years, Molina helped Secretly Canadian transcend into a much bigger operation. In his last several years, Molina continued to struggle with alcoholism and had sobriety treatment in Indianapolis. In fact, he was living in an Indianapolis apartment on Musket Street at the time of his death at age thirty-nine. Although he was never well-known in the American mainstream, he maintained a strong following.