Unpacking the life of Jason Molina is no small task. The front man of Magnolia Electric Co. and Songs: Ohia, whose records helped build Bloomington’s Secretly Canadian label into a critical darling, wasn’t just tirelessly prolific—he’d written so many songs he was often unable to recall their titles—but also a notorious teller of tall tales, frequently lying for no conceivable benefit. Chicago writer Erin Osmon, who just published her first book, Jason Molina: Riding With the Ghost, had to work hard to get inside the head of this mysterious character. “One of my goals was to include only information I could corroborate,” she says. “It was never about Osmon’s guesswork over the meaning of Molina’s lyrics. I wanted to write a true biography.”
“There were definitely tears shed,” Osmon says. “Laying out that part of the story and living with those details for almost four years makes you deeply attuned to emotions. One thing that was really beautiful, though, was the lengths Jason’s friends went to help him.” Osmon reads from Riding With the Ghost and hosts a Q&A with members of Songs: Ohia on Sat 6/17 at 7 PM at Quimby’s, 1854 W. North. She also reads Sat 7/22 at 9 PM at the Hideout, 1354 W. Wabansia, where she’ll be followed by a performance featuring members of Songs: Ohia who appear on Magnolia Electric Co. and special guests.
