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 would garner 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, blues, and alternative country with his tenor vocal range. In 2009, Molina canceled a 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 in March 2013. Early life Molina was born December 30, 1973 in Oberlin, Ohio. His father was a middle school teacher. He had one brother, Aaron, and one sister, Ashley. Molina was raised in Lorain, Ohio, an industrial town 25 miles west of Cleveland, and grew up in a single-wide trailer on Lake Erie. 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 band Spineriders. Molina attended Oberlin College, 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 indie rock, lo-fi, folk, or alt-country. 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, 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-based label Secretly Canadian. In 2000, Molina released three