Pitchfork: Magnolia Electric Co.'s Prep Debut LP, Tour

Magnolia Electric Co.'s Prep Debut LP, Tour

After forming in 2003 from the ashes of Songs: Ohia, the Magnolia Electric Co. is finally getting set to release their first studio album of new material. The band, led by former Songs: Ohia frontman Jason Molina, will offer up What Comes After the Blues on April 9 via Secretly Canadian. This will mark the band's second release this year-- as well as their second release ever-- following the live album Trials and Errors, released earlier this month.

A reassuring sign of things to come, Trials and Errors was a a cozy 10-track live album culled from a Belgium performance on the band's 2003 tour, featuring a handful of covers and older tracks, as well as some newly written material. While the tracklist for What Comes After the Blues has yet to be finalized, a post on the band's website confirms that two of the live cuts featured on Trials have been given the studio treatment for the upcoming album.

The band will also be supporting its recent releases with a number of live dates this year, including a four-day stint at the SXSW Festival in March, where they will perform alongside Enon, Les Georges Leningrad, Jennifer Gentile, and The Wrens. A two-month tour throughout the U.S. and Canada will follow in April and May, kicking off with an April 9 date in Chicago that will also double as a CD release party (hopefully with punch and pie). A few venues have yet to be confirmed, but the current schedule looks like this:

02-14 New York, NY - Knitting Factory (Jason Molina solo)
03-15 Houston, TX - Walter's on Washington (Jason Molina solo, w/ Ida)
03-16 Austin, TX - SXSW Festival
03-17 Austin, TX - SXSW Festival
03-18 Austin, TX - SXSW Festival
03-19 Austin, TX - SXSW Festival
04-09 Chicago, IL - Schuba's (two shows)
04-12 Athens, OH - Casa Cantina
04-13 Cleveland, OH - The Spot Case Western Reserve (closed to non-students)
04-14 Boston, MA - Remis Auditorium
04-15 Purchase, NY - SUNY Purchase (closed to non-students)
04-16 New York, NY - Knitting Factory
04-17 Greensboro, NC - Stone Lawn
04-18 Asheville, NC - Grey Eagle Music Hall
04-19 Nashville, TN - The End
04-20 St Louis, MO - TBA
04-21 Columbia, MO - Mojo's
04-22 Lawrence, KS - Jackpot Saloon
04-23 Denver, CO - Larimer Lounge
04-24 Salt Lake City, UT - Lo-Fi Cafe
04-26 Phoenix, AZ - Modified
04-27 Tucson, AZ - TBA
04-28 San Diego, CA - TBA
04-29 Los Angeles, CA - The Echo *
04-30 San Francisco, CA - Bottom of the Hill *
05-02 Eugene, OR - TBA
05-03 Portland, OR - Doug Fir Lounge *
05-04 Seattle, WA - Crocodile Cafe *
05-05 Victoria, British Columbia - Lucky Bar
05-06 Vancouver, British Columbia - Richard's On Richards
05-07 Calgary, Alberta - The Hi Fi
05-08 Edmonton, Alberta - New City Likwid Lounge (w/ Field & Stream)
05-09 Saskatoon, Saskatchewan - Amigo's
05-10 Regina, Saskatchewan - The Exchange
05-11 Winnipeg, Manitoba - West End
05-12 Minneapolis, MN - TBA
05-13 Madison, WI - TBA
05-14 Milwaukee, WI - Cactus Club
* with the Court & Spark

And for those still scrambling for that perfect Valentine's Day idea, Jason Molina will be performing a solo set at the Knitting Factory in New York on February 14th. The performance is one of several taking place across the country promoting the recently released poetry anthology Isn't It Romantic, which also comes packaged with a compilation disc featuring "original love songs" from Jason Molina, Doug Martsch, David Berman, and Jenny Toomey, among others. Sharing the bill for the event are Mighty Flashlight, Mark Mulcahy, Megan Reilly, and Lo Fine. Don't forget the flowers and chocolate...