Jason Molina, the band’s lead singer and songwriter, is a Midwestern visionary who writes songs with transitions and crafts with heavy-heart lyrics that reveal country music and Neil Young to be influences. The lyrics aren’t too overthought. The music isn’t overly complicated. Best of all, the vocals aren’t too loud or soft, they’re just right.
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Magnolia Electric Co.
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 Entertainment
Art
Cactus Club
Milwaukee, Wis.
May 14, 2005 |
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The Cactus Club was the perfect locale for a Midwestern band playing country-infused rock about resolution. In the truest essence, Molina was able to speak to a demographic that he’s part of. Always even-keeled on stage, Molina and his band of simple geniuses never skipped a beat from song to song. Each verse more mesmerizing than the last, MEC reigned triumphant throughout the hushed set that only led to cheers and begs for encores.
To understand the success of MEC’s set is to understand the entire room. Fans of the band whistled and cheered for an act they love. Those unfamiliar with the band’s music stood in awe, becoming enraptured in the lyrics. Lastly, there were those who are just fans of music, staring desperately while a sonic phenomenon unfolded before their eyes.
Audiences are usually varied by nature at live shows, but this had to be the most eclectic of all. The jam-friendly community turns out for jam-style music, there’s no doubt about that. But the truest test of a band’s live set lies with those who are not fans. Looking around the room from the back soundboard console, you could see all walks of life enjoying Molina’s sullen vocals, while the rest of the band played note after note of entrancing twangs.
I can’t be sure why Magnolia Electric Co.’s live set was so successful. In fact, I’m not sure everyone got it. In an age of music where the audience is spoon-fed the laurels of production as opposed to the grittiness of a live set, MEC did what few other bands are able to do – connect with the audience. Feeding one off another, the time spent before Magnolia Electric Co.’s was not in vain.
There are more dynamic bands on stage. There are bands that sing louder. There are bands that have messages to their music. Magnolia Electric Co. delivered a magical set without asking the crowd to jump. The band didn’t yell. The band didn’t even flinch. The band did, however, steal a piece of everyone’s soul and replace it with a musical memory as perfect to remember as it was to witness.
Photos provided by Magnolia Electric Co.
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