I saw MAGNOLIA ELECTRIC CO...

...SATURDAY at the Echo.

Holy crap, they killed. Unbelievable.

Jason Molina's voice--which sounds like a Neil Young/Will Oldham chimera-beast--is so high and lonesome, and the band plays such thundering, crunchy, early-70's rock (think vintage The Band or Crazy Horse), that everyone in the room was just floored.

And this was for a show that started before 8 p.m. (there was some sort of "mash-up dance party" later that night...ahem...I guess everyone has to pay the bills).

So why do I mention a great rock n' roll band on a film website?

Good question.

Answer: Magnolia Electric Co. (who formerly were called Songs: Ohia) was just about all I listened to while writing the script for "Off the Black." It fit perfectly. Jason Molina sings such heartbreaking, soulful rock n' roll, and isn't afraid to talk about masculinity and loneliness in a raw, honest, and sensitive manner that seems like a rare, precious commodity in an age of irony. I wanted my film to have some of the same qualities.

Anyway.

I'm a big fan.

Check out the band, and if they come to your town, see 'em live. You won't regret it.

MAGNOLIA ELECTRIC CO.