Once upon a time there was but an act named Songs: Ohia, and it was good. Led by midwest mystic and comforting debbie-downer Jason Molina, Songs: Ohia built a legion of dedicated fans on a foundation of archetypal imagery (think factories, trees, seas, night, birds, the color blue, etc.) and painstakingly heartfelt performance. Really, it's hard not to miss the earnest approach of the act, but a few years back Molina—an older and wiser Molina, perhaps worn out on so often being a solo musician, and worn out from writing music on the spare, sorrowful side—decided to retire the Songs: Ohia moniker and embrace a full band of country-ish bohemians under the Magnolia Electric Company nameplate. The result has been an often-rocking, often-joyful, often-classic-rock-y approach to songcraft. All that plus a bunch more awaits the eager beaver this Thursday night at the Mohawk, as Magnolia Electric Company headline a stellar three-deep lineup....

Imagine yourself to be a person who's gone through some crap in the last five to ten years. Imagine that you've had some bad breakups, some unfulfilling jobs, maybe you've run out of money a couple times. Maybe you've drank too much and made a fool of yourself, argued with your parents, lost your keys, or missed an old friend. Maybe you don't really have to imagine any of this at all, because it's the sober realization that life is real that drives bearded man of honesty Owen Ashworth, the brain and emotion behind California-based Casiotone for the Painfully Alone. But truly it's not all gloom, as Ashworth's electronically produced beats, to be found at Emo's on Saturday night, are undeniably pleasant in their simplicity, and his incredibly frank and straightforward monotone is bound to inspire a sweet nostalgia for the real world, even when that real world didn't quite turn out like you'd dreamed it would....

New York songstress Nina Nastasia stops by the Mohawk tonight at the near-beginning of what will become a sprawling world-wide tour, meeting up with Denton's well-liked Tre Orsi and the local Silver Pines in the process. Nastasia has garnered herself quite the underground momentum, moving from humble roots as an untethered musician wandering her way through the dimly-lit club scene, to an artist with international demand and the respect of idolized names such as producer Steve Albini and Dirty Three drummer Jim White. Her debut album, Dogs, is impossible to find and is futilely sought in a way not unfamiliar to Belle & Sebastian's debut cut, Tigermilk. But she's not just a machine for hype---she plays some pretty fine music, too, using her acoustic guitar and a knack for captivating storytelling to cut through the muck of singer-songwriter-dom to create a niche all her own. And that niche has her and her band being called everything from "remarkable" to "enrapturing" to "inspired" by critics....