Run For Cover to release Jason Molina tribute album, featuring MJ Lenderman, Sun June, and more
Artword by William Schaff

Run For Cover to release Jason Molina tribute album, featuring MJ Lenderman, Sun June, and more

Run For Cover Records is releasing a tribute record dedicated to Jason Molina, the late frontman for beloved alt-country bands Songs: Ohia and Magnolia Electric Co.

I Will Swim to You: A Tribute to Jason Molina – titled after a line from Molina's song "Lioness" – will feature performances from Run For Cover Records folks and affiliated artists, covering fan favorites and deep cuts from by the midwestern songwriter. The project arrives September 5, with songs from MJ Lenderman and Sun June out now.

Listen to Lenderman's quaint rendition of "Just Be Simple" and Sun June's take on "Leave the City" below:

Alongside Lenderman and Sun June, the compilation includes covers from Horse Jumper of Love, Trace Mountains, Runnner, Sadurn, Advance Base, Hand Habits, Teen Suicide, Friendship, Lutalo, and Another Michael. With the LP, there will also be a limited split 7" featuring a previously unreleased recording of Jason Molina performing "The Last 3 Human Words (Demo)" on side A and MJ Lenderman's cover of "Just Be Simple" on side B.

A labor of love, Run For Cover founder Jeff Casazza began the project with brothers Chris and Ben Swanson, co-founders of Molina’s longtime label, Secretly Canadian. "We had the blessing of people who were very close to Jason," shares Casazza via press release, "and I knew we could do something really cool with an important body of work."

The compilation features cover art by Will Schaff, who illustrated the iconic owl for Songs: Ohia's Magnolia Electric Co. Run For Cover has also partnered with Static and Distance, a fan community run by label Secretly Canadian, to offer a special variant for their subscribers. 10% of the profits from each record will go towards the non-profit MusiCares, which helped Molina when he was struggling with addiction.

I Will Swim to You comes out September 5 via Run For Cover Record. Pre-order here. Full tracklist below:

  1. Just Be Simple (MJ Lenderman)
  2. Blue Factory Flame (Horse Jumper Of Love)
  3. The Dark Don’t Hide It (Trace Mountains)
  4. Leave The City (Sun June)
  5. When Your Love Has Gone (Runnner)
  6. The Old Black Hen (Sadurn)
  7. Everything Should Try Again (Advance Base)
  8. Lioness (Hand Habits)
  9. Whip Poor Will (Teen Suicide)
  10. Hard To Love A Man (Friendship)
  11. Shadow Answers The Wall (Lutalo)
  12. Farewell Transmission (Another Michael)

Alex Peterson

Little Rock, AR

Writer, Art Lover, and Lil Wayne Historian

What do you think?

Show comments / Leave a comment