RockPusher wrote: Wed July 29, 2026 8:08 pm
Simple Torture wrote: Wed July 29, 2026 4:09 pm
Hansard occupies this really odd place in my musical taste, as he is the only person I know of who collaborated with Eddie Vedder and with Jason Molina.
Love Jason Molina- what was that collab?
They released a split 7” together in 2000, then recorded some songs together in 2001, but that session has never been released. Hansard was quoted a lot in Erin Osman’s biography of Molina, it sounds like he was very generous with his time.
On their never-released recordings:
Hansard remembered that as a group they captured the spirit of the individual sets they each played over the tour’s five days, which Molina was ready to release without a second thought, as was his style. “He was like, ‘This is it, this is an album,’” Hansard said. What Hansard didn’t have to say was that no one else agreed with Molina, only that the recordings now sit unreleased in his possession. But Hansard loved observing Molina’s dedicated working methods, when he’d rise at five o’clock in the morning and write lyrics until eight or nine. “He [Molina] loved music as work, and I loved that about him,” he added.
On how they initially got connected:
This was before the onslaught of interconnectivity associated with broadband Internet, and Hansard explained that due to the nature of the Black Album’s historic themes and homespun quality, he had no way of knowing whether Molina was alive, currently touring, or even if the record was new or from thirty years ago. “I thought maybe he was a Nick Drake–style character,” he added. In the letter, Hansard introduced himself and explained that if Molina ever wanted to play in Ireland, his band would be honored to open and host him overnight. “He got straight back,” Hansard said. “I can’t tell you what that meant. This was like writing to Elvis and getting a reply.”
