My question is this: what happened to the days when our songwriters‚ their roots deep in folk‚ blues‚ and the energy of electric music‚ were also popular musicians who sold hundreds of thousands-if not millions-of records? I think of people like Neil Young‚ Jackson Browne‚ Eric Clapton (not so much a songwriter‚ though he had his moments)‚ Joni Mitchell‚ Carole King‚ Dylan. Sure‚ we're talking about the early '70s here‚ but why not? These people wrote honestly‚ openly‚ about men and women‚ about politics‚ about being human. With the exception of Dylan‚ they weren't being self-conscious and ironic. They were growing up and writing about it. They were damned good at it‚ and they managed to capture the popular imagination at the same time.

So what about Jason Molina? As far as I'm concerned‚ this man is a national treasure. Seeing him on stage with his band‚ Magnolia Electric Co.‚ was a revelation. Here's this guy: short‚ thinning hair‚ not necessarily sexy or well groomed-though clean and tasteful-on stage in a small venue in Vermont‚ playing for a crowd who paid eight bucks apiece to get in to an all-ages show. He sang in his delicate‚ quavering tenor‚ often letting go of his taped-up‚ no-name electric to allow his right arm to kind of waver between his face and the mic as he sang clear‚ poignant lyrics about trying to get along-with himself‚ with lovers‚ with the world. And he wasn't just singing; it wasn't just delivery. He lived each sliding note‚ each wave of vibrato. He had with him a five-piece band: drums‚ electric bass‚ lead electric guitar‚ pedal steel‚ and keyboards. The band was tight‚ the clean‚ simple arrangements right-on‚ and you could tell they believed in what this guy was doing.

Where are our songwriters? Why are they playing obscure clubs for eight bucks a shot? Why didn't Norah Jones' wildly popular first record open the door for more honest‚ unpretentious‚ talented acts? Didn't the bean counters pay attention to how much fucking money Blue Note (and Capitol) made? Didn't anyone learn how refreshing someone like that can be? No bling‚ no toned belly‚ no dating movie stars? Why aren't people like Jason Molina‚ Gillian Welch‚ James Mercer (of the Shins)‚ and Burlington's own Ben Mayock on the forefront of our national consciousness the way Neil‚ Joni‚ and Carly Simon once were?

When was the last time you saw a guy who had turned down major label deals to tour clubs‚ as Molina recently confessed to Burlington's own artso-rag Seven Days (with the classic line‚ "I had all kinds of offers. I coulda had tons of money.")? How often does the headliner spend an hour talking to four or five high-school students out by the soundboard instead of hanging out backstage? At least they knew who he was.

Popularity is not directly proportionate to talent. We should know this by now. Molina's songs are true‚ well-crafted‚ both catchy and deep‚ with plenty both for the casual listener and the person yearning for understanding. Maybe they aren't poppy enough. Maybe they're too consistent-in the vein of someone like Aimee Mann perhaps. And maybe he has turned down deals. Maybe he didn't want to compromise. Maybe the American listener isn't interested. Maybe no one wants to promote an everyday guy who dresses like everyone else‚ has the same problems‚ writes about it all‚ and doesn't have great abs. But somehow it worked for Neil Young. It worked for Carole King. It worked for Paul Simon.

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