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When guitarist Dan Sullivan <\/u><\/a>moved to Chicago in 1997 to pursue a musical career, it didn\u2019t take long for things to take off. Within a few years he released a couple of albums, the self-titled \u201cNadNavillus\u201d and \u201cShow Your Face.\u201d He also started performing in Songs: Ohia, the evolving project of the gifted and acclaimed musician Jason Molina.<\/u><\/a><\/p>\n Sullivan met Molina in Chicago through a chain of Oberlin College connections, including his brother Rob Sullivan, who also joined the band. Touring behind Molina\u2019s 2001 release \u201cThe Lioness\u201d, Sullivan performed more than 70 shows in the U.S. and Europe, sometimes opening for Glen Hansard\u2019s band The Frames, sometimes performing as a solo opener himself. Over his three years in the band, Sullivan also helped make Molina\u2019s most famous \u2014 some critics say best \u2014 album, \u201cThe Magnolia Electric Co.,\u201d which also became the new name of the band, as Molina\u2019s sound evolved in a rock direction.<\/p>\n \u201cHe was just a real inspiration and he was a lot of fun to be around,\u201d says Sullivan. \u201cThe music was down tempo, generally pretty dark and I could feel that no problem. We had a lot of fun, made great music. He left us too soon.\u201d<\/p>\n Molina, who died at the age of 39 in 2013, left an imprint on Sullivan in many ways, including as a band leader.<\/p>\n \u201cJason had such a clear artistic vision and brought so much confidence to his performance and to his songwriting that the other musicians became collaborators without diluting any of his vision,\u201d recalls Sullivan. \u201cSo seeing how he did it gave me a lot of inspiration for how I could do something similar.\u201d<\/p>\n