Bay Area native Tony Molina has a restless, multi-faceted musical personality. He got his start playing in hardcore bands, but over time developed two distinct styles that are very far removed from that sound. Initially under the name Ovens, then as a solo artist, he crafts bite-sized chunks of melodic pop that can be broken into two sub-headings: quiet acoustic guitar-led ballads and noisy electric songs that sound like Teenage Fanclub with J Mascis and the Fastbacks' Kurt Bloch spearheading a dual guitar attack.
Underpinned by an unwavering ethos of independence and an unrelenting devotion to songcraft, his music ties together a passion for the history and tradition of song writing/production with a steadfast work ethic and an uncanny ability to exemplify and transcend those inspirations. Be it pop, folk or even classical, Molina’s talent lies in his continuing work of distilling the elements of hook, riff and melody to their most basic yet totally compelling forms.
Molina broke through with his 2013's DISSED AND DISMISSED, which leaned almost exclusively on his louder songs to great effect. The album was first released on Melters and then on Slumberland Records. Not content to be pigeonholed, however, he switched to the gentle, acoustic side of his dual nature for his next two Slumberland releases -- 2016's CONFRONT THE TRUTH and 2018's Baroque pop-influenced LP KILL THE LIGHTS -- before issuing 2022's IN THE FADE, an album that incorporated all aspects of his previous work as a solo artist.
Molina played in various D.I.Y. hardcore acts starting in his teenage years, while at the same time recording short songs that varied from acoustic ballads to almost symphonic metal, none of them lasting much more than a minute. This work was released under the name Ovens, beginning in 2006 with the "Beau Goes to the Hospital" single. He kept up a prolific pace, both as a member of bands and as Ovens, and in 2009 released the first music under his own name, the 12-song Embarrassing Times cassette. As the 2010s began, he continued recording as Ovens, joined the lo-fi punk band Violent Change and played on their self-titled album, and fronted the hardcore band Caged Animals. In 2013, Molina released his second solo album, Dissed and Dismissed, a collection of 12 short and fuzzy tunes that took notes from '90s indie and power pop acts like Weezer, Redd Kross, and Dinosaur Jr. What was intended as a demo caught the attention of fans of melodic guitar pop and hooked two legendary American labels, Matador and Slumberland. Matador released the Six Tracks EP later in 2013; Slumberland signed him and reissued Dissed and Dismissed in 2014, Confront The Truth in 2016 and Kill The Lights in 2018.
While playing guitar in the hardcore band Scalped, Molina began work on his first Slumberland record. He wrote and recorded over 40 songs, feeling pressure to make the record just right and wavering about which musical direction to take. In the end, he pivoted from making an album to releasing an EP instead. Stripping away the power and guitars from his pop sound, the eight-song Confront the Truth featured Molina playing acoustic guitars, adding keyboards, and channeling his love of the Beatles. His next album, 2018's Kill the Lights, came about much more naturally. He worked on some songs with a friend, Jasper Leach, and they decided to make a record out of the demos they had started. Recorded in two studios and a bedroom, the album was again built around Molina's acoustic guitar and winsome pop melodies, but this time featured some folk-rock-ready 12-string electric, a full-band sound, and Leach's keyboards.
In 2019, Molina put together a collection of previously unreleased songs from his sessions at House of Faith and Atomic Garden. Titled SONGS FROM SAN MATEO COUNTY, the 14-track album was released in July 2019. His next album, IN THE FADE, was released by Summer Shade, an offshoot of Run for Cover, in August of 2022 and was the first of his solo records to contain all the sides of his musical personality under one roof.
His new record "On This Day" might be the most Tony Molina album yet – an achingly beautiful set of 21 songs that feels like a choice selection of lost singles (or deep cuts). The album was produced and recorded by Tony and Alicia Vanden Heuvel (The Aislers Set) to 8 track ½" analog tape in their San Francisco home studio. Hammond and piano tracks were recorded with longtime Molina collaborator Jack Shirley at Atomic Garden, and mixing duties were handled by Nick Bassett. The album was augmented by contributions from live bandmates Rachel Orimo (vocals), Stephen Oriolo (guitar), and Steve Kerwin (drums), as well as long-time friend (and Ladybug Transistor founder) Gary Olson on trumpet. The album will be out on November 14th as a co-release between Slumberland Records, Speakeasy Studios SF and Olde Fade (Tony's new label).
