Jonah Matranga has been making music for over 30 years. A prolific artist, he has become an enduring institution in the scene with a devoted fan base, rich lineage, and varied music career. Jonah has often straddled the line between the underground and mainstream. He’s worked with indie labels like Jade Tree and majors such as Atlantic, having fronted the bands FAR, NEW END ORIGINAL, and GRATITUDE.
His music has influenced bands from Deftones to Blink-182, and he was there for emo and post-hardcore giants in their earliest beginnings–taking bands such as Thursday and Dashboard Confessional on tour. Simply put, the scene cannot be separated from Jonah’s art.
Jonah has always written from the heart and performed in an intimate way that few others have accomplished. From basements to massive festivals, he brings the same energy to them all: raw honesty and an ability to make every show unique and personal. This is most apparent in Jonah’s solo and collaborative project ONELINEDRAWING. Jonah’s solo performance has always been about connecting with fans in an intimate setting, where they often perform with only a guitar and R2D2 sidekick.
Sketchbook is the latest release from ONELINEDRAWING, featuring a collection of songs from Jonah’s early solo years, 1999 - 2001. The album features originals and renditions of the likes of 7 Seconds and Jawbox, as well as the Sensefield split honoring the late Jon Bunch
(Sensefield / Further Seems Forever). The LP also includes liner notes and zine by Norman Brannon (Texas is the Reason / New End Original).
Sketchbook exists as both a time capsule and thank you letter to fans and music itself–a combination of the period in which Jonah first embarked on his solo journey and a celebration of the vitality that music and community not only affords him but all of us.
“Onelinedrawing, is a diarist at heart, both in his music and in his daily life, and, man, does he ever rip his heart out and show it to you in his songs. A loose, free-roaming approach to confessional songwriting that pushes his music well beyond the normal sad singer/songwriter clichés.” – PITCHFORK
Track Listing:
01. Better Than This
02. 15,000
03. Aeroplanes
04. Breathless
05. 14 - 41
06. Tides
07. Savory
08. Crush On Everyone
09. Got My List
10. Laugh, Fall, Or The Road
11. The Big Parade
12. My Little Relief
13. Pollyanna
14. Tricky
15. Wings
16. Disco Manifesto
17. Engage
18. Mer-Kat
19. Be Real
20. Always
21. A-L-L-Y-S-O-N
22. N,C,A
23. Oh, I'm So Lucky
24. Bye, Jon