IODINE RECORDINGS TO RELEASE ONELINEDRAWING SKETCHBOOK 1999-2001 ON MAY 10
DIGITAL VERSION AVAILALE TODAY
"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
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, completely remastered for vinyl. The album features originals and renditions of the likes of 7 Seconds and Jawbox, as well as the Sense Field split honoring the late Jon Bunch(Sense Field/Further Seems Forever). The LP also includes liner notes and zine by Norman Brannon (Texas is the Reason/New End Original).
It will be released on vinyl by Iodine Recordings on May 10. Pre-order it here.
It is available digitally today.
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.
"The stuff on Sketchbook has aged so beautifully," Jonah says. "It's sad, it's silly, it's searching. A lot of it was made in the moment, with whoever was around, without much worrying about it. Looking back, it turns out the most lasting, universal songs and recordings tend to be the most personal ones."
He even called out a fan favorite, saying, "'Better Than This' pretty much saved me when I was in my most human-hating era," Jonah recalls. "I had to reckon with the simple truth that the more time I spent being mad at people, the more time I spent being mad at myself. That 'I'm better than nothing' outro still runs through my head when I get to feeling judgmental of myself, or anyone else."
