Like many singer / songwriters, the life and times of
Jonah Matranga are reflected in his music. If he is fronting a band or working on his solo material, the indie icon has put his heart and mind on his sleeve for decades and has made no apologies of it, in fact, he has made a career of it. Matranga, who will release his latest record,
Me And You Are Two, under his famous moniker
onelinedrawing on
Tuesday. Instead of getting funding from a label (major or indie) he went and did it on his own and went to his loyal fan base for help by launching a Kickstarter campaign. It is something he has tried before and it works. After listening to the album,
Me And You Are Two, I felt it was his most intimate to date. Even with a string of intimate and personal recordings, this is Matranga exposing himself even more in his music. Songs like "You're What Went Right" are about his daughter, which comes to be one of the biggest motifs of the album. It is an LP about parenting, being a single parent, being a parent that has to travel but being there for the person in your life that means the most. The record even takes a turn and looks at religion, songs like "Yr Will" is what he told me was his most agnostic prayerful song to date, and it is indeed just that. With so much to explore on this record, from how it was made to how it was funded, even after all these years, Matranga is still teaching and guiding his listeners.
With his campaign being a success and as he gears up to celebrate the fruits of his labor and hard work, I spoke with him about his latest creation, his upcoming tour, and what still makes him tick. Take a look at our interview below.
You went back to using the Onelinedrawing
moniker, but it comes with a twist, you now go by Jonah’s
Onelinedrawing. Why the switch?
JONAH:
Actually, Jonah's onelinedrawing was the very first name for the
project, then it just got shortened to onelinedrawing. Then I put out
some albums under my full name. Then I got really tired of people
somehow misspelling Matranga consistently. Mostly, I just kinda missed
the onelinedrawing thing. There's something about it. Also, this just
felt like a onelinedrawing record, whatever that means. Have I told you
lately that I'm a weirdo?
Your latest record, Me and You Are Two also plays on your old Onelinedrawing stage prop, R2D2, whatever happened to R2?
JONAH: The
Are Too thing started out in 1999, just as a goofy little joke to have
my beat presented in a different way. For whatever reason, people really
took to it. We've had some good times. That said, I think I have some
sorta reflex where if I sense that something is overshadowing the actual
music, I'll ditch it. Are Too was kind of like that. We did some
counseling, though, and we're giving it another try.
What inspired the title of the record?
JONAH: Well,
aside from my insatiable love of puns, it is in many ways an album
about me attempting to remember the obvious yet somehow
difficult-to-grasp truth that I'm my own creature, and so is everyone
else. As simple as that sounds, it can be tricky for me, especially when
it's a person I love deeply, on whatever level. I've got some very
codependent tendencies that can lead to me taking care of other people
before I take care of myself, which might sound sweet, but it really
hardly ever works out well for anyone. It's the whole oxygen mask on the
plane thing. Of course the instinct is to give it to your kid or
someone else, but if you pass out before you've given them the mask,
then no one gets the mask.
This record was totally fan funded via
Kickstarter. Were you afraid to do it fan funded? The dilemma many face
today is not getting the fund goal, was that a factor for you at any
time?
JONAH: I've made my last bunch of records that way.
I love the personal, interactive nature of it. I've kind of always done
stuff that way, way before Kickstarter. As for any sort of fear around
that, it's my intention never to lose those nerves about no one showing
up. I think that's a healthy humility. I've always set my Kickstarter
goals much lower than most of the goals I see. Partly that's because I
like doing things in a much less expensive, much more DIY way than most
musicians seem to, partly that's because I'm grateful anyone wants to
support me in that way, partly that's because it'd suck to have all
those people help out and then not reach some silly goal.
You always have had the
“Pay Whatever You Want” Yard Sale style of concert tickets, merchandise
and now the funding of this record. Was this a natural progression for
you?
JONAH: Yea, exactly. Even when I was a kid and I'd have a an
actual yard sale, I wouldn't put prices on stuff. I really enjoy the
conversation about value, fair exchange, trust, all of that.
The very cool thing you did to promo this album was the
cool stuff you were bundling with the album orders. Do you feel now
that the Jonah shop is bigger and better than before?
JONAH: Haha, maybe. I'm always messing with the ways I sell stuff,
playing with ways to have exchange be interesting. Mixing money and
music can get so boring, which for me defeats the purpose of the whole
thing.
What did you do differently musically on this record that you have not done before?
JONAH:
This has been the most purely self-made record I've made since the
Sketchy EPs, and before that, my very first cassette recordings back in
the day. Even for my other solo records, friends would pop by to play
something, or we'd write a song together, or who knows. I actually
really wanted this record to be that way. The original title was 'I
Really Love Yr Company', and the idea was gonna be very collaborative
and interactive. Then, for so many reasons and none at all, I just came
to believe that this was one to really make on my own, with the
old-school Are Two beats, just bring it back home. Even though it never
left home, really. The title really became a mirror image of the
original title. Life's funny that way.
From major labels to indie labels to now doing it all DIY, does the business of music become as frustrating as it seems?
JONAH:
I dunno, I think it's kind of like getting mad at the sun or something.
I can't control circumstance, only my attitude. I've tried lots of
different things over the years. They all have their points that could
be thought of as more simple or difficult, better or worse. Really,
while I can get in a bad mood as quickly and intensely as anyone, I just
don't believe in obstacles or frustration or whatever. I think whatever
this life is or isn't, it's just the most fun to think of it as nothing
but a gift. It also makes the most sense to me, actually. So when it
comes to stuff about career, technology, money, success, all these kind
of abstract terms, I just think time spent worrying about stuff like
that is no fun. It's actually pretty insulting to the billions of people
that have much more primal, palpable problems, too, but that's a whole
other conversation.
Over the years you have
become friends with so many amazing musicians that always praise you and
your work. From Chino of Deftones, to Geoff Rickley, Lupe Fiasco, and
so on, have you ever tried to get everyone in a room together to make a
noise as a collective?
JONAH: Oh, so many times. Just about every
record, really. In between records, too. Once in a while it happens, and
I always love it. I just made a couple of songs with J Robbins that
will be coming out soon on a 7", which has been pretty much a lifelong
dream. For better or worse, though, I have this belief that if too much
effort is putting into something, with some expectation of a specific
result, that isn't the kind of fun I want.
You are once again about
to hit the road to support this record, your shows, for so many,
including myself, are so emotionally involved in every way possible. Do
you ever find it draining to do it night after night?
JONAH: It's a really interesting way of using
energy, no doubt. While it's definitely draining in really mysterious
ways, it's even energizing and nourishing, which is perfectly
paradoxical. Whether it's 5 or 500 or 5000 or whatever, when everyone is
in that room giving what they give, some pretty amazing stuff can
happen. It's one of my favorite places to be in the world.
When hitting the road, what is the one thing you have to have with you at all times and why?
JONAH:
A toothbrush and toothpaste. It's not that I brush my teeth obsessively
or anything, it can just really help me feel clean and refreshed when
I've been driving all day and not had a decent sleep or shower in a
while. Also, bad breath bugs me, so I do what I can to avoid having it.
Speaking of being on the road, I imagine it allows you to listen to so much music. What are you enjoying these days?
JONAH: I'm always curious about new stuff.
That said, I actually love listening to stuff that most people would't
think of musical while driving a lot, whether it's spoken-word or the
sound of the road or my weird imagination. Also, I spend a lot of time
listening to ideas of mine or ideas made by friends, just seeing what
might become of them.
When you sit back and look at your career, what do you see?
JONAH: Hmm. I see a really fun, weird adventure. Curiosity. Recklessness. Passion. Work. Play. A life being well-lived.
From being in very
influential bands to being a very influential solo artist, what still
makes Jonah Matranga tick creatively?
JONAH: I definitely think that not thinking
about what makes me tick too much is a good way to keep ticking,
creatively or otherwise. I'm as self-analytical as anyone, and I'm
always looking to lovingly let go of the more narcissistic parts of
that. That said, I suppose just maintaining a childlike sense of
curiosity is something I try to keep some attention on. Just check
myself that I'm not getting complacent or habitual. A while back, I had
this thought that there's really no reason to stop having new ideas. In
fact, I think it's impossible. So I just keep letting them in and seeing
what happens.
