Jonah with Far in 2009 (more by Chloe Rice)

Onelinedrawing, the moniker that Jonah Matranga used to record solo material under before reverting back to his own name, will make a return (unless maybe too many people object).

As previously mentioned, Jonah recently scheduled a tour that hits the NYC-area on March 7 at Maxwell's (tickets) and March 14 at Mercury Lounge (tickets). Both of those are still listed as "Jonah Matranga", but the just added Brooklyn show at Union Pool on March 6 is up as "Onelinedrawing". Tickets are on sale now.

Updated tour dates, including a San Francisco Noise Pop show with Christie Front Drive (who played a Brooklyn reunion show over the summer), are listed below...

Continue reading ""Onelinedrawing" adds shows, one in Brooklyn, one at Noise Pop with Christie Front Drive (dates)"

Jonah Matranga released Voices + Dedication, an album made up entirely of cover songs, on January 1. He covers tracks by the reunited Mazzy Star, the slightly less recently reunited Hum, Bob Dylan, The Beatles, Bruce Springsteen, Elliot Smith, Tom Waits, and others. You can purchase and stream the entire album at his bandcamp.

He's got a few upcoming dates including two in the NYC-area on March 7 at Maxwell's in Hoboken, NJ and March 14 at Mercury Lounge (he was last around in November). Tickets for the show are on sale now. All tour dates (now updated) are listed below...

Continue reading "Jonah Matranga releases covers LP (that you can stream), schedules shows (dates)"

Jonah Matranga @ the Gershwin Hotel in 2008 (more by Tim Griffin)

Jonah Matranga is starting a tour of the UK on 11/25, but first he's visting the east coast. Catch the California-based Far frontman at the Gershwin Hotel in NYC tonight (11/21) and at Watermark in Asbury Park, NJ on Tuesday (11/22) (thx Kristian).

I'm not sure where the Occupy Wall Street protestors are currently gathering, if anywhere, now that they've been evicted from Zucotti Park (outside Mayor Bloomberg's home?), but if there is a place, look for Jonah to maybe perform there too. He hasn't said he'll do that, but all you have to do is look at his twitter to know it's a movement he's very interested in.

a letter posted on Jonah's website...

Right after Jennifer Lopez played on SNL a little while ago, I [Jonah Matranga] got a bunch of messages from people saying she'd used the heart/question mark image that I've been using for many years. Lots of you said I should sue to stop ol' J-Lo from using it further or whatever. I thought it was kind of a bummer that she used it, but pretty funny overall. Mostly, I didn't think that I would have the money or time to deal with whatever high-powered management and lawyers J-Lo has, so I kinda wrote it off as one of those weird things that happens.

Then, a friend who knows about Intellectual Property law got in touch and said I actually do have a valid case. It turns out her new album will be called 'Love?', so it seems like the image might be used by her a whole lot more. When I think about it, I would rather that she didn't use this image that I've come to enjoy so much. I have it on so many albums, posters, shirts. I draw it when I sign stuff for people, I have a tattoo of it, many of you do as well. I'm not sure what the image means to you, but it has come to mean many things to me over the years. One of those things is simply, 'I love ideas'. Anyway, I asked some lawyer friends about what I could do to stop her. I'm putting some stuff together (album covers, etc) to show that I'm a legitimate artist whose art, image and community she'd be messing with.

Here's where you come in: I've also been told that you can help out by sending photos of ways you've used the image in your life, after you found it through my music. So, if you have a tattoo of it, or you've made drawings of it, or you have anything at all that shows the many ways the little heartquestion has gotten out there, I'd love to see it, and so would the lawyers. You can post your pics (or links to them) here, or send them via any number of internetty ways, or just mail 'em to me.

I have no idea what will happen from all this, but it seems as good an excuse as any to gather this stuff together and remember the power and fun of making stuff and putting it out into the world.

Please pass this on to anyone who might be interested.

Thanks always,

Jonah

by Black Bubblegum

Jonah Matranga & Ian Love at Gershwin Hotel (more by Tim Griffin)

Jonah Matranga of Far/onelinedrawing/New End Original fame has scheduled a solo show at Mercury Lounge on May 21st. Tickets are on sale.

Jonah might be playing that and a few more shows (listed below) solo, but - even more than before - Far is back...

Vagrant Records is proud to announce that Far has signed to the label. The recently reunited quartet is currently wrapping up their fifth full-length release in The Airport studio in Southern California with producer and guitarist Shaun Lopez at the helm and an early spring release date is expected.

"We had no idea all this would happen," says vocalist Jonah Matranga. "We were just planning on getting to know each other again and playing a few shows... all of a sudden, the songs are coming, and it feels really good."

In the tail end of last year (while he was here for that Gershwin Hotel show), we caught up with Jonah Matranga and asked him about Far, his solo venture(s), and what it means to be back in lock-step with the guys again. Check out that interview below.

Meanwhile, some of Jonah's bandmates in New End Original are getting their old band back together as well. Split Lip, which became Chamberlain in 1995, will reunite with all original members to play a handful of shows in their native midwest, and eventually, the east coast. Tour dates are below.

The dates coincide with the re-issue of Chamberlain's emo-influential Fate's Got A Driver LP on color vinyl with bonus tracks.

Chamberlain's Fate's Got a Driver delivers more emotion in its 30 minutes than most bands do over the course of a career. The record is thought provoking and musically adventurous, a rare feat for a band whose members were barely past twenty when it was recorded. With nods to the Everyman side of Sunny Day Real Estate and the insistent melodicism of Fugazi, Fate's Got a Driver consistently impresses. It's all the product of lead guitarist Adam Rubenstein's thick, Fugazi-style progressions and David Moore's highly poetic lyrics... An amazing achievement by such a relatively young band. -[allmusic]

Continue reading "an interview w/ Jonah Matranga of Far (who are back with more tour dates & a new album on Vagrant Records)"

Photos by Tim Griffin, Words by Black Bubblegum

Jonah Matranga (Onelinedrawing) played his second show in two days in BOTH event spaces at the eclectic Gershwin Hotel on Tuesday, November 11th. Joined by his old friend and past congtributor Ian Love (Rival Schools/Cardia), a drum machine, and an acoustic guitar, Jonah ran through solo material, covers, and songs from his-old-but-currently-reunited band Far. He also paused for a moment to reflect on the recent events with Deftones bassist Chi Cheng. Along the way Ian Love added some amazing effects-heavy guitar, reminiscient of recent Stars Of The Lid... adding tremendous depth and emotional (I did NOT say emo) power to his set. Partial setlist, beaucoup photos, and video of Jonah performing the Deftones' "Be Quiet And Drive", below...

Continue reading "Jonah Matranga @ the Gershwin Hotel - pics, video & setlist"