Jonah’s Onelinedrawing is not the typical gathering of
musicians that you’d expect to see on stage. The group
regularly includes singer and guitarist Jonah Matranga and an R2D2
tape recorder that plays drumbeats, not to mention the frequent
unplanned friends that jump up to join him. “The best thing
that I can bring to any audience is (the knowledge) that I’m
there because I like it,” Matranga said. “Also, not to
ever (have them) think that I’m too cool or that I’m
better than someone else.” A former member of the rock band
Far, Matranga created Onelinedrawing in Sacramento in 1998. His
lyrics, though pop, range from melancholy to humorous and romantic,
all accompanied by driving guitar rhythms. Not inspired by any one
person, Matranga says that his music is influenced by musicians
from Prince to Led Zepplin and Miles Davis. Matranga has played
many shows in Los Angeles and is thus familiar with the diversity
of the L.A. crowd. “One cool thing about the L.A. crowd is
that L.A. is a big, big place. I think there’s a lot of
different people from different communities. I think kids in L.A.
tend to make up the most racially mixed shows,” Matranga
said. During his performances, Matranga looks to connect with his
audiences. His setlists are spontaneous to add to the freewheeling
nature of the night. “I like the performance to be really
interactive,” Matranga said. “My (ideal kind) of show
is one that doesn’t feel like a show ““ it feels like
people hanging out.” Having completed a recent European tour,
Matranga is thankful that he can play almost anywhere in the
Western world and have people show up. “I’m not big in
any one city,” Matranga said. “But I can go anywhere
and people know me.” But he recognizes the importance of
humility in keeping himself in touch with his audience. Passionate
about certain political issues, in the future he sees his music
evolving to encompass his views on broader social issues. Yet he
acknowledges the difficulty in talking about complex social issues
in a three minute pop song without dumbing them down. Nevertheless
he emphasizes to his audience the importance of having an opinion
on key issues facing today’s society, particularly war and
abortion, since the decisions that politicians make on these issues
have a profound effect on college-age students. “The thing
that comes up (in my music) the most is choice. Thinking about
what’s important to you and then actually choosing it,”
Matranga said. “I would encourage people to talk about the
war and have an opinion on it “¦ Let’s talk about it.
Teach each other. Figure it out.” Jonah’s
Onelinedrawing performs at the Cooperage tonight at 7 p.m.
Admission is free.
Jonah’s Onelinedrawing performs at the Cooperage tonight at
7 p.m. Admission is free.