Drew Beringer
03/07/06, 07:32 PM
Jonah Matranga (http://www.jonahmatranga.com) - There's A Lot In Here
Release Date: February 21, 2006
Record Label: Equal Vision Records (http://www.equalvision.com)
A year ago, I had the opportunity to interview Jonah Matranga and discuss with him his new band, Gratitude. After that interview, I must say that Jonah is one of the most genuine, passionate, and sincere person I’ve ever talked to in my life. Music is his life and sharing that love with others is his major goal. He has been in such bands as Far, Onelinedrawing, New End Original, and aforementioned Gratitude. He has also sang back up on songs with Thursday and rap group Fort Minor and wrote a song for the rock band Taproot. He has written over a hundred songs and has played over a thousand shows, from basements to sold out clubs. All this brings us to Jonah’s latest piece of work, his CD/DVD release of “There’s A Lot In Here,” which features live recordings of classic songs from Onelinedrawing and New End Original. With 32 live songs on the DVD and 12 live tracks on the CD, this release can seem to be a lot to digest, but it goes down smoothly.
On the CD, we get 12 live songs; 6 played solo in a living room in front of friends and 6 played with a full band to a sold out show at Chain Reaction. Jonah plays crowd pleasers like “Halo,” “Better Than This,” “Crush On Everyone,” “A-L-L-Y-S-O-N,” and “Yr Letter.” Complete with chitchats, self-interruption, banter with the audience and crowd participation really gives the live setting and adds a lot to this release. The passion and grace displayed through Jonah’s voice and guitar are evident in each track, and the way he talks to the crowd and explains his songs really shows how much Jonah appreciates his audience. The DVD portion of this release showcases the two different sides of Jonah: the “rock out club” side and the “goofy, hyper-intimate living room” side. The DVD features a gritty filming of Jonah playing with his band at the Chain Reaction as well as one of his famous living room shows. Additionally, Jonah and director Darren Doane created a video for each song from Onelinedrawing’s The Volunteers album, which definitely displays Jonah’s “artsy” side.
Essentially, this CD/DVD release is a celebration of Jonah Matranga’s fulfilling past, as well as a look into the future. Jonah has always been one of my favorite vocalists, and that is the main highlight of the entire package: his ability to captivate an entire room with intense yet passionate vocals and lyrics. With the release of There’s A Lot In Here, he is putting what he does best on display, and you would be wise to pick up this beautiful live CD/DVD package, as it is one of the best live albums I’ve heard in years.
Release Date: February 21, 2006
Record Label: Equal Vision Records (http://www.equalvision.com)
A year ago, I had the opportunity to interview Jonah Matranga and discuss with him his new band, Gratitude. After that interview, I must say that Jonah is one of the most genuine, passionate, and sincere person I’ve ever talked to in my life. Music is his life and sharing that love with others is his major goal. He has been in such bands as Far, Onelinedrawing, New End Original, and aforementioned Gratitude. He has also sang back up on songs with Thursday and rap group Fort Minor and wrote a song for the rock band Taproot. He has written over a hundred songs and has played over a thousand shows, from basements to sold out clubs. All this brings us to Jonah’s latest piece of work, his CD/DVD release of “There’s A Lot In Here,” which features live recordings of classic songs from Onelinedrawing and New End Original. With 32 live songs on the DVD and 12 live tracks on the CD, this release can seem to be a lot to digest, but it goes down smoothly.
On the CD, we get 12 live songs; 6 played solo in a living room in front of friends and 6 played with a full band to a sold out show at Chain Reaction. Jonah plays crowd pleasers like “Halo,” “Better Than This,” “Crush On Everyone,” “A-L-L-Y-S-O-N,” and “Yr Letter.” Complete with chitchats, self-interruption, banter with the audience and crowd participation really gives the live setting and adds a lot to this release. The passion and grace displayed through Jonah’s voice and guitar are evident in each track, and the way he talks to the crowd and explains his songs really shows how much Jonah appreciates his audience. The DVD portion of this release showcases the two different sides of Jonah: the “rock out club” side and the “goofy, hyper-intimate living room” side. The DVD features a gritty filming of Jonah playing with his band at the Chain Reaction as well as one of his famous living room shows. Additionally, Jonah and director Darren Doane created a video for each song from Onelinedrawing’s The Volunteers album, which definitely displays Jonah’s “artsy” side.
Essentially, this CD/DVD release is a celebration of Jonah Matranga’s fulfilling past, as well as a look into the future. Jonah has always been one of my favorite vocalists, and that is the main highlight of the entire package: his ability to captivate an entire room with intense yet passionate vocals and lyrics. With the release of There’s A Lot In Here, he is putting what he does best on display, and you would be wise to pick up this beautiful live CD/DVD package, as it is one of the best live albums I’ve heard in years.