Reviews

The first time I ever saw Jonah Matranga, the man behind Onelindrawing and former frontman of Far,  perform was in a stuffy room inside a cafe in Hoboken, NJ.  It was raining so hard that the emo kids had black hair dye dripping down their necks.  He took the stage and there was a sudden hush that filled the room; a hush full of excitement, anticipation and awe.  Jonah Matranga is a singer, song writer, artist extraordinaire.  He is a musical sensation, and paired up with ex-Crumb guitarist, Mark Weinberg, he creates an unstoppable team.  Ten years after the two met, they began to write together, forming the brand new supergroup known as Gratitude.  After being signed to Atlantic, Weinberg, Matranga and the rest of the band which includes Jeremy Tappero, Bob Lindsey and David Jarnstrom, began work on their four song EP and self titled full length album which is due out in February. 
 
Gratitude is what this world needs. In more ways than one.  One thing that Matranga has always done with his music is keep it always about the music.  With this band, it's just about rock, and creating something that everyone can sit in their car, or on the subway or in their rooms and sing along to and appreciate just because it's music.  Gratitude is not about pop or rock, major labels or fancy clothes.  It's not about flashy sound effects or breakdowns or mosh.  It's about simplicity and attachment to those songs that everyone's got in the back of their minds, the ones that you love so much that it hurts, and that in a strange way have become a sick addiction, but a welcomed one at that.  These four songs are just that.  They're pure rock n' roll, a breath of fresh air at a time when it felt almost as though music this innocent and real didn't exist anymore.  I think that everyone needs to get their hands on Gratitude, whether you're a punk, a skin, a prep, gangster...whatever.  This is the band for all walks of life.  However, I believe that Jonah Matranga himself can put it into better words than I can:
 
"I've realized that there's not political songs, there's no spiritual songs, there's not love songs-it's all the same thing.  I really thought a lot about bands like U2 and The Cars and Cheap Trick-bands that don't generally associate with great lyrics.  That's the magic of pop music. So many pop choruses, you're thinking 'that's so stupid,' but when you're in your car it just sounds so touching and brilliant.  I wanted to make really big, beautiful rock that I'm not ashamed of.  I truly think this is a band for everyone.  At our shows, I want to see mullets and horn rimmed glasses and Mohawks.  We didn't set out to make a band for everyone-I just think it is."
 
There's really something incredible going on here with Gratitude.  It's very rare to come across a group of individuals that just go together so well and make it all seem so easy and so planned out.  This is music, stripped naked and standing out in the freezing cold.  It's a special thing for bands like this to exist.  Five stars, nothing else could do it justice.