And you can be damn sure that when a copy of the new Onelinedrawing record, The Volunteers, found its way to my anxious hands, I was giddy with anticipation.
I had read the reviews describing Matranga's latest as being his most rocking record yet and claiming that he's stepped out of the quiet bedroom, opting for louder guitars and drums. And while it may be true that The Volunteers is louder than anything we've heard from him before, fans really shouldn't be surprised because, as Matranga himself says, this project has never been about being one conclusive, definable idea.
"I love Jonathan Richman and Slayer with equal parts of my heart," laughs Matranga via cell phone while on tour in Texas. "And Onelinedrawing has never been a singer/songwriter thing. When Visitor came out, it was a bedroomy record, but for me it was like one of 10 records that I put out in the last two years. So to have Visitor looked at in and of itself as this definitive artistic statement... it felt weird to get locked in."
But The Volunteers wasn't created in an attempt to prove anything or to break out of the sappy, emotional singer/songwriter box he was tossed into, either. The progression was natural, and not even entirely in Matranga's control.
"I've never been someone who has tried to write songs to fit moods," he says. "I let the songs come; I sort of trust them. I feel like I've followed them around a lot more than I've asked them to follow me around, and I feel like these songs wanted me to try and have live drums."
I asked Matranga if this was possibly a response to the larger crowds and growing fan base, if maybe intimacy was becoming a little too difficult with more eyes and ears studying him, but he insists that while he's aware people are paying attention, that doesn't necessarily affect the outcome.
"I've always been hyper-aware that other people are going to think whatever they're gonna think," admits Matranga, "and there's no amount of words that you can say that are gonna affect that. A million people could be listening or 10 people could be listening, and if I'm having a different conversation because a different number of people are listening, then I kind of think I've blown it."
But despite the new "rock" sound that could usher in a new wave of fans, Matranga's not concerned with popularity having an effect.
"I don't ever see Onelinedrawing getting very big, to tell you the truth, because of the way I do it," he admitted. "I don't think that what I do is for everyone. Maybe the shows will get bigger, but maybe they won't. All I know is that I have to keep having fun doing this." MEGAN SELING
Need more? You can hear my personal picks for the week on 107.7 The End every Monday and Friday at 8:30 a.m. during DJ No Name's The Morning Alternative.
