Onelinedrawing was the solo project of Jonah Matranga, best known as the vocalist for the indie rock band Far. It traces its origins back to 1995, when Matranga began making a series of home recordings that "weren't made with the intention of anyone hearing them."[citation needed] Four years worth of these recordings wound up on the "Sketchy #1 and #2 EPs", which were self-released under the Jonah's Onelinedrawing moniker in 1999.
When Far went on indefinite hiatus in 1999, Matranga made Onelinedrawing a more serious concern, putting out two further EPs in 2001 - "Always New JanJun00" and "Always New JulDec00". Around the same time, Matranga started another project, New End Original (an anagram of Onelinedrawing), which was essentially to put his Onelinedrawing material within a more full band-style context. New End Original's sole album Thriller came out on Jade Tree Records in 2001.
Jade Tree also put out the first Onelinedrawing album Visitor in May 2002; again this was a mixed bag of acoustic-based home recordings spanning a few years. Matranga played many shows in support of the album in both clubs and people's houses - often accompanied by an R2-D2 cassette player, used as a conduit for an mp3 player.
In March 2004, the second Onelinedrawing album The Volunteers was released. Less scattered than previous Onelinedrawing releases, much of the album possessed a more polished sound - courtesy of mixer Dave Sardy, who had previously worked with Matranga on Far's Water and Solutions. In a move that confused some, Matranga announced that he was "breaking up" onelinedrawing in August 2004, and that he intended to put out future solo releases under his own name. His increasing disconnect with the 'emo' scene, that many think he helped to found, led to his abandoning of the onelinedrawing moniker.
Matranga's main focus throughout 2005 was on the short-lived pop/rock band Gratitude, who released a self-titled album for Atlantic Records in March that year. He still found time put out "Sketchy #3 EP" as Jonah Matranga, as well as a DVD, There's a Lot in Here. There's a Lot in Here was re-released as a 2-Disc (CD+DVD) set in February 2006, through Equal Vision Records.
