Gratitude is the latest is a long succession of excellent bands for the somewhat famous Jonah Matranga; he has fronted both Far and Onelinedrawing, bands that have had quite respectable levels of success in the indie rock world. Matranga could very well have been saving his very best for Gratitude, as their debut self-titled full length is leaps and bounds better than anything Far or Onelinedrawing ever released.

INTERVIEW WITH GRATITUDE Interview by Daniel Mitchell | daniel@staff.TRUEPUNK.com | with Mark.

The overwhelming quality of Gratitude’s music has much to do with guitarist Mark Weinberg, who himself has had success with his band Crumb, during the 1990’s. His is an especially talented guitarist, as evidenced by his chord selection and rather intricate playing on Gratitude’s album. He has a flair for the subtly angular and off-kilter, yet he disguises it well, veiling his melodies in poppy sweetness.

Many people draw comparisons between Gratitude and Jimmy Eat World, which only makes sense, as Weinberg is close friends with Jimmy Eat World, and Crumb and Jimmy Eat World basically grew up together during the 1990’s. It was truly a pleasure to speak with Weinberg on the telephone in his San Francisco home. What follows is a snippet of our conversation. It should be noted that Mark was by far the coolest and most entertaining interview I’ve ever done, and we spoke for nearly 45 minutes.How Would you describe Gratitude’s sound to novice music fans?
Well, it’s basically music for everyone; All the guys in the band have played in lots of other bands before this one, so we all bring something different. I kind of bring in the pop element; Jonah brings a weirder element to the band, and we mix very well together

Of all the songs on the new album, I’d have to say that I like “Last” the best.
Yeah, that’s my favorite to play live. It’s also my girlfriend’s and mom’s favorite song!

What is it about a song like “Last,” that sways back and forth, that makes them so sweet?

I don’t know; it’s that ¾ timing that just kind of gets you into the groove.

You guys sound a lot like Jimmy Eat World, and early Juliana Theory; are you a fan of those bands?
Oh, yes I’m a fan of Jimmy Eat World! My old band Crumb’s first tour was with Jimmy Eat World; I basically grew up with Jim (JEW guitarist). He also played on one of Crumb’s records. I’ve never actually heard Juliana Theory.

Does the band have pressure from the label to move “X” amounts of “Gratitude?”
No, nobody at the label ever says that directly to us. They’ve been very good with us. It’s basically understood, without saying it, that the label wants the band to sell records, otherwise, the label wouldn’t run; but they’re not telling us that we have to move a certain number.

Your guitar work on the album is incredible. Who are your influences?
The Edge. U2 is my all-time favorite band, and he’s an incredible guitarist.

What’s your favorite U2 record?
“Achtung Baby,” without a doubt. That record is perfect from start to finish. I’d say that basically everything they did up to 1991 was excellent and has completely inspired me.

I’ve always been partial to “Stay; Far Away, So Close”(1993 single); I think that could be U2’s finest moment.
Actually, yeah that song is totally cool. My friends and I were actually just talking about that song a few days ago. The guitars in that song are awesome!

What guitarists did you look up to when you first started playing; i.e. who made you want to start playing guitar?
Probably Eddie Van Halen; he’s the shit. I was also really into Johnny Marr (of The Smiths); his guitar work is absolutely incredible. What more amazing is that, twenty years later, his guitar parts still hold up! I was also really into Dinosaur (later became Dinosaur Jr.). J. Mascis is the shit, too!

So, you’re a Van Halen fan; may I ask if the last four digits of your telephone number, “5150,” was an intentional move (5150 is synonymous with Van Halen, and Eddie Van Halen, for various reasons)?
Holy shit! I can’t believe that you picked up on that! Yes, it was intentional! The day that we got the T-Mobile phone company down the road, I was literally the first one there on the day that it opened, so that I could get that “5150″ as my number. I’m so glad you picked up on that!

You like Johnny Marr; are you a Morrissey fan, as well? I ask because my Morrissey obsession is probably on par with your U2 obsession.
Yes, I’m totally into Morrissey! When I was in middle school, some friends got me into stuff like Moz, The Cure, and The Pixies, and I’ve liked Morrissey ever since. My favorite is probably “My Early Burglary Years.” It’s pretty cool, because it’s a collection of rare songs and b-sides, and there are lots of great songs on it. The only Morrissey record that I haven’t really liked was “Maladjusted;” it lacked the singing of his previous releases.

What kind of activities does Gratitude take part in while in the van, touring?
We watch a lot of DVD’s. I’ve got the entire first season of “24″ on DVD, and we have spent hours at a time watching that show. I’m also a big Star Wars nerd, so I’ve been educating the rest of the guys about Star Wars by watching the movies in the van. We also read quite a bit.

A Star Wars fan, eh? I myself am a Star Wars fan. Are you a fan to the point that you look for spoilers for Episode III on the internet, etc.
Oh yeah, totally! Although, there’s one site that I will never visit, because the spoilers are way to specific, and they even have the script: Supershadow.net. I actually have a Rebel Alliance tattoo on my arm, too!

Wow!
Yeah.

Anyway, is Gratitude your only job? In other words, when you’re not touring, do you have another job?
No, music is all I do. I’ve been really fortunate to do well enough with music that it’s allowed me to not need other jobs. I do other songwriting outside of Gratitude. I co-wrote Matt Nathanson’s last album with him, and that was a lot of fun.

It’s been really fun talking to you! I wish you and Gratitude nothing but success!
Thanks a lot, man. Hopefully you can come out to a show this spring!