Drain: The Proof Is In The Pudding
Sammy Ciaramitaro is one of those guys who just seems to be having a great time all the time. Of course, everyone has their moments of darkness – and he even acknowledges as much on the album we’re here to talk about – but watch any video of the DRAIN frontman, or even better catch the Santa Cruz hardcore outfit live, and you’ll see a man who has made it his mission to ensure that everyone leaves with a smile on their face. Even over the limits of Zoom, it is easy enough to pick on Ciaramitaro’s energy and positivity, especially as our focus is on the band’s excellent sophomore album Living Proof.
“I consider myself a pretty positive and optimistic person, but I’m also a realistic optimist, if that makes sense,” offers Ciaramitaro on what it is that keeps him in such good spirits. “You gotta keep your mindset positive and you can overcome anything you want, however, you’re gonna have to work for it. You’re gonna work hard for it, and sometimes you’re gonna have to do things that are tough. And I think it’s sometimes overlooked and it’s really easy to be like ‘we got this don’t worry’, and you continue living the same exact lifestyle and no changes happen.”
He’s speaking from experience of course. While DRAIN shot onto many a radar with the release of their earth-shaking debut full-length California Cursed in 2020, just weeks into the first lockdowns in the US and Europe, the band’s breakthrough came after years of hard graft that turned them into the unit we heard on that record. “I see people be like ‘damn dude you guys really blew up’,” muses Ciaramitaro. “And I’m very thankful and stoked on the success we’ve gotten to see, but don’t forget we had to bust our ass for it. You can do it too, you just gotta bust your ass.”
“It’s kind of like these fitness junkies who ask ‘how did you get in such good shape?’” he elaborates. “They want people to be like ‘I know something you’ve never heard of – it’s a fast track and you just immediately lose all your weight’ and it’s never really that simple. Like most people say it’s not just cardio, it’s not just lifting weights, it’s not just dieting. It’s literally all of the above, and [being in a band] is the same thing. There’s not one thing, it’s just practise. Get locked in with your friends. That’s what it is too, don’t lose sight of that. You’re just jamming with your friends. Yes, there’s like a thousand people watching but you just jam with your friends the same way you do and everything else will come.”
Now signed to the inimitable Epitaph Records, it should be no surprise at all to hear that Ciaramitaro and co were intent on levelling things up even further for Living Proof. It’s still an absolute bruiser – heavy hardcore laced with crossover thrash and sharpened in particular by Ciaramitaro’s twisted snarl – but there are some very intentionally placed surprises here too. Eager to catch listeners off guard, sixth track Intermission detours at first into full-blown hip-hop courtesy of a guest feature from the rapper SHAKEWELL, while later in the record Ciaramitaro turns his talents to surprisingly melodic singing as the band nail a cover of the DESCENDENTS’ timeless Good Good Things.
“My whole thing was like let’s just all step out of our comfort zone and push it,” explains the vocalist. “We do fast parts, slow parts, heavy parts, melodic parts, I’m going to do higher screams, lower growls and I’m gonna do clean singing all in the same damn record. And we got someone rapping on it. That was the whole collective goal, just to push it as far as we can and expand, and [for me] just to try to be the best vocalist I could be. I don’t really think of myself as a great vocalist per se, but I want to be the best I can be – not the best in the world but the best I can be.”
The pieces are all in place then for DRAIN to continue their ascendancy. Genuinely one of the most exciting bands in hardcore right now, Living Proof only provides further – er – proof of that. Looking forward, the plan is largely as expected: keep pushing themselves, keep working hard, and crucially keep welcoming new faces to the scene however they find their way in – “I think everyone’s gotta take a step back and pump the brakes and remember we didn’t all pop out of the womb listening to MADBALL,” laughs Ciaramitaro.
As we turn to final thoughts, he offers, “I see a lot of music publications where it’s like ‘top ten bands that are next in line to be the next TURNSTILE’ or something, and I’m flattered that they put us on the list because I love TURNSTILE – that’s my favourite band to be honest – but I don’t wanna be the next TURNSTILE, I just wanna be the first DRAIN. I don’t know what that exactly means, but I think [it’s about] taking what we’re doing and what we’ve been able to do, but then bringing it to a bigger platform… I would love to get in front of any group of people. Yes, we’re a hardcore band, and we love hardcore, but we just want to be a good band. Period.”
Living Proof is out now via Epitaph Records.
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