Looking out to the shoreline as the sun rises, the water is calm with no waves in sight. During these times of dead calm tides, one band has come to unsettle the current. That band is none other Santa Cruz’s very own DRAIN, who are ready to hit the swells with their Epitaph debut, Living Proof.
Comprised of vocalist Sammy Ciaramitaro, guitarist Cody Chavez, and drummer Tim Flegal, this trio is living proof that with some perseverance, ambition, and a good attitude you can achieve anything. Living Proof encapsulates that message while transporting listeners to those summertime days and nights filled with their zany, care-free times running amuck with your friends. With sounds of tubular proportions complemented by guiding messages of wisdom and self-love, Living Proof is bound to cause sonically radical tsunamis across the coasts of the globe.
With any new adventure into the unknown abyss of creativity there are new factors that come into play for new process to be discovered. Vocalist and loveable goofball of the Santa Cruz outfit, Sammy Ciaramitaro, broke down the band’s creative journey for Living Proof mentioning how it was “…honestly pretty similar to Cursed California, we just tried to refine our process of trimming off any ‘fat’ so to speak [laughs]… we would hit it for like three-to-four hours every day from Thursday to Monday, and we did that like every weekend. It was awesome man! We would just come up with stuff on the spot and jam on it and just see where it naturally wanted to go and not really force anything out of it! Yes, it does take more time than just showing up and being like ‘yo I wrote a song’ and teaching it to the rest of the band, but I think that is what makes these songs and this band stand apart so much from others. No shortcuts!”
DRAIN has never been about traversing through the calm waters. They’re exploring uncharted territory with each effort, maneuvering through her vengeful tides through trial and error with no life preserver in sight – sink or swim. Which is what the title of the LP, Living Proof, represents in that DRAIN is “…just regular people and no different or better than anyone, and we are here and showing you that we are living proof an embodiment of success through hard work and perseverance. We didn’t know anyone and had no connections when we started this band. We had no tour knowledge. We learned everything we know from getting our hands dirty and making mistakes. We got knocked down and got back up. If we can do it, so can you!”
Through the tests of the waters there is always something to be learned and discovered from its treachery. Ciaramitaro noted the band’s most notable discovery through creating this record was how “we have this special ingredient – and that is our personality – and that lives in the music and in the way we show up in the world. We’ve always done things our own way, but I think we’ve realized that there is something that separates us from a lot of other people. With this discovery, we’ve realized that when we make decisions based on how they ‘feel’ rather than what we ‘think’ is going to be the right move, we end up making the right call…so we have started to lean into that! Things that make us laugh, things that get us excited, and things that feel natural and true to us as people is where the magic is, and I implore everyone reading this to give into that feeling as well!”
This discovery reigns true with DRAIN as their reputation is backed with an ethos of having fun while producing quality music and not taking themselves too seriously. Yet, Ciaramitaro noted that he learned “what things are important and worth taking seriously and what things just simply aren’t.” There’s a time and place for being serious and there’s a time for having fun, its knowing when to separate those moments.
An example Ciaramitaro outlined was how “I don’t consider myself much of an ‘artist’ [laughs] and the second that I start hearing people talk about their music in a HC band as their ‘art’ and using really elaborate words and descriptions like they are high class artists or whatever, it makes me wanna run away and hide [laughs]. But on the same boat, we do take writing music very seriously. Every song has gone through like ten different versions before it’s the final version you hear. The song writing is not a joke, the lyrics are the furthest thing from being a joke, and the way we show up in the world as a band on tour is not a joke in the slightest.”
Overall, Ciaramitaro encourages everyone to “…just have fun.” Life is too short to take yourself too seriously. When you’re having the most fun is when you create the most authentic product which is exactly what Living Proof represents at its core. Enjoying yourself while also maintaining a serious work ethic is the beautiful balance of creativity. He continued by noting to “work hard when it comes to writing and being respectful of others time with the way you show up, but just remember why you got into this stuff in the first place and to roll with the punches and make the best of it all. This stuff can go away at any minute, enjoy it while we have it.”
As the tide recedes and the sun sets, listeners anxiously await the arrival of the barreling tsunami to come crashing through their ears that is Living Proof. Through its methodical approach, there’s many nuggets of wisdom and moments of utter fun to be taken from this LP. With each listen you’ll feel like you’re caught up in the gnarliest of undertows being thrashed around back and forth all with one big smile on your face during the process.
If there is anything Ciaramitaro wants listeners take away from Living Proof “it’s that they are so incredibly smart, talented, resilient, and beautiful and I hope this record reminds you of that. Sometimes just being told that and recognizing that in yourself can be the biggest door that can be opened. I implore you to take some time to slow down, take a look inside, and remind yourself who you are and what you stand for. Every time you spin this record or see us live, I hope that it is a reminder of what you have achieved/will achieve in the near future if you put your mind to it.”
DRAIN IS YOUR FRIEND.
Photos courtesy of Calixto.
