Drain are happy to give their friends and fans a leg-up
PICTURES: ELI RAE
PRESS/ELI RAE
SAMMY CIARAMITARO,
VOCALIST
with hardcore hellraisers Drain, is the human equivalent of a golden retriever. Always smiling, greeting every crowdsurfer he sees at their shows, he and his friends formed Drain because of a mutual admiration for each other’s bands (including Sammy’s stint drumming for much-missed bruisers Gulch), and have made their name with no-nonsense crossover that embodies hardcore’s community spirit.
They might be from California, with an outlook reflecting Sammy’s sunny demeanour, but they also bring a confrontational attitude. The first words of Living Proof exemplify that: ‘Run your fucking luck!’ Sammy snarls, before the band unleash an assault of thrashy riffs and squealing guitars. “We didn’t have a game plan,” Sammy smiles, “but we really liked bands like Power Trip, Nails and Ceremony. When Cody [Chavez, guitar] joined, that’s when we really found the Drain sound.”