Talkin’ drums with Cyrus Bolooki (New Found Glory) and Mike Ciprari (SJC Drums)

Drummers: Think back to when you were young, and remember who you idolized. Then imagine that throughout the years, you became friends with one of your idols. Then imagine that, years down the line, you were able to sign him up for an endorsement from your drum company. (Oh, right, we forgot: Imagine that you followed your childhood dream and started a custom drum company that has gone on to endorse some of the heaviest hitters, both metaphorically and physically, in AP’s scene.) Then imagine that he in turn hires you to be his drum tech, making him your boss while at the same time you’re kind of his boss because you run the company he depends on for his drums, and you’re both good friends with one another and you still kind of have a pretty serious crush on his playing skills. Kind of insane and seemingly impossible, right? Not so with MIKE CIPRARI, founder of SJC Drums and current drum tech to CYRUS BOLOOKI, the basher behind long-running pop-punk stalwarts New Found Glory. We caught up with the pair before NFG's sold-out show in Cincinnati to discuss the ins and outs of their increasingly complex—and very fun—relationship.

INTERVIEW: Scott Heisel

First off, Mike, I think it is funny that you have to watch your creations get beat to shit every night, and you are responsible for making them work again. Is that stressful to you to see the way Cyrus plays? Do you ever sit there and cringe a little bit?
MIKE CIPRARI: No, I don’t cringe because I’ve been a fan of Cyrus’ for the past decade, and I knew that he was a heavy hitter. Since we’ve started working together on this “business” relationship of [SJC] making him drums, he’s not one of those guys whose always got his hand out waiting for something. He is very appreciative and he backs our product, and that’s why I do this sort of thing. I like to go on the road so I can [accomplish research and development] R&D with the company—seeing the problems he has, seeing the things he likes about the kit and the talking points people will talk about, like sound guys and other guys in the band. It’s good R&D to just be out here with him one on one.

CYRUS BOLOOKI: You know, it’s funny because of course I thought about it. Mike’s going to be my tech, and what happens if something goes wrong?

“Dude, this fucking thing sucks!”
BOLOOKI: Yeah, that’s how I would probably approach it. And now that we’re about 75 percent through the tour, the only issues that we’ve had have been with hardware and cymbals, things unrelated to SJC Drums. But about halfway through the tour, just for fun, I was like, “Hey, can we try this back-up snare drum?” That was, like, two weeks ago, and our friend and house guy was like, “Whatever you just did, that’s awesome.” I turned to Mike and I’m like, “See what you did? You can’t even make a snare that beats your old snare.”

So you’re a relatively recent SJC endorsee, right?
BOLOOKI: It’s been about 18 months now.

So from both perspectives, what were you looking for? Cyrus, were you looking to be endorsed, and Mike, what is it that you’re looking for when you’re looking for someone who is trying to get endorsed?
BOLOOKI: The funny thing is we’ve known each other for a long time. Obviously, just being in this world, I’ve seen SJC, and throughout the years, I’ve seen SJC blow up into this massive company. You go on something like Warped Tour, and the majority of the artists are using SJC kits. I’m a very loyal guy, and Mike knows this and we’ve talked about this. I was with another company for a long time, [but] the company changed itself. So I knew that I needed another company to support me, but there was no real decision. I pretty much knew SJC was going to be the next choice. Mike and I had already met and hung out, and it just so happened that he was in Florida visiting his grandfather about two hours away from where I lived in south Florida. I called him up, and I was like, “Hey, do you want to just come and hang out and have lunch or something and talk?” That day, we spent, like, two hours talking about just everything: where he came from, what the company is about. And that’s where I got the sense that is where all the pride is taken in what he does.

This situation is different because obviously you knew each other. Does that play into it when you’re looking for someone to partner with, or do you treat that differently when you’re looking at a new band?
CIPRARI: Honestly, we’ve been super-grassroots from the beginning. I played in a small punk band from when I was 15 or 16 years old, so we’re always supportive of artists, whether you’re playing at VFW, a garage show or House Of Blues every single night selling them out. We’re going to treat you the same. Cyrus is a dude I’ve looked up to along with a lot of guys at our shop and our drummers that play SJC—dudes that go to New Found Glory shows and geek out over what Cyrus is playing for the drums, the sizes of the heads that he is using, cymbals and everything. You know, I’m one of those kids. When we met and started seeing each other at shows and seeing each other at Warped Tour every year, it was just, “Man I really want to make drums for Cyrus. He is a cool dude, he gets it.”

Like I said earlier, he’s not looking for a hand out. He wasn’t begging me at SJC just to play free stuff, it’s just naturally progressed. Like I said when I was in Florida visiting my grandpa, we hung out, talked drums, and it was just a really natural fit. My motto–it seems cliché these days–but we are family first, we are friends and family before business. So whether we’re friends, we can just stay friends and continue to see each other at shows, I’d still go see his band play, and I’d still like his band and say, “What’s up?” But the fact we can be providing his drums and I can be on a bus with him every single day on this tour is really cool for me and the company.

When you’re in the heat of battle, playing onstage, and something goes wrong, how are you able to get into battle mode? Do you ever find yourself caught with your pants down because you’re thinking about something else? Are you air drumming too much to see when he breaks a stick?
CIPRARI: When I’m watching him play the drums, I’m watching him play, and my eyes are just circling around his kit, making sure that the mics are good or that he is good. Making eye contact with him, making sure that the snare sounds good; nothing is going to fall apart. But then also, I’m sitting there thinking, “What can SJC invent? What are the problems that he is having? What was load-in like today? What was soundcheck like? What is he worried about right now that maybe we can invent to change something?” So I’m on my phone writing ideas down. My mind is constantly going.

Cyrus, what are you thinking when you catch him on his phone?

BOLOOKI: It’s funny because he is on his phone and I’m just like. “I wonder what he is doing on his phone?” Sometimes, I’m hoping that he is, like, playing a game or something, not just writing notes. [Laughs.] Obviously, I think Mike will tell you that anyone who has worked with me will take pride in the fact that I’m pretty self-sufficient. And so coming into this, I don’t view myself as somebody who is in constant need of things. A lot of it is a testament to the actual quality of the stuff that I use, but I’d rather Mike be jotting down ideas and furthering the entire company that I’m supporting than just sitting there doing nothing. It’s a good show when nothing goes wrong, if the most he has to do is to make sure that I have a water, or give me a stick if it breaks or whatever.

CIPRARI: I’m pretty ready, though, whether I’m on my phone or circling the kit. I’m always watching when something happens. Sometimes, when I don’t see a mic or something, Cyrus will just kind of give me a nod and I’ll jump over. I’m a drummer too, so I’m prepared for what may happen.

The story you always hear is that the guitar player breaks his finger and the tech fills in. If Cyrus got West Nile Virus tonight, could you fill in and play the whole set?
BOLOOKI: I think he could.

CIPRARI: I think my chops are there, but I don’t know If I’d be ready to hop on and play a set from New Found Glory. I think I’d be pretty nervous and mess it up.

BOLOOKI: In Los Angeles, at the beginning of this tour, I drove to the show. I got there a little late, as far as soundcheck, and I walk in, and I hear our song, “It’s Not Your Fault.” I hear it being played from outside of the doors, and I’m like, “Oh, our sound guy must have recorded last night and he probably is playing it over the PA.” I walk in, and it’s Mike playing drums.