SAMMY BRAMANTYO
Bassist, Radio Announcer, Entrepreneur
What music are you into at the moment?
Right now I’m pretty much into the Deftones’ latest album, Koi No Yokan. I listen to it almost all the time. In the car trapped in traffic, on my iPod, on the plane, and so on. Also Torche’s Harmonicraft. Yeah, man, I personally think that the rock and heavy metal albums of 2012 are really interesting.
What was the first record you bought—any interesting story behind it?
It was Metallica’s Black Album. You can consider me a late starter in terms of knowing what was going on in the 80’s and early 90’s, as it’s definitely not Metallica’s best album. I got to know the previous ones after. I also discovered Iron Maiden after that. I started learning to play guitar because of those Metallica albums. It was so good, I just had to learn to play it… To impress girls as well—but later on I found out that metal music attracts men more than women. Haha.
What are your all-time favourite albums? Why?
Well, Metallica’s And Justice For All has got to be one of them. Because it was one of those eureka!-shouting albums in my life. I also love Black Sabbath’s Paranoid, Queens Of The Stone Age’s Songs for the Deaf, Taint’s Secrets and Lies, Foo Fighters’ The Color and the Shape, Mute Math’s Teleprompt, Beastie Boys’ Ill Communication, and Pure Saturday’s self-titled album; to name a few. Those albums are the ones that I play over and over again and never get bored. Those aren’t albums, they’re magic! Aside from Seringai’s influences I also listen to a lot of non heavy metal/punk/hardcore bands, old and new. It’s really good to keep myself sane by not listening to hyper blasts, sustaining low E chords, or dudes growling all the time…
What was the worst record you ever purchased?
It has to be Ugly Kid Joe’s As Ugly As They Wanna Be somewhere back in the early 90’s. I bought the damn thing because I had a lot of friends back then who were into that “Everything About You” song. I also saw it being played often on TV and it was even featured as the soundtrack of Wayne’s World. Not to mention, their kid-giving-the-middle-finger t-shirt was a massive hit. So I bought it, listened to it, didn’t like it, listened to it again, still didn’t like it, felt really bummed about it, would like to get a refund for the money and time spent listening to it, gave it to a cousin, waved goodbye, and never heard it again.
Who do you want to be, other than yourself, next time you reincarnate?
Dave Grohl. I mean he was the drummer of the legendary Nirvana, he’s the leading man in Foo Fighters, he played the drums for Queens Of The Stone Age and Killing Joke, he formed Probot and had all of his metal music idols sing in it, he just won a Grammy, and he was recently named one of the richest drummers in the world. Who f—ing wouldn’t want to be him?
What book are you reading now and what’s the score (1-10)?
I just started reading Mötley Crüe’s The Dirt. I actually have had this book for a month or so already but haven’t had the time to read it until now. I really enjoyed reading their previous book, The Heroin Diaries by Nikki Sixx, and didn’t want it to end. Even though I’ve only just started reading The Dirt, I would give it a solid 9 already. It’s a really good autobiography. It’s badass, extreme, sad, intense, and very inspiring. Basically, it inspires you not to be like them hahaha!
What new movie should people see? Why?
I think everybody should watch Life Of Pi. Especially in times like now where a lot of religion-related issues are big. I watched it like a week ago and it was really good and the visuals were fantastic. To me the movie suggests that you should have faith in whatever you choose to believe.
What song do you choose to start your weekend?
If I had to choose a weekend kickstarter, it would have to be “Annihilation (Of the Generations)” by S.T.U.N or maybe “The Age of Pamparius” by Turbonegro. Really want to watch them both live!
And song you choose to end your weekend?
“Whorehouse Blues” by Motörhead or something soothing like any song by Joao Gilberto while sipping on a really really strong Mojito would make a nice closing.
Sammy is currently working his butt off in order to achieve his goal: making Lawless the greatest lifestyle shop in the Big Durian. He also spends some of his weekends on the road promoting Seringai’s new album, Taring; while during weekdays he’s busy as an announcer in Gen FM radio. During his time off he hangs out at home or goes away with his family. He can sometimes be seen drinking beer and banging his head at music concerts, while at the same time he claims to be 24/7 staying alert just in case a zombie apocalypse finally happens.
SEE ALSO
Rock-n-Roll Exhibition: SAMMY BRAMANTYO
Seringai: Kian Nyaring dan Makin Bertaring
Seringai: Menolak Tua dan Bangga
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⢠This interview was firstly published on The Beat (Jakarta) #79, Jan 07-20, 2013
⢠All photos by John Ronesta SP
⢠Check out also the classic video from Sam Bram’s band, Seringai, “Membakar Jakarta”. Sam Bram is the one wearing white, arguably one of the few handsomest dudes in Indonesian metal scene
