Drag Me Under—a five piece band including Maurice Harold, 34, vocals; Jeromy Ainsworth, 31, guitar; Pat Sutton, 24, drums; Brandon ’B-Dick’ Dickson, 21, guitar; and Josh Elwing, 22, bass—may be made up of self-proclaimed “hardcore kids,” but they say they aren’t the typical definition of a hardcore band.
“[Our music] doesn’t really fit that genre to a ’T’ but we have elements that incorporate it,” Dickson says.
So what exactly is a hardcore kid? “Being a hardcore kid isn’t just liking hardcore music, being a hardcore kid is DIY shows, DIY recording, sitting … in your friend’s barbershop and making CDs, just doing everything yourself, independent ideals—kind of punk rock mentality, but keeping yourself clean,” Sutton says.
Despite their love of hardcore music, the members of Drag Me Under describe their sound as a mix between heavy metal and rock ’n’ roll, and a hardcore band with black metal lyrics.
The best description of their sound?
“Pantera,” Sutton laughs.
The band’s current lineup has been around for two years, and a year of personnel changes happened before that.
The members say they came together because they were all looking for the same thing in a band—to have fun. After negative experiences in previous bands, they decided to get together and form Drag Me Under as an attempt to finally have a group without naysayers. As a result, Drag Me Under is made up instead of self-described “yes men.”
“We don’t ever really turn down shows,” Dickson says.
As a result of the their just-say-yes-attitude, the band members say they don’t have to scrap ideas because one person shoots it down. Instead, they embrace each other’s ideas and just have fun with them.
“As soon as it stops being fun, we stop,” Sutton says. “Drag Me Under has been a band for three years, and it’s never not been fun.”
“I haven’t been this stoked on a band that I’ve been in, I don’t think, ever in my life,” Harold agreed.
In the spirit of keeping it fun, the band members say they’ve opted to perform on the floor instead of a stage, and some of their favorite shows were played in basement venues.
“We play a lot of larger venues,” Ainsworth says. “There’s this disconnect from the people that you’re there with [at larger venues]. but when you play basement shows, you’re like a foot away from the people, you make eye contact, you’re bumping into them. … You’re a part of the actual show … and it’s a lot more intimate. …When you’re on stage looking down at everyone, there’s like this huge disconnect. It’s almost like you’re there working, you’re not there cause it’s … a party.”
“When we have a choice … we just set up on the floor,” Harold says.
Harold, who writes most of the group’s lyrics, pulls his inspiration from a lot of different places, including his personal life, but he likes to keep his lyrics only pseudo-personal.
“No Taylor Swift stuff,” Harold jokes. “I don’t sing about my ex-boyfriends.”
So what else can you hear the group sing about? Werewolves, seamonsters, UFOs and bank robbers, of course.
With black metal lyrics, a lot of the band’s songs have double meanings. For example, “Cold Winters and Titty Glitter,” is seemingly about werewolves, but it’s also about night owl, party animals, according to the group.
Another example? “Devour,” which is fittingly about zombies, but also potentially about eating a lot of cake. Why? “Humans are just cake to zombies.”