By Alex Kantarelis

Self-proclaimed “Worcester dudes” Mike and Scott Ciprari have created something great: SJC Drums, a custom drum company that has really launched the two into the big time.  With an outstanding reputation among drummers, SJC has become one of the best drum companies out there ~ and would we really expect anything but the best from Central MA?

It all started as a simple idea.  Mike and his brother Scott had been building drums out of their grandmother’s basement in Dudley.  Mike was playing drums in Worcester band No Trigger, and the brothers designed a custom drum kit for the band’s upcoming tour. “I went on tour and got a really good response.  The drums sounded great and they looked different from anything else,” Mike recalls.  As kids at the shows began asking questions, he started giving out his phone number, saying that he could build them their own custom kits.  The rest, as they say, is history.

As No Trigger kept hitting the road and meeting more and more bands, the word started spreading about the drums.  Mike and Scott named the drums SJC after Scott’s initials (Scott James Ciprari).  Some of the bigger bands No Trigger played with became huge, and word of SJC started spreading like wildfire.  It wasn’t long until the business was taking over their lives.  “I quit No Trigger to focus on SJC full time.  My brother graduated college and we moved to a larger facility in Dudley, and hired some friends to help build drums,” Mike said.  With official headquarters ~ and a real staff ~ the brothers and their drums seemed ready to take over the world.  And that is just what they did.

They went after two of their favorite bands, Strike Anywhere, and The Aquabats; both bands loved the drums and became the first to be sponsored by the company.  Word continued to spread throughout the scene quickly, and it wasn’t long until mainstream drummers heard about SJC.  As of 2012, SJC sponsors the drummers for Miley Cyrus, the Jonas Brothers, Kanye West, Lady Gaga, the Dropkick Murphys, and Worcester’s own Four Year Strong ~ just to name a few.  All those drummers currently use (and love) their SJC drum kits.

For Mike Ciprari, SJC is more than a career.  It has become his way of life.  The company now has a full staff of employees (all friends, of course), and recently moved into an even bigger facility in Dudley.  “We’re obviously passionate about it and this is what we want to do.  It’s not just a 9 to 5 type of thing.  We’re here as much as we need to be.  It’s a labor of love and it’s a full time thing for all of us,” he said.  And being from Worcester helps the company as well, as the city’s “gritty vibe” helps inspire them to work hard.  “We’re Worcester dudes… we’re focused on our work.  We’re not just laid back party dudes from California,” he said.  And geographically the city works wonders for them because of its proximity toBoston, Providence and Hartford, “There are usually one or two shows a night that we can go to to support our bands,” he said.

As for the future, it’s looking pretty good for the brothers. The company will keep supporting the music scene with their top quality drum kits and will soon be gracing our television sets with a reality show (similar to “American Chopper”) ~  check out www.sjcdrums.com for more information on that as it becomes available.  As for Mike Ciprari, he is back touring in No Trigger, showing off his SJC kit everywhere they go.

Pictured: (top) SJC Staff, (bottom) Four Year Strong’s Custom SJC Drum Kit