New band’s success is strangely familiar for drummer Sainato

October 16, 2010 at 12:00a.m.

These are interesting times for Boardman native and drummer Nick Sainato.

Not only did his band The Strange Familiar recently return to Northeast Ohio for a few shows, but this summer, the quartet — Sainato, Kira Leyden (vocals), Jeff Andrea (guitar) and Frank Freeman (bass) — was in the top 48 on NBC reality show “America’s Got Talent.” The band performed Cyndi Lauper’s “Time After Time.”

Their appearance wasn’t well received by judges Piers Morgan, Sharon Osbourne and Howie Mandel, but Sainato remains positive.

“It was probably the best experience of my life, playing in front of 50 million people on live TV,” said Sainato, 22, a 2006 Boardman High School graduate. “That was pretty good exposure for us. It’s a lot easier to contact people now that we’ve been on TV. So we just hope to kind of gain some fans and really inspire people with our music.”

Lately the band is working on writing material for its sophomore album. The act released its debut effort, “This is Gravity,” in July 2009, which was just before Sainato joined the band in Los Angeles. It’s been a unique journey for the former member of High School Rock Off-winning and local notable band Another Found Self. After leaving that outfit in 2008, he attended one semester at the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston before relocating to Los Angeles to attend Musicians Institute.

In Southern California, he reconnected with Leyden and Andrea, whom he met when they were in their Cuyahoga Falls-based rock act Jaded Era. That group saw one of its songs recorded by pop singer Ashlee Simpson before it split for the West Coast and changed its name to The Strange Familiar. Fate had it that soon after Sainato arrived in LA, his old friends were looking for a new drummer.

“It’s like pop rock, but doesn’t get too heavy,” Sainato said. “But we can rock out pretty good. There’s a little bit of a Coldplay and Melissa Etheridge sound. I think Kira’s voice sounds like Sara Bareilles. Right now we’re hoping to have a new album out early next year but nothing is planned yet. We have most of the songs written.”

One track is called “Redemption,” which he co-wrote. It’s a fitting title, considering the percussionist’s experiences back home. Sainato admits he possesses an inner drive that was begotten equally from supporters and haters in Ohio.

“It’s been an incredible experience, especially growing up in Ohio, considering not that many people quit school to pursue music,” said Sainato. “People are like, ‘What’s your backup plan? Why aren’t you going for business or something?’ A lot of people support you, but others have made you feel guilty or worried this isn’t the right career choice or a safe bet. So it feels really good to start achieving something towards your future and try to make a name for yourself.”

For more information, go to myspace.com/thestrangefamiliar.