September 7, 1999 - Stroke 9 and Little Black Backpack

On the same day as my last album a new band briefly joins my library when Stroke 9 released their third album "Nasty Little Thoughts" on September 7, 1999. But who is Stroke 9? They are a four-piece alternative rock band from Marin County, California consisting of bassist Greg Gueldner, drummer Eric Stock, guitarist John McDermott and lead singer/guitarist Luke Esterkyn. I only have one song by Stroke 9, but it was a succesful single and it's called "Little Black Backpack". The verse is driven by some slow but decent guitar and Esterkyh has a solid enough voice. When he sings his first "don't wanna talk about it" they're starting to ramp up and the chorus is a little louder and pretty catchy and I like how he delivers the line "I think I'm gonna BASH his head in". They slow down again for another decent verse and after the next catchy chorus there's a short and solid little guitar solo. They then jam out the chorus several times to finish things off and while I certainly wasn't blown away by Stroke 9, this song is a nostalgic one for me and it's still a worthy addition to my library despite these guys being one-hit wonders. 

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