Artist:Stroke 9
Song:Little Black Backpack
Album:Nasty Little Thoughts
Stroke 9 will probably remind you of similar pop bands of the late 90s. The 1999 single Little Black Backpack from the album Nasty Little Thoughts is their biggest hit to date. The formation of Stroke 9 was in a 1990 Rock Band class at Marin Academy in San Rafael, CA. Singer and guitarist Luke Esterkyn and bassist Greg Gueldner opted to form a band and record a demo for extra credit. Esterkyn and Gueldner attended different colleges so the band didn't stay together. But they reunited in 1995 and released a couple of albums independently. This got them a record deal with producer Jolene Cherry's Cherry label with Universal distribution. She produced soundtrack albums like The Crow and Batman Forever. She started her own label in 1997. By this time the band was Esterkyn on vocals and guitar, Gueldner on bass, John McDermott on guitar and Eric Stock on drums. The 1999 album Nasty Little Thoughts was their major label debut. The single Little Black Backpack reached #6 on the Modern Rock chart and the album was certified Gold. So it did OK. Most of the album was produced by Jerry Harrison of Talking Heads who by this time was a successful producer. Stroke 9 appeared in Ron Howard's film EdTV. The 2002 album Rip It Off didn't do nearly as well. An attempt was made to tie the single Kick Some Ass into the 2001 film Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back but it didn't work. Jolene Cherry's name is not on the credits. It makes me think the band split with her. Stroke 9 left Universal. After releasing two albums on the indie label Rock Ridge, Stroke 9 released a 2020 album on their own label. So Stroke 9 is still around but they should have been more successful. Here's the video for Little Black Backpack by Stroke 9.
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