Stroke 9

Founded in the San Francisco Bay Area in 1989, Stroke 9 is an alternative rock band that formed due to a “Rock Band” class at Marin Academy in San Rafael, California.

They’ve had three charting singles, “Kick Some Ass,” “Letters,” and “Little Black Backpack.”

The current lineup consists of Luke Esterkyn, Jens Funke, John McDermott, and Greg Gueldner.

The band writes on their website:

Rocking ain’t easy. History has shown us countless examples of bands that couldn’t hold it together, ending in either a spectacular on-stage explosion, or by quietly fading into nothingness.

And yet here we have San Francisco’s STROKE 9, happily celebrating over 20 years in the music business. In an industry notorious for churning and burning, Stroke 9’s continued success can be attributed to one thing: They’re too dumb to stop doing it.

But is it really so crazy? Having sold millions of copies of their 8 studio albums, and played countless clubs and theaters for their legions of adoring fans all over the world, Stroke 9 continues to experience the same level of joy and excitement as at their first rehearsal in 1989. When you’re doing what you love, there’s no reason to ever stop!

Stroke 9 burst onto the millennial alt-rock radio scene with their #1 hit “Little Black Backpack,” from the platinum-selling “Nasty Little Thoughts.” Following several national and world tours, the band came back with the chart-topping album “Rip It Off,” featuring the hit singles “Kick Some Ass” and “Do It Again.” Their music has been featured in numerous commercial ads, as well as in “Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back,” “Malcolm In The Middle,” “Scrubs,” and other film and TV shows.

In 2005, Stroke 9 left the corporate music scene to form their own label, and now release their semi-annual albums directly to their fans. Stroke 9 continues to tour all over North America, and is constantly making new music available for free on Twitter and Facebook.