Nine Days (stylized as ninedays) is an American rock band from Long Island, New York. It was formed in the hamlet of St. James, Suffolk County, New York in 1994 by John Hampson and Brian Desveaux, and released three independent albums in the 1990s before their mainstream debut album, The Madding Crowd, released in 2000. The band scored a hit in the United States from the album The Madding Crowd, with the single "Absolutely (Story of a Girl)".
Nine Days | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Long Island, New York, U.S. |
| Genres | Alternative rock, pop rock |
| Years active | 1994–present |
| Members | John Hampson Brian Desveaux Jeremy Dean Nick Dimichino John Miceli |
| Website | ninedaysband |
History
editPrior to creating the group, John Hampson and Brian Desveaux played in a heavy metal band, and were also members of a cover band with drummer Vincent Tattanelli called Wonderama. In 1993, the duo took time off from those bands and began writing more poppy songs, with a focus on strong songwriting: "If the song didn't work on acoustic guitar, then it wasn't a good song," said Desveaux.[1] The band's influences were Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen and Neil Young. They joined with bassist Nick Dimichino and recorded eight songs with a studio drummer. Tattanelli joined the new project and the band gained Jeremy Dean as keyboardist. They recorded their debut album, Something to Listen To (1995) in nine days, which they used as their band name. The group, from St. James, began playing weekly at the Village Pub, which was regularly frequented by Midshipman from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, in Port Jefferson, New York.[1][2] They released their second album Monday Songs in 1996, and won several local radio contests.[3]
After recording their third effort, 1998's Three, the band contacted producer Pat Thrall to create a four-song demo to circulate among record labels. The process was exhausting for the musicians, according to Desveaux, who estimated that they performed at showcases for each major record label and were "passed up twice by each."[4] They more frequently began performing in New York City and continued to write, with Hampson adopting an edgier songwriting style. He wrote the song "Absolutely (Story of a Girl)",[1] and the band recorded a three-song demo to once again shop around to labels.[3] They were signed by 550 Music (then known as Sony 550 Music) in February 1999, and began working on their major-label debut album with producer Nick DiDia. The Madding Crowd was released in May 2000, and was the band's highest-selling album, shipping over 500,000 copies in the US.[5] "Absolutely (Story of a Girl)" became a radio hit single, reaching number six on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the US and within the top ten in Canada and New Zealand.[6] "If I Am" was the album's second single, but performed poorer than its predecessor.
So Happily Unsatisfied, the band's follow-up and fifth album, saw a limited promotional release in November 2002 but did not see a full commercial release until 2006. The release date was repeatedly delayed by 550 Music until the band was ultimately dropped. In the interim, the album had leaked onto the internet. In 2003, the band recorded and self-released their sixth effort, Flying the Corporate Jet. Their next release was an extended play, Slow Motion Life (Part One) (2007). Slow Motion Life (Part Two), released in 2013 (the incomplete demos), was intended to comprise the two as a full album. That year, the band released their seventh main album, Something Out Of Nothing, following it up with Snapshots in 2016.
In February 2024, the band appeared in a television ad for Travel South Dakota (a division of the South Dakota Department of Tourism) performing a rewritten version of "Absolutely (Story of a Girl)" titled "Absolutely (Story of a State)." The ad debuted in South Dakota and neighboring states during the Super Bowl.[7]
Outside of music, Hampson is currently an English teacher in Wantagh, New York.[8] He wrote and recorded alternate versions of "Absolutely (Story of a Girl)" for the 2022 film Everything Everywhere All At Once.[9]
Members
edit- John Hampson – lead vocals, rhythm guitar
- Brian Desveaux – lead vocals, lead guitar
- Jeremy Dean – keyboards, backing vocals
- Nick Dimichino – bass guitar, backing vocals
- John Miceli – drums, percussion
Discography
editStudio albums
edit| Title | Details | Peak chart positions | Certifications |
|---|---|---|---|
| US | |||
| Something to Listen To |
|
— | |
| Monday Songs |
|
— | |
| Three |
|
— | |
| The Madding Crowd |
|
67 | |
| So Happily Unsatisfied |
|
— | |
| Flying the Corporate Jet |
|
— | |
| Something Out Of Nothing |
|
— | |
| Snapshots |
|
— |
Extended plays
edit| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| Slow Motion Life (Part One) |
|
| Slow Motion Life (Part Two) |
|
Singles
edit| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [10] |
US Adult [11] |
US Alt [12] |
US Pop [13] |
AUS [14] |
CAN [15] |
NLD [16] |
NZ [17] |
SCO [18] |
UK [19] | |||||
| "Absolutely (Story of a Girl)" | 2000 | 6 | 2 | 10 | 1 | 31 | 3 | 75 | 7 | 67 | 83 | The Madding Crowd | ||
| "If I Am" | 68 | 20 | — | 27 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| "Good Friend" | 2002 | — | 26 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | So Happily Unsatisfied | ||
| "Goodbye" | 2003 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Flying the Corporate Jet | ||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | ||||||||||||||
Music videos
edit| Title | Year | Director |
|---|---|---|
| "Absolutely (Story of a Girl)" | 2000 | Liz Friedlander |
| "If I Am" | Ulf |
References
edit- ^ a b c Robbie Woliver (May 14, 2000). "Dues Paid, Rock Band Is Climbing Charts". The New York Times. Retrieved April 30, 2017.
- ^ "Nine Days releases lost album, 'So Happily Unsatisfied,' after 15 years". Newsday. January 3, 2018. Retrieved February 20, 2023.
- ^ a b Mark Woodlief (July 5, 2000). "Nine Days 'Absolutely' Surprised By Success". MTV News. Archived from the original on August 2, 2017. Retrieved April 29, 2017.
- ^ Chris Celauro. "Nine Days Interview with Brian Desveaux of Nine Days: How They Escaped a Musical Deathtrap". ModernRock.com. Archived from the original on March 5, 2001. Retrieved April 27, 2010.
- ^ a b "Gold & Platinum: Nine Days". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved April 30, 2017.
- ^ "Nine Days – Chart History". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved April 30, 2017.
- ^ "Travel South Dakota puts throwback twist on first Super Bowl ad". SiouxFalls.Business. February 8, 2024. Retrieved February 18, 2024.
- ^ "Wantagh English Teacher to Release Third Solo Album". Wantagh-Seaford, NY Patch. August 21, 2012. Retrieved February 20, 2023.
- ^ Puchko, Kristy (April 6, 2022). "How a one-hit wonder became absolutely crucial to 'Everything Everywhere All At Once'". Mashable. Retrieved March 2, 2024.
- ^ "Nine Days Chart History - Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved May 12, 2015.
- ^ "Nine Days Chart History - Adult Pop Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved December 5, 2015.
- ^ "Nine Days Chart History - Alternative Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved December 5, 2015.
- ^ "Nine Days Chart History - Pop Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved December 5, 2015.
- ^ "australian-charts.com - Australian charts portal". Hung Medien. Retrieved December 5, 2015.
- ^ "Results - RPM - Library and Archives Canada - Top Singles". RPM. July 17, 2013. Retrieved December 5, 2015.
- ^ "Discografie Nine Days". dutchcharts.nl (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved December 5, 2015.
- ^ "charts.nz - New Zealand charts portal". Hung Medien. Retrieved December 5, 2015.
- ^ Peak positions for singles in Scotland:
- For "Absolutely": "Chart Archive > October 1, 2000". Official Charts Company.
- ^ "Nine Days > UK Charts". Officialcharts.com/. Official Charts Company.