A lot of folks have been wondering when we'll be playing some more shows and releasing some new music.  The answer is:  soon.  We're taking some time to write and hang out with family.  We hope you're all well and look thank you for the years of support and love!

Get all the dope on Stroke 9 by following us on Twitter @stroke9.

"The One" is featured on the iPhone app "Tap Tap Revenge" this week! To download the app go here: http://tapulous.com/taptap/       Happy tapping!

Love,
Stroke 9

So,lovers and friends,this is a monumental day in S9 land.A package was delivered early this morning around daybreak in the form of a beautiful bouncing 10 lbs. baby boy named Kai Samuel Esterkyn.That's right folks,the legacy continues.What an unreal feeling getting a text from Papa Luke at 7 am Sat Oct 11th saying "It's a boy!Mom and baby are healthy and doing great.".I myself was in a doctors office getting pupils dilated (yet again) for a possible 8th cornea transplant(yet again).But,the downer I felt in recieving the news of said surgery was immediately stricken from the record by this glorious buzzing on my lame(yes they are lame) T-Mobile Crackberry.I just had to laugh in knowing that Luke and D had made it happen.Christ,I felt like I had given birth!So,in the immortal words of Ice Cube,"I gotta say,today was a good day..."Well,I sometimes am a man of few words but for now,dear sweet little Kai Samuel,I offer this.Your Old Man,Grand Pa,Grand Ma,Great Grand Ma and Mother are the cats meow.So keep your chin up cowboy cuz it's all good!That is,until you discover pornography and beer in college....Or is it high school?


Your loving uncle and pal,
Jensy

Oh god.Has it really been like 3 going on 4 months since the last post?What the F yo?Oh well.Sheeta happens.Alrighty.Life is progressing and new excursions abound!The writing season has officially begun!In the interim,a whole ass load of shite has occurred.I'm not gonna get into it here but let's just say it will add precious fuel to the fire in terms of songwriting.The good and the malo.Take for instance tonight.It's a rather cold 2 am on the West Coast(the best Coast) andwe've just finished the music and lyrics to a new track.Working title,"The Axe".OOOOHHHHHH!Scary!!!Stroke9 is getting all serious on us!No.Not really.Just a little more cerebral.You like to use your brain right?Well try to figure this one out Colonel!Kinda proud of this one.It's along the lines of Poltava(for those of you in the know)but I promise you, there will be ROCK on this album(e.p. maybe?)so don't fret.It's just harder to get into that shit-hot rock and roll vibe headsoace when you just bought a brand F-ing new Gibson Hummingbird acoustic guitar!HAHAHAH!It's finally mine!Seriously.I've wanted this guitar since I was 12 years old bro(Hey!Watch the bro-fanity!).Anyways,like I said,the time has come for us to reflect and put into words and song the trials and tribulations of us young dipshits.Like they say,It's On!So,keep your ears to the ground cuz it's time to shag ass and let 'er rip kid!We will be in touch shortly...


Your pal,
Jensy aka The Owl

Hello race fans!It's your old buddy your old pal Jensy here.As I was sitting in my studio contemplating my navel, I hit upon the notion of writing a long overdue blog.Now that my liver has stopped hurting and I've stopped peeing blood thanks to our recent "Rock Boat" experience/excursion,I figured it was about time,no?Well,so much has happened since then I don't know where to begin.The east coast tour was a smashing good time and it was great seeing so many familiar as well as new faces.Christmas came and went without a hitch with lots of love,partying,fraternizing and holiday spirit."The Annual New Years Eve Boys Gone Wild Show" was really one for the books especially since I was called upon and flown in at the last minute by the boys to fill in for BGW's bass player(Sparky Lipsitz) who was snowed in in Colorado!Hey,what can I say?Im an L.A. first call session cat.And yes,I did make them pay me triple scale.Tee hee hee.Shit,where was I?Well,we move on to another extraordinary experience a few months later.This one being titled,'The Rock Boat" and yes it does live up to that name FO SHO.We begin our little jaunt by flying into sunny Florida where we played grab-ass with all the other bands staying in the same hotel we were.I've never seen so much hair and denim in my life!It's true what they say,you can pick out a musician a mile away.Look for somewhat greasy hair, a beard and a t shirt with holes in it.Oh and a chain wallet too.I'm joking of course.Getting on the boat and getting settled in we decided to check out our surroundings.A little city is what you might call the Carnival Imagination vessel.A veritable floating beer barge I tell you!I won't bore you with the details(and possibly make you jealous) but just know that we played our little hearts out and beat our poor little livers in!We all did that cartoon-y eyes bugging out trip when we say our final alcohol tally that's for sure.Between the 5 of us(the lovely/unstoppable Keith Kane being in our entourage as well) we posted a bill above a couple thou.Not much but when you consider that we were only on the boat 4 days...All in all,we had a blast and some of the jamming we did and the friends we made,well,we shan't forget this one any time soon.Until possibly next year that is.As for us,we are still workin on all new songs for a possible new album at some point soon.Trying to get the old juices flowing if ya know what I mean!Perhaps it seems as though we drop out of sight for a while but just know this.While one person is sleeping,the other person isn't.Always scheming and planning and working is our m.o.What do ya think about that?Does that blow your mind?Yeah,that just happened!Put that in your pipe and smoke it, young Watson...

Your pal,
Jensy

P.S.-Oh and btw,I got my lip pierced.It hurt like a mother-hunch.Chin Chin!

Yo Yo Yo!What's crackin ya'll?It is I,Jens Funke,writing to ya today.Oh how that funny little feeling comes creeping in just before tour.Granted it's only 10 or so shows,(it's what you might call a mini-tour)but a tour nonetheless!Actually it's twice as many shows cuz of all the Borders Books in-stores we are doing.Betcha didn't know about that little tidbit.Yes we will be playing at a Borders Books in pretty much every city we are hitting this tour.All acoustic shows of course.Don't miss it as it should be a unique listening experience yo.I'm not positive on all the details but those Borders Books in-stores should be happening in the late afternoon most likely.We will post a bulletin later no doubt.OK enuff about that.Movin on,the new album"The Last of the International Playboys(available now)is doing awesome!All the comments,reviews and feedback have been stellar(fingers crossed)and we hope that continues,but Stroke9 needs something from you,dear reader.Radio play is a scarce commodity these days and that rings true even for major label bands.So,in order to replace that promotion,our beloved indie bands must rely on myspace,facebook or just good old fashioned word of mouth promo.In other words,LET'S BLANKET THE EARTH WITH THE NEW STROKE9 ALBUM!!!Buy it for a friend!Play it for somebody you don't know or maybe don't even like!Give it as a Xmas gift!As you can probably see,we are proud of this album and think it deserves a chance to be heard!We want everyone to enjoy the Stroke9 experience as much as we do.This band IS it's fans and we couldn't do any of this without you.So,in closing,the band is so excited to see all of ya on the East Coast(west coast and midwest we haven't forgot about you)so don't be a stranger!Come have a drink and listen to us make love to your eardrums...Your pal,Jensy

From Allmusic.com:

Review by Jo-Ann Greene

Love's trajectory is rarely straight, which is why most romances end in tears, but the ineffably upbeat Stroke 9 refuse to cry, preferring to smile through the pain. Their Last of the International Playboys album is awash in failing relationship numbers and break-up songs, each underlit by the band's glowing music, and underscored by the lyrics so true to life vignettes. "It's Curtains for You!," Stroke 9 never actually declare on the set's opening track, instead tartly waving goodbye and good luck to love. Opening in an atmospheric swirl of acoustic guitars, soaring harmonies and rumbling drums, the song whirls straight into shiny, jubilant pop. "Feel the Summer" switches perspective, no longer hard done by, they're the ones doing the leaving here, amidst a wave of jangly, chiming guitars. "Scream," in contrast, crosses a C&W tinge with luminescent pop, but before the band walk out on this girl, the song swells to its emotional climax amidst plush orchestral overdubs. With all these failed relationships behind them, on "7 Year Itch" Stroke 9 try to salvage the next one by starting over in a new town, coaxing their love to accompany them with an anthemic chorus and a breezy alt pop/rock backing. No matter the complications, the Stroke aren't willing to go it alone, because they can't start a revolution on their own, as they expound on the exhilarating "The Yeah Song," an infectious singalong that brilliantly blends punk rock, new wave and the guitar chops of the Who to lethal effect. Perhaps that will be the band's next single; the first, "The One" is just as catchy, a careening ride through pop-punk, and a love song to boot. "Who Am I" is more intricate, with glowing guitars streaming over a dance-flecked rhythm, while Luke Esterkyn toasts out his inner turmoil. That number has real emotional caché, as does "Duality of Man," an alt-Southern rocker that soars nearly as high as "Freebird." The album ends with the torrid ballad -- the title track -- the perfect finale to this iridescent set. Never wallowing in self-pity, no matter how downbeat the situation, Stroke 9's pop-flecked music laces the songs with optimism, and in the end they struggle back to their feet to face the world anew.



From Alternative Addiction:

The new Stroke 9 album, "The Last of the International Playboys" is one of the band's best releases. It's actually second only to their Universal debut "Nasty Little Thoughts." It's everything you expect from these guys after they have put out so many quality releases. It's witty, it's humorous, it's energetic, it's catchy, but mostly it's just really good. One of the things that's always stifled and bothered the Stroke 9 faithful is why these guys aren't used repeatedly in the same category as the late 90's/early 2000's powerhouse bands Matchbox 20 and 3rd Eye Blind. Their music is just as good as those bands, except they didn't go on to change their name to Stroke Nine. On "The Last of the International Playboys" Eric Stock, John McDermott, and Luke Esterkyn are in their usual outstanding form. Luke's voice is why these guys have stayed around for so long and have kept the fan-base that they have. It's unique in it's light rasp. Somehow Luke's voice is more relatable than any lead singer from his generation. A special note should also be made for bassist Jens Funke. Although he's been in the band for awhile now, this is the first studio album he's really gotten a chance to contribute to. Jens was a big part of the creative process this time around and his input has breathed new life into Stroke 9. There's not a bad track on this album, but there are some standouts. "The One" is definitely a highlight because it's catchy as hell. "So Good" is another standout track because it has that tongue in cheek Stroke 9 humor to it and the claps mixed in with the instrumentation makes it sound different than your usual Stroke 9 track. The other key standout track on this album is "Last of the International Playboys", not only because it has one of my favorite first lines in a song ever, but because it's light with lots of sound to it that can be likened to some classic Stroke 9 songs like "Vacuum Bag." Stroke 9's new album is definitely one to pick up. It's their best album in a long time, not only fitting for a band of this caliber, but fitting for one of the most underrated bands of all time.

And away we go again…

Scream
Verse
Isn't it clear/I'm here
Don't cry/My dear
No more lows/Just highs
No ghosts/Tonight
No you know what it is that makes me sing
Just the little things only you can bring
Chorus
Scream scream louder/I can't hear whatcha say
I see the candle in your eyes/Slowly fading away
Photographs and your memories/Stuck in my mind
So long so long/It's time I leave you behind
So my love/Watch me try and put a pretty face
And keep my hands to myself/And show some social grace
I watch the clocks/They're slowly ticking ticking ticking away
As I sit and hang on every word you ever say
Verse
Don't leave/In the middle
Try and breathe/Just a little
You can crash/On the couch
Close your eyes/And your mouth
Now you know what it is that makes me shake
It's just the little things only you can take
Chorus
Bridge
But you're not sayin anything
And I don't need this now/Sometimes I wonder if we'll ever be the same again
And I don't need this now/Cuz you're not sayin anything
And I don't need this now
Chorus


So Good
Verse
I sit here wishin that someone could see
The details in my mind of this fantasy
You wanna know the truth and there's nothing wrong
With thinking of all the ways that you turn me on
I feel your fingers flowing on me
And I feel your breath like the warmest breeze
Chorus
You're so good/Cuz ya never do what ya should
You're so hot/Just the thought and I probably could
You're so bad/And ya had me at the first look
You're cool/Cuz ya never do anything by the book
Verse
We've been together for so long now
You never cease to amaze me and I'll never know how
You can always keep me coming back for more
I never know exactly what you have in store
First my mouth with the softest kiss
Then my neck with your fingertips
You're lookin at me and you're lickin your lips
As ya press up against me with the smoothest hips
Chorus
Bridge
You're so $#%!–ing good I want you so bad
Chorus


Who I Am
Verse
I freak out/When I think about/This catastrophe that I call myself
I think I'm takin everything too seriously/No seriously
I think I'm alright/I don't wanna fight/Never consider myself uptight
I know I'm getting there/when people stop and stare
You know the other day/When we were on the phone
You said a buncha things I never should have known
Keepin a chance for every circumstance
A little romance might have saved me
You know the other time when we were out at night/You let go and I held on tight
It wasn't even that I wanted to play/I was just tryin to think of a good way to say that
Chorus
You win/This is where I've been/This how it is/This is who I am
This is where we are/This is how it goes/And there's so much more to be/No one knows
This who I am/This is how I know/If there's something wrong/That's just how it goes
And tonight/This is wrong/This is right/This is dark/This is light
There's a look in your eye that can't be denied
Verse
Sit down/And enjoy the sound/I'm gonna take you all the way around
I grew up with the doors all shut/And the music in my head was the escape I found
When I try something new/I want to win it
Somethin else and I'll tell you in a minute
Nothin comes easy/As I'm sure you know
But I'm just tryin to look for the right way to go and
Chorus
Bridge
Everything in my life has a meaning
Why must everything be so misleading
Come on over and tell me now
Chorus


Duality of Man
Verse
That's all she wrote/I think that's all she said
Her heart's like a barren wasteland/In the city of the dead
If it's a game of love roulette/Can ya loan me 20 bills
This broken heart will end us both/It's the little things that kill when you're
Chorus
Goin down the road/Hopin one day you arrive
The story won't write itself tonight/And it's your turn to drive
Conversations like a dull knife across the skin/And it cuts me where I live
I sold my soul long ago and now it ain't mine to give
Verse
A kiss is worth a thousand words/So ask me if I care
It's not the cracks that shook the world/But the seams that fixed the tears
There's a time I knew directions home/And I knew just where I'd been
But it's high time love that we grew up/Before the flood kicks in and I'm
Chorus
Bridge
A host of angels won't stop the fall/I'm a charity case or nothing at all
Look around/The dark abounds and I'm fallin once again
Chorus


The One
Verse
I've been here all along/Writing this song/Tellin you who I am
In an hour or so/I'm not gonna know/If anyone comprehends
What I'm sayin and what I've done
Part of me wants to throw away/Everything I've begun
Chorus
Then I land in your hands/You're standin there/You're the one who cares
Makin other plans/Yet I belong
You are the one/You're the one/You're the one
It's nothing on me/Cuz you're second to none
You are the stars and the earth and the sun
And you've been my only one
Verse
I've been workin for free/Hopin to see/Some kind of compromise
Gotta mind of my own/But I'm still alone/It really is no surprise
That the weight of this wasted world's on me
Comin back to you/Is my only relief
Chorus
Bridge
Yeah/Yeah
Chorus


The Last of the International Playboys(Song for R.O.)
Verse
This pressures a motherfuck/Movin on and up/Through a crawlspace to nowhere
These theories and equations can't be settled/Paper trails are getting longer
Can ya meet me in the middle
And I'll follow the trail to you
Chorus
I never had the words to tell you/That I never had a home to run to
But I'm back on my feet and it's alright
Verse
The fact and fictions the same/Be quick to learn the game
Cuz everybody wants to play the actor/But percentage and factors
Can leave you high and dry
Chorus
Bridge
In a city of angels/It seems so out of place
Too many broken hearts/In too big a space
Chorus
I'm out of space/I'm out of time/But it's alright

Ok people.There was no lyric sheet printed for the new album.We know.What can we say but sorry?In any case,just for you,here are the lyrics for the first 5 songs.I will be sending out more in a bit.Hey!Gimme aa break!Typing class was a long time ago.Hope you all enjoy the record…


It's Curtains for You!
Verse
Well you've got your independence/It seems you finally set the pace
And I'm hoping you're spreading yourself too thin/In an empty void of space
You make the call and I'll follow the ball/I'll play the loser in this race
Make the decision to cement the division/And I'll try to save some face
Pre chorus
It was me/And it was you
There's nothing left for us to do
And I'm hoping this time/I make it through
Chorus
Take a bow when the curtain calls/Everytime does it feel the same
All those boys on those summer nights/Are they tired of screaming your name
I can't help but feel it's time to hit the lights and go our separate ways
Tell me can ya feel the butterflies/Can ya tell me what they say
Verse
So enjoy your independence/I hope it's all you thought it would be
It only took a few years and a million lies/Interrogation lights to see
So my bullshit meter is running hot/And it seems to be on 10
I've never felt this way before/And I hope I never do again
Pre Chorus
Chorus
Bridge
And it's all becoming clear/It's a shame it ends right here
And I want you to know that this time/This time/It was all for me
Chorus


7 Year Itch
Verse
This Fall is cold/The Winter's comin on fast
Do ya know can ya tell me/How long will it last
And does it show/The way it did yesterday
Can we go/Will ya let me/Can we go all the way
All the days from youth/Well,they end right here
And it's hard to read the pages through a veil full of tears
It's time to go/Cuz I'm just getting by
And it's hard to keep a conscience/With a head full of lies
Chorus
Hey!Are ya hearin me now
Can we wipe the slate clean and start over somehow
Cuz I know how we can get down
Hit the bricks/Put some miles between us and this town
We are we are we are unforgiven
So we move on move on move on to the livin
I promise you this/There's more to be missed
Than you could ever dream of here
Verse
And as I lay/In the Summer and the heat
I feel the wind start to cool me from the sweat in the sheets
And is it wrong/To waste my hours in a haze
Feelin bad cuz I ignore you in so many different ways
But does it show/I see you try and read my face
I'm lyin right beside you/Then I'm gone without a trace
Where did you go/And I'll try to stay true
It's a shame that you're watchin from another point of view
Chorus
Bridge
Dream of here/Dream of here
Chorus


The Yeah Song
Verse
You better run/And take your gun/You gotta know/You're gonna crash
You've lost control/You're in the hole
Cuz you're a sorry little sucker with a stick up your ass
Don't blame me/It's not my fault/I can't get away
I got a pocket full of nothing and a head full of dreams that I never could explain
Chorus
Need to make some changes/Yeah YeahDoin all I can/Yeah Yeah
I wanna start a revolution/But can't do it alone
Doin all I can/Come help me make them understand
Verse
You're gonna know what it's about/Cuz the truth is comin out
You wanna put me in my place/Well lets see what ya do when I'm all up in your face
Love and lies/feed the fires/You can't break away
There's a time and a place for confrontation in this life
So remember how to play
Chorus
So whatcha say whatcha say
Bridge
I'm on my way down now/Yeah/We need to change somehow/Yeah
I'm on my way down now/Yeah/This needs to change somehow/Yeah
Chorus

Feel the Summer
Verse
Feel the Summer approaching/On the wind like a forest fire
And because I want it here/The Spring looks like a lonely light
All the new life that's sprung/From the cold winter last year
Everything that's overwith/Replaced by all these different fears
And I will embrace them with wide eyes
Chorus
Now I must tell you goodbye
And live with everything that I have done til now
And hope for the best goodbye
Verse
Everything I thought I was/It's time to put it all aside
I told myself that I was gonna try to change/I guess I lied
Now I'm in a different place/Where I can finally think
Do I need to explain myself/Or do I need another drink
Now I will embrace this place in time
Chorus
Bridge
All the Winter/Takes times like these
That make life worth livin/So please
Help me understand/That nothing ever goes to plan
So I can turn it around again
Verse
I smell the Winter approaching/In the air like an avalanche
I don't really want it here/But this could be my only chance
A chance to take a new approach/To try a different way
Before everything else is gone/There's not much more for me to say so
Chorus


Salutations
Verse
Everything is by design/If that doesn't sound like some cryptic line
You're takin me for the proverbial ride/If my heart wasn't broke you could eat me alive
Whoa so sad for me/Whoa oh baby please please please
Chorus
Say yes say yes say you'll never walk alone
And watch me break/I shatter on the stone
So much for you/So much for this
And I taste the bittersweet ignorance of bliss
Verse
If it's meant to be/we'll work it out
Another excuse that I highly doubt
If we live our lives by these old clichés/We better be ready to wait all day
Whoa so sad for meWhoa oh baby please please please
Chorus
Bridge
I waited all this time/For what/You'll never change your mind
It kills me just to think about the things we'll never find out
Chorus
I shatter on the stone/So much for you
So much for this/Bittersweet ignorance of bliss
Chorus