The 9's

The 9’s second album All Night Music finds the band solidifying their soulful pop sounds with strong arrangements, songwriting, and instrumentation. The band start off in a state of frolic with the up-tempo “Good”, a song that features rolling organs, funk guitar, vocal swaps, and sweet harmonies that swagger and sway until you finally reach the crescendo that you knew was inevitably coming. Keyboardist Justin Palmer starts off the title track with some funky synth lines and some smooth and cocky vocals. The song is an excellent meld of funk and pop especially in the quick fire chorus sung by front man Jason Birnstihl. “Last December” begins with a jazzy chorus right before Birnstihl lays down a mellow flow exclaiming, “last Christmas I was feeding my pony’s, but you were out riding all my homies, I was the one all alone feeling lonely, but you were busy wearing all my rent.” The song twists and turns through jazz and funk before ending up in a full on rock segment. One of the albums highlights is “Your Woman”, a soulful ballad that could’ve been written in the genre’s prime era. Birnstihl’s smooth vocals trades off with bassist Craig Balderston’s more gritty white soul style to amazing effect. One may find themselves hanging onto every intricate touch on Mitch Towne’s piano as it mixes with Birnsthil’s soft and jazzy guitar before the impassioned musical explosion brought forth by the entire band toward the end of the song. Drummer Dan Maca makes the groove stick on the catchy and upbeat “Little Hey Hey”, and Palmer takes over lead vocal duties on “Driving Home Naked.” The album closes with “It’s Waiting For You”, a rock funk number with a huge chorus, nice harmonies, and a focus on Birnstihls guitar playing. The sound on the disc is also much more in tune with the bands acclaimed concerts as they recorded the songs live in the studio, which allows the members of the 9’s to truly shine as a full band. - SLAM Omaha - Marq Manner

The 9s are a funky group of guys that have taken the Omaha, Nebraska music scene by storm! Their music is made up of a timeless mix of funk and pop tunes with an amazing sense of sexual groove. I was lucky enough to happen upon them while at Summer Fest in Rock Island, Illinois, and I have loved them ever since. For a while, I was actually quite obsessed. I couldn't go to a swim meet without their CD, and I had to listen to "Heart Pimp" before swimming the 500 yard freestyle, just to make sure I would have a good song in my head during the duration of the event. I haven't seen them in concert since Summer Fest, but only because I don't live in Nebraska. However, they have promised to come back over to Illinois again!

Overall, one word seems to express them perfectly: Original. Make no assumptions about this band. If you haven't heard from them yet, you will soon. They are much bigger than smalltime flops. They have opened for Maceo Parker and the Parliament Funkadelic!! - CapSkippy - 2Everything.com

"...slick New York ideas. The band will delight anyone hungry for something a little more contemporary than rock with real songs and solid players. The group calls to mind Steely Dan with elements of Princely Minneapolis thrown in." - The Reader - Omaha

This album breaks new ground in meshing the sounds of rock, funk and jazz. I really have never heard such a unique blend of styles the way this band does it. It's obvious that these guys are great musicians and their original tunes prove it. Their sounds grow on you after a while and you will find yourself thinking about a part of a song and wondering where you heard it. I'm looking forward to hearing what they will do next. - fib233 (Missouri Valley, IA)

"...In addition to lush, stacked vocals, the Omaha band's music is characterized by massive melodies, guitar hooks and a thoughtful but uplifting lyrical style featuring zero angst and zero self-loathing." - Omaha World Herald