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Local Band: Nine Spine Stickleback

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In the September issue of this here rag, I did a CD review of Prospector, by the local band Nine Spine Stickleback. At that time, I had very little information on them. Well, since that time, I’ve had the opportunity to meet the band and see them play live. members of Nine Spine Stickleback playing a show.

After hearing the CD, I was hesitantly excited to see Nine Spine Stickleback live. As you know, angst-filled gig goer, lately it seems that either a CD is really good and the band totally sucks live or just the opposite is true. The band totally rips live and their current release sucks shit. Well, not the case with Nine Spine. Their lyrics are mature beyond their young, jaded years, (“No one seems to understand that it’s alright to be alone, the truth as I see it, I’m not so different from you.”). And the vibe changes with each track. And what’s best about this package is that they can deliver the goods live. 

Nine Spine is made of first names: Tyler — vocals, Scott — Bass, Chris — Guitars, and right now, temporary Percussionist — R. Beerman. (What’s the difference between a drummer and a percussionist, you ask? … Knowledge!) I personally like to watch a band that not only gets into their music, but allows the music to move them physically. Tyler haunts the stage with a Joker’s smile, a menacing lost soul searching for direction or someone to mess with. Chris is in his own world kicking out lick after lick and Scott and the drummer from temp services are right in time, giving the music the backbeat it so richly demands.

Nine Spine Stickleback has been together for 18 months. They hail just north of Salt Lake, i.e. Kaysville and Farmington. The CD Prospector was recorded in April and may of this year. It started cropping up around town by the end of the summer. 

They did the record all by themselves, according to Chris, “We did it all. We went to a recording studio and recorded it. We did all the artwork, everything.” Scott also added, “It was funded by cheesy-ass part-time jobs.” If you’re looking to pick up their CD, it’s available at Trash, Modified, Gray Whale CD, Salt City CDs, and at the Heavy Metal Shop

See kids, there’s a lesson to be learned here. Sometimes those cheesy-ass jobs can pay off. Nine Spine Stickleback are starting to play more and more, both in Ogden and Salt Lake. Take some time to check them out, I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised. 

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