Stroke 9 is an American alternative rock band formed in Marin County, California, in 1989.
Haddad and Stromberg had no desire to revive Stroke 9, so Esterkyn and Gueldner recruited old schoolmates John McDermott and Stephen Heath.
After signing to Universal Records, the band released Nasty Little Thoughts in 1999, which charted in the US, yielded two rock radio hits, "Little Black Backpack" (originally released in Bumper to Bumper) and "Letters", and was certified Gold by the RIAA on April 21, 2000.
The album was not promoted heavily, and its lead single, "Kick Some Ass", was less successful at radio.
Late in 2003, the band split with Universal and announced plans to release its next album, All In, independently.