Nine Days to Drop

By Charlenne Flores

The Bronx may be known as the birthplace of hip-hop, but times are changing – as evidenced by the smash-mouth rock of Nine Days to Drop (9D2D), a young group of Dominican and Puerto Rican guys from the ‘hood who pour their hearts and souls into music that’s loud, hard and fast. And not one of them ever took a music lesson.

The band members were still in high school when they came together four years ago, with hardcore influences that range from Thrice to Saosin.

“One of the things that helped us stick together is the fact that we grew by helping one another with our musical styles,” says guitarist Arturo Vega, 22, as Nine Days to Drop prepared for a July 2 gig downtown at Sullivan Hall, near NYU.

Leading 9D2D is Carlos Hiciano, 21, a film and photography student at Lehman College who sings and plays guitar. Also on guitar with him and Vega, 22, a music theory instructor, is Jordan Perez, 21, a photography student. Alfonso Rodriguez, a 21-year-old aspiring film director, plays bass and DJ Christian Burgos is on drums.

Last year, Nine Days to Drop won Gorilla Productions’ Battle of the Bands, which helped open the way to gigs at venues throughout the city, some that hold more than 300 people.

“Our songs are actually a mix of all our musical styles,” Rodriguez said. “We are actually looking to collaborate with a hip-hop artist to add a different mix into our band and create variety.”

Whether they’ll make it even bigger will be determined following the planned mid-July release of their first album, “Break the Sky.”

Members of Nine Days to Drop already are developing their own product line, including t-shirts designed by Jordan Andre. Fans on their Facebook page have taken to posting pictures of themselves wearing one of the shirts.

The trick now is to break the barriers and take their popularity to the next level. But members of Nine Days to Drop think they have something others don’t: chemistry.

“Bands usually fail because of the distance that they have with each other,” Hiciano said, adding that communication keeps this group tight.

“We are friends before anything” Perez added.

For a free download of Nine Days to Drop’s single, “Wake Up,” go to: http://Reverbnation.com/ninedaystodrop

ALSO SEE:

http://Twitter.com/ninedaystodrop

http://www.facebook.com/9days2drop

http://www.myspace.com/ninedaystodrop

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