On a Shoestring

Not many bands can call themselves a unit that resembles the United Nations, but that's exactly what Stefanie Seskin of Jersey City, New Jersey-based Blue Number Nine had in mind when she founded this original funky rock band in 1995. With members hailing originally from Japan, Italy, Detroit, Buffalo and California, their roots could not help but give the music a worldly flavor, one combining funk with Latin jazz, R & B, rock, pop and early Motown. Seskin, the lead singer, songwriter and flute player of Blue Number Nine, fronts the band that has been likened to a tornado on stage and one that seems to bring a party wherever they go. 'on a shoestring' is Blue Number Nine's 3rd CD, 2nd done in the studio. While the group had a very limited budget to record 'on a shoestring' (hence the title), they were resourceful enough to tackle the engineering, mastering and artwork themselves on home computers. The result is a finished product they are all very proud of. With hundreds of shows under their belt, the highlight of their career so far was playing the Levi's First Stage prior to the headliner Chicago at Jones Beach Theater on Long Island two years in a row. Blue Number Nine is a group of amazing musicians that write catchy and melodic songs with tight grooves, but it's an energetic live performance that separates them from the pack.