That One Band (or TOB) is what Jose, Mario, and Chris decided to call themselves in the spring of 2000 before Ninefold was even imagined. TOB went through numerous tine-up Changes including the departure of Mario the drummer while having Rudy as the new replacement in 2001. A demo “ Going Nowhere”, was even recorded, and financially supported by longtime friends. In 2002 the last line-up was made, Chris the guitarist and Rudy the drummer both left TOB to join another local band. Jose didn’t waste much time looking for a new drummer and guitarist, finding Marco on guitar and Mario on drums, causing the formation of Ninefold.

A few days ago, Rigo and I sat with Jose at Trade Tech’s quad, otherwise known as “ The Zone”, bombarding him with our pointless questions and imitating a Rolling Stones interview with Jon Bon Jovi…it turned out to be more like an interrogation.

( M )- Q. “What are the names of the other band members in Ninefold and what do they play ?”
(J)- A. “ Mario plays the drums and has been playing drums for almost two years. Marcos has been playing guitar for about three years, on and off. I’ve been playing the bass for over two years but I don’t really practice much on it. I like to focus more on my writing.”

(R)- Q. “ What should your music covey to it’s audience? “
(J)- A. “ It should be uplifting.”

(M)- Q. “ What names did you guys come up with before deciding on Ninefold?”
(J)- A. “ I don’t really remember what were the other suggestions but what I do remember is that we found the name Ninefold while flipping through the dictionary, pretty lame, huh.”

(R)- Q. “ Influences? ”
(J)- A. “ Tiger Army, Bad Religion, AFI.”

(M)- Q. “ What local bands and famous/well known bands would you like to perform
with ?”
(J)- A. “ Local bands, (Reason Why), (Los Creepers), and (Left Alone). We’ve already played with all the other local bands that we know of, I think. As far as famous and well known, AFI, Tiger Army, Union 13, Pennywise, NOFX, Bad Religion, Anti Flag, and
there are tons more”

(R)- Q. “What band would you join in your dreams?“
(J)- A. “ AFI”

(M)- Q. “ How would you describe Ninefold’s style to someone who has never listened to
Ninefold?”
(J)- A. “ I would describe it as fast and angry punk rock with crunching guitar and heavy fast drum beats.”

(R)- Q. “Are lyrics more important than the music?” (J)- A. “ They’re equal, but if a song doesn’t have good lyrics, I’m not intrigued.”
(M)- Q. “ What bands have you already performed with?”
(J)- A. “ We’ve already performed with a bunch of bands from the local South Central, Huntington Park, East L.A., and South Gate scenes such as The Vomits, Friday knights, Mata Moska, Destruction Made Simple, and Neblina. There are lots more but I can’t remember.”

(R)- Q. “ When do you know when a song is finished? “
(J)- A. “ We just know.”

(M)- Q. “ Anything misunderstood or any misconceptions about Ninefold’s music that
people might have that you would like to make clear?”
(J)- A. “ Some people think we’re a political band because of the song “Unity”, but we’re not. As a matter of fact, “Unity” has nothing to do with politics. I just simply point out some things I believe are wrong and that “Unity” is becoming uncommon. Though I am working on a few politically based songs at the moment.”

(R)- Q. “Would you ever include a tambourine?”
(J)- A. “No!”

(M)- Q. “ Would you ever or have you ever played at a Quincenera?”
(J)- A. “ I would never want to play at a Quincenera, just because everyone would be like “Quienes son estos mocosos?” (Who are these snot nose kids) and stuff like that. Though it might be pretty funny to play at one, hummm…I’m not sure anymore, hahahaha…”

Generally musicians who agree that the world needs an ALF marathon could care less whether you left their show satisfied, I mean they’re all busy trying to score your sister’s number, not change your life. Despite the interpreted aura of defiance surrounding punk rock and it’s fans, it’s actually reassuring to see a band playing harder and louder than their appearance let’s on.Honestly, after listening to Ninefold I was expecting to find myself confronted by a burly puppy-killing guy with an assortment of weapons and bloody dickies. To this day, I’m still waiting for Jose to admit that he’s a die hard Monkey’s fan! Not to say that this band couldn’t hang with any of the perennial So-Cal punk rock bands, cause let’s face it, they could! But Ninefold’s in search of something bigger/less messier than 3 cord diarrhea, proof: the various influences that make up the band. Sure, the music still conjures up visions of punk rocks glory days, but for some reason it’s also a sign, Henry Rollins can now die a violent death for having fondled my pop rock friends at knifepoint!still, let us not romanticize the notion that Cold play/ AFI influenced bands will pop up over night and save the world from those menacing kids who stole your bike and kicked your dog, because it’s not happening! Bands like Ninefold, all though proven vulnerable by their predecessors, pose a significant threat to conceptualized rock & roll expectations, in mamon terms, they’re no Black Flag, and I thank my bearded God for this!

The reader should keep in mind that Jose Sanches was only speaking for himself and that the rest of the band answered none of the questions with him.

For more information about Ninefold, see their Web site at: www.ninefold.ws

To hear some of Ninefold, click here:

To contact Monica Romero with any comments about her column, write to her at: libelulatres@hotmail.com