Editing Nine Days (section)

==History==
Prior to creating the group, John Hampson and Brian Desveaux played in a heavy metal band, and were also members of a cover band with drummer Vincent Tattanelli called Wonderama. In 1993, the duo took time off from those bands and began writing more poppy songs, with a focus on strong songwriting: "If the song didn't work on acoustic guitar, then it wasn't a good song," said Desveaux.<ref name="nyt">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/05/14/nyregion/dues-paid-rock-band-is-climbing-charts.html|title=Dues Paid, Rock Band Is Climbing Charts|date=May 14, 2000|author=Robbie Woliver|work=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=April 30, 2017}}</ref> The band's influences were [[Bob Dylan]], [[Bruce Springsteen]] and [[Neil Young]]. They joined with bassist Nick Dimichino and recorded eight songs with a studio drummer. Tattanelli joined the new project and the band gained Jeremy Dean as keyboardist. They recorded their debut album, ''[[Something to Listen To (Nine Days album)|Something to Listen To]]'' (1995) in nine days, which they used as their band name. The group, from [[St. James, New York|St. James]], began playing weekly at the Village Pub, which was regularly frequented by Midshipman from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, in [[Port Jefferson, New York]].<ref name="nyt"/><ref>{{Cite web |title=Nine Days releases lost album, 'So Happily Unsatisfied,' after 15 years |url=https://www.newsday.com/entertainment/music/nine-days-second-album-h43600 |access-date=February 20, 2023 |website=Newsday |date=January 3, 2018 |language=en}}</ref> They released their second album ''[[Monday Songs]]'' in 1996, and won several local radio contests.<ref name="mtv">{{cite news|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/1121761/nine-days-absolutely-surprised-by-success/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170802011121/http://www.mtv.com/news/1121761/nine-days-absolutely-surprised-by-success/|url-status=dead|archive-date=August 2, 2017|title=Nine Days 'Absolutely' Surprised By Success|date=July 5, 2000|author=Mark Woodlief|publisher=[[MTV News]] |access-date=April 29, 2017}}</ref>

After recording their third effort, 1998's ''[[Three (Nine Days album)|Three]]'', the band contacted producer [[Pat Thrall]] to create a four-song demo to circulate among record labels. The process was exhausting for the musicians, according to Desveaux, who estimated that they performed at showcases for each major record label and were "passed up twice by each."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://reviews.modernrock.com/79 |title=Nine Days Interview with Brian Desveaux of Nine Days: How They Escaped a Musical Deathtrap |publisher=ModernRock.com |access-date=April 27, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010305204255/http://reviews.modernrock.com/79|archive-date=March 5, 2001|author=Chris Celauro}}</ref> They more frequently began performing in New York City and continued to write, with Hampson adopting an edgier songwriting style. He wrote the song "[[Absolutely (Story of a Girl)]]",<ref name="nyt"/> and the band recorded a three-song demo to once again shop around to labels.<ref name="mtv"/> They were signed by [[550 Music]] (then known as Sony 550 Music) in February 1999, and began working on their major-label debut album with producer [[Nick DiDia]]. ''[[The Madding Crowd]]'' was released in May 2000, and was the band's highest-selling album, shipping over 500,000 copies in the US.<ref name="RIAA"/> "Absolutely (Story of a Girl)" became a radio [[hit single]], reaching number six on the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]] chart in the US and within the top ten in [[Canada]] and [[New Zealand]].<ref>{{cite magazine|url={{BillboardURLbyName|artist=Nine Days|chart=Hot 100}}|title=Nine Days – Chart History|access-date=April 30, 2017|magazine=Billboard|publisher=Prometheus Global Media}}</ref> "[[If I Am]]" was the album's second single, but performed poorer than its predecessor.

''[[So Happily Unsatisfied]]'', the band's follow-up and fifth album, saw a limited promotional release in November 2002 but did not see a full commercial release until 2006. The release date was repeatedly delayed by 550 Music until the band was ultimately dropped. In the interim, the album had leaked onto the internet. In 2003, the band recorded and self-released their sixth effort, ''[[Flying the Corporate Jet]]''. Their next release was an [[extended play]], ''[[Slow Motion Life (Part One)]]'' (2007). ''Slow Motion Life (Part Two)'', released in 2013 (the incomplete demos), was intended to comprise the two as a full album. That year, the band released their seventh main album, ''Something Out Of Nothing'', following it up with ''Snapshots'' in 2016.

In February 2024, the band appeared in a television ad for Travel South Dakota (a division of the South Dakota Department of Tourism) performing a rewritten version of "Absolutely (Story of a Girl)" titled "Absolutely (Story of a State)." The ad debuted in [[South Dakota]] and neighboring states during the [[Super Bowl]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=February 8, 2024 |title= Travel South Dakota puts throwback twist on first Super Bowl ad |url= https://www.siouxfalls.business/travel-south-dakota-puts-throwback-twist-on-first-super-bowl-ad/ |access-date=February 18, 2024 |website=SiouxFalls.Business |language=en}}</ref>

Outside of music, Hampson is currently an English teacher in [[Wantagh, New York]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=August 21, 2012 |title=Wantagh English Teacher to Release Third Solo Album |url=https://patch.com/new-york/wantagh/wantagh-english-teacher-to-release-third-solo-album |access-date=February 20, 2023 |website=Wantagh-Seaford, NY Patch |language=en}}</ref> He wrote and recorded alternate versions of "Absolutely (Story of a Girl)" for the 2022 film ''[[Everything Everywhere All At Once]]''.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Puchko |first1=Kristy |title=How a one-hit wonder became absolutely crucial to 'Everything Everywhere All At Once' |url=https://mashable.com/article/daniels-story-of-a-girl-everything-everywhere-all-at-once |access-date=March 2, 2024 |work=Mashable |date=April 6, 2022 |language=en}}</ref>