Orangeburg-originated alternative band I Nine has continued to perform and its members are in good spirits after a visit home resulted in the theft of the equipment trailer containing most of the band's musical equipment.

Vocalist Carmen Keigans said the band was depressed at first but they've been dealing with the loss as best they can.

"We're really disappointed that it was stolen in our hometown, but we hope to make a full recovery," she said.

The band's white, 18-foot Hercules utility trailer was stolen from a Cardinal Street residence near the junction of Lake Edisto Drive and North Road.

The trailer was last seen the morning of Nov. 29. Just after noon, band members realized their trailer was missing.

Guitar player Brian Whitman said they believe the theft was a random act, the perpetrators not realizing what they'd taken, which was about $100,000 worth of instruments.

Since the incident, there have been a couple of leads, but nothing substantial, he said.

The band is currently working with its insurance agent to see if there can be any compensation for the stolen equipment.

"As of right now, we haven't started buying new equipment," Whitman said.

However, I Nine seems to be getting along just fine without its instruments, but there have been some adjustments, in terms of switching from electric to acoustic instruments, Whitman said. Most of the group's acoustic instruments were not in the stolen trailer.

In December, the band had a mix of acoustic and electric gigs. Whitman said performances in Lexington, Ky., and Augusta, Ga., were already scheduled as acoustic, so they weren't a problem.

"We kind of started playing in this sort of arrangement, so it's kind of going back to what we did originally," Whitman said. "All performances have been going good so far."

Upcoming performances in Upstate New York, Memphis and San Jose will have to be switched from electric to acoustic, Whitman said.

"We basically use bass guitar, cello, and Carmen singing," he said.

The acoustic performances have taken well with the fans who seem to like the change.

"A lot of fans have said the acoustic change has been refreshing," Keigan said. "I Nine unplugged has been a good thing."

Whitman said I Nine may return to Orangeburg for a performance in December closer to Christmas, but such a performance is still in the planning stages.

The band may also do a few street corner or coffee house gigs, Keigan said.

"Those performances will help us get back in the frame of mind that this is what we do for fun," she said.

The quartet grew up and attended public schools together in Orangeburg before making their way to the University of South Carolina in Columbia.

In the 2005 movie Elizabethtown, the Orangeburg band performed the song "Same In Any Language," co-written by Director Cameron Crowe and his wife, Nancy Wilson, the film's scoring artist. In addition to I Nine's performance, the movie soundtrack included songs by Elton John, Tom Petty and the Hollies.

T&D Features Writer Candace Newson can be reached by e-mail at cnewson@timesanddemocrat.com or by telephone at 803-533-5540. Discuss this and other stories online at TheTandD.com.

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