The Strokes’ Albert Hammond, Jr. strikes out on his

Volume 1, Number 37 | The Weekly Newspaper of Chelsea | June 1 - 7, 2007

CONCERT PREVIEW

Albert Hammond Jr.
With Medium Cool and The Dead Trees
June 18 at 8 p.m.
Webster Hall
E. 11th St. at Third Ave.
(212-260-4700; bowerypresents.com)

By Todd Simmons

When Chelsea Now reached Strokes’ guitarist Albert Hammond, Jr., on tour in Flagstaff, Arizona, he admitted he was feeling “a little exhausted and nauseous.” The source of his fatigue was not Flagstaff, however, but rather the endless work schedule that he seems to have immersed himself in since the fall of 2005 when he began work on his first solo album “Yours To Keep.”

In fact, he’s been deserving of rest for a lot longer than a year and a half. He’s been calling New York City home since moving here in 1998 from his native Los Angeles at the age of eighteen and it wasn’t much longer before he found himself a member of The Strokes and one of the so-called saviors of New York rock and roll. They were the first band to be hit with the wave of hype that would also envelope the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, The Hold Steady, Liars, and TV On The Radio. As the son of songwriting veteran Albert Hammond Sr. (“The Air That I Breathe”), he may have been more prepared for the onslaught than others. “I’m happy to be out on the road making music,” he said, but soon he’ll have a chance to take a much needed breather after his June 18th gig at Webster Hall, near his East Village home.

“I love it during the week, but it’s gotten too crowded during the weekend,” Hammond said of his neighborhood. But he nevertheless appreciates the opportunity to eat in his favorite restaurants (like Lavagna) and work close to home. “I will probably just walk to the show,” he said. He also expects some of his friends to show up and sit in with the band.

Hammond hinted that special guest appearances at the show might include Beatle scion Sean Lennon and Strokes vocalist and (old school days chum) Julian Casablancas. The latter’s presence on Hammond’s album indicates that his band mates not only support his side project but are also expecting him back in the fold when they reconvene at an as of yet undetermined time to make a new Strokes record.

With The Strokes on hiatus following three albums, hundreds of concerts and an avalanche of publicity, you might think that Hammond would’ve taken advantage of the recess to indulge in a long vacation from the spotlight, the studio and the road and catch up on his sleep. Instead, he gathered some friends together (including Lennon, a cameo from Casablancas and Ben Kweller) and went about recording a solo record. The result was “Yours To Keep,” the first solo record from a member of The Strokes and an album full of pop gems that both distinguish him from the band and suggest that he has no small part in the formation of its sound. It is a highly contagious album that is song for song one of the catchiest records out right now.

The record is loaded with hooks and melodies and truly stands on its own alongside the three Strokes albums. It has a blend of mid-tempo tracks and post-punk rave-ups including a cover of Robert Pollard’s (Guided By Voices) “Postal Blowfish”. His early influences are apparent on the record and he’s the first to cop to it. “Buddy Holly made me want to make music and Robert Pollard kept me going after that.” “Yours To Keep” also includes a version of Holly’s “Well…All Right” but it’s Hammond’s original songs that indicate a bright future with The Strokes or otherwise.