Albert Hammond Jr
Encyclopedia
Albert Louis Hammond, Jr. (born April 9, 1980) is an American musician
and member of the garage rock
band
The Strokes
, in which he primarily plays rhythm guitar
and occasionally lead guitar
, while playing keyboards sometimes live. He is also a solo musician. His father, Albert Hammond
, whose career was primarily in the 1960s and 1970s, had even greater success on the singles charts as a songwriter and occasional singer. He released his debut album Yours To Keep
in 2006 and followed up with ¿Cómo Te Llama?
in 2008. The Beach Boys
, Buddy Holly
, Frank Black
, Guided By Voices
, John Lennon
, Matthew Sweet
and The Velvet Underground
are often cited as his major influences.
, California
, the son of British
-Gibraltarian
singer/songwriter/musician Albert Hammond
and Argentine
former model and beauty pageant winner Claudia Fernández. Albert Jr. was sent to the elite boarding school Institut Le Rosey
in Switzerland
at the age of 13. While there, he met Julian Casablancas
, who would go on to be a fellow band member.
In 1998, Hammond met up with Casablancas in New York City
and together they formed The Strokes with Casablancas' former schoolmates Nikolai Fraiture
, Nick Valensi, and Fabrizio Moretti
.
His trademark is wearing formal three-piece suits, and has been said by bandmate Julian Casablancas to be the most influential on the band's style. Albert is usually seen playing a 1985 '70s reissue Olympic White Fender Stratocaster or Gibson
Les Paul Jr.
that is sometimes used by bandmate Nick Valensi. On the majority of The Strokes' songs he plays rhythm guitar, and solos are played by Valensi. The songs in which Hammond does play solos are "Last Nite
", "Trying Your Luck", "Take It or Leave It", "Under Control
", "The End Has No End
", "Ize of the World", and "Vision of Division". His solos tend to focus largely on more emotional, "bluesy"-type melodical work, and the guitar tends to have a cleaner, softer tone in comparison to Valensi's (with a notable exception found in "Vision of Division"). He often holds his guitar in a high horizontal position, similar to Buddy Holly
, which he says is so that he can dance better.
Hammond is set to release his own line of men's suits which he will co-design along with stylist Ilaria Urbinati. The suits will at first only be available at the soon-to-open Confederacy store in Los Angeles which Urbinati co-owns with actor/DJ Danny Masterson
. Speaking about the designing endeavor Hammond, Jr. told New York
magazine, "I want to make suits that I'm going to have for myself. They're for the person who needs his one suit for a wedding. He'd rather get something like this than go to Men's Wearhouse
, pay the same amount, and look like an out-of-date parent." Prices for his line start at $1,250 for the Urbinati-designed trench coat and the $2,000+ price range for his suits. Hammond told NME
that the suits will be available in three styles with a new design every season and that he's aiming to keep the line classic.
He previously dated British supermodel Agyness Deyn
.
is the primary songwriter in The Strokes
. Hammond co-wrote the track "Automatic Stop" with Casablancas for the group's second album, Room on Fire
. He has also been credited with writing three mostly instrumental songs ("Swiss Beats", "Holland", and "By The Way") for the band's 2001 tour video entitled In Transit. These songs were reworked for his later solo album and have different titles ("Everyone Gets A Star", "Bright Young Thing", "In Transit"). He wrote "Elephant Song" when he was required to record a song for his Sound 101 class during his freshman year and used the school's recording equipment. The song was played at a few shows before the release of The Strokes' album. They later re-recorded the song as a special giveaway for fan club members.
In October 2005, Hammond and Ben Kweller
released a version of "Wait" on This Bird Has Flown – A 40th Anniversary Tribute to the Beatles' Rubber Soul.
Hammond released a solo album entitled Yours To Keep
in the U.K.
through Rough Trade Records
on October 9, 2006 and in North America
through New Line Records
/Scratchie Records
on March 6, 2007. Produced by Thin Lizard Dawn
vocalist Lattimer and recorded at the Electric Lady Studios
in New York City
, the album features several musical guests, such as Sean Lennon
, Ben Kweller, The Strokes' manager Ryan Gentles
, Jody Porter
of Fountains of Wayne
, Chris Feinstein, Mikki James, Sammy James, Jr. (The Mooney Suzuki
) and The Strokes' lead singer, Casablancas. Bassist Josh Lattanzi and drummer Matt Romano serve as the backing band, with Hammond on guitar and vocals. The first single taken from the album, "101", was released exclusively through iTunes
on September 4, 2006. The music video
to "In Transit" was directed by Joaquin Phoenix
.
Hammond has said to have been "waiting to make a record like this for years". Early support from his fellow bandmates in the Strokes was only evident after Casablancas' role playing bass and back-up vocals on the track "Scared", though all of the members (with the exclusion of Nick Valensi, who was busy taking care of his new-born children) attended his shows in and around New York.
"101" was the follow-up single to "Everyone Gets A Star". The music video debuted online in March 2007. This will be available in general music stores, unlike "Everyone Gets A Star" which was only available through UK iTunes Music Store. It was released on November 27, 2006.
In November 2006, Hammond was announced to be joining Incubus
on tour during their North American tour for their new album Light Grenades
.
On 16 March 2007 at the South by Southwest
festival, Hammond performed a twelve song set including covers
of Frank Black
's "Old Black Dawning" and Guided By Voices
' "Postal Blowfish". Hammond also regularly covered The Cars
' "Don't Cha Stop" in live performances.
The Yours To Keep album was released in North America on March 6, 2007; he also supported Bloc Party
on their world tour before making stops at Montreal
's Metropolis and Toronto
's Kool Haus. After this, Hammond headlined two North American tours along with a European tour. The North American tour featured his friends, The Mooney Suzuki
.
Hammond announced that "In Transit" will be his next solo single, featuring a cover
of Frank Black
's "Old Black Dawning" as the b-side
. It was recorded live from the Bowery Ballroom
.
On 29 August 2007, Hammond announced on MySpace
that he was going back into the studio
to record his second album
in October 2007 for five weeks.
On 20 March 2008, Hammond posted a blog entry on MySpace
in which he revealed the title of his second album, ¿Cómo Te Llama?. Furthermore, he wrote that it contained 13 songs with a total length of 46 minutes and 30 seconds. He also said he hoped to be touring with the new album until the end of 2008. The album was released on July 7, 2008.
Albert has also produced the new track "123 Stop" by New York band The Postelles.
On 27 May 2008, Hammond released "GfC", the first single off ¿Cómo Te Llama?, on iTunes in the US. The song has already been played extensively live on his 2007 tour. A non-album song entitled "& So it Goes" was released as a B-side along with the single.
On 29 May 2008, Hammond was Myspace's featured artist and exclusively premiered his new album ¿Cómo Te Llama? uploading all the tracks of the album on his official Myspace page.
On 8 July 2008, Hammond played a small show at the Virgin Megastore, Union Square
, in New York City to celebrate the release of his new album. A noted absence from Hammond's band was recording bassist Josh Latzanni. Steve Schiltz of the band Longwave
, who toured with Hammond on his first album was also missing. Although Hammond was supposed to play only 2 or 3 songs, he ended up playing almost 10, with a selection that included both new and old tracks.
On 11 July 2008, Hammond began his worldwide tour in support of ¿Cómo Te Llama? with a sold-out show at the landmark venue Spaceland in the Silverlake
neighborhood of Los Angeles, CA with a capacity of only 260 people. This was his only west coast appearance.
On 23 August 2008, Hammond's website officially announced that Hammond would be the support act of the British band Coldplay
during their European Tour, which kicked off on September 1 in Strasbourg, France.
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
and member of the garage rock
Garage rock
Garage rock is a raw form of rock and roll that was first popular in the United States and Canada from about 1963 to 1967. During the 1960s, it was not recognized as a separate music genre and had no specific name...
band
Band (music)
In music, a musical ensemble or band is a group of musicians that works together to perform music. The following articles concern types of musical bands:* All-female band* Big band* Boy band* Christian band* Church band* Concert band* Cover band...
The Strokes
The Strokes
The Strokes are an American indie rock band formed in 1999 in New York City. Consisting of Julian Casablancas , Nick Valensi , Albert Hammond, Jr. , Nikolai Fraiture and Fabrizio Moretti ....
, in which he primarily plays rhythm guitar
Rhythm guitar
Rhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...
and occasionally lead guitar
Lead guitar
Lead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
, while playing keyboards sometimes live. He is also a solo musician. His father, Albert Hammond
Albert Hammond
Albert Hammond OBE is a British singer, songwriter and record producer from Gibraltar.-Birth and early success:Hammond was born in London, England, where his family had been evacuated to from Gibraltar during World War II. His family returned to Gibraltar shortly after his birth, and there he grew...
, whose career was primarily in the 1960s and 1970s, had even greater success on the singles charts as a songwriter and occasional singer. He released his debut album Yours To Keep
Yours to Keep
Yours to Keep, the debut solo album by The Strokes guitarist Albert Hammond Jr, was released October 9, 2006 in the UK through Rough Trade Records and was released in North America on March 6, 2007 through New Line Records/Scratchie Records. The first single taken from it, "Everyone Gets a Star",...
in 2006 and followed up with ¿Cómo Te Llama?
¿Cómo Te Llama?
-Special Edition with Live DVD:# "In My Room" # "Everyone Gets A Star" # "Call An Ambulance" # "Holiday" # "Blue Skies" # "Hard To Live In The City" # "101" # "Scared" # "In Transit"...
in 2008. The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys are an American rock band, formed in 1961 in Hawthorne, California. The group was initially composed of brothers Brian, Dennis and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. Managed by the Wilsons' father Murry, The Beach Boys signed to Capitol Records in 1962...
, Buddy Holly
Buddy Holly
Charles Hardin Holley , known professionally as Buddy Holly, was an American singer-songwriter and a pioneer of rock and roll...
, Frank Black
Frank Black
Black Francis is an American singer, songwriter and guitarist. He is best known as the frontman of the influential alternative rock band Pixies, with whom he performs under the stage name Black Francis. Following the band's breakup in 1993, he embarked on a solo career under the name Frank Black...
, Guided By Voices
Guided by Voices
Guided by Voices is an American indie rock band originating from Dayton, Ohio. Beginning with the band's formation in 1983, it made frequent personnel changes but always maintained the presence of principal songwriter Robert Pollard...
, John Lennon
John Lennon
John Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
, Matthew Sweet
Matthew Sweet
Sidney Matthew Sweet is an American alternative rock/power pop musician. He was part of the burgeoning Athens, Georgia music scene in the early and mid-1980s before gaining commercial success during the early 1990s...
and The Velvet Underground
The Velvet Underground
The Velvet Underground was an American rock band formed in New York City. First active from 1964 to 1973, their best-known members were Lou Reed and John Cale, who both went on to find success as solo artists. Although experiencing little commercial success while together, the band is often cited...
are often cited as his major influences.
Life and career
Hammond was born in Los AngelesLos Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, the son of British
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
-Gibraltarian
Gibraltarian people
The Gibraltarians are a cultural group native to Gibraltar, a British overseas territory located near the southernmost tip of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance to the Mediterranean sea.- Origins :...
singer/songwriter/musician Albert Hammond
Albert Hammond
Albert Hammond OBE is a British singer, songwriter and record producer from Gibraltar.-Birth and early success:Hammond was born in London, England, where his family had been evacuated to from Gibraltar during World War II. His family returned to Gibraltar shortly after his birth, and there he grew...
and Argentine
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
former model and beauty pageant winner Claudia Fernández. Albert Jr. was sent to the elite boarding school Institut Le Rosey
Institut Le Rosey
Institut Le Rosey, commonly referred to as Le Rosey or simply Rosey, is a school, in Gstaad, Switzerland. It is described as one of the most prestigious boarding schools in the world. The school was founded by Paul-Émile Carnal in 1880 on the site of the 14th-century Château du Rosey near the town...
in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
at the age of 13. While there, he met Julian Casablancas
Julian Casablancas
Julian Fernando Casablancas is an American singer-songwriter and musician of The Strokes. Casablancas pursued a solo career during The Strokes' hiatus, releasing the album Phrazes for the Young on November 3, 2009....
, who would go on to be a fellow band member.
In 1998, Hammond met up with Casablancas in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and together they formed The Strokes with Casablancas' former schoolmates Nikolai Fraiture
Nikolai Fraiture
Nikolai Philippe Fraiture is the bass player for the American indie rock band, The Strokes. Fraiture grew up in New York City with his Russian mother and French father and speaks fluent French. Nikolai has an older brother named Pierre and a younger sister named Elizabeth...
, Nick Valensi, and Fabrizio Moretti
Fabrizio Moretti
Fabrizio Moretti is the drummer of the American indie rock band, The Strokes. Fabrizio’s side project with Rodrigo Amarante of Los Hermanos and Binki Shapiro, entitled Little Joy debuted on Rough Trade Records...
.
His trademark is wearing formal three-piece suits, and has been said by bandmate Julian Casablancas to be the most influential on the band's style. Albert is usually seen playing a 1985 '70s reissue Olympic White Fender Stratocaster or Gibson
Gibson
Gibson may refer to:* Gibson Amphitheatre* Gibson Appliance* Gibson Girl* Gibson Guitar Corporation* Gibson * Gibson Generating Station-Places:In the United States:* Gibson, Arkansas* Gibson, Georgia* Gibson, Iowa* Gibson, Louisiana...
Les Paul Jr.
Gibson Les Paul
The Gibson Les Paul was the result of a design collaboration between Gibson Guitar Corporation and the late jazz guitarist and electronics inventor Les Paul. In 1950, with the introduction of the Fender Telecaster to the musical market, electric guitars became a public craze. In reaction, Gibson...
that is sometimes used by bandmate Nick Valensi. On the majority of The Strokes' songs he plays rhythm guitar, and solos are played by Valensi. The songs in which Hammond does play solos are "Last Nite
Last Nite
"Last Nite" was covered in 2003 by Vitamin C. The song was produced by Dave Derby, Michael Kotch, and Fred Maher. The single features a sample from Blondie's "Heart of Glass". After Elektra Records dropped Vitamin C when her second album, More, did not sell as expected, she signed to V2 Records in...
", "Trying Your Luck", "Take It or Leave It", "Under Control
Under Control
"Under Control" is the second single by American band Parachute of their debut album, Losing Sleep. It was released on May 17, 2009It debuted at #33 on the Adult Pop songs as of December 25, 2009 and moved it to 31 as of January 1, 2010. As of January 15, 2010 it moved to 29 on the Adult Pop Songs...
", "The End Has No End
The End Has No End
"The End Has No End" is a song by the indie rock band The Strokes, and the third single from Room on Fire. The B-side to the single is a cover of the Clash song "Clampdown", recorded from a live performance at London's Alexandra Palace...
", "Ize of the World", and "Vision of Division". His solos tend to focus largely on more emotional, "bluesy"-type melodical work, and the guitar tends to have a cleaner, softer tone in comparison to Valensi's (with a notable exception found in "Vision of Division"). He often holds his guitar in a high horizontal position, similar to Buddy Holly
Buddy Holly
Charles Hardin Holley , known professionally as Buddy Holly, was an American singer-songwriter and a pioneer of rock and roll...
, which he says is so that he can dance better.
Hammond is set to release his own line of men's suits which he will co-design along with stylist Ilaria Urbinati. The suits will at first only be available at the soon-to-open Confederacy store in Los Angeles which Urbinati co-owns with actor/DJ Danny Masterson
Danny Masterson
Daniel Peter "Danny" Masterson is an American actor and DJ best known for his role as Steven Hyde in That '70s Show.-Early life:...
. Speaking about the designing endeavor Hammond, Jr. told New York
New York (magazine)
New York is a weekly magazine principally concerned with the life, culture, politics, and style of New York City. Founded by Milton Glaser and Clay Felker in 1968 as a competitor to The New Yorker, it was brasher and less polite than that magazine, and established itself as a cradle of New...
magazine, "I want to make suits that I'm going to have for myself. They're for the person who needs his one suit for a wedding. He'd rather get something like this than go to Men's Wearhouse
Men's Wearhouse
Men's Wearhouse is a men's dress apparel retailer in the United States. The company is based in the Westchase area of Houston, Texas, and it is publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange...
, pay the same amount, and look like an out-of-date parent." Prices for his line start at $1,250 for the Urbinati-designed trench coat and the $2,000+ price range for his suits. Hammond told NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
that the suits will be available in three styles with a new design every season and that he's aiming to keep the line classic.
He previously dated British supermodel Agyness Deyn
Agyness Deyn
Agyness Deyn is an English fashion model, actress and singer.-Early life:Deyn is from Failsworth in the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, Greater Manchester...
.
Musical setup
Albert's main guitar is a Fender Stratocaster Arctic White 1985 Reissue of a 1972. He owns three white Stratocasters, a Gibson Les Paul special single cutaway, a Rickenbacker 325, and a Gretsch hollowbody. His amplifier is a Fender Hot Rod DeVille 2x12. His pedal board is made up of an old version of the MXR Micro Amp, a V1 Jekyll and Hyde Ultimate Overdrive and Distortion, and a BOSS TU-2 tuner. In later shows he adds another Micro Amp, and Jekyll and Hyde, and a Boss Digital Delay. He now uses a Mad Professor Deep Blue Delay pedal instead of the Boss Digital Delay.Songwriting and solo work
Vocalist Julian CasablancasJulian Casablancas
Julian Fernando Casablancas is an American singer-songwriter and musician of The Strokes. Casablancas pursued a solo career during The Strokes' hiatus, releasing the album Phrazes for the Young on November 3, 2009....
is the primary songwriter in The Strokes
The Strokes
The Strokes are an American indie rock band formed in 1999 in New York City. Consisting of Julian Casablancas , Nick Valensi , Albert Hammond, Jr. , Nikolai Fraiture and Fabrizio Moretti ....
. Hammond co-wrote the track "Automatic Stop" with Casablancas for the group's second album, Room on Fire
Room on Fire
Room on Fire is the second studio album by American indie rock band The Strokes. Released in October 2003, it follows 2001's Is This It and includes three singles: "12:51", "Reptilia", and "The End Has No End." Grammy-winning producer Nigel Godrich was initially in charge of production, but The...
. He has also been credited with writing three mostly instrumental songs ("Swiss Beats", "Holland", and "By The Way") for the band's 2001 tour video entitled In Transit. These songs were reworked for his later solo album and have different titles ("Everyone Gets A Star", "Bright Young Thing", "In Transit"). He wrote "Elephant Song" when he was required to record a song for his Sound 101 class during his freshman year and used the school's recording equipment. The song was played at a few shows before the release of The Strokes' album. They later re-recorded the song as a special giveaway for fan club members.
In October 2005, Hammond and Ben Kweller
Ben Kweller
Ben Kweller is an American singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist.-Early life:Ben Kweller was born in San Francisco, CA in 1981. In 1982, his family relocated to Emory, Texas, where his father, Howard Kweller, became the town's first doctor. In 1986, the Kwellers moved to a much larger city,...
released a version of "Wait" on This Bird Has Flown – A 40th Anniversary Tribute to the Beatles' Rubber Soul.
Hammond released a solo album entitled Yours To Keep
Yours to Keep
Yours to Keep, the debut solo album by The Strokes guitarist Albert Hammond Jr, was released October 9, 2006 in the UK through Rough Trade Records and was released in North America on March 6, 2007 through New Line Records/Scratchie Records. The first single taken from it, "Everyone Gets a Star",...
in the U.K.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
through Rough Trade Records
Rough Trade Records
Rough Trade Records is an independent record label based in London. It was formed in 1978 by Geoff Travis who had opened a record store off Ladbroke Grove...
on October 9, 2006 and in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
through New Line Records
New Line Records
WaterTower Music is an American record label owned by Time Warner and operates as a division of Warner Bros. Entertainment. Founded to release movie soundtracks, the label has grown beyond this initial purpose and has built a roster of indie rock acts such as The Sounds, OFFICE, Robbers on High...
/Scratchie Records
Scratchie Records
Scratchie Records was an independent record label founded in 1995 by James Iha and D'arcy Wretzky , Adam Schlesinger , Kerry Brown and Jeremy Freeman....
on March 6, 2007. Produced by Thin Lizard Dawn
Thin Lizard Dawn
Thin Lizard Dawn were a 1990s American rock group from New York who released two major label albums on RCA Records in the late 1990s. They are probably most widely known for their first CD release, Thin Lizard Dawn which was released in 1996. The CD featured the single Sexual Dynamo, in addition...
vocalist Lattimer and recorded at the Electric Lady Studios
Electric Lady Studios
Electric Lady Studios, at 52 West 8th Street, in New York City's Greenwich Village, is a recording studio originally built by Jimi Hendrix and designed by John Storyk in 1970...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, the album features several musical guests, such as Sean Lennon
Sean Lennon
is an American singer, songwriter, musician, guitarist and actor. He is the only child of John Lennon and Yoko Ono. His godfather is Sir Elton John.-Early life and education:...
, Ben Kweller, The Strokes' manager Ryan Gentles
Ryan Gentles
Ryan Michael Gentles is the manager of the New York City-based band, The Strokes and the Chief Executive Officer of Wiz Kid Management. Before meeting the Strokes, he was the vocalist and guitarist in two bands, Timmsie's First Time, which broke up in 1995 and The Selzers, which broke up in 2000...
, Jody Porter
Jody Porter
Jody Porter is an American musician. He is the guitarist of Grammy Award-nominated power pop band Fountains of Wayne. The band has released four major label albums, including Welcome Interstate Managers on Virgin Records in 2003, an RIAA-certified Gold LP. The album spawned the hugely popular U.S...
of Fountains of Wayne
Fountains of Wayne
Fountains of Wayne is an American power pop band that formed in New York City in 1996. The band consists of members Chris Collingwood, Adam Schlesinger, Jody Porter and Brian Young.-Early years:...
, Chris Feinstein, Mikki James, Sammy James, Jr. (The Mooney Suzuki
The Mooney Suzuki
The Mooney Suzuki is an American garage rock band that formed in New York City in 1996. Originally comprising vocalist and guitarist Sammy James, Jr., guitarist Graham Tyler, bassist John Paul Ribas and drummer Will Rockwell-Scott, the band has released four studio albums – People Get Ready ,...
) and The Strokes' lead singer, Casablancas. Bassist Josh Lattanzi and drummer Matt Romano serve as the backing band, with Hammond on guitar and vocals. The first single taken from the album, "101", was released exclusively through iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
on September 4, 2006. The music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
to "In Transit" was directed by Joaquin Phoenix
Joaquin Phoenix
Joaquin Rafael Phoenix , formerly credited as Leaf Phoenix, is an American film actor. He was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and his family returned to the continental United States four years later...
.
Hammond has said to have been "waiting to make a record like this for years". Early support from his fellow bandmates in the Strokes was only evident after Casablancas' role playing bass and back-up vocals on the track "Scared", though all of the members (with the exclusion of Nick Valensi, who was busy taking care of his new-born children) attended his shows in and around New York.
"101" was the follow-up single to "Everyone Gets A Star". The music video debuted online in March 2007. This will be available in general music stores, unlike "Everyone Gets A Star" which was only available through UK iTunes Music Store. It was released on November 27, 2006.
In November 2006, Hammond was announced to be joining Incubus
Incubus (band)
Incubus is an American rock band from Calabasas, California. The band was formed in 1991 by vocalist Brandon Boyd, lead guitarist Mike Einziger, and drummer Jose Pasillas while enrolled in high school and later expanded to include bassist Alex "Dirk Lance" Katunich, and Gavin "DJ Lyfe" Koppell;...
on tour during their North American tour for their new album Light Grenades
Light Grenades
-Singles:*"Anna Molly" - was briefly available online on September 20. It was slated for release on October 16, and debuted at #19 on Billboard's Modern Rock Tracks chart. Anna Molly peaked at #1 on the Modern Rock Chart, at #4 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks Chart and at #66 on the Billboard Hot 100...
.
On 16 March 2007 at the South by Southwest
South by Southwest
South by Southwest is an Austin, Texas based company dedicated to planning conferences, trade shows, festivals and other events. Their current roster of annual events include: SXSW Music, SXSW Film, SXSW Interactive, SXSWedu, and SXSWeco and take place every spring in Austin, Texas, United States...
festival, Hammond performed a twelve song set including covers
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of Frank Black
Frank Black
Black Francis is an American singer, songwriter and guitarist. He is best known as the frontman of the influential alternative rock band Pixies, with whom he performs under the stage name Black Francis. Following the band's breakup in 1993, he embarked on a solo career under the name Frank Black...
's "Old Black Dawning" and Guided By Voices
Guided by Voices
Guided by Voices is an American indie rock band originating from Dayton, Ohio. Beginning with the band's formation in 1983, it made frequent personnel changes but always maintained the presence of principal songwriter Robert Pollard...
' "Postal Blowfish". Hammond also regularly covered The Cars
The Cars
The Cars are an American rock band that emerged from the early New Wave music scene in the late 1970s. The band consisted of lead singer and rhythm guitarist Ric Ocasek, lead singer and bassist Benjamin Orr, guitarist Elliot Easton, keyboardist Greg Hawkes and drummer David Robinson...
' "Don't Cha Stop" in live performances.
The Yours To Keep album was released in North America on March 6, 2007; he also supported Bloc Party
Bloc Party
Bloc Party are a British Indie rock band, composed of Kele Okereke , Russell Lissack , Gordon Moakes , and Matt Tong...
on their world tour before making stops at Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
's Metropolis and Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
's Kool Haus. After this, Hammond headlined two North American tours along with a European tour. The North American tour featured his friends, The Mooney Suzuki
The Mooney Suzuki
The Mooney Suzuki is an American garage rock band that formed in New York City in 1996. Originally comprising vocalist and guitarist Sammy James, Jr., guitarist Graham Tyler, bassist John Paul Ribas and drummer Will Rockwell-Scott, the band has released four studio albums – People Get Ready ,...
.
Hammond announced that "In Transit" will be his next solo single, featuring a cover
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of Frank Black
Frank Black
Black Francis is an American singer, songwriter and guitarist. He is best known as the frontman of the influential alternative rock band Pixies, with whom he performs under the stage name Black Francis. Following the band's breakup in 1993, he embarked on a solo career under the name Frank Black...
's "Old Black Dawning" as the b-side
A-side and B-side
A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
. It was recorded live from the Bowery Ballroom
Bowery Ballroom
The Bowery Ballroom is a music venue in the Bowery section of New York City. The structure, at 6 Delancey Street, was built just before the Stock Market Crash of 1929. It stood vacant until the end of WWII, when it became a high-end retail store. The neighborhood subsequently went into decline...
.
On 29 August 2007, Hammond announced on MySpace
MySpace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
that he was going back into the studio
Recording studio
A recording studio is a facility for sound recording and mixing. Ideally both the recording and monitoring spaces are specially designed by an acoustician to achieve optimum acoustic properties...
to record his second album
¿Cómo Te Llama?
-Special Edition with Live DVD:# "In My Room" # "Everyone Gets A Star" # "Call An Ambulance" # "Holiday" # "Blue Skies" # "Hard To Live In The City" # "101" # "Scared" # "In Transit"...
in October 2007 for five weeks.
On 20 March 2008, Hammond posted a blog entry on MySpace
MySpace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
in which he revealed the title of his second album, ¿Cómo Te Llama?. Furthermore, he wrote that it contained 13 songs with a total length of 46 minutes and 30 seconds. He also said he hoped to be touring with the new album until the end of 2008. The album was released on July 7, 2008.
Albert has also produced the new track "123 Stop" by New York band The Postelles.
On 27 May 2008, Hammond released "GfC", the first single off ¿Cómo Te Llama?, on iTunes in the US. The song has already been played extensively live on his 2007 tour. A non-album song entitled "& So it Goes" was released as a B-side along with the single.
On 29 May 2008, Hammond was Myspace's featured artist and exclusively premiered his new album ¿Cómo Te Llama? uploading all the tracks of the album on his official Myspace page.
On 8 July 2008, Hammond played a small show at the Virgin Megastore, Union Square
Union Square (New York City)
Union Square is a public square in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York.It is an important and historic intersection, located where Broadway and the former Bowery Road – now Fourth Avenue – came together in the early 19th century; its name celebrates neither the...
, in New York City to celebrate the release of his new album. A noted absence from Hammond's band was recording bassist Josh Latzanni. Steve Schiltz of the band Longwave
Longwave (band)
Longwave is an American indie rock band. The band was formed in 1999 by guitarist, songwriter and vocalist Steve Schiltz, guitarist Shannon Ferguson, bassist Dave Marchese and drummer Jeremy Greene.-History:...
, who toured with Hammond on his first album was also missing. Although Hammond was supposed to play only 2 or 3 songs, he ended up playing almost 10, with a selection that included both new and old tracks.
On 11 July 2008, Hammond began his worldwide tour in support of ¿Cómo Te Llama? with a sold-out show at the landmark venue Spaceland in the Silverlake
Silver Lake, Los Angeles, California
Silver Lake is a hilly neighborhood in the city of Los Angeles, California east of Hollywood and northwest of Downtown Los Angeles. Silver Lake is inhabited by a wide variety of ethnic and socioeconomic groups, but it is best known as an eclectic gathering of hipsters and the creative class.The...
neighborhood of Los Angeles, CA with a capacity of only 260 people. This was his only west coast appearance.
On 23 August 2008, Hammond's website officially announced that Hammond would be the support act of the British band Coldplay
Coldplay
Coldplay are a British alternative rock band formed in 1996 by lead vocalist Chris Martin and lead guitarist Jonny Buckland at University College London. After they formed Pectoralz, Guy Berryman joined the group as a bassist and they changed their name to Starfish. Will Champion joined as a...
during their European Tour, which kicked off on September 1 in Strasbourg, France.
Studio albums
| Title | Details | Peak chart positions | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
US Heat Top Heatseekers Top Heatseekers refers to either of two separate "Breaking and Entering" music charts issued weekly by Billboard Magazine: the Heatseekers Albums chart or the Heatseekers Songs chart. They were introduced by Billboard in 1993 with the purpose of highlighting the sales by new and developing musical... |
US Indie Independent Albums The Billboard Independent Albums is a chart of the highest-selling independent music albums and extended plays in the United States, compiled by Nielsen SoundScan and published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is used to list artists who are not signed to major labels... |
FRA Syndicat National de l'Edition Phonographique The Syndicat national de l'édition phonographique is the inter-professional organization which protects the interests of the French record industry... |
SWE Sverigetopplistan Sverigetopplistan, earlier known as Topplistan and Hitlistan and other names, is since October 2007 the Swedish national record chart, based on sales data from Swedish Recording Industry Association .... |
UK UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
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| Yours to Keep Yours to Keep Yours to Keep, the debut solo album by The Strokes guitarist Albert Hammond Jr, was released October 9, 2006 in the UK through Rough Trade Records and was released in North America on March 6, 2007 through New Line Records/Scratchie Records. The first single taken from it, "Everyone Gets a Star",... |
|
117 | 2 | 11 | 186 | 48 | 74 | ||
| ¿Cómo Te Llama? ¿Cómo Te Llama? -Special Edition with Live DVD:# "In My Room" # "Everyone Gets A Star" # "Call An Ambulance" # "Holiday" # "Blue Skies" # "Hard To Live In The City" # "101" # "Scared" # "In Transit"... |
|
145 | 5 | 20 | 168 | — | 183 | ||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | |||||||||
Singles
| Year | Single | Peak positions | Album | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
|||||||||
| 2006 | "Everyone Gets a Star" | — | Yours to Keep | ||||||
| "Back to the 101 Back to the 101 "Back to the 101" is the second single from Albert Hammond, Jr.'s debut album, Yours to Keep, following "Everyone Gets a Star". It was released on November 27, 2006. It features Sean Lennon on piano and backup vocals.... " |
76 | ||||||||
| 2007 | "In Transit" | — | |||||||
| 2008 | "GfC" | — | ¿Cómo Te Llama? | ||||||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | |||||||||