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By: Martin Halo
Albert Hammond Jr. |
It has been close to a year since The Strokes finished their First Impressions Of Earth world tour in Rhode Island last October and their absence is evident. Marriages, very public romances, creative tensions, extensive touring and selected sobriety have all been factors in rewriting the boundaries of how New York's most beloved rock ensemble operates as a collective musical unit.
Surviving the backlash of critical scrutiny, The Strokes followed-up the release of Is This It (2001) and Room On Fire (2003) with an album that showed tonal maturing under the guidance of veteran rock producer David Kahne. First Impressions of Earth was a step forward for The Strokes, but as tour buses idled the band gracing the stage at the Hammerstein Ballroom for two sold out nights in March of 2006 had their creative energies caged. With the shower of spotlights pouring down upon them and the weight of Manhattan on their shoulders, the brotherhood was experiencing a shift. They were no longer battling the owners of CBGB's for extra set time, they were now battling each other.
With smoke rising through his curls from the cigarette dangling from his mouth, guitarist Albert Hammond Jr. was fighting the battle of creative satisfaction in a project that wasn't fixing his craving. It was this rift within his heart that eventually led Hammond to his own songwriting, free from the political structure of a band under the constant scrutiny of the relentless rock press.
The Strokes by Cody Smyth |
With singer Julian Casablancas on his honeymoon, and a couple days free from band obligations, Hammond decided to retreat. The result was an inspired writing session that reignited Hammond's lust for music. The demos recorded at Hammond's house soon found their way to friend and producer Greg Lattimer, who continued work while The Strokes reconvened in upstate New York to put the finishing touches on Impressions.
While still on tour with The Strokes, Hammond would fly back to NYC on days off with drum tech Matt Romano to record on what eventually became a solo LP of original material. The songs were recorded as they were written and when The Strokes tour finished Hammond put the finishing touches on Yours To Keep (New Line Records), completed at the iconic Electric Lady Studios.
The project made its worldwide debut at The Saint in Asbury Park, NJ on October 28, 2006 with a supporting cast of Matt Romano (drums), Steve Schiltz (guitar), Josh Lattanzi (bass) and Marc Eskenazi (guitar). As Hammond started racking up substantial tour dates across the UK, Strokes manager Ryan Gentles left his afternoon poker games with the bar owners below WizKid Management to focus his attention on traveling with his client and preparing for the stateside release. On March 6, New Line Records released Yours To Keep in the United States and since then supporting tours with Incubus and Bloc Party have put Hammond's solo work on the map.
JamBase: What is it about music that you find to be inspiring?
Albert Hammond Jr.
By Aaron D. Mihalik |
Albert Hammond Jr.: I guess for the most part we are all influenced by Western music. I like rhythm and melody. I like finding ways to change up melody by changing rhythm, because in rhythm you can hear melody. I like to be able to come up with something that will leave people humming or singing. I listen to a lot of bands and I don't remember anything that they did. I am trying to find ways to plant memories. I like the challenge of it. I guess you just fall in love with the challenge of it.
JamBase: Is the three-chord structure approach of songwriting something you find yourself going back to?
Albert Hammond Jr.: It is a start. When you start I think you can grow and it doesn't just have to be the three-chord structure. It is harder than you think to write a good melody using just two or three chords. Sometimes less is more, and it is a good place to start, but once you start to gain your confidence and you start to learn a little more about music you can branch out a little bit and try new things. There is definitely an excitement when you hear a Buddy Holly song or a Beatles song, a Beach Boys song, a Libertines song, a Cars song or a Clash song because they are all different sounding and they all have great melodies and hooks. It is amazing.
I know you originally grew up in Los Angeles and then moved to New York. I hear this comment a lot but I wanted to bounce it off you. "You go to Los Angeles to get discovered but you come to New York to discover yourself."
I grew up in L.A. and I had to leave because I was trying to do something when everyone else around me just didn't want to do anything. It was frustrating me. I had gotten into film school in New York City and I thought it was the only place I could think of going that would make sense. I wanted to leave my house when I was fifteen as soon as I could and I was just like, "This is great. I will become a loner and just burn myself out [laughs]." I needed to make mistakes and learn but it is hard to do that when you are around your parents all the time. I feel like people have to find a place where they are going to fit and they are going to do their best. For some bands, I would say, "No, don't go to New York" but it worked out for me and I couldn't have imagined doing it in L.A.
Continue reading for page II of our talk with Albert Hammond Jr....
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