Solo, he’s a Stroke of good fortune
THE NAME of Albert Hammond Jr.’s sophomore album, “¿Como Te Llama?,” translates to “What’s Your Name?” -- a question that audiences ostensibly posed when the rhythm guitarist of the Strokes decided to put out his first solo album in late 2006. After all, at the time the corkscrew-haired Hammond was arguably the fourth-most famous band member, behind headline-grabbing singer Julian Casablancas, then-Drew Barrymore paramour Fabrizio Moretti and lead guitarist Nick Valensi.
Even Hammond acknowledges how unlikely it is that, seven years after the Strokes’ debut single, “Last Nite” (which featured Hammond in a rare lead), wrote the indie playbook for the 2000s, he’s still the only Stroke to go solo.
“I feel pretty lucky, all things considered,” Hammond says by phone as he scrambles across New York City to make a hometown set at the Mercury Lounge. “I mean, there aren’t that many non-singing rhythm guitarists that release solo albums, let alone ones that people actually enjoy. I was initially a little scared to do it.”
Of course, had Hammond’s debut been subpar, critics would’ve sharpened their knives at the opportunity to take down the nattily attired son of Albert Hammond Sr., a Gibraltarian singer-songwriter who penned tunes for, among others, Aretha Franklin, Elton John, Tina Turner and Willie Nelson. Instead, the junior Hammond’s ‘60s pop-leaning “Yours to Keep” drew mostly praise, garnering a respectable 72 on review-crunching website Metacritic.
That initial solo outing allowed Hammond to crawl out from the shadow of the band that he co-founded when he was just 18. With “¿Como Te Llama?,” he’s continued to develop his sound, expanding his palate beyond New Wave and retro-pop to pull off a 7-minute-plus instrumental (“Spooky Couch”) burnished with both African and symphonic influences. On “Borrowed Time,” he indulges in a white-boy reggae skank capable of confounding anyone searching for the Velvet Underground and Television comparisons that marked the onset of his career.
Of course, those looking for the noirish guitar churn that initially won him fame won’t be disappointed.
“It would be weird if the guitar tones weren’t a little similar,” Hammond says, laughing. “People will sometimes say my guitar ‘sounds too much like the Strokes,’ but that makes sense. It’s my tone. I worked hard to have it sound unique.”
Despite keeping in regular contact with his Strokes bandmates, Hammond says the quintet has no plans to reunite in the near future. “When they tell me where to meet, I’ll meet them,” Hammond says. “It’s a temporary hiatus. Everyone’s doing what’s inspiring them. People have been working on solo records, but they’ve kept it private thus far.”
In the meantime, Hammond is making the most of his time off, throwing himself into recording and building a studio in upstate New York where he hopes to one day produce for other artists. Most importantly, when many musicians of his stature often seem bored by music, he seems continually thrilled with the idea of creation.
“It’s about hearing sounds that you haven’t made yet. You get curious and you never want to do anything boring,” Hammond says. “It’s a process of elimination until you find stuff that feels new and different, something worth exploring.”
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ALBERT HAMMOND JR.
WHERE: Spaceland, 1717 Silver Lake Blvd., L.A.
WHEN: 9 p.m. Friday
PRICE: $20
INFO: (323) 661-4380
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