The Strokes

The Strokes Play Sidekick 4G Party, Start Work On Next Album

21 Apr 2011 11:12:06 EDT

With Angles just released a month ago, band is already working on new material.
By Matt Elias

BEVERLY HILLS, California — The Strokes aren't the first band that comes to mind when you think of glitzy Hollywood events. Maybe that's why they seemed to be sporting WTF grins when they hit the carpet for T-Mobile's Sidekick 4G launch party in Beverly Hills on Wednesday night.

Perhaps it was seeing the latest "Dancing With the Stars" cast members on the same carpet or attempting to talk over the thumping base from the DJ inside, but you got the impression that the indie band was a little bit outside of its element.

But hey, T-Mobile has some rock cred on its side — after all, Blink-182 chose the last Sidekick launch event to play their first reunion show. And the Strokes had the same duties on Wednesday night — playing to Hollywood's young and beautiful.

So when it comes to scaling down their set at a party like this, the band has conflicting views on playing new material versus the familiar hits.

"I guess me personally, I prefer playing new songs, but the crowd prefers old songs, reaction-wise," singer Julian Casablancas told MTV News. "So it's always weird 'cause you could play a song that's mind-blowing and they'd just be like 'wow,' shedding a tear, but they'll be silent. So you'll think, 'That sucks and we'll never do that again.' And then you play like an old hit that you played a thousand times, it's kind of boring, but they're loving it. So you're like, 'Let's do that!' "

Speaking of even newer songs, the Strokes, who recently played the South by Southwest festival and last weekend's Coachella, confirmed that they're starting work next week on the follow up to Angles, which they released just a month ago. But Casablancas admits that they've gotten "zero far" on the new project.

Whether it will share anything sonically with Angles, Casablancas said, "I don't know, we haven't even started. We're gonna play each other's songs and then who knows what they might be? I'm curious myself."

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The Strokes

The Strokes Return To South By Southwest With Triumphant Set

18 Mar 2011 10:39:19 EDT

Band returns to festival with free show played to 20,000-plus fans.
By Zachary Swickey

AUSTIN, Texas — It's been 10 years since the Strokes' legendary South by Southwest showcase at the tiny Iron Cactus. On Thursday night the band returned to the festival bigger than ever, playing a free show at the Auditorium Shores venue with the skyline of Austin as their backdrop.

Walking onstage to the stomping sounds of "We Will Rock You," the Strokes started things off with Room on Fire's opener, "What Ever Happened?" as Julian Casablancas — strangling the microphone with a death grip — wailed, "I want to be forgotten/ And I don't want to be reminded." There's a sense of irony when he says this to 20,000-plus fans, some of whom broke through the fencing to get in. The large venue was a departure from the typical SXSW fare, but if anything, the Strokes' performance was an example of what these indie bands can become (or at least aspire to).

Only Casablancas can pull off the combination of black leather jacket (popped collar included), sunglasses worn at night and what looked to be a calculator wristwatch. There's an undeniable rock-star swagger about him, evident in his nonchalant attitude when commanding the riotous crowd. "SXSW, let's do this," he ordered as the plucking guitar sounds of "You Only Live Once" began. He then mumbled, "New single y'all" with a Southern drawl before bringing out "Under Cover of Darkness," the first taste of the forthcoming Angles for the night. Come March 22, the five-year wait for the new album will be over, and if the crowd's positive reaction to the single is any indication, it will be topping the charts. Appropriately, they then played their second single-to-be, "You're So Right," a pleasantly different song that features an Egyptian-like guitar hook of all things.

The Strokes again brought back the memories. The crowd seemed to know every word to "Someday." "Juicebox" was an opportunity for Fabrizio Moretti to show that he doesn't make mistakes when pounding the drums, no matter how hard he's playing (or how much fun he's having). It wasn't strictly greatest hits as the band snuck in "I Can't Win," but this didn't last long with "Reptilia" being the very next song.

For the encore, the crowd got the two other classic singles from Is This It. "Ladies and gentlemen, from Los Angeles, California, Nick Valensi!" Casablancas stated midway through "Hard to Explain," commending his guitarist as he ripped through his solo. The Strokes gave the fans exactly what they wanted by closing the set with the song that started it all, "Last Nite," during which fireworks erupted in the sky. What better way to end a party?

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The Strokes

The Strokes Return With Buttoned-Up 'Under Cover Of Darkness' Video

02 Mar 2011 13:57:59 EST

First video from the upcoming Angles album sees the band looking good, playing it cool.
By James Montgomery

There is perhaps no comeback album as discussed as the Strokes' Angles, which sees them ending a nearly four-year hiatus and is, depending on whom you choose to listen to, either a welcome return by the garage-rock revivalists or an unnecessary attempt to once again capture lightning in a bottle.

Of course, the songs they've slowly been leaking out have only given both sides additional ammo. Supporters like to call first single "Under Cover of Darkness" a solid addition to the band's canon, while detractors seem to focus on the fact that it just sounds like more of the same. It bears mention that those same detractors point out that the murky "You're So Right" sounds like too much of a departure, which only serves to further illustrate my point: No matter what the Strokes seem to do this time out, they just can't win.

So it sort of makes sense that, with their brand-new video for "Darkness," the band seems content to just make the least Strokes-y video of their entire career. It's certainly not "You Only Live Once," which saw the guys re-enacting the "Star Wars" trash-compactor scene, or "12:51," which reimagined them as the "Tron" house band, but it's still a departure, a glamorous throwback thing with tongue firmly planted in cheek.

So instead of skintight jeans and stinking leather jackets, this time we see the Strokes decked out in their prom-night finest, wearing tuxes and tails and performing in a grand, gilded ballroom. Under the direction of a conductor, they serve as the de facto orchestra for some society ball, perhaps a nod to their perceived place in the rock-music hierarchy, or maybe just because they felt like wearing bow ties.

And, sure, there's still plenty of that Strokes swagger: Frontman Julian Casablancas sheds his tuxedo for a pair of shades and some black leather, then spends the majority of the clip belting out lines, either slumped in a plush chair or draped over a mic stand. But for the most part, this is a very muted video, one that signifies not only the Strokes' return to the land of the living, but their new outlook too: They can't win, it seems, so they might as well look good when they're losing.

What do you think of the Strokes' new video? Share your reviews in the comments!

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New Orleans Jazz Fest 2011 Headlined By Arcade Fire, Kid Rock, Bon Jovi

20 Jan 2011 16:45:50 EST

Robert Plant, Lauryn Hill, the Strokes, Lupe Fiasco also included on this year's lineup.
By Aly Semigran

The lineup for the 2011 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival was announced on Thursday (January 20), and the music extravaganza will once again offer up a genre-spanning array of talent on its 12 stages.

Among the performers for this year's Jazz Fest are Arcade Fire (who will also headline the recently announced 2011 Coachella), Robert Plant, Bon Jovi, Kid Rock, Lauryn Hill, Jeff Beck, John Mellencamp, Wilco, Mumford & Sons, the Strokes, the Avett Brothers, Cyndi Lauper, Tom Jones, Lupe Fiasco, Jason Mraz, the Decemberists, Robert Randolph & the Family Band, Lucinda Williams, Gregg Allman, Amos Lee, and John Legend and the Roots. Willie Nelson and Jimmy Buffet are just some of the scheduled acts making their return to the festival.

Because of the natural disasters experienced by both New Orleans and Haiti, both musically rich regions will be featured prominently throughout the NOJ&HF. The festival, which promises to "host the largest celebration of Haitian culture in the U.S. since the devastating earthquake one year ago" will include many Haitian performers, including Wyclef Jean, Tabou Combo, Emeline Michel, Ti-Coca & Wanga Neges and RAM.

Started in 1970, the New Orleans Jazz Fest has hosted an eclectic variety of musical acts (previous fests have included the likes of Miles Davis, Aretha Franklin, Ella Fitzgerald, Bob Dylan, Dave Matthews Band, Santana, Lenny Kravitz and Joni Mitchell). Since the late '80s, the festival has seen attendance from 300,000 to 650,000 fans.

Jazz Fest runs over the course of two weekends (April 29-May 1 and May 5-8) at the Fair Grounds Race Course. Tickets are on sale at NOJazzfest.com.

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Lollapalooza 2010 Heats Up Chicago!

08 Aug 2010 15:13:00 EDT

MTV News takes you behind the scenes at the sizzling festival.
By

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Lady Gaga Gets Epic, The Strokes Shrug It Off: Friday At Lollapalooza

07 Aug 2010 02:05:13 EDT

The Strokes offer a low-key alternative to Gaga's over-the-top theatrics at Chicago fest's first day.
By James Montgomery and Kyle Anderson

CHICAGO — For 19 years now (off and on), the basic theme of Lollapalooza has always seemed to be that there was no theme, that Perry Farrell could take as many incongruous bands as he wanted, throw them all on a bill, and let the chips fall where they may. And by that standard, Lollapalooza 2010 is shaping up to be a real classic.

Because for every streamlined, pneumonic tune by Devo on Friday (August 6), there was an equally rusted-out, hairy one by the Black Keys. For every smooth, soulful moment by Raphael Saadiq, there was a spastic, shameless one by Foxy Shazam. It was basically opposite day. And that was perhaps best exemplified — and amplified — by the night's headliners, Lady Gaga and the Strokes, who duked it out across Grant Park with sets that were as drastically different as they could possibly be.

While Gaga filled the Chicago night with strobes and searchlights, fireworks and flames, about as inspired as the Strokes got with their production was projecting a game of "Pong" on the screen during "Someday." Gaga talked long and loud, with messages of inspiration and pride, while Julian Casablancas barely spoke at all, and when he did, it was just to mutter something like Jeff Spicoli or Mitch Hedberg ("Yeah. what is up?"). Needless to say, it made for a pretty interesting — and entertaining — opening night face off.

Lady Gaga was definitely the overwhelming favorite. All day, though there were plenty of other acts on the bill, the buzz on the ground surrounded mainly one of them: her. Fans walked around the grounds in homemade T-shirts, face paint and various accessories in devotion to the star, and the crowd in front of the stage where she performed swelled early in the afternoon in anticipation of her set.

And the hardcores — especially those who sat in front of the stage all day waiting for Mother Monster to kick off her show — were not left disappointed. Gaga (who, earlier in the day, dropped in during a set by her friends the Semi Precious Weapons) brought a truncated version of her Monster Ball tour to Lollapalooza, retaining some of the narrative elements but dropping some of the bigger set pieces. But she filled in the blanks with a handful of special moments, included an extended run through her me-and-a-piano tunes "Speechless" and "You and I," both of which saw her talk extensively to the crowd about the origins of the songs and her message of freedom, individualism and ultimate self-expression.

There was also a visit from Lady Starlight, her former collaborator who actually performed with Gaga when she was last on a Lollapalooza stage in 2007. The pair came out and danced a choreographed routine to Metallica's "Metal Militia," which provided an entertaining if slightly surreal halfway point to the show. And by the time Gaga finished up her set with the pounding, anthemic "Bad Romance," the estimated 80,000 people gathered were pretty well danced out, and they wandered out of Grant Park in a euphoric haze.

Meanwhile, across the park, the Strokes took the opposite tact, seemingly going out of their way to provide an alternative to Gaga's polished professionalism. They wandered on stage some 15 minutes late-to the strains of Queen's "We Will Rock You" — joined eventually by Casablancas, who strolled to the mic dressed in a studded leather jacket (and a bizarre patch of green dye in his tossled mane) and blew into the opening lines of "New York City Cops."

And over the two-ish hours, Casablancas and his mates proved that, during their near three-year hiatus, they'd actually turned into a really great Ramones tribute act (except for the fiery solos by guitarist Nick Valensi), with each successive song plowing along with gleeful disregard for precision and an increased focus on excessive volume. "What Ever Happened" was extra skuzzy, "The Modern Age" chugged along like a rusty engine, and "Vision Of Division" got louder and louder, until it boiled over into a feed-back powered freak out.

In that same vein, Casablancas has somehow morphed into a combination of Joey Ramone and Liam Gallagher, professionally disheveled (and disinterested) yet still cocksure and swaggering. One minute, he'd be draped over the mic, pouring his voice into the thing, and the next, he'd be standing with his back turned to the crowd, nodding confidently, seemingly somewhere else entirely (somewhere nice.) He'd mumble an extended thank you to the audience, then crack a joke about Lollapalooza being a "land of dreams. Where Nirvana and Pearl Jam played their sh-" (and in true above-it-all fashion, only half of that statement was actually correct).

And yet, in all that, and despite not trying all that hard, the Strokes still pulled it off. The songs had power and punch. Valensi's solos were highlights. Albert Hammond Jr.'s rapid-fire chugging, too. And Casablancas was a boorishly charming ringmaster. They seem to be a better — if not happier — band than they were in 2007. It's good to have them back with us. They might not have won the night, but at least they're (sorta) trying once again. Because, make no mistake about it, they were still great. Maybe the second-greatest band on Friday at Lollapalooza. They just weren't Gaga.

Lollapalooza 2010 is happening now — make sure to check out MTV News' Lollapalooza Live, streaming Saturday and Sunday at 5 p.m., right here on MTV.com. And follow all of Lollapalooza on the MTV Newsroom blog.

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Outside Lands 2010 Lineup Includes Kings Of Leon, Phoenix, Furthur

01 Jun 2010 20:33:33 EDT

Strokes, Damian 'Jr. Gong' Marley and Nas, Janelle Monáe and Al Green also set to play San Francisco festival.
By Kara Warner

Deadheads rejoice! Phil Lesh and Bob Weir's pet project Furthur have been named one of the 2010 Outside Lands Music & Arts Festival headliners.

The announcement brings forth both a bit of a blast from the past, as well as a call home, of sorts, for die-hard fans who will remember the Bay Area fondly as a frequent Grateful Dead concert location. It's been 19 years since Lesh and Weir played the park (their last appearance was in 1991 for rock promoter Bill Graham's memorial tribute; the Dead broke up in 1995) that helped launch their careers.

Furthur headline the first night of the two-day fest, along with the Strokes and My Morning Jacket. Night two opens with festival favorites Kings of Leon, headlining with Phoenix and Social Distortion. Other bands in the lineup from across several genres include: Al Green, Gogol Bordello, Janelle Monáe, Empire of the Sun, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes, Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley and Nas, Levon Helm, the Whigs, Cat Power, Wolfmother, Bassnectar, Chromeo, the Temper Trap, Amos Lee and Mayer Hawthorne, just to name a few.

The popular outdoor music, food and wine festival takes place August 14-15 in San Francisco's storied Golden Gate Park. Two-day tickets go on sale Wednesday at 10 a.m. PT; single-day tickets will be available June 6, via the Outside Lands website. A portion of all ticket sales will go to San Francisco's Recreation and Park Department.

Last year's Outside Lands included performances from Pearl Jam and Incubus on day one and the Black Eyed Peas and Dave Matthews on day two.

What do you think of the Outside Lands lineup? Sound off in the comments!

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'SNL' Star Andy Samberg Recruits T-Pain, Justin Timberlake, Norah Jones For New Album

11 Dec 2008 12:51:00 EST

'Ji-- in My Pants' will be first single from Lonely Island's Incredibad.
By Gil Kaufman

It takes a lot of, um, guts, to name your first single "Ji-- in My Pants." But that's the plan for the unabashedly raunchy debut album from Lonely Island, the three-man musical wrecking crew led by "Saturday Night Live" It Boy Andy Samberg and his writing buddies, Jorma Taccone and Akiva Schaffer. The disc, Incredibad, is due out on February 10 and will feature some help from an impressive roster of heavy hitters, including T-Pain, Norah Jones, Jack Black, E-40, the Strokes' singer Julian Casablancas and, of course, Justin Timberlake.

With a mix of songs made famous in digital shorts on "SNL" over the years — including the Emmy-winning Timberlake collaboration "Di-- in a Box," as well as "Lazy Sunday" (co-starring Chris Parnell) and the Natalie Portman-assisted "Natalie Raps" — the album is meant to make you laugh, but Samberg said he wouldn't mind if you nod your head to it a bit too.

"We definitely wanted it to be a classic comedy album, but also one you put on more than once," Samberg told MTV News. "We've gone out of our way to make it musically pleasing. We started on a few songs that were not funny enough, for us, but they sounded pretty cool. And the bottom line for the project was, 'Is it going to be funny first and music second?' I think it's 95 percent music, and we hope people would throw it on and bump it."

The trio, who've been posting NSFW songs and videos on TheLonelyIsland.com for years, shared a home in Encino, California, over the summer and collaborated on the 14 tracks. Samberg said Universal Republic Records had been after the troupe to do an album since the "Lazy Sunday" digital short dropped on "SNL" in 2005. And, as Samberg told MTV News in 2006, the friends always did want to make an album.

"We finally had the free time to do it this summer," he said. Though some of the "SNL" songs have become instant classics, Samberg thinks there's an added value to the ones that never appeared on the show "because Jorma and Akiva aren't castmembers, and our songs normally require three dudes with very specific rap skills."

Though he was skimpy with the details, not wanting to ruin the surprise, Samberg did reveal that the album is heavy on hip-hop beats but has some of the signature new-wave goodness of songs like "Space Olympics" and the island vibes of "Ras Trent."

"Jorma makes a lot of the beats, but because we knew we had a set amount of time on this, we asked for any and all beats we could get," Samberg said. That resulted in a combination of homebrewed rhythms and professional help from reggae legends Sly & Robbie on "Ras Trent," as well as a few beats from Jurassic 5 turntable master DJ Nu-Mark and underground producer/DJ J-Zone, who has worked with everyone from Gnarls Barkley to Biz Markie and Pete Rock.

Samberg said he's particularly proud of the thump on the first single, "Ji-- in My Pants," which made its debut on the show last week with cameos from a mop-wielding Timberlake, checkout girl Jamie-Lynn Sigler and club hottie Molly Sims. "When I first heard that beat, it sounded like a Timbaland beat," Samberg said. "My first reference was a Missy Elliott club jam, and then we threw some generic Euro Brit dudes on top, because, to be honest, we don't have the chops to crush a Timbaland beat." The video, which features Taccone rapping alongside Samberg, was shot a week before the current "SNL" seasons started, and Samberg said he had "no intentions" of the Universal-funded clip making it onto the show, but once it played in dress rehearsal, the reaction demanded that it make it on air.

While Samberg admitted the three have an affinity for dirty jokes that end somewhere south of the equator, he said they tried not to make the album all locker-room humor. "I would hope that isn't our theme, but it was getting harder and harder to deny," Samberg said. "When we did 'Di-- in a Box' — and that's what most people know us for — it's an uphill battle from there."

Samberg promised that the album's T-Pain song, "I'm on a Boat," is "straight hip-hop," while the Jack Black tune, "Sax Man," finds the Tenacious D frontman singing his heart out. He also revealed that mellow torch singer Norah Jones (who appears on the tune "Dream Girl") is a "goofy girl" who loves comedy, and his normally dour buddy Casablancas shows some comedy chops that might surprise on "Boombox."

The record is also slated to feature Bay Area hip-hop legend E-40 on the song "Santana DVX," as well as the songs "Who Said We're Wack," "Punch You in the Jeans," "We Like Sportz," "Shrooms" and the "SNL" classic "Iran So Far" with Maroon 5's Adam Levine. There will also be an accompanying DVD, but Samberg said he couldn't talk about what would be on it yet because the terms are still being negotiated.

Samberg would love to take the show on the road, but for now, given his hectic schedule, that remains to be seen. "Some of us are more anxious to do it than others," he said.

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My Chemical Romance Frontman Gets Hitched; Plus Lindsay Lohan, Busta Rhymes, Amy Winehouse, Usher, Jennifer Lopez & More, In For The Record

05 Sep 2007 20:44:00 EDT

Lohan attorney seeks dismissal of negligence suit; Busta trial postponed until November; Winehouse performs at last.
By MTV News staff

My Chemical Romance frontman Gerard Way got married over the weekend, his representative confirmed to MTV News on Wednesday (September 5). The Projekt Revolution tour, which featured the band, ended Monday in Englewood, Colorado, and Denver radio station 93.3 FM reports that Way married Mindless Self Indulgence bassist Lyn Z that evening at the venue, the Coors Amphitheatre. MSI were on the Projekt Revolution tour as well and are slated to support MCR on their European tour beginning October 30. ...

Lindsay Lohan attorney Alfred Gerisch filed a brief late last week supporting the starlet's request for the dismissal of all or part of a negligence suit that had been filed against her over an October 2005 car crash, according to Los Angeles TV station CBS 2. In the brief, Gerisch claimed Raymundo Ortega is using lies about Lohan being drunk at the time of the crash "as a battering ram to force a settlement." Gerisch cited as the evidence a police report that called Lohan an "innocent victim" and stipulated alcohol was not involved in the incident, although Ortega's attorney Robert G. Klein has called the document hearsay. A hearing on Lohan's motions is set for Tuesday in Los Angeles Superior Court. ...

Busta Rhymes (real name: Trevor Smith) saw his trial postponed Wednesday after the prosecutor and the defense lawyer said they weren't ready to begin, The Associated Press reports. Instead, a judge ordered the rapper to appear in court November 7 for hearings on charges of attacking two men, driving drunk and driving with a suspended license. He previously rejected a deal that would land him in jail for a year. ...

Looking healthier than she had prior to her reported drug overdose and hospitalization last month, Amy Winehouse took the stage at Tuesday night's Mercury Awards show in England to sing "Love Is a Losing Game." It was the singer's first public performance since she announced the postponement of her fall U.S. tour and cancellation of her VMA appearance on doctor's orders to rest. ... Usher — who just remarried pregnant wife Tameka Foster on Saturday — is making another lifestyle change: He has put his five-bedroom in metro Atlanta's Country Club of the South community up for sale, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. The asking price for the house — which Usher bought from L.A. Reid — is a cool $1.9 million. ...

A judge on Wednesday approved Jennifer Lopez's $545,000 arbitration award in a lawsuit against her first husband. Also in accordance with a court-ordered arbitrator's decision early last month, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Michael C. Solner issued a permanent injunction barring Ojani Noa from publishing negative details about the singer/actress. Lopez had filed the breach-of-contract lawsuit over Noa's plans to publish a tell-all book in which he was expected to claim Lopez had multiple affairs. Solner also told Noa to give Lopez all copies of materials related to the book, and denied his request for another 30 days to find a lawyer. ...

It sounds like fans aren't feeling the American Idols Live Tour this time around. Halfway through the outing, there were no sellouts for the first 30 shows on the tour, with only one date topping the 93 percent capacity mark — a gig in winner Jordin Sparks' home state of Arizona — Billboard Boxscore reports. Compare that to last year's tour, which boasted appearances from Taylor Hicks, Chris Daughtry, Katharine McPhee and Elliott Yamin — and had 17 sellouts in its first 30 dates and 10 shows with more than 93 percent capacity. Boxscore reports 14 of first 30 shows for the current tour were below 60 percent capacity and a gig in Birmingham, Alabama, was at an anemic 38.9 percent. ...

Bono, J.K. Rowling, Russell Simmons and — sure, why not? — Homer Simpson rub elbows with Bill Gates, President Bush and Oprah Winfrey on USA Today's most-influential-people list, which came out Tuesday. ... Master P is going Green — well, in a sense. The hip-hop mogul is joining forces with none other than Seth Green for "Play the Industry," a new role-playing video game with a hip-hop theme, according to The Hollywood Reporter. "Play the Industry" will feature a 3-D world and allow gamers to become a star hip-hop artist, athlete, power broker and more. A late 2009 release is being targeted. ...

Apparently $31 million isn't good enough for Rob Zombie. While the director's "Halloween" scared up a whopping figure at the box office over the weekend, he's "not going to do any more 'Halloween' movies, or any more remakes of any kind," he told EW.com. In fact, Zombie isn't even so sure he'll be sticking to horror when it comes to his recent deal with Dimension Films. "I signed up for two more pictures, but not two more 'Halloween' pictures. They're going to be original stuff — and I don't necessarily know that they're going to be related to the horror genre either.'' ... Daniel Radcliffe is "terrified" over the prospect of acting on Broadway. He told Reuters that "Equus" — for which he appeared nude in the London production — might open in New York late next year. "It will be amazing, but I will be terrified," the actor said of the prospect. "I would be very nervous because I think that [the audiences are] even more discerning than in London." ...

For a guy who isn't planning to release an album anytime soon, Beck sure is busy. In addition to "Timebomb," the new track he pumped out last month, he's spruced up Philadelphia psych-rockers Dr. Dog's "The Girl" with a new remix. The song will appear on a Dr. Dog 7-inch in October, and the B-side will be a cover of the band's "Heart It Races" by Architecture in Helsinki. Dr. Dog will tour with Wilco starting Tuesday and ending September 21. ... Pop Montreal has put together a snappy lineup for its five-day stint October 3-7. The fest will host Hot Hot Heat, Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, Patti Smith, Black Mountain and more. ...

The annual Bridge School Benefit concert hosted by Neil Young at the Shoreline Amphitheatre near San Francisco will boast the usual mix of old friends and new faces this year, with unplugged sets from John Mayer; Metallica; Eddie Vedder with Flea and Jack Irons; Tom Waits with the Kronos Quartet; Tegan and Sara; Regina Spektor; Jerry Lee Lewis; and, of course, host Young. The shows will take place October 27-28. ... Warped Tour has come to a close — so naturally, it's time to move on to founder Kevin Lyman's other big shindig: next year's Taste of Chaos. Atreyu will headline the fest, with dates and additional acts to be announced in the coming months. ...

Closing arguments in the Phil Spector murder trial began Wednesday, with prosecutors delivering a multimedia presentation that traced the events leading up to the death of Lana Clarkson, the Los Angeles Times reports. The defense objected to part of the presentation, asking Superior Court Judge Larry Paul Fidler to declare a mistrial, but he refused. The defense is due to begin its closing statements Thursday, and jury deliberations will likely begin Friday. ...

Jude Law was arrested outside his London home late Tuesday after allegedly attacking a photographer there, according to the U.K.'s Press Association. The actor voluntarily went to a police station after the incident, which is under investigation. ... Nicole Kidman was engaged to marry another man in between her marriages with Tom Cruise and Keith Urban, she divulged to Vanity Fair, although she did not identify the person. "I got engaged to somebody ... but it just wasn't right," she told the magazine for its October cover story. The actress also said she didn't have any regrets about marrying Cruise. My agents told me, 'Once you become Mrs. Tom Cruise, you do know your career is going to die.' I was appalled. I was like, 'Hello?' I'm in love, and I don't care if it's shooting myself in the foot. I'd much rather be married and have a family.' " ...

Legendary tenor Luciano Pavarotti, who has pancreatic cancer, is in very serious condition, according to AP. He has been suffering kidney problems and losing consciousness while recovering after a recent hospital stay. ...

New Model Army have scrapped their planned tour of North America due to visa complications. ... As the Strokes continue their hiatus, guitarist Albert Hammond Jr. announced on his MySpace blog last week that he is headed back into the studio to work on the follow-up to his solo debut, Yours to Keep. "I'm happy to say that at the end of October we are going in for round two," Hammond wrote. "We are going into Electric Lady Studios for five weeks to record the second record." Hammond said he plans to videotape some of the sessions and show the clips on his MySpace page.

09.4.07

In Style's readers have voted, and Justin Timberlake, Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie and Fergie are among the sexiest stars in the constellation. TV and movie stars dominate the Sexy Portfolio, part of the magazine's 10th annual Sexy Poll, which garnered 50,000 votes on InStyle.com. Fergie is the only musician to get "hot-to-the-touch" status (her 14 fellow hotties include Terrence Howard, Isla Fisher, Ben Stiller and more). "Cleavage is in-your-face, a bare stomach is overt, but a bare leg is always sexy and appropriate," Fergie said, explaining her appeal. "I'm pretty out there in my videos, but in real life, I feel sexier w

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Strokes Are On Pause, But Albert Hammond Jr. Can't Stop Writing

06 Mar 2007 06:01:00 EST

Guitarist goes solo as New York rockers take a break from the road and go on hiatus.
By Chris Harris

When Albert Hammond Jr. is sitting on his couch, he's writing music. When he's on the road, he's writing. Even when he's in the bathroom, he's making notes.

The Strokes guitarist has been stockpiling his own material for years — and there was never any doubt in his mind that he'd one day release a solo album. Still, there were moments when Hammond's self-confidence withered a tad, challenging him during the recording of Yours to Keep, which hits stores Tuesday (March 6).

"I had things around me and people around me I admire that helped me get through it," he explained. One of those people, he said, was Ric Ocasek, the lead singer for seminal 1980s rockers the Cars.

"I played him some songs, and he said, 'I never knew you were such a great songwriter.' He also said that I'd be doing this forever, and I was like, 'I love you,' " Hammond added. "He's one of my biggest idols, and it was nice to hear it from someone who had nothing to gain, telling me he liked my songs."

Yours to Keep, which has been available in the United Kingdom, other parts of Europe and Japan since early October, was produced by Thin Lizard Dawn singer Greg Lattimer and recorded at New York's Electric Lady Studios. Hammond called on several other pals to contribute to the LP, including Sean Lennon, Ben Kweller, Jody Porter of Fountains of Wayne, the Mooney Suzuki's Sammy James Jr. and Strokes frontman Julian Casablancas. But despite all the help — and despite being sure he'd eventually release a solo LP someday — Hammond never expected to complete the project so quickly.

"I'd written these songs and, through other people, met [Lattimer], and I was like, 'Let's go in, record this one song I have, and we can use weird instruments, like a melodica and the toy piano,' and we just got along really well," he said. "The songs sounded great and all of my friends thought they sounded great, so we just sort of recorded another one, and another one, and the songwriting was just getting better and better, and all of a sudden, I had a record and a band [rounded out by drummer Matt Romano and bassist Josh Lattanzi]. And I was like, 'Wow, what the hell are we going to do with this?' Sure, I was excited, but now, it was like, 'How am I not going to do something with these songs?' "

Hammond said there were a number of inspirations behind the lyrics on Yours to Keep, a 12-song album that boasts "Cartoon Music for Superheroes," "101," "Call an Ambulance" and two bonus-track cover tunes: Buddy Holly's "Well ... All Right" and Guided by Voices' "Postal Blowfish."

"I just find certain cool things and phrases I like, that mean something to me, and I'd put things around it," he said. "Each song is like a different test for me. '101' is a song I wanted to write with a chorus that would repeat. I wrote it much differently than the other songs on the album. 'In Transit,' I just created a world around that one phrase. Some of the lyrics just came out of my ass, though."

With the Strokes on hiatus — following the conclusion of their U.S. fall tour, the guys announced there "are no plans at the moment" to work on their fourth album — Hammond figured the time was right to release Yours to Keep. He said the Strokes hiatus is well-deserved, as it followed more than a year of "hard touring."

Hammond is currently headlining his own tour and will continue doing so through March 21 in Columbus, Ohio. Then he'll hook up with Bloc Party and support them from March 23 in Chicago through March 31 in New York. Hammond is also booked as the musical guest for "Late Night With Conan O'Brien" on April 6.

Hammond added that none of the other members of the Strokes have plans to release their own solo outings, as far as he knows — but he'll continue to issue solo material in the future, as well as eventually work with the Strokes on the follow-up to 2006's First Impressions of Earth.

"The Strokes are a great, important band — all of us understand that," he explained. "When it comes time to make another record, we'll do that. But I will continue to release solo records, even if it isn't released and is just for me. I have to, and I already have a bunch of new material for a second record. When I finished this record, I wondered where the new stuff would take me, and it's taken me somewhere so surprising and amazing, that I have to make a second one. I can't not do it."

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