The Strokes Biography

Few rock bands have debuted with as much hype and anticipation as did The Strokes in October 2001. Following release of the EP, “The Modern Age” the band was caught up in a bidding war among the major record labels. They were hailed as the newest saviors of rock n’ roll, a band that had the sound and the attitude to make a big impact on the music business.

Two members of The Strokes, singer Julian Casablancas and guitarist Albert Hammond, Jr. came from record making families. They had met in boarding school in Switzerland and by the time they reconnected in New York they were ready to form a band. Adding guitarist Nick Valensi, Nickolai Fraiture on bass and Fabrizio Moretti on drums, the lineup began rehearsing a fourteen song set list which included several tunes that would show up on their major label debut, “Is This It?”

That first effort ended up being a monster hit, selling over 3.5 million units worldwide. It was named best album of the year on several lists and eventually became NME’s greatest album of the decade. The band toured Asia, North America and Europe opening for the Rolling Stones on some dates.

They followed up with “Room on Fire” in 2003. It saw respectful sales and was generally well reviewed. The Strokes’ partnership with Roman Coppola continued with the director making several videos for the band. Plans for a live album were scrapped due to problems with the recordings. 2005 saw concert dates in South America.

Album number three, “First Impression of Earth,” went to the top of the UK chart but got a mixed reception. The band continued to tour appearing at several European festivals and then concerts with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. At the end of this flurry of live shows the band took some time off.

According to their MySpace page The Strokes began working on their next release in spring 2009. They recorded throughout the summer but could not come to agreement on which tracks were ready for inclusion on the album. In February 2010 the band announced that they were recording again this time with producer Joe Chicarelli. The new date for the release of The Strokes new album Angles is March 22, 2011. A free download of the first single was available online in early February.

The Strokes continue to headline shows around the world, including the Isle of Wight and Lollapalooza. In the next year they will play the Coachella Festival, as well as festivals in Spain and Portugal.

By: John McElborough

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John writes articles about music. Buy the Strokes CD and find out more about The Strokes here