STROKES - HAMMOND GOES SOLO AFTER STROKES REJECTION

The STROKES guitarist ALBERT HAMMOND JR turned his hand to a solo project after his bandmates kept rejecting his song-writing efforts. The axeman felt the need to release some creative energy, but failed to impress the other rockers with his composing skills. The frustrated artist has now released his debut solo album YOURS TO KEEP - which is a compilation of all the songs turned down by the rest of the New York fivesome. He says, "I did suggest my songs (to the rest of The Strokes) once or twice and I got turned down. "It wasn't actually JULIAN (CASABLANCAS) who turned it down, it was the other members who didn't like it. Julian writes the songs and we play them and do our thing with them. "I don't think I feel trapped in the band but I'm definitely glad I made this record, "It wasn't, 'I wanna get out', just sometimes after all the press and touring with each other sometimes you want something different."