This is Albert Hammond Jr from The Strokes AMA.

Would you pass by and say hi in r/TheStrokes?

People are loving Francis Trouble in there.

sure

Wow, this is so beyond cool. The Strokes has been my favorite band EVER since I can remember. Then, my high school boyfriend got me hooked on your solo music when he put "In Transit" on a mix cd for me.

I've been listening to the entirety Francis Trouble on repeat since it was released on Spotify today. "Tea for Two" and "Rocky's Late Night" are definitely my favorites on the album. Thank you for putting out such amazing music and doing this AMA today!

So, my questions are:

• What's your favorite memory from when you first began your solo music career?

• And, what's your favorite ice cream flavor?

bonus question: Any tattoos?

:) thanks!

today! today is my favorite memory! got 12 tattoo's it think chocolate cookie dough

Hi Albert! You're a great frontman- you always look like you're having a good time! How do you feel about signing autographs/taking pics with fans?

thanks! it can be fun, it can be hard if you're tire but feel like you're letting people down...i find that when ive been honest everyone has taken it well..

Hey Albert!

I'm really excited about the new record and have really really enjoyed all the singles you've released.

In the live performances from Francis Trouble that youve done, you haven't played guitar. Will you leave the guitar to your band for most songs off of Francis Trouble? How do you enjoy just singing on stage? I love that you still get into to.

Also come visit /r/theStrokes, we're all very excited about Francis Trouble!

i like variety....i enjoy not playing and playing....i don't play that much guitar live on the new record and im loving just singing....an entertainers dream

You're a really fun frontman to watch!

thanks! i love singing and playing guitar and writing songs....my goal is to bring people together for a visceral experience..i appreciate your words

Hey Albert!!!

You have no idea how much you've influenced my taste in music and honestly my life in general. Thank you for making all that great music,man.

But my question is about how your sound has changed over your albums. Is that something you actively looking to do- as in change the sound/feel or do you like to stick close to what you're comfortable with? Momentary Masters was and has been one of my most listened to albums and I felt like it differed a lot to your other music.

Also if you can join us over at /r/TheStrokes !

the cycle of studio and tour helps...you can end a tour with a gut feeling of what you are missing

Hey Albert! Are there any guitar drills you’d recommend for improving?

Also what's your favorite Strokes song? Thanks for all the music!

improving your ear is the best....try and pick out and learn songs you like....different parts..bass line

I noticed you're use the deluxe now. Anything different from the deville besides weight?

less power...less noise on stage...better sound off stage

Hey Albert, congratulations on your new record from your home, Argentina! I think it's my favorite so far, but I've liked every new record of yours more than the last. Your vocals on this one are amazing too :)

I have a few questions, ignore the ones you want to ignore!

1. How is your songwriting process? Do you start improvising on the guitar until you feel like something cool is happening? Do you transfer a melody that's already in your head on to the instruments? Does it change from time to time?

2. A follow-up question: how do you find writing lyrics? Easy, hard?

3. What are your favorite songs to play live?

4. What were some of your most memorable or favorite concerts? I imagine after 20 years it can be hard to pin-point a few, but if you can.

I'm really happy for you! It looks like you're really happy, and you're in a great place musically; you can hear it all over Francis Trouble.

no rules, no process except curiosity and discovery....sometimes nothing, sometime nothing is something...sometimes you get really excited and it turns out that its shit....everything is easy and hard they exist together

Weirdest/funniest fan encounter? Thanks, love your work.

i almost got tackled out of happiness....back in the day i got a lot of knocks on my apartment or hotel rooms

Hey Albert u/francistrouble ! Happy release day! Francis Trouble is an absolute blast, so in love with Tea for Two and Rocky’s Late Night... What were your inspirations to compose these two? Thank you!

inspiration is a hard thing to summerize....imagine a baby tree and then the finished songs is an 80 year old tree with roots deep in the ground and leaves and branches....there is musicl inspiration and lyric inspiration...sonic inspiration....the most important thing is you create a meaning to it.....my inspiration needs to create a meaning within you...thats more important to me

Hey Albert! I’m also a guitarist and I have some questions about how you became such a great player:

• What was your practice regimen like when you were learning guitar?

• How did you come to develop your own style?

• How important do you think music theory is for a rock guitarist?

music theory is important....its good to know and use.....i don't know how it happened man...i feel i play like i walk or talk....it just feels like an extension of me....that might be what connects to people

Hey Albert, loving the new album! Some of your best vocal performances to date, IMO

Couple things:
Throughout your career, what song/part would you say was the hardest to write/record (either physically or emotionally)?

Isles or Rags?

Also, I ended up staying up and listening to Francis Trouble instead of studying for the test that I should be starting around the time this AMA starts, so uhh... Wish me luck?

good luck! they are all a journey...hard to pin a time...sometimes a day can feel like a minute and sometime it can feel like years....the process and the reference points are what i remember most

Been catching every AHJ I can since the first time I saw you play at Amoeba. Congrats on the new album it is delightful, have been playing it since Wednesday.

2 questions: What's your go to motorcycle track? Most random item you've signed? A plate perhaps, in London?

Shout out to Justyna, lights always on point at the shows.

ive been to buttonwillow a lot...i want to go to chuck walla....when i get back from tour im gonna ride a lot..miss it like crazy...think about it all the time

why the change in your backing band from Momentary Masters to Francis Trouble?

why the chart war with the Voidz?

what are you a lawyer? haha no chart war...julian is one of my closest friends....we are both happy for each other and have inspired each other through the years

I dont want to sound like I'm back-handedly complimenting but this album is such an improvement over MM(I like MM too). Its fucking great dude! Tea for Two is especially fantastic. How did the idea for the chorusy guitar and sax bridge come about or what inspired it?

when the time calls for sax you'll know it and you better use it....one of my favorite parts of the album twin peaks break down

You’re looking really healthy! Did you change your diet and work out often?

thanks....im very active so i need to be but i don't believe in diets i believe in lifestyle change....in that you can find moderation....

What's your favourite food?

japanese food by a million miles

How did you find your current band?

usually by texting them....i met Darren Weiss and he reached out to other players and by luck i have a band from where i was born...the valley

Hey Albert, can I call you AL?

My question: is music actually magic?

Bonus question: would you ever duet with or play music with your dad?

sure

what's your favourite guitar for on the road when you're chilling and practicing in a hotel room/tour bus etc?

never have time to practice on the road

Yo, Albert! New record is dope! Harder, Harder, Harder is my favorite track at the moment!

I’m watching you in Birmingham on the 24th and it’s actually quite possible that I’ve convinced a lot of friends and family to go (like 12+ people, I hope they can all make it) Anyway, my question is what are the chances that i can get you to play Rocket at that show? It’s my favorite track off your second record, and if I’m good and drunk and you bust out that song, I might seriously burst into tears!

yes yes yes.....that song means a lot to me...ill try and ask the guys ...cant wait to play birmingham

Saw you at Resident, Conan, and at Troubadour. My ears are still ringing by the way haha. Anyways, my question is, how do you go about writing music? Do you first start with some chord progression and build up from that? I have come to a halt where I want to create more intricate stuff with my music, that I know I can play, but it’s a little hard for me to get it out. Thanks! And I’ll see you at your next LA visit! Thanks for signing my album.

if only we could make it louder...figuring that out is what makes you you

What was the main inspiration behind the Francis Trouble album art? It’s easily become one of my favourite album arts of all time!

i try to imagine how it will age....i wanted it to feel like something important but fun....i wanted kids to scribble francis trouble on their desks....

Hey! I'm curious which song you've done you're most proud of/means the most to you?

I'm very much looking forward to listening to your new album (and of course any future work by The Strokes!).

this whole record....strangers, stop and go and harder harder harder

Hi Albert! Love the new album that dropped today (especially Screamer). Also saw you in Cambridge and managed to get a low key mosh going during In Transit!

My questions are:

• Having played in two dual (sometimes triple) guitar bands, what's the key to a good guitar and bass sound?

• How can you dress well on the cheap?

Cheers!

dressing well cheaply just takes longer but is very possible live and breath tone

Hey Albert! I know you recently made your debut in acting, has your experience in this new medium affected the way you view your music?Congrats on the record man- super pumped to see you on the 27th!

its affected me yes...the process, the fear i had and had to overcome helped create me now

Hi Albert! Congratulations on the new Album I think it's really fun and cool sounding :)

I just want to know about your writing process. And which are your favorite places to tour, any chance you're coming to south America?

i want to tour everywhere and i hope i get the opportunity to tour SA

Hey man! Is Francis Trouble an alter ago that you've decided to bring out? What makes Albert different from Francis?

is everything i want to be

Hello! Would you like to explore other genres of music?

i like mixing them into what i do

Hey I love The Strokes! What's been the most pleasurable experience of your career?

its all been a pleasure...

You look so happy all the time and you look like a person who lives in the present only, without thinking in the present nor the future. Tell me, how do you do it?

Greetings from Guadalajara, Mexico.

by failing constantly...constant reminders...

Hi Albert. I’m a big fan of your stuff with the Strokes and listened to the new Album this morning on the bus and loved it! I was just wondering about your album art. Do you have like a vision of what your covers are going to look like, or does the artist handle everything?

not before hand...i think about it but they evolve as the album evolves...

who are you rooting for in the next World Cup Russia 2018?

i always root for USA man

THEY DIDNT MAKE IT!

fuck haha

A while ago you posted a photo of a black Jazzmaster with a white pickguard of yours on your Instagram, can you tell the story of it?

the guitar by my bedside table....just something i like that got generously gifted by the fender people....custom shop...feels great...fun to practice on

When you’re at home and not touring, how often do you practice and try to write music?

its definitely part of my day but also sometimes i dont do anything...its also important to feed other parts of you...

True. From what I have seen on your Instagram account, you enjoy riding your motorcycle, any other hobbies?

scuba diving

hey Albert! really liked your new album, sounds great. Which would you think its the perfect setting to listen to it? (or any album in fact) alone? lights out? watching the sea? headphones? big speakers? (?)

i think it depends on how you feel...when i listen to something new i like to be doing something else...cooking, doodling, cleaning, driving ....but music has changed me forever listening alone on headphones...music triggers your imagination and day dreams....i listen to escape into that...well the music makes me escape sometimes its not in my control

Do you care about the reviews from journalists?

no but if ain't 5 out of 5 for this record they arent telling the truth haha