Strokes, The

The Strokes are an American rock band that rose to fame in the early 2000s. more...

Early Years and Modern Age EP

The Strokes formed at a young age, with most of the members connected in some way with lead singer/songwriter Julian Casablancas. Bassist Nikolai Fraiture and Casablancas have been friends since childhood. Guitarist Nick Valensi and drummer Fabrizio Moretti started playing together while attending Manhattan's Dwight School. Later on, Casablancas was sent to Le Rosey, a boarding school in Switzerland. He was sent in order to straighten up his behavior, as it was said that he developed drinking problems at a young age and was consequently doing poorly in school. At Le Rosey, Casablancas became acquainted with Albert Hammond, Jr., since they were both Americans, although they were not particularly good friends because Hammond, Jr. was two years younger. Years later, when Hammond came back to New York to attend New York University's (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts, they became reacquainted and began sharing an apartment together. In 1999, they officially christened themselves the Strokes (after passing up other names like the De Niros and the Motels). Their popularity increased quickly, especially on the Lower East Side of New York. They began to perform at Manhattan's popular Mercury Lounge, where Ryan Gentles was in charge of booking. Gentles was so impressed by the band that he quit his job in order to become their manager.

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