Albert Hammond Jr., guitarist for The Strokes, identifies five guitarists that have influenced his writing style: George Harrison for his unique sound and inspiring philosophical musings, Mike Campbell for knowing when to show off or serve the song, Elliot Easton for giving The Cars an edge with his playing, Lou Reed for his melodic side and underrated album "Loaded", and John Lennon's album "Plastic Ono Band" for its immediate emotional impact and depth. Hammond Jr. will perform at the Sinclair in Cambridge on Sunday.

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Albert Hammond Jr. hails five
favorite guitarists
By Jennifer Usovicz GLOBE CORRESPONDENT SEPTEMBER 17, 2015
Albert Hammond Jr. (pictured) is still playing his 1985 ’70s­reissue Olympic White
Fender Stratocaster — “It’s an aged white now,” he says. But after nearly two decades
with the Strokes, Hammond isn’t afraid of new ventures: not just a solo career, but also
a fashion line. “I kept on reading it, that suits are my trademark,” he explains. “People
think I’m doing it, so I thought, Why don’t I just have a stab at that?” On his third solo
LP, “Momentary Masters” (released in July), the influential guitarist found inspiration
in “Cosmos,” Carl Sagan’s classic TV series. “There is a YouTube clip of [Sagan] talking,
and the world is moving behind him, and going further and further away,” Hammond,
35, says. “I used it as a thing to meditate on. Those words just hit my gut; I got so many
meanings from it.” Other influences include Strokes bandmate Julian Casablancas and
Bob Dylan, whose “Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright” Hammond covers. Now headed to
town for a Sinclair show on Sunday, Hammond took a moment to identify five guitarists
who’ve made an impact on his writing.
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2. George Harrison: He just made it seem effortless. He had such a unique sound and
style. He was very underrated because of how big the songwriting team was in [the
Beatles]. And his side notes or things he would say about life were really inspiring.
Mike Campbell (Tom Petty and the Heart Breakers): He picks the right
moments to show off, by doing what’s better for the song. It’s not a bad thing [to show
off] — you want to play this riff and have a little bit of fire. If I did the same thing to you
over and over again, you would lose your mind. See whatever fits.
Elliot Easton (the Cars): He’s one of the few people who is an amazing guitar player
professionally, but also, all the things he added to the Cars songs really gave them an
edge.
Lou Reed: I love his melodic side. Sometimes when he got weird, it wasn’t what I
loved about it. I’m surprised he wasn’t much bigger. The album “Loaded” is filled with
amazing love songs. If his self­titled album [released in 1972] came out today. . . I’m just
surprised it wasn’t more popular then.
John Lennon: When I was 18, I got the “Plastic Ono Band” album — I guess maybe I
was doing softer things then, or I just didn’t understand there was a lot of edge in a way
that was easily accessible. It could hit you immediately but still have depth, and that
was very powerful. It took me a long time to try and feel like I could do it — I’m still not
sure I can, but it’s fun to try.
Albert Hammond Jr. performs with Prinze George and When Particles Collide at the
Sinclair in Cambridge on Sunday. Tickets $20. 617­547­5200, www.sinclair
cambridge.com
Jennifer Usovicz can be reached at jennifer.usovicz@globe.com. Follow her on twitter
@jausovicz.
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