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Timeline : The Strokes

August 23, 1978

The Strokes frontman Julian Casablancas is born in New York City. His parents are business mogul John Casablancas, founder of Elite Model Management, and Jeanette Christiansen, a Danish model who was crowned Miss Denmark of 1965. In 2001, Julian's band reinvents guitar rock with their debut album, Is This It.

April 9, 1980

Albert Hammond, Jr., guitarist for The Strokes, is born in Los Angeles. His father is known for his 1972 hit "It Never Rains In Southern California."

June 2, 1980

Fabrizio Moretti (drummer for The Strokes) is born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

December 6, 2000

The Strokes play the Mercury Lounge in New York City. The guy who booked them, Ryan Gentles, is so wowed that he quits his job and becomes their manager, a position he holds for the next 20 years.

June 25, 2001

New York City rock band The Strokes' release their debut single, "Hard To Explain." It peaks at #16 in the UK but doesn't chart in the US, a pattern that becomes a trend for the band.

July 30, 2001

The Strokes revive garage rock with the release of their debut album, Is This It. It drops in Australia first before making its way to England and America.More

September 11, 2001

The Strokes' debut album, Is This It, drops on vinyl in the US. It contains the song "New York City Cops," an anthem against police brutality. The defiant track is removed from the forthcoming CD release in light of the terrorist attacks and the valiant response of the NYPD.

January 19, 2002

The Strokes make their first appearance on Saturday Night Live, where they sing "Last Nite" and "Hard To Explain" from their debut album, Is This It.

February 25, 2002

New York City rock band The Strokes are named Band of the Year and Best New Act at the NME Awards (founded by the titular British music magazine). Their debut, Is This It, is also awarded Best Album.

September 19, 2002

No-frills rock music comes back into fashion with the emergence of The White Stripes, The Strokes, The Hives, and Jet. Rolling Stone heralds the trend with a cover featuring The Vines and the headline "Rock Is Back!"More

October 28, 2003

The Strokes follow up their critically acclaimed debut, Is This It, with the album Room On Fire. The title is taken from the single "Reptilia," which features the lyric: "The room is on fire as she's fixing her hair."

October 22, 2005

The Strokes make their first and only appearance on the Billboard Hot 100 when "Juicebox" peaks at #98. The First Impressions Of Earth single fares much better in the UK, where it lands at #5.

October 19, 2006

Nick Valensi of The Strokes and his wife, photographer/actress Amanda de Cadenet, welcome fraternal twins, Silvan and Ella.

February 10, 2020

While performing at the Get Out The Vote rally in New Hampshire in support of Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, The Strokes debut the animated video for their new single "At The Door." They also perform the forthcoming followup single "Bad Decisions" for the first time.More

April 10, 2020

The Strokes return to action, releasing the album The New Abnormal, their first since 2013. "The 2010s... we took 'em off," lead singer Julian Casablancas says in explaining their absence.

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