The Strokes The Strokes The Strokes are an American rock band from New York City. Formed in 1998, the band is composed of singer Julian Casablancas, lead guitarist Nick Valensi, rhythm guitarist Albert Hammond Jr., bassist Nikolai Fraiture, and drummer Fabrizio Moretti. Following the conclusion of five-album deals with RCA and Rough Trade, the band has continued to release new music through Casablancas' Cult Records. Met with widespread critical acclaim, the Strokes' 2001 debut, "Is This It", helped usher in the garage rock revival movement of the early-21st century—and ranks number eight on "Rolling Stone"s 100 Best Debut Albums of All Time,
The Strokes number two on "Rolling Stone"s 100 Best Albums of the '00s, 199 on "Rolling Stone"s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time and number four in the "NME" top 500 albums of all time. Lead singer-songwriter Julian Casablancas, guitarist Nick Valensi, and drummer Fab Moretti started playing together while attending Dwight School in Manhattan. Bassist Nikolai Fraiture befriended Casablancas while the two attended the Lycée Français de New York. At age 13, Casablancas was sent to Le Rosey, a boarding school in Switzerland, to improve his academic performance. Casablancas met guitarist Albert Hammond, Jr. in Switzerland. Later, when Hammond came to