Happy Birthday To Who? - November 12

Being associated with cool people can rub off. Stick somebody nobody would even remember to forget with others deemed talented/attractive and suddenly their previous ineptitude/ugliness is ignored. Look at Ringo Starr. Take Andrew Ridgely. Or even Joe Biden.

This is the trap that Nikolai Fraiture and John Hammond, both born on November 13th, lure you into. They nstantly conjure images of more celebrated peers and deflect away from the fact that they aren't necessarily poster material themselves. Now, Fraiture has a lot of advantages. He's in The Strokes. He just recorded his first solo album with assistance from the delectable Regina Spektor and the devilishly underrated Nick Zinner. He plays bass in The Strokes. He looks like he wouldn't even realise it was his birthday, let alone care, plus it sounds like his parents named him from the Rolling Stone big book of baby names. He also happens to be a member of The Strokes.

John Hammond has some equally name-drop worthy links. He is a bluesman revered by others of his ilk as a player on a par with the greats. Dylan's classic '66 tour wouldn't have happened without him, having introduced The Band to young song and dance man. Few can lay claim to having Jimi Hendrix in their backing group, let alone Eric Clapton too, but Hammond managed it for a short stint. He even narrated and produced a documentary on Robert Johnson. While Fraiture and his mates have managed three albums in a decade, Hammond has churned out a commendable 30.

Yet, for two successful musicians, they find themselves sliding down the bill. Fraiture's band, Nickel Eye, are writing songs that sound like bad Sting covers and Hammond now looks like a bad Sting cover. The former is being backed by a British band called South (No? Me neither), while the latter is performing on a cruise, like a rhythm and blues Jane Mcdonald.

It has to go to Fraiture, if only for the sake of the birthday cake not going to waste. Hammond played his 4000th gig this summer, so it would be a miracle if he had enough energy to blow his candles out. He would end up giving it to the pensioners on his cruise. Fraiture, on the other hand, can call upon New York's glitterati for a party and, well, maybe if the old gang meet up, share a few slices, who knows, a fourth Strokes album could appear before you can say happy birthday Nikolai Fraiture.