Albert Hammond Jr.’s tour bus was caught in the middle of a high-speed chase earlier this week, but according to reports, it was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. Hammond’s bandmate Marc Philippe Eskenazi explained on the band's MySpace page that, after they left a Texas show January 20, "[i]t turned out that the cops had been chasing a suspect in a pickup truck in a high speed chase a la OJ Simpson since the Texas state border. It seemed that the pickup was going to get away until he came into contact with (sic) youknowwho (us)." Apparently the truck spun out into the side ramp after hitting the bus and the absconders were promptly arrested. This isn’t the first adversity the band has faced while on the road supporting Hammond’s first solo effort, Yours To Keep (New Line), which is due March 6 stateside. Earlier in the tour, they had to evacuate the bus after a mattress caught fire—a flare-up that we'd like to think was ignited by Hammond leaving a curling iron his bed. Though currently in the midst of a string of dates opening for Incubus (hey, gotta start somewhere, right?), Hammond has a slew of solo dates scheduled for March, as well as a handful of shows opening for Bloc Party. Albert Hammond Jr. Tour Dates: 03/02 - Seattle, WA - Crocodile Cafe 03/03 - Portland, OR - Roseland Grill 03/05 - Solana Beach, CA - The Belly Up 03/06 - Los Angeles, CA - El Rey Theatre 03/10 - Denver, CO - Marquis Theatre 03/13 - Dallas, TX - Gypsy Tea Room 03/14 - Houston, TX - Meridian 03/17 - Atlanta, GA - Roxy Theatre 03/23 - Chicago, IL - Congress Theatre* 03/24 - Detroit, MI - Royal Oak Theatre* 03/25 - Toronto, ON - Kool Haus* 03/27 - Montreal, QB - Metropolis* 03/28 - Boston, MA - Orpheum Theater* 03/30-31 - New York, NY - United Palace Theater* *With Bloc Party www.myspace.com/alberthammondjr
