Rising LA bands The Soft Pack, Hanni El Khatib to perform in Hammer Museum’s summer concert series, “˜Also I Like to Rock’

The normally still walls of the Hammer Museum will come to life this Thursday as they capture the sounds and spirit of independent music in Los Angeles.

Local acts The Soft Pack and Hanni El Khatib will play in the Hammer Museum courtyard as part of the summer concert series “Also I Like to Rock,” presented by KCRW 89.9 FM and the Hammer Museum. The performance will also feature a live DJ set from KCRW’s DJ Chuck P.

Kevin Bronson, curator for the concert series and the creator of Buzz Bands LA, a blog about up-and-coming musicians in Los Angeles, chose the evening’s musicians in conjunction with KCRW, a radio station whose work he said he admires greatly.

“It is one of the leading terrestrial music stations in Los Angeles right now. You won’t find many other people playing the music that KCRW is playing,” Bronson said.

KCRW DJ Chuck P is no stranger to the station’s open-mindedness when it comes to music. He said he feels liberated by his freedom to play the music he chooses to during his show, including music by bands like The Soft Pack and Hanni El Khatib.

“I’m always looking for the best music I can find and just playing that,” Chuck P said.

Originally from San Francisco, Hanni El Khatib will bring a garage rock element to the evening, with his own bluesy twist. Bronson said that he thinks Hanni El Khatib, along with The Soft Pack, draw a large crowd.

“Hanni El Khatib is the new kid on the block. He is one of the more exciting new musicians I have seen around town,” Bronson said.

While Hanni El Khatib brings youthfulness to the show, The Soft Pack offers experience with their own blend of punk-infused garage rock.

For Matty McLoughlin, guitarist for The Soft Pack, the possibility of growing up to be a musician, let alone a member of a rising L.A. band, never crossed his mind despite his love for music.
“I grew up watching MTV all day long idolizing rock stars … I’ve always been affected by it,” McLoughlin said.

According to McLoughlin, The Soft Pack (originally known as The Muslims) formed in 2007, in their hometown of San Diego after he returned from college in Virginia.

“I just didn’t want to get a real job after college. I had interned for a record label, and I really love music. I had never thought of myself being in a band,” McLoughlin said.

The band, comprised mainly of high school peers and long-time friends, has since moved to Los Angeles and experienced large amounts of success, including performing at music festivals Coachella and Lollapalooza.

Bronson said he is a fan of the band’s captivating live act and that he chose it for the series because he thinks people will be interested to see how The Soft Pack will evolve with time.

“I saw them play Lollapalooza in Chicago and was (nearly) blown away,” Bronson said.

McLoughlin said that the band recently recorded 10 songs for a new full-length LP scheduled for release in January and plans to record more as time permits. He described the music as a much more dynamic collection of songs than the The Soft Pack’s previous work.

“The new album has definitely progressed, it’s not as stripped down as before. This time we’ve included the sax on some songs and the clarinet or organ on others,” McLoughlin said.

McLoughlin said that, although he enjoys playing clubs and rock venues, he is excited for the chance to branch out to a different type of environment.

“We’re really excited to play in a museum because it is a new atmosphere and not your typical, dirty rock venue,” McLoughlin.