I took a bit of time out to speak to Hanni El Khatib earlier this week. A real nice guy, making some really amazing music, while being so very humble about it all. Here is what he had to say about his up-coming trip down under.

Whereabouts are you now?

I'm in LA, home on break for this past week.

Have you been busy with shows in the past couple of days?

We were just in Europe and in Canada.

How was that?

It was awesome, definitely a good experience, had a really fun time.

You must be looking forward to the Pyramid Rock Festival? Must be a nice way to spend your new years.

We are super excited about that, we've never been to Australia, so it's one of those places I've always wanted to go to.

I can imagine, Phillip Island would be an amazing place with all the penguins and everything.

That's so cool.

Have you heard much about Phillip Island?

No but I'll definitely do my research, haha.

Where does your name originate from?

El Khatib is from my father's side, Mom and dad kind of decided on Hanni, they thought it sounded nice.

Everywhere I read about you, they mention that you're half Palestinian/Half Filipino, did it have an impact on your outlook in life?

Yeah I mean it definitely had a huge influence on my life. I grew up in America with two parents from drastically different backgrounds who were also not born here. Both moved over in their twenties. It's just one of those things that becomes more confusing when you're a young kid trying to identify with the culture around you.

I can imagine.

I'm not a white kid living in San Fran, I'm like this weird mix of these other races but i feel oddly more American than I feel Palestinian or something. That sort of thing can be a little weird when you are a kid.

I mean San Fran must have been an interesting place to grow up in.

It's an awesome place, it's a melting pot of everything you know.

My cousins live over there so they tell me wonderful things all the time.

Nice nice.

Was it daunting using your real name to represent yourself? Many musicians use stage names these days.

H: When I finished up recording a bunch of my music, I was at a point where I wanted to get it out to people, I didn't really feel like it was written with other members necessarily. It wasn't really put together in a standard band format so it didn't really need a band name. I felt weird about choosing a band name thinking oh, OK who are the members? Oh well me. That felt kind of weird. So, using my own name was a little strange, but I had no other idea or option that seemed right?

Using my name, in the live stage I could always use different people, making it more versatile.

You did the SXSW festival earlier this year, how was that?

Really, really hectic, Ten shows in four days, so it was pretty much show after show after show, then like drink, after drink, after drink, waking up and doing it all over again.

That's the life though ain't it.

Yeah it was great.

In regards to your album Will The Guns Come Out what was your approach, was it all you?

My friend Mark Bianci, he actually engineered and played a little bit on it here and there. Kind of helped me get the sound I wanted to, when we were recording it. It was one of those things that I just did. I definitely had no plans on making an album, trying to get signed, release records and start touring. When I recorded that stuff, that stuff was definitely last on the list. Most of it wasn't on my mind, I really just went in there to record some songs that I had just for fun, and to see what would come of it. After one song I was like, well oh I want to do that again, next thing you know I had a handful of songs. After that I was like whoa this is like pretty much an album. Then I burnt it onto a CD, and made a little zine for it.

Then I thought hey, fuck yeah I want to try and play some shows. Did some shows passed around the CD a little bit. Just to friends. It kept me really occupied, and I think that was the main reason for me making music, something that kept me away from my day to day bullshit that I had to deal with. Something that I could go and do and not answer to anybody or care about.

I like the way you put a different twist on a few classics on your album, You rascal you, heartbreak hotel

Umm, yeah I mean, if you're not going to do a damn good cover at least do something different. I didn't really feel like I could really do it justice playing it the same way, so my approach stemmed from that, OK well if I re-write all the music that couldn't be further from the original. In songs like Heartbreak Hotel, it's kind of ingrained in everyone's psyche. Everybody knows it, no matter what kind of music you listen to. You are obviously going to know the songs by Elvis, but the way it's presented with the original music it's so up-tempo, kinda like dancey. Then you break down the lyrics and you're like whoa, the lyrics don't seem like it should be so up-lifting.

I loved that sort of bluesy touch you brought to it. Just seeing a lot of material and your music and how you present yourself, the beat generation and that era had quite a bit of an influence on you.

Conceptually and aesthetically, it all falls into the same philosophy that I subscribe to. The music of the time and the style of the time is presented in a way that is really simple and easy to digest. Very understandable, everything is extremely raw, especially the way music was recorded back then. Sometimes they would record straight to vinyl, there isn't any re-do or overdub. That kind of stuff that has attracted me towards that sort of era.

Do you think the ideas and attitudes of that era are having a resurgence?

Having a resurgence? Yeah, I think so, I'm starting to get a sense that people are starting to enjoy bands like that again.
We've watched the music scene have it's fair share of changes, bands that make simple garage rock and stuff have always been around and that hasn't changed either. But a lot of produced rock and roll and electronic music, that kind of blend of electronic and indie music, people are creating simplistic, minimal rock songs as a kind of reaction towards that.

I find it's sort of like a vicious cycle, it comes and goes. Every time electronica takes over for a while and then disappears altogether.

It's funny that the bands aren't exactly going anywhere, but it's a matter of what the public picks up on.

It just depends on what the media wants to share I guess.

In your song Build. Destroy, Rebuild, is it a call to society to make some changes, or would you like it to remain a bit more ambiguous?

It's not so specific you know? it's got kind of an anthemic quality to it. I felt like it could relate to my views and opinions on various things and topics.

It's just a general idea, if you're comfortable with the way you are doing this, then you should probably trash it and re-think everything and re-do it. I know that's how I get, any time I feel complacent I would probably want to fuck it up. Subconsciously sabotage it so I can start again.

Is that one of the reasons you left your work as a creative director and started the whole music thing?

My whole thing is, if your going to do it then fucking do it. Don't sit around. I had one foot in and one foot out because I was worried about things like how am I going to survive? It all works out, you just gotta go for it. Things start working out.

More people should do that, sadly everyone is too busy trying to be safe these days.

It definitely feels a little nervous doing that, I know I did. There was a good week I was like what the fuck am I doing. Then I just thought fuck it I'm on tour so like whatever.

What sort of music do you listen to/have you been listening to recently?

New stuff? Or like stuff I always listen to.

A mix of both, I guess?

I have been listening to Jeff the Brotherhood record. They have a great new album.

Classics? I really like the Cramps, Dead Moon, Don Cavalli had an album called Cry Land, really fantastic record. I listen to a lot of stuff.

I heard sections on your album that reminded me of Iggy Pop's early stuff throughout your record.

Yeah, definitely his early stuff was great.

What can Aussie fans expect from an El Khatib show?

At our shows, it's just us two playing loud?! It's pretty much what we do.

Will you be doing any sideshows while you're here?

We have Pyramid Rock, then doing Peats Ridge Festival and then a sideshow in Sydney and another sideshow in Collingwood?

Yeah, down in Melbourne

We're really excited, hopefully it works out and we get to come back you know?

Always great to have different musicians come down, Australia's pretty lucky in that sense.

I'm yet to hear anyone complain about a trip down under, let's put it that way. In fact one of my friends went to Australia on a ski tour, which was supposed to last two weeks, he ended up staying for two years. So go figure.

Maybe that might happen to you, who knows?

Haha, that'd be awesome.

Alright, thanks for your time Hanni.

No thank you.

Hopefully I get to check out your show when you get down here.

Yeah if you see me definitely come say hi. Good chatting to you.

Definitely, will do.

Cheers.

Photo Courtesy of Nick Walker. (http://www.nickwalkerphotography.com)