Have you heard Hanni El Khatib? The first generation half Palestinian/half Filipino is just bad ass, angrily riffing out a cunning execution of classic American blues, garage, punk and doo-wop into a post-rock n’ roll frenzy. Just hit play on his “Come Alive” video below and you’ll know instantly if you’ll like his music — Florence & the Machine did, enough to drag him along on tour with them this spring. My old man, who introduced me to a lot of my favorite music to this day, said something to the effect of, “Wow, who’s this? This isn’t terrible at all!”, which for a modern artist is a compliment of the highest order in his world. The Los Angeles rabblerouser drops his debut LP Will The Guns Come Out today on Innovative Leisure — buy it HERE if you like what you hear. Then read our quick Q&A below to find out about Hanni’s affinity for Louis CK, AMC Ramblers and his real ride or die bitch… literally…

Allow me to introduce myself, I’m…
Hanni El Khatib

You can find me…
Los Angeles, CA, in a dimly lit bar.

You might’ve heard of me because…
I make music and enjoy photos of crashed cars

But why you really should know me is…
I managed to survive 3 days alone in the desert with nothing but a knife, gummy bears and some rattlesnake venom.

If it wasn’t for   being over ambitious and relentless_ I wouldn’t be where I am today

Hit the Jump to continue reading our Q&A with Hanni El Khatib…

“I managed to survive 3 days alone in the desert with nothing but a knife, gummy bears and some rattlesnake venom...”

The first piece of music I heard that I remember waking up my ears was…
Probably Jimi Hendrix when I was a little kid.

The last piece of music I heard that woke up my ears is…
Blue Rondos “Little Baby”

I hate to admit it, but I almost gave music up when…
I’ve never really wanted to give up making music. It’s something I hope to make until I die, whether I have a career in it or it’s just a hobby.

But it all came together when…
I got the test pressing for my first 45.

If I was taking a train from Paris to Madrid, the one person I’d want to share the cabin with would be…
It might have to be Louis C.K. I find him to be extremely funny and a bit twisted which makes me think he’s my type of dude. I’d like to share a drink and some stories with that guy.

If you want to put a smile on my face, you probably want to…
Bring me my dog Harlow

If you want to wipe that smile away, then you should…
Put me in traffic on the freeway

The last time I saw the sun come up I was…
London. 3 weeks ago. Endless zombie night.

The person I admire most is…
Anyone being creative and pushing boundaries

The last time I lied was because…
I didn’t feel like getting into a long drawn out conversation

If you hit shuffle on my iPod you might be shocked to find…
A fair amount of R. Kelly

If you hit shuffle on my iPod I’d be embarrassed if it landed on…
My weird voice memos to myself that I record on my phone

When I get my first really big check, I’m gonna go score a…
A mid 60s Ford Falcon Ranchero

But it’ll never replace…
My 64 AMC Rambler

My one magic power is…
Time travel

I’d like to give a quick shout-out to…
Oh shit, this will be fun. Just like mid-90s rap album liner notes. Here goes: Meegs, Nicky Fleming-Yaryan aka Gary, Ricky Saiz, Marc Bianchi, Nick Andre locked down in D-Block, Jamie Strong, Nate Nelson, IL Records, Nick Walker aka Chainsaw, Skippy the cat, Harlow for being my ride or die bitch, Apple, Clem — I love you, Margot, Aesop Rock, PWC: Pickle Whiskey Crew, Perkel, The Cramps, Gene Vincent, Evan Gatica, YasFX, Rob, Flo, Mairead, Chris, Isa, Mark, Tom, LLL, Will Ferrell for holding me down all these years, Neuz Pollution, Simon Cahn, B.B., Wizard Tattoos, peyote, Rick Rodney, Tepper, Garcia, Ignored Prayers 4 Lyfe, Kevin Hocken, Salvador Dali, Danzig, A Tribe Called Quest, Truetone for keeping my shit tite, SF burritos, 14th St., LA Tacos, The Lusty Lady, Fritz, AMC Rambler, Woo, Scotty, Anna Karina, Billy T, Lux interior, Poison Ivy, Mickey Mouse and Bootleggers. WTF. FTW.

And lastly, if I was Lost In a Supermarket, you’d find me in the…
The cheese aisle

Hanni El Khatib Upcoming Shows

FRI 9/30    SF = Bottom of The Hill (Release Party)
MON 10/3  LA = KCRW ‘MBE’  + Bardot
WED 10/5  LA = El Rey w/ Peter Bjorn & John
THU 10/6   SF = Great American Music Hall w/ Peter Bjorn & John

All photos by Guy Lowndes