Also I Like To Rock: UCLA Hammer Free Thursday Shows Begin Tonight

HEADS UP
Graffiti6 + Eastern Conference Champions w. KCRW DJ Dan Wilcox
Hammer Museum, Tonight, 7pm
FREE

“Also I Like to Rock” Starts on July 7

The free, all ages concert series, presented by the Hammer Museum and KCRW, is held Thursdays in July.

KCRW (89.9FM and KCRW) will continue a cultural collaboration with the Hammer Museum for a second season this summer as Also I Like to Rock returns for a series of free, all ages concerts.

The evenings kick off at 7pm with DJ sets by KCRW’s own selectors followed by two band performances starting at 8pm, including headliners Graffiti6, who appeared on Morning Becomes Eclectic this week, San Diego standouts The Soft Pack, pop-loving quintet Grouplove (who made their U.S. radio debut on KCRW!), and local rockers The Henry Clay People. The full line up is below and here.

On top of seeing some excellent indie bands, attendees can wander the museum galleries until 9pm. Also, Hammer members and KCRW subscribers at all levels receive priority entry and exclusive access to the VIP lounge.

The Hammer Museum is located in the heart of Westwood and admission is on a first come, first served basis. Concertgoers are encouraged to get there early and take advantage of $3 parking available after 6pm under the museum.

Also I Like to Rock 2011 Line Up

Thursday, July 7, 7PM
Graffiti6 + Eastern Conference Champions
KCRW DJ: Dan Wilcox

British rockers Graffiti6 were formed in 2008 around the talents of singer-songwriter Jamie Scott and DJ, writer, and producer Tommy D., who has worked with the likes of Jay-Z and Kanye West. Together they craft a heady, upbeat blend of soulful electropop that falls somewhere in between the Beta Band, Morcheeba, and Gnarls Barkley. The duo’s “psychedelic Northern Soul” is a feast for the ears.

Eastern Conference Champions
The triangulation of Bucks County, Pa.-reared Joshua Ostrander and Greg Lyons along with L.A. guitarist Melissa Dougherty, Eastern Conference Champions fashion indie-rock that can go from ferocious to tender in a heartbeat. The trio gained attention last year when its song “A Million Miles an Hour” was featured in The Twilight Saga: Eclipse soundtrack and kept the momentum going with the April release of their new album Speak-Ahh.

Thursday, July 14, 7PM
The Soft Pack + Hanni El Khatib
KCRW DJ: Chuck P

Launched in 2008 in San Diego by guitar-playing friends Matty McLoughlin and Matt Lamkin, The Soft Pack rocketed to success in 2009 with a punk-meets-garage rock sound inspired by the Modern Lovers, the Fall, the Velvet Underground and the Ramones. With bassist Dave Lantzman and drummer Brian Hill, the foursome released its self-titled debut in 2010 on Kemado Records and has toured the world, including dates at the Coachella and Lollapalooza festivals.

A multi-instrumentalist who serves as singer, songwriter, and producer for his one-man band, Hanni El Khatib wields a sinewy guitar and a wry, whiskey-glazed voice to fashion a mix of bluesy garage-rock soul and malt-shop music for those who drink them spiked with bourbon.

Thursday, July 21, 7PM
Grouplove + Milo Greene
KCRW DJ: Eric J. Lawrence

Los Angeles-based quintet Grouplove came together on the island of Crete, where two friends from New York, Hannah Hooper and Christian Zucconi, met future bandmates Sean Gadd, Ryan Rabin and Andrew Wessen at an art residency. Finding immediate chemistry, the fivesome moved to L.A. to refine and record an EP of ambitious pop marked by sweeping anthems and soaring harmonies. A full album is due this year.

New L.A. pop quintet Milo Greene came together when former UC Irvine classmates Robbie Arnett, Andrew Heringer and Marlana Sheetz reunited for songwriting sessions and, finding common ground in the harmony-laden pop of the 1960s and 1970s, emerged with a batch of undeniably engaging material. They have since expanded their circle by adding Curtis Marrero and Graham Fink and are currently recording songs for their debut release.

Thursday, July 28, 7PM
The Henry Clay People + Lady Danville
KCRW DJ: Chris Douridas

The Pavement- and Tom Petty-influenced rock of L.A.’s the Henry Clay People is informed by the sibling revelry of Joey and Andy Siara, who trade jibes, jabs and guitar licks in the quintet’s hyperactive, angsty tunes. Their third album “Somewhere on the Golden Coast” came out in 2010 on TBD Records and the band followed it up this spring with a punk rock-influenced EP, “This Is a Desert.”

Indie-pop standouts Lady Danville were born when Michael Garner and Dan Chang — natives of Danville, CA — met Matt Frankel at a tryout for UCLA’s Awaken a capella group. Not content simply to harmonize, the threesome took up instruments and embarked on a songwriting campaign that earned them acclaim with tune “Tired Magician” and eventually gigs opening for Ben Folds, Dashboard Confessional and Jack’s Mannequin.