Hanni El Khatib talks up his new album, set for first San Diego appearance

By Logan Broyles | Downtown News

If you have not heard of him yet, remember the name. It may not be long before Hanni El Khatib has cemented himself as a big gun in the ever-popular blues renaissance sweeping the music industry.

His heavy blues style and raspy voice have often drawn comparisons to the White Stripes and the Black Keys.

“I think maybe people like to compare us because we all had similar influences,” Khatib said. “Our music is rooted in blues and rock ‘n’ roll.”

Khatib has been something of a late bloomer, having only committed to a career as a musician last year. Yet he has already left a mark on the music industry.

A Bay Area native, Khatib made his way to Los Angeles two years ago. At the time, he was working as a creative director for HUF skateboards. The move was prompted by the company relocating offices.

He decided to focus solely on music a year ago, and already the 30-year-old half-Palestinian, half-Filipino singer has toured twice with Florence and the Machine.

Some of the songs off of his first album, “Will the Guns Come Out,” have been included on TV shows like “Eastbound & Down” and “Californication,” as well as in a few Nike and Nissan commercials.

If his first album is any indication of the promise of this star on the rise, his second may be the one that rockets him to stardom. After bonding over their love of el blues during a random meeting in Paris, Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys will be lending his skills in the recording studio for Khatib’s upcoming album. The two will start recording together in June and Khatib said he hopes it will be released later this year.

Khatib said, “[Auerbach] invited me to come use his studio for my next record, and that naturally led into talks about working on the record together with him as a producer.”

Khatib said of the album and its new direction, “It’s going to be a lot more developed and evolved in terms of the instruments and guitar playing, and I’m more open to being experimental and trying new things. I’m very eager to try out some new instruments and get out of my normal comfort zone.”

Auerbach is only signed up to play a producer role right now, but some are hoping he hops on the guitar for a few songs. Considering many people mistake some of Khatib’s songs for Black Keys tracks, it seems like more than just a coincidence that these two met one night on the other side of the Atlantic.

With his raw talent, Auerbach’s help, and a solid foundation of owning his own record label, the best is yet to come for this promising new star. He makes his way down the coast for his first show in San Diego on May 11 at The Casbah, located at 2501 Kettner Blvd.