Hammer Museum and KCRW Present the 2011 "ALSO I LIKE TO ROCK" Music Series

The free, all ages concerts will feature emerging bands on four consecutive Thursdays in July.

The Hammer courtyard turns electric in July, when Also I Like to Rock returns for a series of free concerts featuring today’s top emerging bands. Presented in partnership with KCRW 89.9 FM and curated by Buzz Bands LA, the evenings kick off at 7pm with DJ sets by KCRW’s own selectors followed by two band performances at 8pm, including headliners Graffiti6, The Soft Pack, Grouplove, and The Henry Clay People. The full line up is below. DJs start at 7pm and bands play at 8pm.

Admission is free and on a first come, first served basis. Hammer members and KCRW subscribers at all levels receive priority entry and exclusive access to the VIP lounge. Concertgoers are encouraged to arrive early and take advantage of $3 parking available after 6pm under the museum. During the summer music series, the galleries stay open until 9pm.

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.

Hanni El Khatib

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.

Milo Greene

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.”

Lady Danville

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.

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ABOUT KCRW

KCRW 89.9FM, licensed to Santa Monica College, is National Public Radio's flagship station for Southern California. The Santa Monica-based nonprofit represents cutting edge radio at its best, presenting an eclectic mix of independent music, news, talk and arts programming. The terrestrial signal serves Los Angeles, Orange, Ventura Counties, as well as parts of San Diego, San Bernardino, Kern, and Santa Barbara Counties and the greater Palm Springs area. KCRW’s programming is internationally renowned and available worldwide via KCRW.com, including three streaming channels, 27 podcasts and archives of our locally-produced programs and live band performances. Hear KCRW music online, all the time, on the ALL music stream Eclectic24.

BUZZ BANDS LA (http://buzzbands.la), the headquarters of former Los Angeles Times editor/writer Kevin Bronson, is an independent website focused on music made and played in and around L.A., offering news, reviews, interviews and song downloads. Buzz Bands has become the go-to source for fans seeking what's new and who's cool.