Liam Sumnicht

The Few, The Proud, The Strange: An interview with Not A Planet

 
Not A Planet is a band that has been heightening the KC music scene since 2010. The band’s devoted fans and passion for creating powerful music has allowed them to tour the United States and produce its first full-length album, The Few, The Proud, The Strange, in 2013. Not A Planet’s tour manager, Jodie Platz, coordinated and joined this interview, which took place in their practice room at her home. 
 
The Deli:  What conflicts in your life have inspired your lyrics?
 
Nathan Corsi: My experiences as a kid made me feel like I had a lot to prove. I have really supportive parents. I went to a conservatory for a year before I dropped out. A lot of great writers had troubled childhoods, and I think I had a more troubled adulthood that causes me to write the way I do. I got mugged when I lived out in New York City, a month and a half after I moved there. I’d gone out there with a bag and a guitar playing in subways and small venues. I ended up in KC because my family was here,and it was a chance for me to recoup until I found my home, and then I found my band here.
 
The Deli:  What could make the KC music scene better?
 
Nathan: Where are the people coming out to the shows? There are amazing bands here. It’s a tragedy that so few people are at the clubs Monday through Thursday. There are shows that don’t go too late for people who have to work and most places aren’t charging covers.
 
Bill Sturges: There are so many beautiful, amazing, crazy things going down every single night in Kansas City,and it just takes what one step out the door to find it.
 
Liam Sumnicht: I agree people need to come out more. I also think typically people don’t care about what’s happening in their own backyard unless other people care. It’s caddy of me to say, but people will pay attention when they know people in LA like [KC music]. It’s natural.
 
The Deli: Why should people see Not A Planet live?
 
Bill: We lay it down. We try to remove all barriers so [the audience] can enter into a different world. Because the reality you experience during the week doesn’t play into the show. There’s an energy that we try to put in, and we accomplish it. We put everything we have on the table. Come watch us crumble and rise again.
 
The Deli: How often are you are tour?
 
Liam: We do around 100 shows a year. We have been out for weeks at a time to Florida and the East Coast. And regionally we’re out almost every weekend.
 
Bill: Anywhere from St. Louis, to Manhattan, to Joplin, to Wichita, to Oklahoma.
 
Nathan: [Not a Planet] only plays in Kansas City about once a month, not including cover shows.
 
The Deli: Wait. What cover shows?
 
Nathan: We have a separate cover band with the same members. It’s called Ragged Heirs. We try to keep it upbeat and timely. We play…
 
Everyone: Beatles, Simon and Garfunkel, Foster the People, Kings of Leon, Bo Diddley, Robert Johnson, Tom Waits, all the stuff that grooves a little bit.
 
The Deli: Does touring hinder producing new material?
 
Nathan: It makes it hard.
 
Liam: But it also keeps you in good shape musically. It’s a double-edged sword. It keeps you on your toes, but takes away time from being able to write music.
 
Bill: In our lives we find things that we have to do, and the things that we love. In this room, we all understand that sometimes for the things we love, we have to carve out time. Two weeks [on tour] is beautiful because you get your feet wet. Three weeks is a marathon. We’ve talked to people like us who have been out for two months or longer. It gets treacherous at that point; it’s almost survival mode.
 
The Deli: What’s your favorite kind of audience?
 
Liam: The audience that gets it. When you can connect with people, that’s the most amazing and beautiful part of playing live.
 
Bill: I started playing music because I got the goose bumps sometimes in [high school] band and stuff. That’s the music reaching out and touching your soul. That’s why we continue to do it.
 
Nathan: Mostly I’m in it for the money and the women. [laughs]
 
The Deli: Speaking of money…
 
Bill: We make so much money.
 
Liam: Rollin! Sometimes at night we just pour our hundreds into a bathtub and all crawl in and take a bath.
 
Jodie: We go to McDonald’s and don’t order off the dollar menu.
 
Nathan: We get on a diving board to jump into our pool of money and swim around in it.
 
Bill: But in all seriousness, none of us have ever made money off of Not A Planet, but Not A Planet makes money; I’ve never had to pay [out of pocket] for gas, or vans; I’ve traveled across the US for free.
 
Nathan: Not A Planet is self-sustaining. It has paid for us to make records and go on tour, which costs thousands of dollars.
 
The Deli: Jodie, what’s your role in Not A Planet?
 
Jodie: Tour manager, director of media, photographer. I field the shows and make sure the band is on time. I do so much sometimes I can’t remember it all. It’s a full-time job. I came on about 2 years ago. I saw them open for another band I was working for at the time, and I was hooked. I was supposed to move to California, but I moved back to KC and wondered what I was going to do. I remembered [Not A Planet], and two weeks later I was with in the band and going to Florida.
 
Are you working on a second album?
 
Nathan: We’re working on music. A second album is a twinkle in our eyes right now.
 
Not A Planet is:
Nathan Corsi: guitarist, singer, wordsmith
Liam Sumnicht: drums, vocals
Bill Sturges: bass, vocals
Jodie Platz: tour manager
 
--Hannah Copeland
 
Hannah Copeland is a UMKC business student and self proclaimed "Fun Engineer". She books concerts for local bands every month, is working on an e-commerce music merchandise start-up, and is a lyricist and singer for her electronic band, Hunter Gatherer. She cannot wait to graduate next spring and work in radio broadcasting, music promotions, or bartending in South America. You can contact her at HeyHannahCopeland@gmail.com.
 
 
Not A Planet takes the stage again this Saturday at VooDoo Lounge, alongside St. Joseph’s Eyelit and Joplin’s Me Like Bees. Show starts at 9 p.m. Facebook event page.
 
 
May 29, 2014    

Not A Planet Runner Up in The Deli KC's 2013 Best Emerging Artist

Congrats to Not A Planet, The Deli KC’s #3 pick for 2013 Emerging Artist!
 
Not A Planet has garnered well-deserved attention with its unmistakably catchy pop sound, complete with pleasant vocal harmonies and a garage rock edge. Frontman Nathan Corsi’s vocals are passionate, theatrical, and soulful all at once, weaving together the trio’s cohesive, sincere indie rock approach. Corsi, along with bassist William Sturges and drummer Liam Sumnicht (see our 2013 interview with Sumnicht), command each stage they play with exuberance, finesse, and finely crafted songs.
 
In mid-2013, Not A Planet released its debut LP concept album, The Few, The Proud, The Strange (see our review). The trio has opened up for big names like ZZ Ward, Flogging Molly, and Maps and Atlases, and returns on tour this month to introduce more audiences to its infectious, energetic sound.

 
 

Not A Planet will be heading out on tour this month, but you can catch them when they return for their first KC show of the year at The Riot Room on Friday, February 28, with Me Like Bees and The Electric Lungs. Facebook event page.

--Michelle Bacon

Michelle Bacon is editor of The Deli KC and plays bass in The Philistines and Dolls on Fire, and drums in Drew Black & Dirty Electric.

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February 04, 2014    

On The Beat with Liam Sumnicht

(Photo by Jodie Platz Photography) 

From promoting local music by presenting it on the radio or pounding on a kit on stage, Liam Sumnicht is a loud proponent of the Kansas City music scene. His band Not A Planet is getting its name known in the area with an album release in the next month, and is playing one of the MidCoast Takeover fundraisers this weekend. To find out more about Liam, catch the beat right here!
 
--Michelle Bacon
 
On The Beat is an exclusive feature from The Deli Magazine-Kansas City that showcases many of the talented drummers in the Kansas City area. 
 

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February 15, 2013    

On The Beat with Liam Sumnicht

 
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On The Beat with Liam Sumnicht
 
A vital part of the Kansas City music scene, Liam Sumnicht supports the community as drummer for rock band Not A Planet and as co-host of a radio show devoted to presenting local talent. We catch up with Liam and learn a bit more about the man behind the scenes.

The Deli: How did the drums find you?
 
Liam Sumnicht: My parents swear that when I was in the womb, my dad would tap a specific beat on my mom's stomach, and I would tap it back exactly as he had. Aside from that and banging pots and pans as a child (bless my mother for her patience), I started drum lessons in elementary school, right before I was old enough to join the school band. My teachers had me develop my hands for 2 to 3 years before I moved to the kit.
 
The Deli: Have you played other instruments?
 
LS: Nothing major. My stepbrother was in a metal band that was touring stadiums in the '80s, and he let me make noise on his guitars at a young age. My mom played the harp for a living as I grew up, and felt music was an important part of life. Between maybe, 5 and 10 years old, she taught me some very elementary things on the harp and the recorder, as well as how to sing rounds and carry a tune. My family instilled a cool and diverse groundwork for me, which I'm thankful for.
 
The Deli: What type of kit(s) do you use?
 
LS: I play and endorse C&C Custom Drums. My kit has a green sparkle stripe on white background, with white powder coated rims. It looks nice, but more importantly, it sounds great. I have a lot of pride for the company: their quality in new vintage drums, and the waves they are making for our town. It can be a challenge for a business to represent KC nationally or globally. But when my band hits the road to a coast, no matter where we go, it seems like every drummer I run into that sees my kit tells me everything they know about C&C, and how they are planning to get theirs designed when they get one. It's an integral piece of my KC pride.
 
The Deli: Biggest influences?
 
LS: My goal is to play drums to the song. Musicians I've played with have influenced how I play, and drum teachers and producers have taught me a whole stinkin' lot about doing it better. As far as national drummers (or national records with multiple drummers) that have left their mark: Taylor Hawkins (Foo Fighters), John Pike (RIP) (Ra Ra Riot), John Bonham (Zeppelin), Worship and Tribute by Glassjaw, As Tall As Lions by As Tall As Lions.
 
The Deli: Tell us about some of the bands you’ve been in.
 
LS: I started in high school with a band called Plain Wight. We were together for several years. That experience taught me a lot about how to be in band, write together, approach the business aspects, and work as a team. When that band's time came to an end, I didn't play with anyone for several months and it started to bug me. So I decided to fill in with as many groups as possible, in as many genres as possible. One of those was The Tambourine Club. That was fun. The main brain behind the project is Bryan Lamanno, and he writes this cool, indie, lo-fi garage rock. After a few months of playing all different styles, I needed one to call my own. Not long after, Not A Planet was formed.
 
The Deli: What is your approach to drumming? Has it evolved much since you started playing?
 
LS: In the beginning, I just wanted to hit hard, loud, and play as many things at once as possible. I still love playing hard and loud, but over time, I've grown to have an affection for the beauty of dynamics and negative space. I think the goal is and always was to make things big. It's just the approach that changes, and learning more about how to do it better.
  
The Deli: Okay, let’s say you get to pick a group of KC/Lawrence drummers to make a drum circle with. Who would they be?
 
LS: You're telling me I get to pick a bunch of drummers to play with? Let's do eight: all kit players, and all with different backgrounds.
 
Billy Johnson (Shots Fired, many more) to bring the heavy hitting
Josh Enyart (Jorge Arana Trio, Various Blonde) to bring the syncopation
Lennon Bone (Ha Ha Tonka) to bring the dynamics
Aaron Crawford (Flee The Seen, Beautiful Bodies) to bring the speed
Thomas Becker (guitarist, Beautiful Bodies) to bring the party
The Ryantist (Antennas Up) to bring the funkiness
Tim Cote (Me Like Bees) to bring the creativity.
 
I can't imagine what a challenge it would be to keep eight set players of different in the pocket together, but that'd part of the fun.
 
The Deli: You’re not only a drummer; you co-host Homegrown Buzz on 96.5 on Sunday nights. Tell us a little bit about that and who some of your favorite KC bands are.
 
LS: A little over four years ago, I started going to a lot of shows, and the talent in the area was glaringly obvious. But, for whatever reason, labels tend to avoid Kansas City. And as the curse of the local band tends to go, if the record label doesn't care, most townspeople don't care. That was frustrating for me, and I wanted to share my excitement for the talent here. So, I stumbled my way onto Homegrown about three-and-a-half years ago, and I’ve been able to share a little love for some of the great area bands ever since. I've got a lot of favorites in many genres, but I've been on a folky/indie, "quiet" kick recently. The bands I'll list here either do that exclusively, or have bits and pieces of it. They are all amazing. Eyelit, The Blackbird Revue, Me Like Bees, Towers, O, Giant Man, Cowboy Indian Bear, and Quiet Corral.
 
The Deli: What other plans do you have for the bands this year?
 
LS: We just finished tracking our debut full-length record. This is a proud moment for us. We recorded at Black Lodge, fearlessly led by the charming and talented producer, Michael Stout. It's a concept record involving the seven stages of grief, life, death, and reincarnation, and will release in March. Also in March, I'm thrilled to say that we are headed to SXSW to play Midwest Music Foundation’s Midcoast Takeover showcase. What a great thing to be a part of. The work that MMF does for our scene is another piece of my KC pride. And in the coming months, we'll be back out on the road, in our dingy, trusty van, Gertrude, spreading the word of the new record, one city at a time.
 
Sumnicht will join his band Not A Planet on Saturday, February 16 for the fourth MidCoast Takeover fundraiser at The Brick. The group will be playing at 12:30, along with Rev Gusto, Cherokee Rock Rifle, and David Hasselhoff on Acid. Facebook event page here. You can also catch him on Homegrown Buzz on Sundays at 8:00 to 10:00 pm on 96.5 The Buzz. Not A Planet was also one of over 40 KC artists selected to play the 2013 MidCoast Takeover showcase at SXSW from March 13-16 at Shangri-La in Austin, Texas.
 
--Michelle Bacon 
 
Michelle is editor-in-chief of The Deli - Kansas City. She plays with Deco Auto, Drew Black and Dirty Electric, and Dolls on Fire. She just finished eating jalapeno bourbon bacon from Local Pig, but is not a cannibal.
 
 
Liam Sumnicht
 
 
 
 
 
Not A Planet
 Photo by Todd Zimmer
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

February 15, 2013    

On The Beat with Liam Sumnicht

 
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Description: http://www.thedelimagazine.com/graphics/black_line.jpg
On The Beat with Liam Sumnicht
 
An important part of the Kansas City music scene, Liam Sumnicht supports the community as drummer for rock band Not A Planet and as co-host of a radio show devoted to presenting local talent. We catch up with Liam and learn a bit more about the man behind the scenes.

The Deli: How did the drums find you?
 
Liam Sumnicht: My parents swear that when I was in the womb, my dad would tap a specific beat on my mom's stomach, and I would tap it back exactly as he had. Aside from that and banging pots and pans as a child (bless my mother for her patience), I started drum lessons in elementary school, right before I was old enough to join the school band. My teachers had me develop my hands for 2 to 3 years before I moved to the kit.
 
The Deli: Other instruments?
 
LS: Nothing major. My stepbrother was in a metal band that was touring stadiums in the '80s, and he let me make noise on his guitars at a young age. My mom played the harp for a living as I grew up, and felt music was an important part of life. Between maybe, 5 and 10 years old, she taught me some very elementary things on the harp and the recorder, as well as how to sing rounds and carry a tune. My family instilled a cool and diverse groundwork for me, which I'm thankful for.
 
The Deli: What type of kit(s) do you use?
 
LS: I play and endorse C&C Custom Drums. My kit has a green sparkle stripe on white background, with white powder coated rims. It looks nice, but more importantly, it sounds great. I have a lot of pride for the company: their quality in new vintage drums, and the waves they are making for our town. It can be a challenge for a business to represent KC nationally or globally. But when my band hits the road to a coast, no matter where we go, it seems like every drummer I run into that sees my kit tells me everything they know about C&C, and how they are planning to get theirs designed when they get one. It's an integral piece of my KC pride.
 
The Deli: Biggest influences?
 
LS: My goal is to play drums to the song. Musicians I've played with have influenced how I play, and drum teachers and producers have taught me a whole stinkin' lot about doing it better. As far as national drummers (or national records with multiple drummers) that have left their mark: Taylor Hawkins (Foo Fighters), John Pike (RIP) (Ra Ra Riot), John Bonham (Zeppelin), Worship and Tribute by Glassjaw, As Tall As Lions by As Tall As Lions.
 
The Deli: Tell us about some of the bands you’ve been in.
 
LS: I started in high school with a band called Plain Wight. We were together for several years. That experience taught me a lot about how to be in band, write together, approach the business aspects, and work as a team. When that band's time came to an end, I didn't play with anyone for several months and it started to bug me. So I decided to fill in with as many groups as possible, in as many genres as possible. One of those was The Tambourine Club. That was fun. The main brain behind the project is Bryan Lamanno, and he writes this cool, indie, lo-fi garage rock. After a few months of playing all different styles, I needed one to call my own. Not long after, Not A Planet was formed.
 
The Deli: What is your approach to drumming? Has it evolved much since you started playing?
 
LS: In the beginning, I just wanted to hit hard, loud, and play as many things at once as possible. I still love playing hard and loud, but over time, I've grown to have an affection for the beauty of dynamics and negative space. I think the goal is and always was to make things big. It's just the approach that changes, and learning more about how to do it better.
  
The Deli: Okay, let’s say you get to pick a group of KC/Lawrence drummers to make a drum circle with. Who would they be?
 
LS: You're telling me I get to pick a bunch of drummers to play with? Let's do eight: all kit players, and all with different backgrounds.
Billy Johnson (Shots Fired, many more) to bring the heavy hitting
Josh Enyart (Jorge Arana Trio, Various Blonde) to bring the syncopation
Lennon Bone (Ha Ha Tonka) to bring the dynamics
Aaron Crawford (Flee The Seen, Beautiful Bodies) to bring the speed
Thomas Becker (guitarist, Beautiful Bodies) to bring the party
The Ryantist (Antennas Up) to bring the funkiness
Tim Cote (Me Like Bees) to bring the creativity.
 
I can't imagine what a challenge it would be to keep eight set players of different in the pocket together, but that'd part of the fun.
 
The Deli: You’re not only a drummer; you co-host Homegrown Buzz on 96.5 on Sunday nights. Tell us a little bit about that and who some of your favorite KC bands are.
 
LS: A little over four years ago, I started going to a lot of shows, and the talent in the area was glaringly obvious. But, for whatever reason, labels tend to avoid Kansas City. And as the curse of the local band tends to go, if the record label doesn't care, most townspeople don't care. That was frustrating for me, and I wanted to share my excitement for the talent here. So, I stumbled my way onto Homegrown about three-and-a-half years ago, and I’ve been able to share a little love for some of the great area bands ever since. I've got a lot of favorites in many genres, but I've been on a folky/indie, "quiet" kick recently. The bands I'll list here either do that exclusively, or have bits and pieces of it. They are all amazing. Eyelit, The Blackbird Revue, Me Like Bees, Towers, O, Giant Man, Cowboy Indian Bear, and Quiet Corral.
 
Sumnicht will join his band Not A Planet on Saturday, February 16 for the fourth MidCoast Takeover fundraiser at The Brick. The group will be playing at 12:30, along with Rev Gusto, Cherokee Rock Rifle, and David Hasselhoff on Acid. Facebook event page here. You can also catch him on Homegrown Buzz on Sundays at 8 pm on 96.5 The Buzz. Not A Planet was also one of over 40 KC artists selected to play the 2013 MidCoast Takeover showcase at SXSW from March 13-16 at Shangri-La in Austin, Texas.
 
The Deli: What other plans do you have for the bands this year?
 
LS: We just finished tracking our debut full-length record. This is a proud moment for us. We recorded at Black Lodge, fearlessly led by the charming and talented producer, Michael Stout. It's a concept record involving the seven stages of grief, life, death, and reincarnation, and will release in March. Also in March, I'm thrilled to say that we are headed to SXSW to play Midwest Music Foundation’s Midcoast Takeover showcase. What a great thing to be a part of. The work that MMF does for our scene is another piece of my KC pride. And in the coming months, we'll be back out on the road, in our dingy, trusty van, Gertrude, spreading the word of the new record, one city at a time.
 
--Michelle Bacon 
 
Michelle is editor-in-chief of The Deli - Kansas City. She plays with Deco Auto, Drew Black and Dirty Electric, and Dolls on Fire. She just finished eating jalapeno bourbon bacon from Local Pig, but is not a cannibal.
 
 
Liam Sumnicht
 
 
Photo by Todd Zimmer
 
 
Not A Planet
 Photo by Todd Zimmer
 
 
 
 
 

 

February 15, 2013