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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
Thomas Becker (guitarist, Beautiful Bodies) to bring the party
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.
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Not A Planet
Photo by Todd Zimmer
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