NYC

Album review: Not A Planet – The Few, The Proud, The Strange

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(Photo by Todd Zimmer)

To say that Not A Planet puts on a show is an understatement. Led by Nathan Corsi and his extremely detailed, story-driven lyrics and oh-so-sexy guitar presence, Not A Planet brings something most bands in this region are unable to do without overdoing it. Corsi, backed by the fast fingered “Wild” Bill Sturges on bass and the one and only (dare I say handsome) Liam Sumnicht on the drums (see our interview with Sumnicht), this trio brings one hundred and ten percent of their energy to every show they play. Extravagant and catchy in all the best ways, Not A Planet’s newly-released twelve-song LP The Few, The Proud, The Strange shouldn’t have a problem winning over fans of rock and roll in a heartbeat.

 
Opening track “Greatest Show On Earth” kicks the record off with a whimsical bang. Lyrical metaphors of a grandiose circus reflect in the dynamic music that carries Corsi’s voice. The line, “Climbing in the cannon, a smile on his face, he waves at all the sadists in the crowd” might explain why the album cover has a stunt man helmet on the front. The track serves as a proclamation of what to expect throughout the rest of this record: elaborate tales and massive instrumentation.
 
“Girl Comes Down” is a beautiful singer/songwriter ballad that I imagine would warm the hearts of lovers around the world. With its simplistic nature (vocals and clean folk guitar) a love story unfolds that just makes you want to hold your loved one close. If Wesley from The Princess Bride played guitar, he would definitely learn this song and play it for Buttercup.
 
The next track, “Kingdom Come,” shows off a punchier side of Not A Planet. Sturges’ groovy bass lines really shine on this track. His ability to hold down the low end is impeccable and it becomes even more apparent throughout the rest of the record. Sumnicht keeps the song fast and fun. If you’re a fan of air drumming, this song will keep you extremely busy. The band recently filmed a music video for “Kingdom Come” at the Nelson-Atkins Art Museum (see below).
 
“Bang Goes The Gun” is one of my favorite songs to watch Not A Planet play live. Here, they do an excellent job recreating the explosiveness that makes this song great. The dainty rim shots, deep bass, and smooth vocals that start the song out are abruptly interrupted by a chorus hits harder than Floyd Mayweather. “Bang Goes The Gun” packs a punch that makes The Few, The Proud, The Strange a force to recon with.
 
Without skipping a beat, “Black Dress” follows, and would give The Black Keys a run for their money. Oozing with swankyness and bluesy riffage, “Black Dress” will make you move. No if, ands, or buts. Well…maybe butts.
 
“Invisible Man” is an eerie track that is filled with haunting, reverb-soaked vocals, interesting time signature changes, and soaring guitar solos. After giving it a few listens, there is no denying that Not A Planet can write a catchy chorus no matter what the vibe of the song is.
 
A little slower-paced than the previous two tracks, “Low” would make Stevie Ray Vaughn proud. After bashing himself for all of his faults, Corsi sings the lyrics, “You don’t know how low I would go.” With its waltz-like rhythm, it develops into an evil carnival of self-observation. Conflicted and full of turmoil, “Low” shows listeners that Not A Planet has a darker side.
 
“There’s No Coming Back” begins with massive bass and drums, and a very sweet reversed snare drum track that adds a cool texture to this soothing song. This track sounds like the band recorded ghostly sounds from the spirits that hang out in Black Lodge, where the album was recorded. This is a consistent, easy listening track.
 
With the ninth track, “My Train Is Coming,” the NAP boys bring it back to their roots: straightforward train car ROCK AND ROLL. This high-energy song is classic rock to the core and makes me wish I had a six-pack and a few friends to drink with right now.
 
The interestingly tenth track, “Free To Be Chained,” is a bouncy song with dance-worthy drums and dreamy harmonies provided by Sumnicht and Sturges. If anyone out there is working on a Phantom of the Rock opera, this track would fit in well. I’m a huge fan of creepy, grittily recorded voices in songs and though I can’t distinguish whose voice it is at the end of the song, it definitely adds some mystery (and evidence to my case that Not A Planet recorded ghosts talking).
 
Ironically titled “The End,” track number eleven isn’t the last song on The Few, The Proud, The Strange. Similar to track two with its simplistic instrumentation, it has a little more production behind it and it lyrically demands to be heard. The final line, “Because in the end, love is the only truth,” brings an uplifting vibe to tail end of this record.
 
The album’s final track “I’ve Got A Secret” seems more like a fun “We are so happy to have finished an awesome record” studio jam. With a groovin’ piano, elephant noises, chattering groups of people, and long fade out, this is a song die hard Not A Planet fans will get a kick out of.
 
The Few, The Proud, The Strange was released on May 10. Not A Planet’s next show is next Tuesday, May 21, at The Bottleneck. The trio also has several tour dates in June. Information available at the band’s website, www.notaplanet.com. 
 
 
–Eric Augustus Fain
 

Eric Fain plays bass and is the most hairy/handsome member of Clairaudients. In December of 2011, he filled in on bass for Not A Planet for five shows. His compensation: a pair of Liam’s Vans (I can’t find one of them…), $60 (I’d have done it for free!), and the memory of Nathan trying to throw up out of a moving van (he failed and threw up all over my face instead. True story, bro).
NYC

Lawrence Field Day Fest: An interview with founder Cameron Hawk

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Lawrence Field Day Fest was born out of Cameron Hawk’s frustration with the attention that local and regional acts weren’t getting—to highlight their talents, to be different from other festivals that bring in national acts and sprinkle in local acts here and there.
 
“I honestly didn’t think people in Lawrence would care that much. It’s not like we were doing anything new.” Hawk told me. “I just wanted to show people the great talent we had in Lawrence. Plus, it was a way to fill a couple days in The Bottleneck’s calendar.” It went so well in its inaugural year that July 11, 12, and 13 this year will see the return of the fest. “I guess what people were waiting for was for someone to step up and just do it.”
 
Kansas City’s recent Middle of the Map Fest was incredible, with bands like Joy Formidable, Grizzly Bear and locals including Soft Reeds, Cowboy Indian Bear, Thee Water Moccasins, Hawk’s own band The Dead Girls, and others, but it just wasn’t the festival he had in mind.
 
“Middle of the Map, where they matched up local and regional acts was a cool idea, but I wanted to do something for the Lawrence bands and some area acts to make them feel special, to give them something that was just theirs for once,” said Hawk.
 
Were there ever moments of doubt? When did the calls of people wanting the fest made Hawk nervous? Did he doubt the creature he began constructing? “Oh yeah, man. I had never tried to do something like this so there were a lot of moments when I wondered if I could actually pull it off. It was kind of a Wayne’s World 2 scenario. Let’s do it. Oh shit, now we have to do it.”
 
Hawk, guitarist for The Dead Girls, Many Moods of Dad, and the punk thunderbolt that is Stiff Middle Fingers, and drummer for Hidden Pictures, says this year LFDF is completely local or regional acts. This is different from last year, where alt-country greats Drag the River and punk rock legend Stephen Egerton—guitarist for The Descendents—took the stage at the Jackpot.
 
“Having Drag the River and Stephen (Egerton) last year just kind of happened. It was awesome, but this year, I wanted to keep it to just the great bands of the area. People haven’t been going out as much, whether its money, kids, work, or just getting older. I want people to see what’s been going on, what they’re missing.” 
 
This year’s lineup will lean even heavier on the crop of local talent to build a roster that should pack The Bottleneck for three straight days. The ominous quake of Bloodbirds, Many Moods of Dad, Going To Hell in a Leather Jacket, the hardcore-influenced Black on Black, Radkey, Scruffy and the Janitors, sleaze warriors Pale Hearts, JOCKS, BaioWolf, Man Bear, Millions of Boys, and several others, will descend upon The Bottleneck, showing everyone that the Midwest is more than capable of cranking out great rock ‘n roll. 
 
“I hope people see the whole point of this,” Hawk said. “It’s not about bringing in national acts and getting the local acts to support them. This is about the local bands playing and showing support for each other. Let’s quit worrying so much about which bill will draw the best, having the same bands playing together all the time, all the competition. There are people that work really hard and never get thrown a bone for whatever reason; maybe it’s a situation where if more people saw them they’d get a better chance. That’s all I want to do with this. Let’s just play and have some balls.”
 
Lawrence Field Day Fest runs from Thursday, July 11 to Saturday, July 13 at The Bottleneck. A full lineup and ticket info will be available soon at The Bottleneck’s website. Facebook event page.
 
–Danny R. Phillips

 

Danny R. Phillips has been reporting on music of all types and covering the St. Joseph, MO music scene for well over a decade. He is a regular contributor to the national circulated BLURT Magazine and his work has appeared in The Pitch, The Omaha Reader, Missouri Life, The Regular Joe, Skyscraper Magazine, Popshifter, Hybrid Magazine, the websites Vocals on Top and Tuning Fork TV, Perfect Sound Forever, The Fader and many others. 

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NYC

Weird Owl and Throw Vision play Deli sponsored show tonight at Cameo (05.16)

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NYC based shoegaze/psych radio show Dream Wave Radio (hosted by Steven Newcastle) and The Deli are sponsoring Brooklyn based international music collective The Process Records’ seasonal showcase, at Cameo Gallery tonight (May 16th). The bands on the bill are Weird Owl (pictured), Baltimore’s Romantic States, and recent Deli band of the Month Throw Vision. These three extraordinarily hard working bands’ laid back experimental and psych vibes will make for a strong and musically impactful show. Check out a very recent track by Weird Owl, streaming below.

NYC

A gifted Brooklyn songwriter: Charlotte Cornfield

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Charlotte Cornfield’s songs are going to pair well with this road trip season. Her lyrics are imaginative and vivid, and these tunes seem to create their own music video in your head when you listen, perfect for day dreaming on a long car ride. Some of her more Americana tracks are reminiscent of classic folk songwriters, like Dylan and Young. Her most recent album “Two Horses” has a balance of pensive folk ballads, and a few up-tempo folk-rock tracks. Being a gifted lyricist and a unique and memorable vocalist, are the two keys to success as a folk songwriter, and Charlotte definitely has both qualities. – Paul Jordan Talbot

NYC

Think about death with NYC’s Ancient History

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In the States it seems like hardly anybody is familiar with the phenomenal British band Tindersticks, which could be described as a less dramatic, less soulful, more spoken-word version of Nick Cave’s tense, orchestral noir rock. With this precedent, Brooklyn band Ancient History – which offer a similar formula, but slowed down to an almost ambient extreme – should probably think about moving to the UK, where Tindersticks had a pretty good career in the aughts, and Cave got appreciated WAY earlier than in the US. I guess those decadent Europeans can somehow deal with this kind of darkness, while – it’s true! – a majority of Americans only dig upbeat stuff – I learned that the hard way at poker night. – PDG

We added this song to The Deli’s playlist of Best mellow songs by emerging NYC artists – check it out!

NYC

Brooklyn’s Free Time announces release + tour

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When you listen to Free Time, you’ll think you’re occupying a space in lead singer Dion Nania’s mind, and are hearing the song directly from there. For the video to the latest track in the band’s odyssey of slowly moving beach rock, ‘I Lost Again’ (song streaming below) you’re journeying with him as he picks up bandmates scattered over various floors on a large freight elevator. His mind works in mysterious ways… check it out here and see the band when they play Shea Stadium on June 21. The band is schedule to release their self titled debut album on Underwater Peoples on June, and tour the East Coast that same month. – Mike Levine (@Goldnuggets)

NYC

Notes from Bird Courage’s show at Union Hall on May 10

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Erik Meier’s signature plangent wail could be heard echoing up the stairs from Union Hall’s small basement venue. Even over the crowd chatter Bird Courage’s songs sailed above the din creating an ethereal nostalgia. The band looked like they might have just rolled out of a boxcar together, and their stripped-down instrumentation complemented the aesthetic. From the melodica to the bowed acoustic guitar or glockenspiel to the muted floor tom and tambourine, bandmates Sam Saffery and Sean McMahon offered emotive and chaotic accompaniment to Erik’s acoustic guitar and ukulele compositions. By the middle of the set the crowd patter had extinguished entirely, and at the end when the band left the stage to form a circle in the middle of the crowd for their finale, even newcomers joined in the heartwarming refrain, “Home sweet home is the lonely road if your only home is the lonely road.” I wouldn’t be surprised if a few of them followed the band back to their boxcar. – BrokeMc

NYC

Safety Scissors relocates to Brooklyn + plays NYC on 05.24

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Safety Scissors, aka Matthew Curry, has been exploring with experimental electronic and dance music since 1999, releasing on labels such as ~scape and Plug Research. He recently relocated from San Francisco to Brooklyn, signed to the venerable Berlin based electro label BPitch Control and announced the release of the project’s third LP, ‘In A Manner Of Sleeping,’ scheduled for early June in North America. Curry will also be taking Safety Scissors on the road throughout the Spring and Summer, with the first batch of tour dates announced, including New York on May 24th (TBA location, a reSOLUTE party). Anybody interested in electronica, minimal house or avant-pop with lush atmospherics shouldn’t miss out this artist’s upcoming album and shows. – Trista Hou

We added this song to The Deli’s playlist of Best Electrocnic songs by emerging NYC artists – check it out!

NYC

Ticket Giveaway: Soundbites ft. Kid Congo/Deathfix/DJ Will Eastman & More @ 9:30 Club 5/19

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Soundbites is back at the 9:30 Club this Sunday May 19th! The annual benefit for DC Central Kitchen brings together some of our town’s best restaurants, food trucks, bands, and a mixology battle! This year’s entertainment line-up is Lee Fields and The Expression, Deathfix, DJ Will Eastman, The Razz, Kid Congo and His Kid Congo Power Hour, Richard Morel’s Hot Sauce, and Batala. And get your free taste on with a variety of awesome flavors from Sticky Fingers Bakery, Bar Pilar, Pearl Dive Oyster Palace, and tons more. Tickets are still available here for the awesome cause.

Our pals at 9:30 Club are offering one lucky Deli reader a pair of free tix! All you have to do is email us by 3 PM 5/17 and tell us your favorite track from any of the featured bands or your favorite DC Food Truck to hunt down. Please include your first and last name for guest list requirements. The winner will be emailed back.

NYC

Josh Urban’s The Search For Good Tour Comes to DC 5/27

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With all the "bad" that has been going on lately, DC based blues pop rock man Josh Urban is setting out to search for more of the "good" in his own The Search For Good Tour. He will be hitting up cities up and down the east coast via train and inviting all artists to join him on his Urban rail tour. On the docket are performances at cancer clinics, hospitals, and Vet’s homes, as well as on the street and in subway terminals.

‘You can catch him on Memorial Day (5/27) with a show for the veterans in conjunction with the DC VA Medical Center, and later at an open street music jam in Old Town Alexandria, in Market Square, King Street, at 6:00 pm. The show is open to the general public. All local musicians are invited to participate the Market Square event, and everyone is encouraged to join the social media aspect of the tour to find the Good in DC.’