Whiskey Drinkin' Cigarette Smokin' Rock with Heart

They may not be well known, play at the best venues, or draw the biggest crowds, but this is why local shows are so enjoyable, not to mention the cover charges at the door are almost always equivalent to nothing. Every now and again you'll get lucky and stumble across a band that's got talent and plays with heart.

The Great Planes is a band based right out of Kansas City. The band came to town around two months ago at The Brick, their music tugged at my heart as at listener's hearts as they watched them perform on the tiny stage. Their sound can be described as garage rock meets country. Five members make up this band, Eric Howard, 27, drums, Brent Kastler, 26, bass, Josh Haines, 27, keys, Justin Hoover, 25, guitar, and Larry Kraft, 25, vocals and guitar.

The Great Planes: their history. The band hasn't always been known as The Great Planes, their first band name was Element. Element started in 1996, members were: Eric Howard, Tim Hart, and Larry Kraft, they all went to high school with each other. They started off as a punk rock trio, as they started practicing more they decided it was necessary to add another member, this is where Justin Hoover came into the picture.

Hoover joined in 1997, and then came Brent Kastler later that same year. Hart took over vocals while Larry went to guitar. The time came when Tim went his separate way from the band and he moved out of state, so the new addition to the band was Josh Haines who concentrated on keyboard and producing samples.

Another name change was also underway. From the single title of Element, they changed to Element Self Hate Project. "It was really more of a joke; we changed the name because our music was really loud and obnoxious. People were comparing us to the Dillinger Escape Plan and Coalesce," Grinned Kastler after taking another drink of his beer. Needless to say, the Element Self Hate Project was short-lived, shortly after they decided to go back to being called just Element.

Element went on tour with Season to Risk in 2002. Other than that tour, they have stuck around the Midwest, mostly playing shows in Nebraska; St. Louis, and local venues in KC. After awhile, they decided to scrap all of their old material and that it was time for another name change.

The name jump from Element to The Great Planes came in a more organized fashion. "We grew out of the music we were playing and we felt it was necessary for the progress of the band," said Kastler. The guys carried lists in their wallets and every time they thought of a possible band name they jotted it down, then when they met for practice, they decided what names stayed and what went. The Great Plains apparently struck a certain chord in the guys for a name, so it became theirs. "I came up with ideas but they were all laughed at…that happens most of the time with my ideas," joked drummer Eric Howard.

The band's musical influences are a wide range. "I would say anything like Link Ray to Slayer," said Kastler. "We have an eclectic sound, we play every type of music but pop" said Howard. "Just good music." The song lyrics are another great aspect of this band. Howard explains that the music lyrically is open to interpretation. Where the listener might think it is about one particular thing when in fact it is about the complete opposite. "[The listeners] get to decide what the songs are talking about. It lets you grab what you want from it."

The main area of concentration right now for the band is finishing up there full length album. "Our goal is to have it finished in three months," said Howard. They are also trying to find a replacement for the key player Josh Haines. Haines recently moved out of state to attend art school. Watch for any upcoming shows in the future as well as on the lookout for their soon-to-come MySpace music page.