DISCOHDER A guide to CITR tm 102 & CABLE 100 A guide to CITR fm 102 ^ CABLE 100 54-40 or Fight Local band probes the border Isn't nature wonderful?! The name comes from an Many a reviewer still clings How things just seem to episode in American history. to references to Gang of Four, evolve, regardless of any ex­ James Polk was a presidential Echo and the Bunnymen, and traneous adversity? Nature, candidate, I believe in the Joy Division when speaking of the word itself, free of dogmas 1840s, and he had a campaign 54-40's sound. As their press and any restricting sense of slogan that went "54-40 OR kit includes such reviews I ask rigidity. 54-40 is a natural FIGHT!" That meant that he them how they feel about it band, and with the release of wanted to establish the border and whether its wise to perpe­ their second record Set the between British North Ameri­ tuate the matter by including Fire, there is a promise to ca and the U.S. at the 54th those references in something continue on in that tradition. parallel on the 40th minute ... as crucial as a promotional They've certainly come a long or fight! That would have put package. Phil interjected to remind me that somebody had vm way since their debut at the the border up somewhere Smilin' Buddha in December around Edmonton. Of course also used a comparison to The of 1980, and with their excel­ that never materialized but we Who and one reviewer went so lent first release Selection though that it was a catchy far as to say that they had "... selling out of its initial pres­ name so we chnse it. taken the post-Joy Division sing, things are definitely music style further into jazz- Set the Fire was recorded at fusion than even Gang of looking good. 54-40 are also than Vancouver as much as it an integral part of MO DA the ever so legendary Mush­ Four." Mutual groans and descending, treating the room studios, once host to laughs abound! audience like babies waiting is that we are coming from a MU records, home of Junco different place. They seem to Run, the Animal Slaves, the such inimitable artistic giants Darryl: We all did listen to for their pablum? as B.T.O. Heart, Loverboy, those bands so there probably Neil: Hmmmmm ... Well be very open to what we're Moral Lepers, and Emily about and there's not so much Faryna (someone we'll de­ and many a floundering for­ is a certain element of truth ... Urn ... (long pause) That's mula cock-rock band. Surely there in that there were a good question! (laughs) Stop pretention either on our part finitely be hearing from) MO or that of the audience. They DA MU is a close knit group of such a venture must have certain things we appreciated the tape! No, that's easy. It's involved a hundred dollar about that music we played. true, I do feel that way. I feel don't seem to be there for any people dedicated to getting other reason than to see a new new and original local music sacrifice of studio time just to It's not like we were copying like saying "WAKE UP!!" take a pee. How did they do it them or anything like that. It's a totally personal thing band. I think that's extremely to the public's ear. Both healthy and quite often you Selection, Set the Fire, and you ask? Well, having been Brad: Some of those re­ with the audience. I've been approached by the band some views are circa Selection and told that a lot of people just lack that in Vancouver, and Things are Still Coming that, once again, reflects on Ashore, the compilation on time ago about purchasing a even pre-Selection and I think don 7 gref // and I can see that. 54-40 investment bond, I that at the beginning of this A lot of people out there just how we play and how we act which 54-40 first appeared, onstage. are MO DA MU projects. The thought an investigation was band's history, we were very don't get what's going on. band has gained quite a in order. much influenced by those That's part of the reason for Are Vancouver audiences reputation on the West Coast bands and it showed in our treating people like babies, pretentious? Heavens! Say it of being a very compelling live Brad: Well, we, like every music. Through Selection and because sometimes they are isn't so! act. They've played with Wall other band, have very limited now through our latest album and they forget why they're Neil: No. I think you 'II find of Woodoo, Savage Republic, resources. We're not signed it shows up less and less. there. We try to express it's the case, in talking to Public Image, and Gang of to a major label and we tend to We've reached the point, what's the real situation in the people in other bands, that a Four, not to mention the fact do things on our own, just by now, where we're more of an environment at the time. It's local band gets discriminatory that they are a superb head­ nature, as well as the fact that influence on each other than combined with many other treatment because they're line attraction in their own it's our circumstance. We any outside musical entity. I things, with us up there, the local bands. right. Many a packed hall, wanted to do a recording think our sound is very true to way we feel, the way the place club, what have you, has been project and we had no means itself and that we have our is, and just reading the left calling for more, in the of making the money or own sound. general atmosphere. We feed Some time ago now, when wake of an intense perfor­ spending it in the studio so we A North American sound that back to them and that's everybody and their dog was mance by the band whose though of the idea of soliciting perhaps? what puts people off. They're doing a benefit for the Van­ name consists of two seeming­ contributions from some of Brad: Good. We come seeing what's really around couver Five defense fund ly compatable numbers joined our better friends. It worked from North America! them up on stage and they (surely a worthy cause seeing by a hyphen. 54-40 are: Neil out quite well. We had a lot of Neil: We're proud of it! don 7 want to see that. A lot of as they haven't a hope of Osborne on guitar and lead support from some very good You can even zone it. I was people go to a gig to escape, getting a fair trial due to the vocals; Brad Merritt on bass; people. talking to someone from for pure entertainment, for slanted media blitz and the Phil Comparelli on trumpet, Seattle and they were saying positive inspiration. I'm not discrepancies in the case keyboards and guitar; and Veil: It was just something that we fit in with a Pacific saying we're a negative band, against them), 54-40 received Darryl Neudorf on drums and we had to do. It was either Northwest sound that's but we definitely like to pro­ some bad press for seemingly percussion. Recently, I had that or don't record. You get coming out. mote the way we see things. backing out of just such a the pleasure of talking to them to the point in a band, well we Brad: Regional sound. None of what we do is ever benefit gig. How do they feel about the new album, new. were a year old, and we'd just Neil: This sort of ties in contrived, it's never pre­ about it now? directions ... and nature ... gotten Phil and Darryl into the with the first question about determined. We did have a Brad: Neil and I had among other things. thing, and we wanted to make 54-40. We're at the border very dramatic gig in Seattle agreed to do the gig before where I threw down my guitar we'd consulted either Phil or The most obvious question * a new record. We didn 7 have now, right. and things just went totally Darryl and, as it turned out, seems to concern the band's any money so we said get Brad: We're kind of natu­ haywire, so we decided not to that was the wrong thing to name. Why 54-40? some, and we did. ral. We haven't forced any­ thing on ourselves. We're, get too carried away, to be do. Darryl had quite a few more or less, a product of our more patient with the audi­ strong feelings about what environment and that specifi­ ence, and that helped. was going on and he wanted to cally relates to where we are. Brad: It makes us a bit find out a little more about it. ' M ""^1 We are in North America and more understandable. He did that and found that it we 're in Canada and we 're on Phil: The people that talk wasn't really to his moral • the west coast and we're in about that are probably from satisfaction.