February 8, 1999

SOUNDSCAPE |

54-40 rocks the Munk

By Michelle Dubuc

The Munk was filled to
capacity for 54-40's latest
gig on February ist. The
few tickets left over for pur-
chase at the door. were
quickly scooped up by
lucky last-minute concert
goers, and a_ sold-out
crowd milled about waiting
for the commencement of
the show. Apparently in
the hopes of selling more
drinks, the Munk had the
doors open at 7:00 pm
only to have the opening
band not start until 10:00
pm. So it was after more
than a little mindless chat-
ter and bored wandering
that the music finally
began. Damn the Diva,
who was supposed to
have the opening slot, can-
celed at the last minute.
Prince George's own Rae
King Blues Band was
given the slot instead.
Having a blues band open
for 54-40 was definitely
unusual, and watching
them take the stage they
admittedly looked out of
place. But after they got
into their set this awkard-
ness quickly disappeared.
With a good variety of
beats and an excellent gui-
tarist, they managed to get
the anxious crowd bop-
ping. Locklin Cross of the
Max FM 94 fame added a
surprisingly adept harmon-
ica that completed the

blues sound. After their
set, a brief intermission fol-
lowed. Unannounced, 54-
40 rushed onto the stage
and exploded into "Nice to
Luv You," making it obvi-
ous the long wait was
going to be. worth it. Neil
Osbourne (lead singer)
and Phil Comparelli (guitar
and organ) flashed the
kind of "Gee, I'm having
fun," smiles you-don't often
get to see at concerts any-
more, while Brad Merritt
(bassist) closed his eyes
and seemed to almost
meditate on the music. The
addition of a female singer,
Coco Love Alcorn, added
a new dimension to the
bands sound. A prime
example was the more
mellowed yet irrepressibly
funky version of "One
Gun", where Coco added
layers of her beautiful
voice on top of Neil's
chanting lyrics. With every
song the crowd grew more
and more intense, and a
particularly energetic ren-
dition of "Radio Luv Song"
caused the bouncers to
have their hands full with
the rushing crowd. The
encore featured an extend-
ed, jazzy version of "Music
Man" with Phil Comparelli
playing trumpet. The
band stuck mostly to their
hits, taking only a few
opportunities to play new

material from "Since
When." It was a good mix,
allowing for the introduc-
tion of new material with-
out dulling the crowds
enthusiam with a bunch of
songs they didn't know. All

phe aio
Rtekte) tcite

Satojoued Gunvece

54-40 Lead Signer Neil Osbourne works the
Munk crowd. photo by Kevin Milos

in all the show was an
incredible success, and
displayed that without
argument 54-40 are going
to be a force in the
Canadian music scene for
a long time to come.

Over The Edge Page 7

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