January 26, 1999

SOUNDSCAPE

Over The Edge Page 7

54-40 is coming to Prince George

By: Michelle Dubuc
54-40 is no stranger

to Prince George.
From their humble
beginnings at the
Generator, to the

Multiplex opening for
Hootie and the
Blowfish, to our own
beloved Backyard
BBQ, 54-40 has been
there, always supply-
ing us with great
music and a great
time. 54-40’s
February 1st gig at
the Munk bar should
be no exception,
especially with 54-40’s
most personal album
to date to showcase.
“We always try to
change it up from
record to record,” says
bassist Brad Merritt,
“it makes it more inter-
esting to branch out
musically. We've
never done an album
like this before, it's far
softer and more intro-
spective.” This is not
by any means to say
the show will be a
quiet one-the band is
planning to play a

good variety of songs.

from their eight

albums, and the infec-

tious first single,
“Since When” is hardly
a sleeper. Indeed,
“Since When” is the

bands most success-
ful single to date,
peaking at #3 in
Canada and featured
on a commercial for
the telephone compa-
ny Clearnet. “It was
very gratifying. We're
ecstatic with how its
done on the commer-
cial level,” —s says
Merritt. 54-40 has
certainly worked for
this success-after 17

“years, 3 indie releases

and 8 official albums,
they have yet to win a
Juno or a substantial
American fanbase
despite being one of
the most popular
bands in Canada.
According to Merritt
the band is unphased.
“A Juno can be the
kiss of death, the
Payolas have 4, and
where are they now?
We've been nominat-
ed before, but we’ve
always tried to .work
on the outside. of that

anyway, so it doesn’t
mean that.much to us.
Not to say we wouldn't
be happy if we got
one.” And as for
stateside success?
“The success of bands
like the Barenaked
Ladies is certainly a
confidence booster for
anyone working in
Canada. Some songs
taste wise are more
conducive to radio
play in the states,
whereas something
else, like the Hip for
example, might not
get virtually any play
in the states but are
huge in Canada.
Right now we're work-
ing on getting “Since
When” released in the
U.S., but we’re satis-
fied with what we have
here in Canada.
Anything else that
may happen is just a
bonus.” Ironically, the
Hip used to open for
54-40 years ago, and
the two bands are still
friends. “I get togeth-
er with Paul and play
golf sometimes. We
mixed our new records

at the same place and
time (Warehouse
Studios in Gastown),
so we hung out a lot
for a couple weeks

there. They’re great
guys.”
“Since When” is an

album demonstrating
the growth and evolu-
tion of 54-40. The
band goes from hard
and fast rock, to coun-
try, to melancholy bal-
lads, to folk and proto-
punk. They’ve added
Camille Henderson
(Sarah McLachlan’s
backup vocalist) for
back up vocals, with
Coco Love Alcorn per-
forming her parts on

the tour. The tour is
almost _—_ exclusively
club dates. “We

played theatres in the
fall, so we wanted
something. else. Its
nice to have 4 walls
around you, all that
sweat and _ beer!”
Speaking of
beer...what is 54-40’s
fermented beverage of
c cir -ow im cere ©?
“Microbrewery beer,
lager by far.” And yes,

Pacific Western
Brewery meets their
approval - Traditional
Lager is listed as a
personal favourite, as
is the Achillon restau-
rant, a place they
used to habitually hit
after playing the
Generator. What will
be required in the
dressing room as the
band prepares to take
the stage at _ the
Munk? “Must have
beer-beer, water, and
towels are generally
what every rock band

NUGSS UPCOMING EVENTS
January 28, 1999 - NUGSS Annual General Meeting

This year’s AGM will be held at 10:00 am in the Wintergarden. Constitutional and Bylaw Amendment .
will be ratified at this meeting. Amendments for public viewing are located in the Wintergarden Display
Case and at the NUGSS Office. This is your chance to voice your opinion about the Society, so come
on out and listen or get heard!

wants. Neil: needs
Twizzlers. And pizza
after the show-cheesy,
gooey, crusty, sitting
fourty-five minutes in
the box pizza. That’s
rock and roll.” What
definitely is rock and
roll is 54-40’s music,

and any opportunity to.

experience it first-
hand should not be
missed. Tickets can
be purchased for $18
in advance at Love &
Lace and the Munk.

See you there.

Open Mic. February 4, 6-10pm You must sign
up at NUGSS

Dance-Fest 99 March 4, 5 & 6.

For more information regarding any of these events, please contact Jackie Eaton at 960-6427
or e-mail eatoj(000@unbc.ca