If you haven't heard of 54•40 before, you might be wondering: "what kind of a band name is that, anyway?"
Turns out it's derived from American politics: specifically the slogan "54-40 or fight!" which once represented the unsuccessful expansionist agenda of U.S. president James K. Polk and his administration's role in the 19th-century Oregon boundary dispute. An esoteric historical reference, but one that sums up 54•40's penchant for socially and politically conscious lyrics.
Founding member Neil Osborne and his partner-in-crime, Brad Merritt, have never been shy about treading on that kind of ground.
"It's an innate characteristic of Neil, who writes all the lyrics," Meritt says. "We're very present in the world. As artists, we reflect on a personal level, or what's happening at a societal level, or whatever it might be. It's just part of what we do and who we are. We've never really wanted to be one of those bands that are disposable, trying to write top hits that are meaningless."
54•40 came together in 1981, with guitar player Phil Comparelli and drummer Matt Johnson uniting their gifts with Osborne's soulful vocals and Merritt's bass work. Comparelli ended up leaving, his place taken by Dave Genn who's been on board for 22 years. Osborne's brother, David (a.k.a. Oz) has rotated in and out of the lineup as a keyboardist, saxophone player, occasional flutist and tour manager.
The group has combined for multiple Juno nominations and four albums certified platinum in Canada.
"A friend of ours in California calls us a pop-rock combo," remarks Merritt. "Obviously the rock is kind of self-explanatory, you know: strong back beat, it kind of chugs along like rock music does. The pop thing is, well… we like melodic hooks. We like them where we can find them: in the vocal line or a background vocal, or a guitar thing.
"Pop-rock implies that we're stylists, and that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. There's something which melds together, the way the four of us play."
'It's either fun or it's funny'
Osborne has been the driving element behind 54•40 during the last four decades. Merritt describes him as "very generous, extremely funny, serious about what he's trying to do but finds the funny when it's there." Both embrace a modus operandi first voiced by Courtney Taylor-Taylor of the Portland-area psychedelic rock band Dandy Warhols: music is "either fun or it's funny."
Put differently: the life of an artist is fun when it's going well and funny when it's not, but both extremes give you a chance to move forward instead of getting bogged down over past mishaps.
"One of the reasons why we stayed together is we've had enough success to keep going, but not so much success that there's forces tearing us apart," Merritt adds. "When Neil and I started this band, we considered that its own reward. We weren't looking for external validation, and all we really wanted to do was to write songs, make records and play music. The fact that we've been able to do that for 44 years is really incredible.
"[I would tell my younger self]: 'it's going to be OK. Enjoy yourself.' We were very serious when we started out … and I think we didn't appreciate how fun the whole thing was. We do now."
54•40 has visited Whistler several times before COVID-19, gracing venues like Olympic Plaza, the Longhorn Saloon and the Whistler Conference Centre. Merritt feels the Sea to Sky boasts an attractive small-town feel—and that its people genuinely enjoy good music.
"When I'm a fan going to see bands play, there's a power, there's a pulse. There's something which makes you feel and something which makes you want to move a little bit," he says. "It's very primal, and I think the people in Whistler appreciate that as much as anybody."
On July 11, expect DJ ShotSki to start the party at Olympic Plaza around 6:30 p.m. before 54•40 make their appearance at 7:30 p.m. Visit whistler.com/events/concerts for more information.
