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ClubcastLive
Feature
CLUBCASTLIVE
SPOTLIGHT ARTIST
Austin, Texas (March 2000)
54 Seconds makes me want to turn my stereo up as loud as I can stand it. Their sound is big, expensive and expansive, deep, warm and woody. This is modern power pop music with roots stretching back into the sixties and seventies. Their first release, “ep”, produced with Dave McNair, screams from the very first two-bar build of “Jaded” into a finely crafted, melody and groove driven CD. 54 Seconds is a band in the truest sense, made up of four musicians that gel and dig deep together.
In 1996, Spencer Gibb was living in Miami. “One night, out of nowhere, I had a dream that I moved to Austin. Yeah, I heard some good music coming out of there, but it really wasn’t on my mind.” The dream must have hit home. “My first night here I hooked up with Will Sexton. I started playing in his band with Bukka Allen, Glen Fukunaga, Mike Viegas, and Richard Bowden, and they all introduced me to the scene at the ARC (Austin Rehearsal Complex). That’s where I met JJ Johnson.”
54 Seconds really began life as a songwriting project of singer/guitarist Gibb and drummer Johnson. While auditioning players to complete the group, they realized they weren't simply looking for 'sidemen' but rather full-fledged band members contributing as equals. Johnson remembered keyboardist Stewart Cochran from a previous project and gave him a call. After hearing some of Gibb and Johnson’s demo material, Stewart was hooked and the as yet unnamed ensemble began playing in local clubs. When they found bassist Glenn McGregor, they uncovered the missing piece and 54 Seconds was born.
Spencer Gibb’s guitar playing is inventive and lush, his voice is
beautiful… clean and raspy and full of character. JJ Johnson’s
grooves are impeccable, laid down just so. Glenn McGregor plays bass the
way it ought to be played - it fills the space perfectly, but you’re
never quite aware of it. Stewart Cochran is cut from the same cloth as
McGregor. He makes the perfect bed on the Hammond, comes up with quirky
middle eastern Synth parts, and understands exactly where and how to use
the Wurly. Do not miss this band. Austin is lucky that Spencer had that
dream.
-- Don Harvey, Director of Content and Music, Clubcastlive
“54 Seconds has slowly grown into one of the most popular [bands]
in town, packing the Speakeasy every Monday night.”
- Michael Corcoran, Austin American Statesman
“........See 'em because Gibb's one of the town's most inventive
guitar players and his haunting songs are full of surprising depth and
passion. They're also a super-tight live outfit, featuring drummer J. J.
Johnson, organist Stewart Cochran, and bassist Glenn McGregor.”
- Andy Langer, Austin Chronicle
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