The 54 is possibly the least likely export of a Morehouse College that produced the likes of Martin Luther King Jr., Spike Lee, and Samuel L. Jackson. Or are they? When the three longest standing members (Mercury, Walter, and Enye) met each other on their campus, the climate around the Atlanta University Center appeared unwelcoming with T-Pain and Soulja Boy ruling the airwaves and campus party scene. The only outlet they found to experiment with their acoustic sound was at an on campus Open-Mic spoken word poetry night which was held every thursday at Jazzman's Cafe. Their unapologetically unique approach to contemporary sounds inspired enough curiosity in their listeners to have moderate success writing, self-producing, and releasing a 10 song EP entitled "10 Ways to Slay a Giant" under the band name Emerje. With the acquisition of the forth member, drummer Michael Jones, and brand new electric guitars to replace the old dusty acoustics, they set their sites on further developing a more edgy sound that merged what they missed about old hip-hop and r&b with what was becoming increasing absent from the Rock scene: honesty, rawness, showmanship. It became increasingly evident that other influences would not be spared, with a little reggae (Tiny Little Cups), jazz (She's Sexy, Feeling Good), and blues making it's way into their later releases. At this point, only one thing was missing, a name. They experimented with several concepts: Chucks and Forces, Stereotip, The Dingleberries, but nothing was striking a chord. Until it came, The 54. They have given several contradicting reasons for their name, the world may never know. But what can be known, is that with their new name came a new attitude, confidence, and a deeply routed desire to transform the Atlanta music scene into a living, breathing, snarling beast who devours all popular notions of contemporary music for reasons of mere animalistic impulse. One of their undeniable strengths is their ability to merge different sounds with an explosiveness that inspires listeners to enjoy with the same uncontrollable impulsiveness unapologetically. With lyrical content to expose the pre-historic definitions of fun, music, celebration, and honest human expression (Crazy, Party Song, Die Young), The 54 shows signs of becoming the relatable Rock band by which every other band claiming to be "of the people" must measure themselves. Having developed a cult-like following in Atlanta, the band has turned their eyes towards going national having confirmed Warped Tour to be held throughout the Summer of '09. With tour dates in more than 30 cities, 20 states, and 2 countries, The 54 is soon to let the world know what they've been missing.
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