Grant Lawrence and Friends: An Evening of Stories and Songs featuring some of the North Shore’s best musicians, including Craig Northey from the Odds, Dustin Bentall, the Smugglers acoustic (featuring Adam Woodall and Nick Thomas) and multi-Juno nominee Jill Barber. Deep Cove Shaw Theatre, Saturday, Feb. 3, 8 p.m. Tickets $25. For more information and to reserve tickets visit grantlawrence.ca.
The difference between a book tour and a rock and roll tour, says Grant Lawrence, can be summed up in one word: appreciation.
On a book tour, you’re typically met by someone thrilled to see you with an artisan cheese plate in hand. On a rock tour, you are typically met in a urine-soaked back alley by a club manager who couldn’t care less that you’ll be filling his venue with art and patrons.
The CBC broadcaster, author and former frontman for The Smugglers still gets a kick out of reminiscing about those back alleys and even re-living (to some degree) the touring with his bandmates by getting back on stage. That is exactly what Lawrence will be doing when he comes to Deep Cove Shaw Theatre on Feb. 3, 2018. His wife, musician Jill Barber, will also perform, accompanied by an all–star band made up of Dustin Bentall, Craig Northey, Adam Woodall and Nick Thomas.
Lawrence’s latest book, Dirty Windshields, delves into his days touring with The Smugglers, and their beginnings at Hillside High in West Vancouver.
“Nardwuar was a few years ahead of me at Hillside, and as Student Council President, he made the executive decision to banish DJ’s from our high school dances and bring in live bands,” says Lawrence. “Grapes of Wrath came, DOA, Poison, this great mod band from Vancouver called On-The-Go that featured John Collins, who went on to be the bass player for the New Pornographers . . . so many great musicians played at Hillside. I really think this influenced a whole generation of us. There was a real athletics focus at Hillside, but it became a weirdly musical school.”
Lawrence says that when he decided to dedicate his life to music, his father was none too pleased.
“He said to me, if you insist on flushing your life down the toilet, at least write it down. So, I have my dad to thank for the fact that I eventually became a writer,” he says.
Those diaries, most of which he still has, also happened to provide the details for this latest book.
“Everywhere we went, whether it was across Canada, the U.S., Australia, Japan, we saw it all through a dirty windshield,” says Lawrence. “We called our bus the rolling beer can, and used Adam Woodall’s VW bus to tour for a while. I think out of all of our parents, Adam’s, Ron and Heather’s, were the ones who really got what we were trying to do.”
Meribeth Deen is the editor of the Bowen Island Undercurrent.
