If speaking with author and CBC Radio personality Grant Lawrence on the phone for a half hour is any indication of the kind of storyteller he is, Squamish is in for a treat. Over the course of our interview we covered everything from the rough and rocky road of rock ’n roll, to salt marsh renewal, to bald eagles. He also touched upon the contents of his latest book Dirty Windshields and the inspiration behind the upcoming Grant Lawrence and Friends: An Evening of Stories and Songs on Sat., Jan. 20 at the Brackendale Art Gallery as part of the 32nd Brackendale Winter Eagle Festival.
Featuring musical performances by Lawrence’s wife and chanteuse extraordinaire Jill Barber, as well as Dustin Bentall, and an acoustic set by original members of The Smugglers (including Lawrence himself as lead singer, Adam Woodall and Nick Thomas), the format of the night will be familiar to fans of Stuart McLean’s Vinyl Café.
Lawrence demonstrates both deep reverence and light-hearted irreverence in his homage to his former CBC colleague.
“Stuart McLean was a mentor and a big booster for my career, and for me personally. I was really shaken by his death,” said Lawrence, right off the bat. “I always wanted to do a younger version of Vinyl Café – something a little edgier – but he sort of owned it. His music picks were always right on. I loved everything he did. Now with his death there is a space, and I guess I just want to do a west coast version of what I love so much.
“I joke that it’s a Vinyl Café rip-off but it’s really an inspiration,” said Lawrence, who’s published three books in the past seven years. “I have a catalogue of stories, and I do a lot of author events, you know, and sometimes there will be 100 people there, in a community centre or library, and I’ve often thought, ‘you know it would be a lot nicer in a community theatre or some place that was actually built to do a show.’”
Recently, Lawrence and Bentall, with whom he plays hockey, and Barber put their heads together.
“Dustin told me about this weird little woodland theatre on Bowen Island called Tir-na-nog and I said: ‘OK, let’s do it.’ I had no idea what the reaction might be, but we told some stories and played some music and showed some slides – and it sold out! The audience had a great time, I had a great time, the musicians had a great time. So I thought, well, I guess this worked!”
Then Bentall, who performed here with his partner Kendel Carson in the fall, suggested the Brackendale Art Gallery.
“It’s a beautiful space – and that’s what we are looking for, NICE spaces where the music sounds good and people can enjoy themselves. And get home early,” emphasized Lawrence, a father of two young children.
Lawrence also shares a soft spot for Squamish when discussing the 30th anniversary of The Smugglers – a band, according to the front man, that “toured all over the world in 16 years without ever having a hit.”
“I’ve got a few slides of the first time The Smugglers ever performed in Squamish – we were just kids, about 17-18, we played at camp for physically and mentally challenged kids,” he recounted, with great affection. “We got the gig because Nick’s sister was a camp counsellor and we needed a gig between Victoria and Kamloops or something like that.
“I’ll tell ya, it was a pretty wild dance floor. It was cool because we were a pretty young band and we kinda sucked, and they went crazy for us! That night we found our audience.”
Lawrence sounds genuinely excited about the performance, adding that he has a Squamish story from Dirty Windshields he’s eager to try out, as well as one about an eagle – in keeping with the festival’s theme.
“ I may have to try that one out… see if it flies, pardon the pun,” he laughed. “Hopefully it soars!”
Tickets are available at The BAG and Anna’s Interiors.
