July 17, 2025
Summer news! Desolation Sound tour… Japan Expo… Whale Tale series complete… summer reading: Neko Case
Hello World of Friends!
Hope your sunny season is unfolding wonderfully.
This summer, both my kids are busy building forts in the woods around our cabin in Desolation Sound, and usually ask for my help. The problem is, I’m often busy working on what I’ve realized is “the big kid fort:” our cabin. I’m ever trying to keep it functional for both family and guests. And when we have guests, I turn into a kind of cross between Basil Fawlty and Armond from The White Lotus: a burnt out lunatic host trying to please, whose body language, according to my wife, reads as “please leave now.” Not my intention!*
My daughter’s fort, not our actual cabin.
Whale Tale Podcast
Speaking of guests… orca expert Graeme Ellis recently dropped by the cabin with his family, and I definitely did not want him to leave. If you’ve had a chance to listen to my latest podcast WHALE TALE: the true story of the capture, escape and legacy of some of the West Coast’s most remarkable orcas, you’ll know that Graeme figures very largely in the story – possibly the most important character next to Emma Shuparski – who first told me about this incredible saga – or the mystery figure who released the whales from captivity. It was a true honour to host this legend in orca understanding, lore, and adventure. And a huge thanks to ALL of the incredible coastal figures who took part in the telling of this story (yes, you’ll find out what really happened to the famed white orca.)
Graeme Ellis visits the actual cabin.
If you haven’t had a chance to listen to Whale Tale, you can hear all ten high-stakes chapters here.
CETUS Straitwatch coordinator Emma Shuparski in Refuge Cove. The Whale Tale series exists because of her.
Desolation 2025 Stories and Songs tour
Speaking of Desolation, we’re about to start our annual tour, this time reaching into the Discovery Islands… There are a few tickets left for Cortes – hope to see you there!
Mon July 21, Heriot Bay Inn, Quadra Island SOLD OUT (waiting list)
Tue July 22, Dockside Kitchen, Refuge Cove SOLD OUT (waiting list)
Wed July 23, La Hacienda, Savary Island SOLD OUT (waiting list)
Thu July 24, Community Hall, Whaletown, Cortes Island
No more scheduled shows until 2026!
Summer reading: The Harder I Fight The More I Love You by Neko Case
I’ve been escaping back to the wild days of the 1990s Northwest rock n roll scene courtesy of my ol pal Neko Case’s memoir, a stripped down, honest and well-written debut book. For those who don’t know, Neko Case is a Grammy-nominated American country singer. She also dated one of the members of my band, subsequently moving to Vancouver and joining a bunch of Canadian indie rock bands, releasing her first country album backed by Canadian musicians, and launching her music career which continues to this day.
I had to hold myself back from skipping ahead to the pages when I first came into contact with Neko, fascinated to read through the rough and tumble American’s eyes what it was like to descend into our vibrant Canadian music scene.
Smuggler Dave and Neko on the legendary Smugglers / cub tour of 1993.
Unfortunately, Neko’s relationship with Dave didn’t end well, so he gets a pretty funny / fitting pseudonym, and our band is never mentioned by name, but it’s a hell of a good book by a fiery old friend.
Japan: Osaka Expo
When was the last time you attended an Expo? For me it was Expo 86 in Vancouver, but in late June I made the return trip to Japan for the first time in 25 years – my third trip to this fabulously organized country.
This time, the kids and I accompanied my lovely musician wife Jill Barber as she performed a string of shows under the sweltering summer skies of Osaka, representing Canada for the 2025 World Expo – including a big show on Canada Day – which was a toasty 35 degrees.
Grant and our dear Japanese-Canadian friend Shiho celebrating Canada Day at the Canadian Pavilion at Osaka Expo 2025.
It was an incredible opportunity for Jill to charm Japanese audiences (her third trip as well) and a great honour for our family for Jill to be representing Canada overseas.
My second highlight of the trip was returning to Tokyo to visit my rock n roll pals who have remained so all these years later.
Our family hopped the famed and air conditioned Bullet Train from Osaka, through Kyoto and Nagoya, past Mount Fuji and into Tokyo, staying at the cool Mustard Hotel in the endlessly interesting Shimokitazawa neighbourhood.
Spinnin records at Poor Cow, Tokyo, Japan. Tomoko Onobu photo.
Tomoko, the bassist from the legendary Tokyo rock n roll band Supersnazz (and the Tweezers, and her most recent awesome band Rock Juice), very kindly hosted a ‘welcome back’ party at Poor Cow, one of the coolest rock n roll bars in the world, for a fun night of music and laughs and memories and a bar full of Japanese rock n roll royalty. It was the coolest and the hottest all at once! KANPAI!
Kids book prize nomination: Adventures in Desolation Sound is up for a Chocolate Lily Award
Whoa! The kids version of ‘Adventures in Solitude’ with illustrator Ginger Ngo has made the shortlist for a BC literary honour called the Chocolate Lily Award. Beginning in September and continuing through the school year, kids in BC will read the eight nominated books and then vote for their favourite in the spring. Hope those young readers enjoy the wilderness and barf!
Happy summer, happy life, and I hope to see you around somewhere soon.
All the best from the watery west,
Grant Lawrence
Toba Inlet, summer 2025. Photo by Guy Normandeau of our boat Cliffhanger.
*A co-worker at CBC told me that human communication is broken down to 56% body language, 37% tone, 7% words. Do you agree?
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