Bernard the German is Grant Lawrence’s latest story-telling series that originally aired on North By Northwest on CBC Radio 1: the tragic tale of the giant of Desolation Sound, a true story of an ox of a man who died just as he lived- very remarkably, while following his dreams right to his grave. This 10-part series will take you on an adventure around the world, from the war-torn rubble of post-war Germany, to the coastal wilderness of Desolation Sound, B.C., to the dangerous but alluring tropical climes of the South Seas. Told in a fast-paced serialized format, this epic tragedy will appeal to anyone with a thirst for wanderlust. Download all ten free episodes here.

Hello World of Friends!

Hope this finds you well and happy this fall season. As I write this, it’s momentarily a beautiful, crisp, dry autumn day in Vancouver.

Earlier this afternoon, I had the simple pleasure of watching my precocious 2-year-old daughter reach down and grab two tiny handfuls of red and yellow leaves. She bounced up and threw them into the air over her head, delighting as they drifted down around her. It brought smiles to strangers’ faces. Mine too.

I’ve being doing a lot of rather intense parenting of my two lovely children this fall, since my wife Jill has been on the road all over North America promoting her new record Metaphora. Solo parenting can be very rewarding, but it can also at times be very challenging. In those moments it feels like some sort of karma for the decade-plus that I spent on the road and didn’t call home to my parents enough.

More on Jill’s touring in a bit.

Desolation Sound tour: You may remember this past summer that I did my first-ever official tour of Desolation Sound, BC, to the many coastal nooks and crannies that I wrote about in my first book. It was sold-out and a lot of fun – we even visited the location of the “Nude Potluck.” While I was reading that passage aloud on the boat, no joke, the actual guy who hosted that crazy potluck so many years ago walked out onto the beach. It was pretty surreal. Sadly, 40 years later, he was clothed. The tour culminated at the Homfray Lodge, which is a spectacular place. Humpback whales, orcas, ridiculously friendly seals, crazy warm water, grizzly bears, you name it. It was so much fun that we’re doing it again twice next summer. Here are the details. You gotta come! 

Dirty Windshields: I’m honoured to note that that my most recent book has picked up some international awards. Back in the May, Dirty Windshields won a medal at the IPPY Awards in New York City (which I wrote about here), and last month, it won a Bronze Winner at the Foreword Indie Book Awards in Chicago. Bronze! To paraphrase Jerry Seinfeld, that means I was the second-best loser in their entire competition. If you’re looking for a signed Xmas gift for the dirty rock ‘n’ roller on your list, you can purchase your own mail-ordered signed copy here.

The Smugglers: Dirty Windshields is about the exploits of my rock ‘n’ roll band, and in 2018 we are marking our 30th anniversary. To celebrate, we’re performing one single, solitary show on Saturday November 24 at Amigos Cantina in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. WTF? Well, Amigos was not only THEE first club outside of Vancouver to not fire us, but it was also THEE first club outside of Vancouver to book us again. We eventually became good friends with all involved. November 2018 just so happens to be Amigos’ 30th anniversary as well, so it all lined up. 30-30 hindsight! Also on this one-off gala night is Chixdiggit and the Garrys. There are a few dozen tickets left as of this writing. ROAD TRIP! Grab yours here.

Podcasts: For over ten years I somehow hosted the CBC Radio 3 Podcast, which was me and a bunch of brilliant Canadian indie rock tunes every week. Lately, I’ve been having fun telling stories from Desolation Sound in short-form serial podcasts. You can download the entire 15 episodes of “The Cougar Lady Chronicles”, and the entire 10 episodes of “The Spaghetti Bandit” (which is geared towards a parent-kid listening experience), here. Let me know what you think! I’m working on a new story from the outer coast of Vancouver Island that will hopefully see the light of… iTunes?

Grant Lawrence and Friends: an evening of stories and songs: Doing this show for the past year around the West Coast of BC has been amazing!  Every event has been sold out, so if you’ve been a part of one of these shows, whether as a performer, organizer, or audience member, thank you! We have a few more coming up this fall with more amazing performers. Hope you can be at one. We’ll eventually bust the show out of BC.

That’s it for now. Be courteous to one another, speak to strangers, ask questions, please vote, try hard, and have fun.

All my best –

GL

Upcoming:

Thu Oct 11, Grant Lawrence and Friends: Dave Bidini, Janet Marie Rogers, Dustin Bentall and more, Whistler Writers Festival, Whistler BC. Tickets.

Fri Nov 9, Grant Lawrence and Friends: Kathryn Calder, Luke Wallace, Bradley Thomas Moore. Saturna Community Hall, Saturna Island BC. Tickets.

Sat Nov 10, Grant Lawrence and Friends: Kathryn Calder, Luke Wallace, Lauren Mann, Agricultural Hall, Mayne Island BC. Tickets.

Jill Barber Tour Dates

9-Oct-18   Fredericton, NB   Playhouse Theatre

11-Oct-18   Charlottetown, PEI   Confederation

12-Oct-18   Truro, NS      Marigold Cultural Centre

13-Oct-18   Halifax, NS      Rebecca Cohn

16-Oct-18   Toronto, ON      Roy Thomson Hall

18-Oct-18   Gravenhurst, ON   Peter’s Players

19-Oct-18   London, ON      Aeolian Hall

20-Oct-18   London, ON      Aeolian Hall

22-Oct-18   Winnipeg, MB   West End Cultural Centre

24-Oct-18   Saskatoon, SK      Broadway Theatre

25-Oct-18   Regina, SK        The Exchange

26-Oct-18   Calgary, AB      Bella Concert Hall

27-Oct-18   Edmonton, AB      Triffo Theatre

1-Nov-18   Vancouver, BC      Vogue Theatre

2-Nov-18   Campbell River, BC   Tidemark Theatre

3-Nov-18   Victoria, BC      Capital Ballroom