Neighbourhood Watch - Grant Lawrence on Canadian Music
By: Andrea Grassi
"Basically, I'm a really passionate Canadian," says CBC radio host Grant Lawrence of his candid on-air persona. "I love the people of the country. Most people hear that in what I say and if they hear something I say that is a little off-colour, they don't think too much of it." From a phone line in Clear Lake, Manitoba, Lawrence slings in an interview with me before attending a family reunion. We only have an estimated twenty minutes scheduled, but the enthusiastic Lawrence generously delays his date with Aunt Ethel in order to divulge his musical past and present, as well as touch on the state of Canadian radio and independent music.
Lawrence can be seen in video podcasts on CBC's R3TV and heard live weekday nights on Sirius Satellite radio. But most of his acclaim comes from his gig hosting CBC Radio 3's Breaking New Sound - arguably the best weekly podcast woven out of 100 per cent Canadian indie.
Being in such a position, Lawrence criticizes the amount of airplay Canadian media give indie Canadian acts on the nation's radio frequencies. "My frustrations with commercial radio are like anyone's," reveals Lawrence. "There are limited playlists and too much American music. You could be listening to a commercial radio station in Windsor, and the DJ plays the same set as he does in Hamilton."
Who are these "indie" artists that we seldom hear on commercial radio? And - considering the varying connotation it has taken upon itself - what does "indie" mean to Lawrence?
"The term ‘indie' has come to mean a genre, and has come to define a sound. To say ‘indie rock' means to put it alongside ‘punk rock,' ‘hard core,' ‘singer-songwriter,' ‘folk,' ‘hip hop'...it is generally music played by wimpy kids: not as cool as hipsters, thoughtful, caring, usually from the suburbs. That is an absolute prototypical indie rock band."
From the late ‘80s up until 2004 - around the start of their "semi-retirement" - Lawrence was the lead singer for the Vancouver-based punk rock band The Smugglers, dubbed by high school pal, fellow lead singer (the Evaporators) and music journalist Nardwuar the Human Serviette. The Smugglers were one of the few thriving independently-signed bands traveling across the US, Canada and eventually the world at a time when being independent meant you were actually unsigned.
The Smugglers found success in fusing their small town US influences with a Canadiana pride. - in fact, they were one of the few indie bands even singing about Canada when it was cooler to sing about the US. "In the ‘90s, Joel Plaskett would sing about North Dakota and Idaho," says Lawrence. "Now he sings about the Prairies... Rocky Mountains. It's the best thing a Canadian artist can do."
Lawrence has always been a candid and upfront personality since his honest archives of tour "Diarya" with The Smugglers - which taught one 15-year-old fan "everything [she] knew about sex" - and now in his outspoken style of hosting and interviewing. His upbeat candour is strong and forward without being insincere. However, with this kind of candid, Lawrence has been met with a few criticisms from listeners. "I never get offended by complaints," states Lawrence. "I never try to censor myself, I hate to censor music. The only time I will is if it is derogatory, racist, misogynist, but if it's Joel Plaskett saying ‘Fuck this place,' then it's ok."
After reading out a blog post axed against him last January by a young Toronto feminist, Lawrence laughs and warmly explains his likewise direct and honest approach to dealing with complaints. "Anyone that complains, I write them back right away. [In answer to the feminist blogger] I didn't mean any offense, I'm not exactly sure if she wrote back, but a lot of people will write back and get caught off guard; ‘Whoa you wrote me back, thanks,' and almost every time they say, ‘You know what, I didn't really mean it.'"
Apart from his musical past and radio persona, he is also known as "the podcast guy." Every week, Radio 3 puts together the Breaking New Sound podcast featuring an hour worth of independent songs from piles of CDs they receive from exclusively Canadian indie bands. Independent music in Canada has become a sustainable market, and one desired by consumers and artists alike. In fact, I believe the only sense of identity Canadians have today comes from the music we create. "It all started with Arcade Fire's Funeral," says Lawrence with conviction. "The best music today is coming from Canada, and has been since about 2004."
The show has made Lawrence one of the top authorities on the Canadian music scene - some say "encyclopedic." With a heavily influenced past and present in music, I ask Lawrence if he has become a member of a league of music-heads that go by the coin "music snobs."
"Definitely not. I pride myself in thinking I'm a good host," asserts Lawrence. "I love music of every shape and size. Nardwuar is a music snob. He only likes garage and punk rock. I like garage and punk rock, but I also love really good melodic hip hop, I love well-done electronic music, and can be moved to tears by singer-songwriters. Basically, if it's a good song, it doesn't matter what the genre... I can sing along to Final Fantasy! All I ask is that it is a good song."
My cell phone begins to sizzle on my earlobe as our interview has spilled ten minutes over allotted time, but I can't end the conversation without taking an allegorical "peek" into Lawrence's record collection - one which is completely vinyl and digital! "I never bought into the CD brainwash," assures Lawrence. "It is an irony of mine because I deal with CDs all the time...but I never like dealing with all that plastic." If you are going to buy a CD, according to Lawrence, he is confident that the 2000 release Left and Leaving by The Weakerthans - his favorite band, period - is an album every Canadian should own. "They've captured the spirit of what it is to be a Canadian in this era," says Lawrence. "They continue the Canadian Renaissance." A renaissance continued on vinyl or digital records, of course.
