Grant Lawrence
Encyclopedia
Grant Lawrence is a veteran Canadian
radio personality and writer based in Vancouver
. He is a host on CBC Radio 3
, a Sirius Satellite Radio
channel which emphasizes new independent Canadian music, and is also the vocalist for the indie rock
group The Smugglers
.
In addition to his regular shifts on Radio 3 itself, Lawrence was the host of Radio 3's Saturday night program on the CBC Radio 2 network until March 17, 2007, when that program was discontinued. He is also regular host of the service's weekly podcast
, which is the most widely downloaded Canadian podcast on the Internet as of 2006. Spin
magazine dubbed it the best podcast in Canada.
Lawrence began his association with the CBC in the 1990s, filing stories about life on tour with the Smugglers for David Wisdom
's show Nightlines
. When Nightlines ended in 1997, Wisdom and Leora Kornfeld
, the former host of Realtime
, went on to host the new series RadioSonic
. Lawrence initially worked for the show as a researcher, and later became a producer. He became host of RadioSonic in 2001, after Wisdom and Kornfeld left the program.
Lawrence co-founded and currently plays ice hockey
for the Vancouver Flying Vees, an amateur hockey team staffed largely by Canadian musicians.
He is married to singer-songwriter Jill Barber
.
Lawrence published his first book Adventures in Solitude, a memoir of his visits to the Desolation Sound
area of British Columbia, in 2010.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
radio personality and writer based in Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
. He is a host on CBC Radio 3
CBC Radio 3
CBC Radio 3 is a radio station that consists of two parts devoted to Canadian arts and music: a radio service which is available on Sirius Satellite Radio and streaming audio, and several daily and weekly podcasts from the CBC Radio 3 website...
, a Sirius Satellite Radio
Sirius Satellite Radio
Sirius Satellite Radio is a satellite radio service operating in North America, owned by Sirius XM Radio.Headquartered in New York City, with smaller studios in Los Angeles and Memphis, Sirius was officially launched on July 1, 2002 and currently provides 69 streams of music and 65 streams of...
channel which emphasizes new independent Canadian music, and is also the vocalist for the indie rock
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
group The Smugglers
The Smugglers (band)
The Smugglers are a Canadian indie rock band. The band consists of vocalist Grant Lawrence, guitarists Nick Thomas and David Carswell, bassist Beez and drummers Graham Watson and Bryce Dunn.-Discography:* 1990: Up and Down...
.
In addition to his regular shifts on Radio 3 itself, Lawrence was the host of Radio 3's Saturday night program on the CBC Radio 2 network until March 17, 2007, when that program was discontinued. He is also regular host of the service's weekly podcast
Podcast
A podcast is a series of digital media files that are released episodically and often downloaded through web syndication...
, which is the most widely downloaded Canadian podcast on the Internet as of 2006. Spin
Spin (magazine)
Spin is a music magazine founded in 1985 by publisher Bob Guccione Jr.-History:In its early years, the magazine was noted for its broad music coverage with an emphasis on college-oriented rock music and on the ongoing emergence of hip-hop. The magazine was eclectic and bold, if sometimes haphazard...
magazine dubbed it the best podcast in Canada.
Lawrence began his association with the CBC in the 1990s, filing stories about life on tour with the Smugglers for David Wisdom
David Wisdom
David Wisdom is a former Canadian radio personality, who hosted the music programs Nightlines, RadioSonic, Radio-On, and Pearls of Wisdom on CBC Radio 2. He has been called "the Canadian equivalent of John Peel"...
's show Nightlines
Nightlines
Nightlines was a Canadian radio series, which aired on CBC Stereo from 1982 to 1997. The show, which aired on Friday and Saturday nights, profiled independent and alternative music.The show's original host was Ron Robinson...
. When Nightlines ended in 1997, Wisdom and Leora Kornfeld
Leora Kornfeld
Leora Kornfeld is a Canadian businessperson and former radio personality. She was best known for hosting Realtime on CBC Stereo in the 1990s, which was billed as the first radio program in the world to integrate emerging Internet technologies such as e-mail and IRC into its program format.Kornfeld...
, the former host of Realtime
Realtime (radio show)
Realtime was a Canadian radio show, which aired Saturday evenings on CBC Stereo from 1994 to 1997.Hosted by Leora Kornfeld, the series was a pop culture magazine and interview show which was billed as the first live radio program in the world to integrate Internet technologies such as e-mail and...
, went on to host the new series RadioSonic
RadioSonic
RadioSonic was a Canadian radio program, which aired on CBC Radio 2 from 1997 to 2003.RadioSonic, which aired on Saturday evenings, was originally created by combining two predecessor programs, David Wisdom's Nightlines and Leora Kornfeld's Realtime. Both Wisdom and Kornfeld remained as hosts of...
. Lawrence initially worked for the show as a researcher, and later became a producer. He became host of RadioSonic in 2001, after Wisdom and Kornfeld left the program.
Lawrence co-founded and currently plays ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
for the Vancouver Flying Vees, an amateur hockey team staffed largely by Canadian musicians.
He is married to singer-songwriter Jill Barber
Jill Barber
Jill Barber is a Canadian singer-songwriter formerly based in Halifax, Nova Scotia, now based in Vancouver, British Columbia.-Biography:Born and raised in Toronto, she is sister to singer-songwriter Matthew Barber...
.
Lawrence published his first book Adventures in Solitude, a memoir of his visits to the Desolation Sound
Desolation Sound
Desolation Sound is a deep water sound in British Columbia, Canada.It is a favourite destination for boaters because of its spectacular fjords, mountains, and wildlife. It is part of the Sunshine Coast....
area of British Columbia, in 2010.