The Smugglers are a Canadian indie rock band from Vancouver, British Columbia. The band consists of vocalist Grant Lawrence, guitarists Nick Thomas and David Carswell, bassist Kevin "Beez" Beesley and drummer Graham Watson. Past members include Paul Preminger (drums, 1988–1991), Adam Woodall (harmonica and guitar, 1988–1990), Bryce Dunn (drums, 1991–1998), Danny Fazio (drums, 1997) and John Collins (bass, 1997).
History
The Smugglers formed in 1988 when Lawrence, Carswell, Thomas, Woodall, and Preminger were students at Vancouver's Hillside Secondary School. They started by playing covers of then popular songs at local events and venues, and went on a short tour to Alberta and Saskatchewan during March Break week. The band's name was suggested by their friend and high school classmate Nardwuar the Human Serviette.
Over the course of their career, the band released material on a variety of record labels, including Nardwuar Records, PopLlama, Radiation, Mint, and Lookout.
In 1996, the Smugglers released their most successful album, Selling the Sizzle!, recorded at Sonic Iguana in Lafayette, Indiana, and produced by Mass Giorgini. It was the Smugglers first full-length release on Lookout Records.
In 1998, the band released a 10th anniversary album of live recordings, Growing Up Smuggler. Soon after, Dunn left the band, and was replaced as drummer by Watson. A world tour for "Rosie" followed, taking the Smugglers across the USA with the Donnas, and then on their own tours to Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and Europe.
Lawrence was also a frequent contributor to the CBC Radio 2 programs Night Lines and RadioSonic, recording audio diaries of his experiences on tour with the band; he became the host of RadioSonic in 2001.
After 2004, the band went into hiatus. Lawrence remains with the CBC as a host on CBC Radio, The Smugglers reformed for a series of reunion shows in Berkeley, Toronto, Ottawa, Seattle, and Vancouver, including one in Saskatoon at the Amigos, where they performed on their first tour.