Growing Up Smuggler

On September 6, 1998, Vancouver, British Columbia's Canadian Ambassadors Of Rock'n'Roll turn 10 years old. On this live commemorative album, recorded at a wild show in Madrid, Spain, The Smugglers furiously crank out songs from all five of their albums. Many of the songs performed are from past releases that are long out of print. The fast-paced performance is bristling with energy and humor, and a full 20 songs are pounded out to the manic Spanish fans in attendance. Recorded aptly on 24 tracks, this hot property was handed over to be shanked, cranked, mixed and produced by rock'n'roll god Kurt Bloch (Fastbacks, Flop). This album represents The Smugglers in their finest form: live and uninhibited rock'n'roll action. To celebrate the milestone of making it through 10 years of hell and pure fun (touring, records, parties and around-the-world toilet misadventures), Growing Up Smuggler is one part live rock'n'roll and one part scrapbook. Lead singer Grant Lawrence chronicles the band's soiled history from day one, when The Smugglers formed at a West Vancouver high school in September 1988 to the present. Plenty of photos and posters accent the entire timeline. The story of The Smugglers is hilarious and sometimes pathetic with tales of completely sucking, being thrown out of clubs, getting beat up and freezing their asses off in broken down vans. For The Smugglers, this album epitomizes what they've been through for 10 years: ambition, denial and great times.