First released: Feb 2, 1996, Mint (Canada), Lookout (USA) and Konkurrent Records (Netherlands)
30th anniversary deluxe reissue released: Feb 2, 2026, Lavasocks Records (USA.)
Deluxe credits:
- “Menu” cover design by Chris Appelgren.
- Liner notes by Nardwuar the Human Serviette (Member of the Order of Canada.)
- Re”Mass”stered by Mass Giorgini.
Kevin “Beez” Beesley- bass
David Carswell - guitar
Bryce Dunn - drums
Grant Lawrence - voice
Nick Thomas - guitar
ALL SIZZLE NO FIZZLE!!!
NINE YEARS AGO TODAY. Can’t believe it. What a time, what an event, not only to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the legendary all ages punk venue 924 Gilman Street in Berkeley, California, but also to celebrate the amazing community and bands that was and is Lookout Records. As Nick from the Smugglers put it, “it was a reunion with a family I forgot I had.” And because of this, the Smugglers got back together for two years of shows! And it provided a happy ending for my book “Dirty Windshields” which was previously wrapping up on a pretty big buzzkill. 😅
Massive thanks to Alex Botkin @lavasocks for putting it all together and since releasing two Smugglers reissues, including the most recent 30th anniversary edition of “Selling the Sizzle.”
And to my wife Jill for secretly flying down to Berkeley and surprising me at the end of the show. We kissed in the pouring rain out the side door on 8th Street. So romantic!
Did it really happen?? Were you there???
@christopherappelgren@larrylivermore@drankf@pansydivisionofficial@massgiorgini@jillbarber@wynn88@its_ska_tay@bgwatson@chimchimlay@quelfromage@kepighoulie
#lookoutrecords #gilmanstreet #924gilman #berkeley
IT’S HERE!! The **30th anniversary** edition of “Selling the Sizzle” with unique fold out “menu” sleeve designed by @christopherappelgren , liner notes by @nardwuar , re-MASS-stered by @massgiorgini and pressed on ketchup and mustard splatter vinyl! Available in Vancouver at @neptoonrecords and everywhere else at @lavasocksrecords of El Cerrito California! This one is for ESPECIALLY YOU!!!
And yeah that’s BEEZ!!
(And yes, trivia fans, that’s the hat I wore in the 1996 video for “Especially You.”)
Whoa!! A NEW video for my OLD band The Smugglers!?! Yes, it’s true... in celebration of the 30th anniversary deluxe edition of our album “Selling The Sizzle” (on ketchup-and-mustard-splattered vinyl no less) we have created this new video for “I Need A Vacation” that attempts to capture our love for touring far and wide.
When the The Smugglers first formed, besides making music with friends and having fun, my modus operandi was to TOUR. To see new places, to explore, to have rock ‘n’ roll adventures, and to seek out the history of the places we got to play.
(The great thing about being in a band is that you often are playing the coolest / most dangerous / most culturally interesting part of town - and you get directions right to it!)
Ever since I was a kid, I loved the music of Chuck Berry, and I loved how he named actual places in his songs so much, so that’s what I tried to emulate for most of my song-writing life, so too in “I Need A Vacation.” I would often write these songs before ever seeing any of these places, just in my imagination, so to look back and see that it actually happened is gratifying. Thank you Alex at Lavasocks Records for the help in putting this together.
When we recorded this song at Sonic Iguana in Lafayette, Indiana, in September 1995, I remember I only had the first half of the song written and I was just repeating the lyrics for the second verse and bridge. Our amazing producer Mass Giorgini remarked, “I really think this song would benefit from more lyrics. So uh... where else in the world do you want to go?”
Our guitarist Dave Carswell was much more blunt about it: “Grant: go outside and write more lyrics. NOW!” So I left the studio, went across the street, sat on the curb in the warm setting sun, and wrote the second verse and bridge, which is why the “corn of Indiana” line is in there... It was harvest time and the corn was tasting SWEET! Enjoy!
Oh yeah, and the 30th anniversary edition of “Selling the Sizzle” is available from Lavasocks Records NOW and I hope to have some copies for sale at the Very Vancouver Christmas show!
Where did YOU see the Smugglers perform?
It’s RECORD RELEASE DAY at the Barber-Lawrence House of Vinyl! That’s right… three of our family members are releasing slabs of wax this season!?!
- My lovely wife Jill Barber’s new album, “A Holly Jolly Jill Barber Christmas” is OUT TODAY… a Yuletide mix of saucy originals and steamy holiday classics on jack pine evergreen vinyl. Jill’s eastern tour starts next week with shows from Toronto to Halifax! Her only Western appearance will be at our show “A Very Vancouver Xmas” at the Hollywood Theatre Wed Dec 17. Tickets limited, link in bio!
- Our 12-year-old son Josh’s rock band Blue Jay Valley has released a 12” vinyl album called “Breakaway”, and it totally rocks on multi-coloured vinyl! Available in stores soon on Fink City Records. “Smells like pre-teen spirit.” - Georgia Strait.
- And finally, my ol’ rock n roll band The Smugglers are releasing a remastered 30th anniversary edition of our “most popular” (please define) album “Selling The Sizzle.” The reissue comes with a deluxe fold-out sleeve designed by our dear friend Chris Appelgren (who originally released this album in 1996 on Lookout Records), wild liner notes by Nardwuar, and a truly sizzling remaster by original Sizzle producer Mass Giorgini. You can order your own copy on ketchup-and-mustard splattered vinyl in time for Xmas on Lava Socks Records.
Let’s SPIN!
