‘The beauty and the people’ coax musician Charles Stenner back to Whistler

With an injured ankle and expired work visa, Whistler musician Charles Stenner had a chance to reassess.

Rather than stick around and watch everyone play in the mountains while he healed, he decided to head home to Guernsey.

“I think going home was a period for me to get some clarity on where I wanted to take my life,” he says.

He left the resort in November 2021 and spent nearly a year focusing on putting all the music he had made—alone and with other local musicians—out into the world, thanks, in part, to skills gleaned from Arts Whistler’s Creative Catalyst “band bootcamp” program.

“It doesn’t come naturally to me,” Stenner says of promotion. “It’s been growing pains. I like looking after the musical side of it. Looking after the social media is tough for me. [Having the time] did give me a kick to propel me and get it done. You just have to get started. It parallels writer’s block.”

He also managed to release a two-song, self-titled EP from Little Earthquakes, his alt-pop duo with Whistler’s Helen Hamilton.

That included the single “Let Go,” which was featured as a track of the week on BBC Guernsey, along with a radio interview. The contemplative single builds to a simple, catchy chorus marked by the lush pairing of Stenner and Hamilton’s vocals.

“I didn’t know where to start, then I made a big list of the stuff I wanted to release, including the Little Earthquakes stuff,” he says. “I was desperate to get it out. I think when I left Canada it was tough to keep the momentum of the project. I was proud of what we’d written and recorded and I was sitting on the EP. I’m pleased we did get it out. It was well-received back home.”

On top of that, Stenner helped produce a track for Whistler indie-folk musician Ryan Harris called “Far from Home.”

“He’s doing phenomenally now,” Stenner adds. “He’s completely blown up in the time that I’ve known him … I love what he’s doing.”

Then there was the upright piano at home that he couldn’t walk by without playing. “I’ve written a few things,” he says. “I’m trying to release as much stuff as I can before I commit to recording again.”

In the end, with a new work visa secured, Stenner realized he wasn’t done with Whistler—despite the extreme challenges of housing this season (and always). Currently, he’s house sitting in Delta for saxophone player Robert Miller, but he has a promising lead on a Whistler rental.

There’s one big reason it’s worth the effort.

“The people,” he says. “Without a doubt. The beauty and the people. I’m quite a solitary person and Whistler is a pretty busy place to have to compete for peace and quiet. You can find it, but it’s becoming increasingly hard. But all of my truest friends, generally speaking, revolve around the music community—and my core group. And I’m back.”

Little Earthquakes are set to play their reunion show at the Whistler Farmers’ Market—its last of the season—on Sunday, Oct. 9 throughout the day.

“It seems like such a long time since I was in Whistler playing with Helen and everyone,” Stenner says. “It will be special.”