BANDWIDTH SESSIONS #20: GREAT LAKE SWIMMERS 2010.02.08

When Great Lake Swimmers were in Belfast for a show at the Speakeasy last November, frontman Tony Dekker did two special acoustic performances for Bandwidth Sessions, filmed by Will McConnell.

You can view Pulling On A Line & Everything Is Moving So Fast at www.bandwidthfilms.com/great-lake-swimmers.

In-Store Appearance at Sonic Boom in Toronto TONIGHT2010.02.05

Great Lake Swimmers will be performing Live in the basement at SONIC BOOM in Toronto on Friday, February 5th @ 6:30pm.

This is a FREE, ALL AGES show. We kindly ask that you bring a non-perishable food item for The Daily Bread Food Bank.

For those who can't make it in person, watch the live the stream here: livestream.com/smw_toronto

This special instore concert will be streamed live in it's entirety courtesy of Social Media Week

Third Instalment of Great Lake Swimmers' China Blog2010.02.05

Jan 11, 2010 - 11:15am
Yesterday we traveled from Wuhan to the city of Shanghai, the latter of which is known as “The Pearl of the Orient.” The venue we played at is called Yuyintang and has the reputation of being the most important live music venue in Shanghai. It was an honour to have a concert there and as we stepped inside I was quickly impressed.

Coming in from the airport we were told that we were most likely the first western band to travel the new express highway, which had only opened to traffic the day before. It was built in anticipation of the crowds that will converge on the city for the World Expo, which starts in May. There are a number of remarkable exhibition buildings in the distance.

Before the show we had a photo shoot and interview with one of the major Chinese music magazines, Hit Music. The amount of high-level media attention has been really encouraging. The coverage in the English entertainment magazines Time Out Shanghai as well as Time Out Beijing has brought a lot of English-speaking foreigners out to the shows, but it's the large number of Chinese residents in attendance at that I'm most impressed with, as is our tour promoter. It’s also interesting to note that we were introduced to a promoter who recently had fellow Canadian bands Fucked Up and DOA in China for tours.

When the doors finally opened, a steady stream of people filed in. For a Sunday night I wasn’t sure what to expect, but from the feeling in the room and the shoulder to shoulder crowd, it already seemed like the night was a success. And clearly, it was to be the best show of the tour for us, with an extraordinarily enthusiastic but attentive crowd. It’s amazing to me that there was such a great audience for us in this part of the world. Afterwards, we were taken out to the Bund, a great neighbourhood in Shanghai. In a bar there, we discovered that they had a CD by our Canadian brothers The Russian Futurists in their play list, which quickly became the soundtrack to our evening.

Jan 12, 2010 - 2:00pm
Today was our last day in China, and I’m so appreciative that we were able to fit in a visit to the Forbidden City. It is a hugely complex and ornate imperial palace, and former home to the Emperor of China. It has to be seen to be believed. Our trip there yesterday after returning to Beijing was also followed by a giant farewell dinner, where we shot some ad hoc footage, using two digital cameras, that could very well turn into a video for our song “Everything Is Moving So Fast.” As the words of the song imply, this trip was over too soon. It’s been extremely insightful and rewarding, and I feel that we’ve been able to have a true exchange of cultures and ideas the way I had hoped. With any luck, we’ll be able to return again soon to see our new friends in China.

We had a wonderful time!

P.S.
Special Thanks to Al Di (AL D TV), Jesse at Icon Promotions, and Phil Klygo at (weewerk) for working hard to put it all together for us.

New Lost Channels Deluxe Vinyl In The Works - Help Us Make It2010.01.28

With the original pressing of Lost Channels on vinyl nearly sold out, Great Lake Swimmers are planning to re-release a Lost Channels deluxe vinyl later this Spring. As we plan the release, we wanted to know what you would including in your dream Lost Channels vinyl pack? Digital album? Tee shirt? Exclusive artwork? Bonus tracks? Lyrics? Extra 7"? Digital EPs? Lithograph? Hidden golden ticket redeemable for merch?

As we look to get the new vinyl into production soon, please help us determine what we can do to make this special piece as great as we possible can by listing your ideas here.

Road Report From China - Part 2: Chengdu & Wuhan2010.01.19

Read the latest tour blog from Great Lake Swimmers on their China tour.

Indie Rocks! A Benefit Album For Malaria No More - Just $2.992010.01.14

Great Lake Swimmers are featured in today's Daily Deal on Amazon with their contribution of "Pulling On A Line" to the Indie Rocks! A Benefit Album For Malaria No More non-profit comp. For just $2.99, music fans receive this incredible compilation featuring Peter Bjorn And John, State Radio, and The Walkmen, while also sending a mosquito net to help a family in Africa. RED is donating 100% of the proceeds to Malaria No More. Please click here to download.

Malaria No More is determined to end malaria deaths in Africa by 2015. Malaria kills a child in Africa every 30 seconds, even though it is treatable and preventable. Individuals worldwide are helping keep children safe from the deadly bite of a malarial mosquito with a simple mosquito net. The World Health Organization’s 2009 World Malaria Report shows promising progress in the global effort to end malaria deaths and you can help by simply purchasing Indie Rocks! A Benefit Album For Malaria No More today!

Please click here to purchase the comp and send a mosquito net to help a family in Africa for only $2.99!

Road Report From China - Part 12010.01.11

While the Great Lake Swimmers are on tour in China, they'll be blogging about their experiences on Spinner.

Read their first post here.

GREAT LAKE SWIMMERS - "ON CANVAS!"2010.01.04

On Wed, February 3rd at 8 p.m. on WHYY's TV12 and at 9 p.m. on WHYY Y Arts Channel, ON CANVAS features GREAT LAKE SWIMMERS and their live performance at Johnny Brenda's in Philadelphia from last September. This episode will re-air Sunday, February 7th at 2 p.m. on WHYY-TV 12. You can view this complete episode of On Canvas online at whyy.org/oncanvas beginning Thursday, February 4th.

Exclusive “Song Sung Blue” Stream On Friday2009.12.09

Subscribe to the Great Lake Swimmers newsletter now to get sent an exclusive first listen of new track “Song Sung Blue” from the Song Sung Blue EP out December 22nd. Click here to subscribe now. Current subscribers do not need to re-subscribe to get the track.

And if you haven't already, please make sure to check out the Legion Sessions Interactive Palm; an early holiday present from Great Lake Swimmers to all the fans that have made this year a great one.

Great Lake Swimmers Early Holiday Gift To Fans2009.12.05

The holidays are here early for Great Lake Swimmers fans. As a token of appreciation for the overwhelming support from fans across the globe this year, Tony Dekker & Co. would like to thank you with the Legion Sessions Interactive Palm.

The Legion Sessions Interactive Palm showcases the creation of the Legion Sessions with full streaming of every Legion Session video. Discover the 9 Legion Session videos by moving your mouse around the palm map. Click on the revealed points to view the videos. Find all 9 videos to download a free unreleased Great Lake Swimmers song.

Click here to check it out now & please share with friends.

The Legion Sessions were directed by Scott Cudmore with sound by Graham Walsh and filmed by Scott Cudmore & Michael Leblanc. All tracks off the Legion Sessions come from Lost Channels available everywhere now.

iTunes Selects Lost Channels as One of Best of 20092009.12.01

iTunes has selected Lost Channels from Great Lake Swimmers as one of the best records of 2009 from the Singer/Songwriter genre. The album is currently featured on the iTunes Indie Spotlight with a discounted purchase price of $7.99 and a free song in the Indie Spotlight Playlist featuring tracks from Andrew Bird, Bon Iver, M. Ward, and more. Click here to check out the feature.

Lost Channels Named #1 in Exclaim! Year in Review2009.11.25

Exclaim Magazine has named Great Lake Swimmers' Lost Channels Album #1 in their Wood Wires & Whiskey: Year in Review 2009.

Tony Dekker Plays Still In A Photobooth in Belfast2009.11.24

GREAT LAKE SWIMMERS: TAKE A PHOTO, IT WILL LAST LONGER from BABYSWEET SESSIONS on Vimeo.

Public Service Announcement for Tennessee Riverkeeper2009.11.23

Tennessee Riverkeeper and Lake Ontario Waterkeeper are among the 190 Waterkeeper organizations worldwide. The mission of Tennessee Riverkeeper is to protect the Tennessee River and its tributaries by enforcing environmental laws and educating the public. For more info please visit www.TennesseeRiver.org or www.Waterkeeper.org

European Tour With Molina & Johnson Cancelled2009.11.21

We are very sorry to inform you that the Molina & Johnson European tour which Tony Dekker was to join has been cancelled.

The following dates will be solo shows and have not been cancelled:
28 Nov 2009 - Toutpartout 15 years @ Botanique, Brussels, BE
29 Nov 2009 - Le Guess Who? Festival @ Tivoli, Utrech, NL
30 Nov 2009 - Frits Philips @ Eindhoven, NL

Great Lake Swimmers Dates in China2009.11.18

Thanks to our superfriend Al D and Icon Promotions GREAT LAKE SWIMMERS will debut live in CHINA in January 2010.

Confirmed Dates
Jan 7th - Beijing @ Yu Gong Yi Shan
Jan 8th - Chengdu @ Little Bar
Jan 9th - Wuhan @ VOX
Jan 10th - Shanghai @ Yuyintang

Tony Dekker Solo Acoustic Interview Session with Telegraph TV2009.11.18

Tony did a special acoustic interview session with Telegraph TV while in London before the Great Lake Swimmers show at Jazz Cafe.

View it here.

Pulling On A Line nominated as BEST SONG for the CBC Radio 3 Bucky Awards!2009.11.16

Go here to Vote: radio3.cbc.ca/buckyawards/vote

Polls to remain open until Sunday, November 29th @ 12AM. Listeners can vote once per day until they close, so help GLS out by voting often.

Winners will be announced in a special live broadcast of Grant Lawrence Live on Wednesday, December 9th, on cbcradio3.com and Sirius 86.

Win an Autographed Copy of the New Townes Van Zandt Tribute Album, Featuring Great Lake Swimmers2009.11.16

Visit weewerk.com to find out how you can win an autographed copy of the new Townes Van Zandt compilation put out by UK indie label For the Sake of the Song. This compilation features Great Lake Swimmers cover of “Our Mother the Mountain”.

Click here to find out more!

Great Lake Swimmers on Simple Folk Radio — Rescheduled!2009.11.12

Tune in to Simple Folk Radio (97.2FM) in Brighton, England next week for a recent studio session with Great Lake Swimmers. Find out more at radioreverb.com or Simple Folk Radio on Facebook.

The Final Countdown to the 2010 Winter Games begins, and Great Lake Swimmers will be there!2009.11.04

As part of the celebration to mark the 100 days til the 2010 Olympic Winter Games, the Resort Municipality of Whistler is pleased to present Whistler Live! - an outdoor network of stages, screens and performance sites in Whistler Village that will provide unique and FREE programming throughout the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.

Great Lake Swimmers are proud to join the likes of showcasing artists; Barenaked Ladies, Blue Rodeo, Corb Lund, Elliott Brood, Hey Rosetta & Sam Roberts, among others on this momentous occasion and hope you can join us in the festivities.

Great Lake Swimmers will perform on the Whistler Village Stage on Saturday February 13th, for more details please visit www.whistler2010.com

New Video for Palmistry2009.11.03

The video was shot in the 1000 Islands region of Ontario with video director Sean Michael Turrell (Tegan & Sara, Mstrkrft, Brendan Canning).

For behind the scenes photos from the shoot, please click here.

Special Thanks to Bytown Brigantine and the Fuller family for the use of the tall ship Fair Jeanne, and to Ian Coristine.

Folk Music Award Nomination, War Child and West Coast Tour Dates2009.10.22

The Great Lake Swimmers announce brand new Canadian tour dates, as the accolades surrounding the group’s latest album Lost Channels continues to roll in. Fresh off a Short List Nomination for this year’s Polaris Music Prize, the Toronto indie folk group has been nominated for a Canadian Folk Music Awards for Contemporary Album Of The Year.

The band is also set to perform at the Dakota Tavern in Toronto on November 5th as part of the Dakota Nights for War Child Benefit series (warchild.ca). The unique concert series features very intimate performances with celebrated artists, with all proceeds going to support War Child Canada. Previous participants include Ron Sexsmith and Sloan.

West Coast dates are next on the list for the band, including a long awaited return to Victoria, their first since the release of Lost Channels. Vancouver fans will be treated to a show at the Vogue Theatre before the band ventures north for a stop at the Cold Snap Festival in Prince George.

Upcoming Tour Dates as Follows:
Thurs Nov 5th - Dakota Tavern - Toronto (War Child Benefit)
Wed Jan 27 - Alix Goolden Hall - Victoria
Fri Jan 29 - The Vogue Theatre - Vancouver
Sat Jan 30 - Cold Snap Festival - Prince George
Sat Feb 6 - Trinity St. Paul’s United Church - Toronto

Sign on at Great Lake Swimmers Facebook to see the new video for track ‘Palmistry’ debuting soon!

Tony Dekker Solo Shows - Supporting Will Johnson & Jason Molina2009.10.14

(weewerk) is proud to announce that Tony Dekker of Great Lake Swimmers will be opening support for the special Jason Molina and Will Johnson European tour promoting their new collaborative album. After the Great Lake Swimmers full band tour winds down on November 27 in Dachau, Germany, Tony Dekker will join the Molina/Johnson tour. These solo performances by Tony will give GLS fans a chance to hear this troubadour's unique voice in all its naked and intimate glory.

Confirmed Dates:
Nov 28 - Toutpartout 15 years @ Botanique - Brussel (B)
Nov 29 - Le Guess Who? Festival @ Tivoli - Utrecht (NL)
Nov 30 - MC Frits Philips - Eindhoven (NL)
Dec 01 - Railway Inn - Winchester (UK)
Dec 02 - The Garage - London (UK)
Dec 03 - Deaf Institute - Manchester (UK)
Dec 04 - Emporium - Rouen (F)
Dec 05 - Le Scopitone - Paris (F)

More dates TBA

Great Lake Swimmers Nominated for Canadian Folk Music Awards Contemporary Album of the Year2009.10.13

Great Lake Swimmers, a finalist for this year's Polaris Prize, is up against Nova Scotia roots rocker Joel Plaskett, Vancouver blues singer Ndidi Onukwulu, and two others for the contemporary album award at this year's Canadian Folk Music Awards. The awards will be given out at the Canadian Museum of Civilization in Gatineau, Que., on Nov. 21.

New Interview with Tony Dekker2009.09.24

Canadian Interviews have just published a new interview with Tony from earlier this year. Read the full interview here.

GREAT LAKE SWIMMERS RETURN TO EUROPE IN NOVEMBER!2009.09.15

11/11/09 : Komedia - Brighton (UK)
13/11/09 : Crawdaddy - Dublin (EIR)
14/11/09 : Speakeasy - Belfast (UK)
15/11/09 : Glee club - Birmingham (UK)
16/11/09 : Deaf Institute - Manchester (UK)
17/11/09 : Metropolis - Bristol (UK)
18/11/09 : Scala - London (UK)
19/11/09 : Glaz’art - Paris (F)
21/11/09 : Le Vauban - Brest (F)
23/11/09 : Molotow - Hamburg (D)
24/11/09 : Festsaal Kreuzberg - Berlin (D)
25/11/09 : Steinbruch - Duisburg (D)
26/11/09 : King Georg - Köln (D)
27/11/09 : Friedenskirche - Dachau (D)
28/11/09 : Toutpartout 15 years @ Botanique - Brussel (B)

"I Will Never See The Sun" by Great Lake Swimmers. Featured in Short Film by Anita Doron - Debuts @ TIFF!2009.09.15

"Shooting inside the Toronto Transit Commission system is actually not as difficult as it might seem: TTC brass are quite welcoming to film-makers, their policies as reasonable to navigate as the Bloor-Danforth line. But how to make the subway magic, to capture the ethereal beauty of a Great Lake Swimmers song? Director Anita Doron knew what to do, and it involved taking Tony Dekker in an unexpected direction, dimension." - Anitra Doron

This week marks the release we've been waiting for! So, leading up to Friday's release of the actual video, you will find on the artist page here: http://blog.citysonic.tv/category/artists/tony-dekker-great-lake-swimmers/