Great Lake Swimmers will make their 2021 debut headlining the Seaway Valley Folk Festival on July 24th in Morrisburg, Ontario (near Ottawa) at the picturesque Stone Crop Acres Winery and Vineyard along the St. Lawrence River. Tickets and info at: https://www.harmonyconcerts.ca/event-info/seaway-valley-folk-festival-1
Also just announced, Great Lake Swimmers will be performing at River Road Brewing in Bayfield, Ontario on Sept. 5th, 2021. Details are at: https://www.ticketscene.ca/events/36646/
GREAT LAKE SWIMMERS ARE RELEASING THEIR 2007 PERFORMANCE AT TORONTO’S CHURCH OF THE REDEEMER ON BANDCAMP ON MAY 7 AND ON VINYL / DIGITAL PLATFORMS ON MAY 14, 2021 ON (WEEWERK)
Great Lake Swimmers – Live At The Redeemer – Photo by Frank Yang
On May 14, Great Lake Swimmers will release the recording of their performance at Toronto’s Church Of The Redeemer on vinyl and digital platforms via (weewerk). The concert capped off the band’s Canadian spring tour of 2007, just days before the group continued on to embark on a full European tour to support the newly released album Ongiara. It was recorded for CBC Radio broadcast by producer and engineer Ron Skinner, with live sound mixed by Andy Magoffin, who also mixed and mastered the recording for this release. The album is notable not only for the grand acoustics of the church, but for the raw first impressions of songs that would become fan favourites, as well as notable guest appearances by Basia Bulat (backing vocals), Owen Pallett (violin), and Bob Egan (pedal steel) in addition to the band’s core lineup. The live set is comprised of songs from the first three Great Lake Swimmers albums; Self-titled (2003), Bodies And Minds (2005), and Ongiara (2007). Live At The Redeemer 2007 will be available on Bandcamp beginning May 7.
Today, audiences can listen to “Your Rocky Spine” from the album. “This version of ‘Your Rocky Spine’ is especially poignant because it was the first time it was played in front of a Toronto audience,” says songwriter Tony Dekker. “It features a guest appearance on backing vocals by Basia Bulat, and would go on to become one of our most well-known songs. As the first song on the album, it was also placed first in the set list, and opened the concert, which took place in the acoustically stunning Church Of The Redeemer.”
LIVE AT THE REDEEMER 2007 TRACKLIST 01 Your Rocky Spine (Live) 02 Backstage With The Modern Dancers (Live) 03 Various Stages (Live) 04 Bodies And Minds (Live) 05 Put There By The Land (Live) 06 I Am Part Of A Large Family (Live) 07 Changing Colours (Live) 08 Moving Pictures Silent Films (Live) 09 There Is A Light (Live) 10 Let’s Trade Skins (Live) 11 I Will Never See The Sun (Live) 12 Passenger Song (Live) 13 Where In The World Are You (Live) 14 Song For The Angels (Live) 15 I Became Awake (Live) 16 Imaginary Bars (Live)
There are a few places to see the group perform live online this month, November 2020.
The first is this evening, Nov. 13th at 7:30pm EST, with a special acoustic trio version of the band in the beautiful Aeolian Hall for their Phoenix Sessions. No audience, but the Hall’s grand piano played by keyboardist Kelsey McNulty and upright bass courtesy of Bret Higgins, along with the acoustically dynamic Hall itself. It includes an in-depth interview with the Aeolian’s Clark Bryan. As some may know, Great Lake Swimmers’ history runs deep with the Aeolian, going back to the recording of 2007’s Ongiara there. See details in the flyer for ticket information, and at https://aeolianhall.ca/events/great-lake-swimmers-3/
The second is coming up on Nov. 28th for CityFolk Festival’s 2020 virtual edition. We’re excited to be part of this lineup and our performance features a full five-piece ensemble of Great Lake Swimmers in front of a socially-distanced, fully-masked audience at the wonderful Almonte Old Town Hall in Almonte, Ontario. Tickets are now available for the online broadcast which will include performances by Jason Isbell, Tim Baker, The Abrams, Tom Wilson, Ben Caplan, Nambi, and Johnny Shay. This was an intensely moving performance as it was the first time our group has played together in over 7 months. More details can be found at https://watch.cityfolkfestival.com/schedule/71036/462584; we hope you’re able to join us online.
Also, a special thanks to everyone who participated in last week’s Bandcamp Friday. Orders have gone out this week. In case you missed it, our full catalogue of LPs, CDs, and digital downloads is available on Bandcamp at https://greatlakeswimmers.bandcamp.com/, including an exclusive album of cover songs, “When We Last Shook Hands: Cover Songs Volume 1” collected from the bands performances over the last 15 years.
Great Lake Swimmers are very excited to be part of a re-imagined Festival of Small Halls next month. On October 25 they’ll be playing at Manotick United Church (near Ottawa, Ontario) with limited, distanced seating. All health guidelines and precautions will be followed. Tickets go on sale today (Sept. 24th) at 10:00am EST. Info at: https://thefestivalofsmallhalls.com/
We’re proud to announce a new
album of cover songs released today (June 5th) exclusively on Bandcamp. (Link:
www.greatlakeswimmers.bandcamp.com)
When We Last Shook Hands: Cover Songs Volume 1 is a collection of covers recorded by Great Lake Swimmers over a period of about 12 years, between 2007-2019. Most of the songs have been released in one form or another as part of compilations, live sessions, or album bonus tracks, but there are also a handful of songs that are just now seeing the light of day, including the lead track, “Come A Long Way,” written by Kate McGarrigle. They are gathered together here for the first time.
The recordings are from such
disparate sources as Studio 101 in New Orleans, Mailmen Studios in Utrecht, The
Netherlands, and locations closer to home like The House Of Miracles in Ontario,
Canada. We feel that they’ve come together as a cohesive whole despite their
differences in time, space, and iterations of the band.
The project was overseen by long-time collaborator Andy Magoffin, who mastered the album and sonically brought it together. The cover artwork was created by Adam CK Vollick.
Track list: 01 Come A Long Way (Kate McGarrigle) 02 Dublin Blues (Guy Clark) 03 Before They Make Me Run (The Rolling Stones) 04 What Was Going Through My Head (The Grapes Of Wrath) 05 The Storms Are On The Ocean (The Carter Family) 06 Don’t Cry No Tears (Neil Young) 07 Willow Tree (Chad Vangaalen) 08 The Things That People Make, Part 3 (The Burning Hell) 09 The Dark Don’t Hide It (Magnolia Electric Co.) 10 It Keeps Me Up (Museum Pieces) 11 The Desperate Kingdom Of Love (PJ Harvey) 12 You Know More Than I Know (John Cale) 13 My Sweet Relief (Martin Tielli) 14 Innocent When You Dream (Tom Waits)
We are acutely aware of the
unrest happening in the world right now, especially in the United States, and
join with many in outrage and protest. Partial proceeds from the sale of this
album today and on June 19th will be donated to Black Lives Matter –
Toronto.
The artist-friendly music platform Bandcamp is waiving its revenue share today, Friday May 1st, to help support artists who have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. In light of that, we’re releasing a live set from our show last fall in Ottawa, Ontario (Canada’s capital city) exclusively on our Bandcamp site to stream or purchase for the next four weeks: https://greatlakeswimmers.bandcamp.com/album/live-in-ottawa-at-the-27-club-2019-10-03 We miss the live music experience as much as you probably do, so hopefully this is an alternative that you can enjoy from the comfort and safety of your own home. It is a fan recording, and although it has some audio inconsistencies, we think it makes up in performance and spirit what it might lack in technical fidelity. That’s a big part of what we like about live music to begin with. Checking out music on Bandcamp, especially today, is a great way to support the music and musicians that you love in these times.
The April solo acoustic tour of Europe with Liz Hysen of Toronto band Picastro has unfortunately been postponed due to the pandemic. The intention of the tour was to perform the scaled back, minimalist songs from “The Waves, The Wake (Acoustic)” and some of the collaborative tracks from Picastro’s excellent new record, “Exit.” We also pressed a 7″ record of new songs for the tour, “Getting To The Heart Of It” by Great Lake Swimmers and Picastro’s “Where Are You” with “Thursday.” With the tour on hold (for now), a limited number of the 45 RPM singles are available for mailorder and can be found at https://greatlakeswimmers.com/shop/ Pressed to translucent purple vinyl, they also feature stunning cover images by artists Kristan Klimczak and Adam CK Vollick.
Great Lake
Swimmers Live at the Webber Academy Performing Arts Center in Calgary for the
Stampede City Sessions (Video)
One of our last shows before the pandemic took hold happened in Calgary, Alberta at the Webber Academy Performing Arts Center, for the Stampede City Sessions. We’ve posted the full concert to our Youtube channel: https://youtu.be/Z_v9iNw2IPI Thanks to the Webber Academy and ATB Financial for having us in and for this beautifully filmed concert.
As always, your support and kind ears are very much appreciated, and we hope to see you when the venues open up again.
We regret to announce that the European solo acoustic tour with Liz Hysen of Picastro has been postponed due to the COVID-19 outbreak. We hope to reschedule for the near future. Like many of our peers who have also had to cancel tour dates, this has dealt a huge economical and emotional blow to everyone involved. If you are inclined, check out our shop which is carrying our latest LPs, and will soon stock the limited Great Lake Swimmers/Picastro split 7″ tour exclusive that was meant to accompany us on this trip. https://greatlakeswimmers.com/shop/ Thanks for your support and understanding and we hope to see you down the road soon
The Great Lake Swimmers show at Neat Coffee Shop has sold out in a hurry, prompting the addition of a second date on June 5, 2020. Apt613 says, “The Neat Coffee Shop is located about 80km west of Ottawa, overlooking the Madawaska River at the intersection in the tiny village of Burnstown. It might not be on the radar of the ordinary music-lover in Ottawa-Gatineau, but it probably should be.” Read the full article: https://apt613.ca/neat-coffee-shop-review/ and purchase advance tickets to the 2nd show here: https://neatmusicandcoffee.ca/collections/tickets/products/great-lake-swimmers-june-5-50. See you there!
Tony Dekker – Sleeping Giant Provincial Park Photo – by Joe Lapinski
Great Lake Swimmers are proud to announce their return to the Neat Coffee Shop in Burnstown, Ontario on June 6, 2020. Nestled in the Ottawa Valley, this historic, intimate venue is a favorite among artists and fans. It is a seated event with limited reservations and will be “An Evening With” featuring 2 sets with the full band. Read more about the venue here: https://apt613.ca/neat-coffee-shop-review/ and purchase advance tickets here: https://neatmusicandcoffee.ca/collections/tickets/products/great-lake-swimmers-june-6-50. Hope to see you there!
We’re very excited to announce new European tour dates in April 2020. Great Lake Swimmers’ Tony Dekker will be hitting the road in Europe to play songs from the recently released “The Waves, The Wake (Acoustic),” the solo record “Prayer Of The Woods,” new songs, and solo iterations from the Great Lake Swimmers catalogue. Joining him on the tour will be Liz Hysen of Toronto band Picastro. Dekker provides vocal support on the latest Picastro release, “Exit.”
In addition, a Great Lake Swimmers/Picastro split 7” record of exclusive new material will be released leading up to the tour. “Getting To The Heart Of It” and “Where Are You” + “Thursday” will be a limited physical release on translucent purple vinyl and available at the shows.
Upcoming Canadian Tour Dates: Thanks to all who made our sold out, home-town Toronto show at the newly re-opened Paradise Theatre an evening to remember. There are still a few tickets left for our remaining full band Canadian tour dates, including shows in London, Calgary, and Edmonton.
Tony Dekker at Hillside Inside 2020 Coming up on Feb. 9, 2020, Tony Dekker will be making a special solo appearance as part of Hillside Inside’s “Lit Music Brunch” series in Guelph, Ontario. Co-presented by the Eden Mills Writers’ Festival, the morning event will feature a solo acoustic performance following a reading from “To the River: Losing My Brother” by author Don Gillmor. Limited space is available by contacting Mijiidaa in downtown Guelph. https://www.facebook.com/hillsidefestivalguelph/
Great Lake Swimmers Shop Additions Recently added to our online shop is Tony Dekker’s 2013 solo LP, “Prayer Of The Woods.” Take another listen to a record that is described as “Folk music that sounds like it was recorded on the periphery between the living room and the surrounding woodland … a humble and traditional folk work, focusing on lyrical analogies and aphorisms” (Norman Records UK).
Vinyl copies of the most recent
release, “The Waves, The Wake (Acoustic)” are also available exclusively through
this site: https://greatlakeswimmers.com/shop/
Video for “The Real Work” Lastly, in case you missed it, below is a live solo acoustic video for “The Real Work” filmed near Sleeping Giant Provincial Park this past summer by Adam CK Vollick, with audio engineered by Joe Lapinski. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iip7Wg6T6gU
