Great Lake Swimmers will grace the mainstage with a FREE performance for Niagara Grape & Wine Festival in Montebello Park on Sunday, September 30th in St. Catharines, Ontario.
For more detalls and event information please visit the following link:
http://www.niagarawinefestival.com/in-park-experience
Great Lake Swimmers‘ new album, The Waves, The Wake, is out August 17th via Nettwerk Records.
Pre-order retailer links available now: http://smarturl.it/TheWavesTheWake
“’Alone But Not Alone’ is a breezy 60s inspired track that’s more than meets the eye.” – NOISEY
“…a beautiful, hypnotic track wrapped in a rich, comforting warmth.” – CBC
In addition to the already announced North American dates, Great Lake Swimmers will be touring Europe later this fall, for advance tickets and more details please visit:
http://www.toutpartout.be/Artists/Great_Lake_Swimmers
EUROPEAN TOUR DATES:
Nov 28 – Sint-Niklaas BE – Autumn Falls @ De Casino
Nov 29 – Groningen NL @ Vera
Nov 30 – Amersfoort NL @ Fluor
Dec 01 – Den Haag NL @ Add To Playlist Festival
Dec 02 – Leffinge BE – Autumn Falls @ De Zwerver
Dec 03 – Paris FR @ Espace B
Dec 04 – Brighton UK @ The Haunt
Dec 05 – Cardiff UK @ Globe
Dec 07 – Manchester UK @ YES
Dec 08 – Glasgow UK @ Broadcast
Dec 09 – Leeds UK @ The Brudenell Social Club
Dec 11 – London UK @ Lexington
Dec 12 – Hasselt BE – Autumn Falls @ MOD
Dec 13 – Schorndorf DE @ Club Manufaktur
Dec 14 – Stans CH @ Chäslager
Dec 15 – Freiburg DE @ Swamp
Dec 16 – Hamburg DE @ Hafenklang
Dec 17 – Copenhagen DK @ Hotel Cecil
Dec 18 – Berlin DE @ Kantine am Berghain
Great Lake Swimmers are excited to share their latest single, “Alone But Not Alone.” The track premiered via Vice’s Noisey yesterday and is from their new album, The Waves, The Wake, out August 17, 2018 via Nettwerk. Recorded in the 145-year-old Bishop Cronyn Memorial Church and produced by Chris Stringer (Union Sound), lead singer-songwriter Tony Dekker decided to challenge himself by writing new music without any acoustic guitar, which has always been his instrumental mainstay. He further digressed from previous songwriting patterns by looking at each track individually and then tailoring the instrumentation to bring each song to life in its own distinctive way.
WATCH, LISTEN AND SHARE ’Alone But Not Alone’: https://youtu.be/-b4x714ZnKA
You can purchase the track here: http://smarturl.it/TheWavesTheWake
When asked about the new song, Dekker replied, “’Alone But Not Alone’ is a straighter shooter than some of the other tracks on the new album, with a little more of a familiar 12-string jangle, and it’s sort of a bridge back across our fifteen-year, seven-album catalogue. We set out to make a breezy, 1960’s AM radio inspired kind of thing, with a few twists and turns, because it seemed to be what the song was asking for, in the midst of experimenting with sounds for some of the other new songs. As for the lyrics, sometimes it can be easy to find yourself in a crowded place but still feel utterly alone. This song is a reflection on that sense of suffocating connectedness while still feeling disconnected at the same time. In the end it’s a pretty lonely place, but there’s a resolve to keep an open heart and mind”
In addition to the already announced Canadian dates, Great Lake Swimmers will be playing special advance shows in Los Angeles and New York this July. The first two will be in LA on July 15th (KCRW DJ Gary Calamar’s Mimosa Series at The Federal in North Hollywood) and 16th (School Night at Bardot in Hollywood), followed by an NYC show on July 31st at The Standard Hotel East Village presented by Annie O. as part of their Standard Sounds Series. The band also announced today a run of U.S shows for August, October and November that will be capped off with a special hometown performance in Toronto on November 23rd at the Danforth Music Hall. A full list of current dates can be found below. Check out www.greatlakeswimmers.com for the latest routing as European shows will be announced soon.
The new record is preceded by a six track EP titled Side Effects that was released on April 13th and features new songs “The Talking Wind”, “Falling Apart” and “Side Effects,” as well as fan favourites “Your Rocky Spine”, “Quiet Your Mind” and “I Became Awake”. 2018 the marks the 15th anniversary the JUNO nominated, Polaris Prize shortlisted group.
“…a beautiful, hypnotic track wrapped in a rich, comforting warmth…” – CBC
“’The Talking Wind’ sees a band experimenting with orchestral sounds in a novel ways, and to significant artistic effect.” – Culture Collide
“’Alone But Not Alone’ is a breezy 60s inspired track that’s more than meets the eye” – NOISEY
The Waves, The Wake Track Listing:
The Talking Wind
In a Certain Light
Alone but Not Alone
Falling Apart
Side Effects
The Real Work
Root Systems
Unmaking the Bed
Visions of a Different World
Holding Nothing Back
Mouth of Flames
The Open Sea
Great Lake Swimmers Tour Dates:
7/15 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Federal (Gary Calamar’s Mimosa Showcase)
7/16 – Los Angeles, CA @ Bardot (School Night Showcase)
7/31 – New York, NY @ The Standard Hotel (Annie O. Presents Standard Sounds Showcase)
8/21 – Gravenhurst, ON @ Peter’s Players
8/23 – Goshen, IN @ Ignition Garage in
8/24 – Friendship, IN @ Whispering Beard Folk Festival
8/25 – Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Tavern
9/13 – Regina, SK @ The Exchange
9/14 – Saskatoon, SK @ Broadway Theatre
9/15 – Sherwood Park, AB @ Festival Place
9/16 – Calgary, AB @ Festival Hall
9/17 – Nelson, BC @ Spirit Bar
9/20 – Victoria, BC @ Capital Ballroom
9/21 – Vancouver, BC @ Imperial
9/22 – Penticton, BC @ The Dream Café
9/24 – Red Deer, AB @ Bo’s Bar
9/26 – Winnipeg, MB @ West End Cultural Centre
9/27 – Thunder Bay, ON @ Crocks
9/29 – Sudbury, ON @ The Townhouse
10/3 – Cambridge, MA @ The Sinclair
10/4 – New York, NY @ The Mercury Lounge
10/5 – Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda’s
10/6 – Washington, DC @ Rock & Roll Hotel
10/9 – Asheville, NC @ The Grey Eagle
10/10 – Louisville, KY @ Zanzabar
10/11 – Newport, KY @ Southgate House
10/12 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Club Café
10/13 – Buffalo, NY @ Buffalo Iron Works
10/19 – Ann Arbor, MI @ The Ark
10/20 – Chicago, IL @ Schubas Tavern
10/21 – St. Paul, MN @ Turf Club
10/24 – Denver, CO @ Ophelia’s Electric Soapbox
10/26 – Boise, ID @ The Olympic
10/27 – Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge
10/28 – Seattle, WA @ Tractor Tavern
11/1 – San Francisco, CA @ Swedish American Hall
11/2 – Santa Cruz, CA @ The Catalyst Atrium
11/3 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Echo
11/6 – Phoenix, AZ @ Valley Bar
11/7 – Santa Fe, NM @ Rufina Taproom
11/9 – Kansas City, MO @ Knuckleheads
11/10 – St. Louis, MO @ Off Broadway Nightclub
11/11 – Indianapolis, IN @ Hi-Fi
11/23 – Toronto, ON @ Danforth Music Hall
Watch the premiere video for Great Lake Swimmer’s new track “Alone But Not Alone,” courtesy of Noisey.
https://noisey.vice.com/en_ca/article/pav4zy/great-lake-swimmers-alone-but-not-alone-premiere
Listen for the track “Alone But Not Alone” in the 10am hour on CBC Radio Q this Friday, June 22, then head to your favorite digital retailer to stream or download the track. The band’s upcoming album The Waves, The Wake, will be available everywhere August 17.
Artwork: Adam CK Vollick
We’re extremely proud to announce Megan Bonnell as support for our Canadian tour dates, starting September 13th in Regina, SK at the Exchange! Check out her excellent new album ‘Separate Rooms’: http://meganbonnellmusic.com
The new Great Lake Swimmers album, ‘The Waves, The Wake’ is scheduled for release via Nettwerk on August 17th of this year, but in the meantime you can find the advance EP ‘Side Effects’ here: http://smarturl.it/glswaveswake
Complete Great Lake Swimmers tour dates: https://greatlakeswimmers.com/shows/
More exciting news coming soon!
“…a beautiful, hypnotic track wrapped in a rich, comforting warmth…” – CBC Music (re: “The Talking Wind”)
“’The Talking Wind’ sees a band experimenting with orchestral sounds in novel ways, and to significant artistic effect.” – Culture Collide
2018 marks the 15th anniversary of Great Lake Swimmers. The JUNO nominated, Polaris Prize shortlisted Toronto group, fronted by lead singer-songwriter Tony Dekker are pleased to announce new album The Waves, The Wake, releasing August 17, 2018 via Nettwerk. Recorded in the 145-year-old Bishop Cronyn Memorial Church in London, Ontario and produced by Chris Stringer (Union Sound), lead singer-songwriter Tony Dekker decided to challenge himself by recording the new songs without using a standard acoustic guitar, which has always been his instrumental mainstay. The album is broadly varied with each song brought to life in its own distinctive way, using an acoustic palette that includes woodwinds, harp, congas, marimba and pipe organ.
Great Lake Swimmers will embark on a headline Canadian tour, starting on September 13th in Regina, SK at The Exchange and ending in Sudbury, ON at The Townhouse on September 29th. A full list of dates is below.
Stay tuned for more updates from Great Lake Swimmers in the coming weeks.
The Waves, The Wake Track Listing:
The Talking Wind
In A Certain Light
Alone But Not Alone
Falling Apart
Side Effects
The Real Work
Root Systems
Unmaking The Bed
Visions Of A Different World
Holding Nothing Back
Mouth Of Flames
The Open Sea
Great Lake Swimmers Tour Dates:
4/21 – Uxbridge, ON @ Springtide Music Festival
5/4 – Hamilton, ON @ Mills Hardware
5/5 – Creemore, ON @ Avening Community Centre
5/25 – Burnstown, ON @ Neat Coffee Shop
6/2 – Windsor, ON @ Olde Walkerville Theatre
7/6 – 7/8 – Kincardine, ON @ Kincardine Scottish Festival
8/21 – Gravenhurst, ON @ Peter’s Players
9/13 – Regina, SK @ The Exchange
9/14 – Saskatoon, SK @ Broadway Theatre
9/15 – Sherwood Park, AB @ Festival Place
9/16 – Calgary, AB @ Festival Hall
9/17 – Nelson, BC @ Spirit Bar
9/20 – Victoria, BC @ Capital Ballroom
9/21 – Vancouver, BC @ Imperial
9/22 – Penticton, BC @ The Dream Café
9/24 – Red Deer, AB @ Bo’s Bar
9/26 – Winnipeg, MB @ West End Cultural Centre
9/27 – Thunder Bay, ON @ Crocks
9/29 – Sudbury, ON @ The Townhouse
For advance ticket links and more details visit our SHOWS page.
Great Lake Swimmers released two new singles in February, and now there’s a stunning new video to accompany one of them — plus the announcement of the band’s new digital EP, “Side Effects” out Friday, April 13.
Directed by Anthony von Seck and filmed in the 145-year-old Bishop Cronyn Memorial Church in London, Ont. — where the band recorded the single — the video for “The Talking Wind” centres on Great Lake Swimmers performing in the church, awash in striking purple and blue lights, at times inter-spliced with shots of wheat swaying back and forth in time with the music. It’s a beautiful session that highlights every moving part of the song, which was arranged by Drew Jurecka and co-produced by Chris Stringer (Union Sound).
Watch the video below, premiered earlier this week by CBC Music, and check out the full tracklist and album cover for Friday’s “Side Effects” EP release via Nettwerk below that.
Great Lake Swimmers – “The Talking Wind” Official Music Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=69&v=BpxbCwAdtxs
Side Effects EP tracklist:
1. “Side Effects”
2. “The Talking Wind”
3. “Falling Apart”
4. “Your Rocky Spine”
5. “Quiet Your Mind”
6. “I Became Awake”
Great Lake Swimmers have just released a new single, “Falling Apart / The Talking Wind” which embodies a minimal, atmospheric approach taken with first new music from the group in quite some time.
“The Talking Wind” premiered last week on Culture COLLiDE and on CBC in Canada, and as songwriter Tony Dekker explains, “I had become somewhat disenchanted with the acoustic guitar, and thought it was appropriate for a song about the wind to be made up entirely of woodwinds and vocals. There’s a rhythmic, hypnotic quality to them. Lyrically, I think it argues that the elements and nature can sometimes be the finest sources of comfort and solace.”
“Falling Apart” followed a similar process, paring things down to dreamy layers of harp, piano, and vocals.
The new tracks were co-produced with Chris Stringer (Union Sound), and the lush acoustics of the historical 144-year-old Bishop Cronyn Memorial Church in London, Ontario lend the songs their ambient backdrop.
Great Lake Swimmers are doing select tour dates in Ontario this spring.
Check out the new single here: http://smarturl.it/glswindapart
“…a beautiful, hypnotic track wrapped in a rich, comforting warmth…” – CBC
“’The Talking Wind’ sees a band experimenting with orchestral sounds in novel ways, and to significant artistic effect.” – Culture Collide
Upcoming Tour Dates:
March 1 – St. Catharines, ON @ FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre
March 3 – Waterford, ON @ Waterford Town Hall
May 4 – Hamilton, ON @ Mills Hardware
May 5 – Creemore, ON @ Avening Community Centre
May 25 – Burnstown, ON @ Neat Coffee Shop
June 2 – Windsor, ON @ Olde Walkerville Theatre
Great Lake Swimmers have released a new holiday EP titled They Don’t Make Them Like That Anymore. It consists of two original songs, “They Don’t Make Them Like That Anymore” and “Ink For A Star” and two classic Christmas covers, “It Came Upon A Midnight Clear” and a 17th century yuletide carol, “Bring A Torch, Jeanette, Isabella.”
Singer/songwriter Tony Dekker shares some thoughts about each song:
‘They Don’t Make Them Like That Anymore’
This time of year my thoughts go to the Township of Wainfleet, Ontario, and my large family of nieces, nephews, siblings, aunts, and uncles. ‘They Don’t Make Them Like That Anymore’ might be a nostalgia-tinged song about the days before thoughtless consumerism, but it might also be about the memory of those we’ve lost over the years and remember in our big family gatherings. Recorded during a tour stop in Sackville, New Brunswick at Thunder & Lightning by James Anderson, we were lucky that Julie Doiron happened to be home to join us with some sweet harmonies.
‘Ink For A Star’
The holidays in Canada are made up of incredibly powerful images which for many of us include the deep freeze and snow. Winter can be a great time to get outside and enjoy the season, but it can be even better to watch it unfold from the warmth and hearth of a rural home. ‘Ink For A Star’ is a winter word collage of things remembered from Canadian winters as a child.
‘It Came Upon A Midnight Clear’
‘It Came Upon A Midnight Clear’ is one of the darker holiday songs in the canon, and it’s timely to take a closer look at its lyrics. Melancholic and inspired by times of war, it notes the suffering world and ‘two thousand years of wrong’ while imploring us to consider peace. The verses adapted for this version were meant to highlight that, and it is a good reminder that there are other routes to peaceful resolutions than conflict and war. It was recorded at the House Of Miracles with Andy Magoffin.
‘Bring A Torch, Jeanette, Isabella’
One of the oldest carols we know of is ‘Bring A Torch, Jeanette, Isabella’ which dates back to 17th century France. Originally titled ‘Un flambeau, Jeannette, Isabelle’ it was later translated into English, and with its strong melody we were surprised that it hasn’t had more of a mainstream presence in our native Ontario. Here we present our minimal, acoustic-strummed version that we hope will find its way into your heart.
They Don’t Make Them Like that Anymore is available now worldwide on iTunes and Spotify via Nettwerk.
STREAM & SHARE ‘THEY DON’T MAKE THEM LIKE THAT ANYMORE’ BELOW: http://spoti.fi/2yAX1Iv
Great Lake Swimmers is thrilled to announce the Paper Bag Vintage vinyl release of their first three albums as well as an online exclusive box set on October 20th.
The Swimmers’ critically-acclaimed titles, ‘Great Lake Swimmers’ (2003), ‘Bodies and Minds’ (2005), and ‘Ongiara’ (2007), newly remastered, will be available for the first time on clear vinyl along with a limited edition box set that has a fourth bonus record. ‘Demos and Outtakes: 2001-2007’, curated by Tony Dekker, is a very special song collection exclusive to the box and includes B-sides, demos, outtakes, and other rarities from the Great Lake Swimmers’ vaults.
The box set is limited to 200 copies and contains:
E-order your copy here: https://shop.paperbagrecords.com/collections/vintage-collection/products/great-lake-swimmers-box-set
Paper Bag Vintage is committed to curating a vinyl only collection of Canada’s most notable albums and in association with the Swimmers’ long time labels (weewerk) and Nettwerk are humbled to be releasing the imprint’s second box set with one of our country’s greatest musical exports.
Upcoming Shows:
Sat. Nov. 11 :: London ON :: Aeolian Hall (El Sistema Benefit)
http://aeolianhall.ca/events/great-lake-swimmers/
Thu Mar 01, 2018 – St. Catherines ON – FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre
Advance tickets, more details: http://tinyurl.com/y86pjpn5
