Today, Great Lake Swimmers are announcing the new acoustic version of their latest LP, The Waves, The Wake, out November 8. “There were a handful of demos from the album recording that were very scaled back and stark,” says songwriter Tony Dekker. “I recorded a few more with producer Joe Lapinski – those turned out so well that we decided to do a full album of acoustic versions from The Waves, The Wake. No frills, no weighty production, just voice and guitar. It’s meant to be a companion piece to our latest release.”  

The limited edition LP is available for pre-order exclusively through the band’s website, on limited edition 180-gram vinyl, with original artwork by Niagara artist Geoff Farnsworth. Pre-ordered LPs will ship on the album release day, November 8. https://greatlakeswimmers.com/shop/

The JUNO Award nominated and Polaris Music Prize shortlisted band are also sharing a new video for the acoustic version of “In A Certain Light” from the LP, which was recorded in Sleeping Giant Provincial Park.   “The northern shore of Lake Superior has an intense grip on my imagination and I wanted to make a dedicated trip to explore more deeply its mythology and wild landscapes,” says Dekker. “In conjunction with Ontario Creates, we set off on an exploratory trip this past July documenting sounds by way of audio field recordings, visual footage, gathering inspiration for new songs, and recording demos in the locations we found ourselves in. The ultimate destination was Sleeping Giant Provincial Park. This will be the heart of the next Great Lake Swimmers album, which is currently a work in progress.”  

WATCH AND SHARE “IN A CERTAIN LIGHT” https://youtu.be/7qD5mVvPM2E

Beginning September 21, Great Lake Swimmers will continue their summer tour dates across Canada. Full tour dates can be found below and tickets can be purchased at www.greatlakeswimmers.com/shows.  

Released earlier this year, The Waves, The Wake was recorded in the 145-year-old Bishop Cronyn Memorial Church and produced by Chris Stringer (Union Sound). On the LP, Dekker decided to challenge himself by writing new music without any acoustic guitar, which has always been his instrumental mainstay. Each song on the album is brought to life in its own distinctive way, using an acoustic palette that includes woodwinds, harp, congas, marimba and pipe organ.  
 
GREAT LAKE SWIMMERS ON TOUR
Sept. 21: Saint John, NB @ Peppers Pub
Sept. 23: Moncton, NB @ Capitol Theatre w/ Jenn Grant
Sept. 24: Fredericton, NB @ The Playhouse, w/ Jenn Grant
Sept. 25: Georgetown, PE @ King’s Playhouse
Sept. 26: Halifax, NS @ The Seahorse
Sept. 27: Annapolis Royal, NS @ King’s Theatre
Sept. 29: Sackville, NB @ Thunder & Lightning w/ Colleen Brown
Oct. 1: Quebec City, QC @ L’Anti w/ Colleen Brown
Oct. 2: Montreal, QC @ Studio Base Bin
Oct. 3: Ottawa, ON @ The 27 Club w/ Colleen Brown
Oct. 5: Grimsby, ON @ Station 1 Coffeehouse
Oct. 6: Napanee, ON @ Doghouse Studios w/ Colleen Brown
Oct. 8: Collingwood, ON @ Crow Sessions with host Jeff Woods (Sold Out)
Oct. 9: Gravenhurst, ON @ Peter’s Players
Oct. 17: Paris, ON @ Dominion Telegraph Hall (Sold Out)
 
THE WAVES, THE WAKE (ACOUSTIC) TRACKLIST
1 The Talking Wind (Acoustic)
2 In A Certain Light (Acoustic)
3 Alone But Not Alone (Acoustic)
4 Falling Apart (Acoustic)
5 Side Effects (Acoustic)
6 The Real Work (Acoustic)
7 Root Systems (Acoustic)
8 Unmaking The Bed (Acoustic)
9 Visions Of A Different World (Acoustic)
10 Holding Nothing Back (Acoustic)
11 Mouth Of Flames (Acoustic)
12 The Open Sea (Acoustic)


Tony Dekker recording at Sleeping Giant Provincial Park – photo by Joe Lapinski