Event Archive:

Great Lake Swimmers

Thu. September 14th 2023 Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts Kingston Ontario $45

Event Navigation

Other Dates (0)
Articles (0)
Video (0)
Photos (0)

Event Info

Great Lake Swimmers

Presented by Flying V Productions
Event can be attended in person In-Person Event
8:00pm - 10:00pm  Doors at: 7:00pm $45

Artists

Great Lake Swimmers
from Toronto Ontario
Available for Shows/Gigs

Presented by:

Flying V Productions
Kingston-based concert promoter.
Kingston Ontario
Open / Operational

Hard-copy tickets

Event Description

Doubt, followed by discovery. Demos that ended up as finished tracks. New beginnings, rear-view reflections, and ruminations on the fluidity of time: Uncertain Country captures these feelings and so much more. This celebration, 11-songs long, follows a prolonged period of collective anxiety. Though recorded in different locales—and with a variety of musicians—a theme of questioning runs throughout.

Even before the world turned upside down, singer-songwriter Tony Dekker felt mired in uncertainty: from the climate crisis and the ever-changing political landscapeto deep shifts within the music industry. The “uncertain country” Dekker chose as the album’s theme is not a specific place. Rather, it’s a territory we, as humans, inhabit in the 21stcentury —a world that, more often than not, is confusing, unfamiliar and unsettling.

The long journey from there to here started more than three years ago, when Dekker took a 10-day trip to one of his favorite places: the north shore of Lake Superior. A pair of friends and collaborators: Adam CK Vollick (who filmed the experience) and Joe Lapinski (who co-produced Uncertain Country) joined him. On this immersive trip, the songwriter soaked in the beauty of the landscapes and learned the stories of the people who have inhabited them since time immemorial. The two songs that open Uncertain Country, the title track and “When The Storm Has Passed,” were recorded at the Oddfellows Temple Hall in St. Catharines, Ontario in September 2020.

These jubilant sessions, following five months of unease, were a much-needed release for Dekker and his band. Both songs capture the album’s themes of the elasticity of time and processing change. Making this joyful noise together again set a tone—and direction—for the record. The music morphed from hushed and folky to a more comforting, curated listening experience, acting as a kind of salve. One hears echoes of some of Dekker’s early 1990s influences: propeller-pop and indie lo-fi bands like Teenage Fanclub, Galaxie 500, and Buffalo Tom. The rest of the songs on Uncertain Country were recorded in other acoustically distinctive locations close to Dekker’s home in the Niagara Region. Locales included the Silver Spire United Church in downtown St. Catharines, Ontario and a pair of buildings in Ball’s Falls Conservation Area in the village of Jordan Station: an old chapel that featured a pump organ and a historic barn on the same property.

Long-time Great Lake Swimmers member, multi-instrumentalist Bret Higgins is featured on many of the songs, as is keyboardist Kelsey McNulty. Guests include newcomers and old friends: the group Minuscule, an all-woman identifying choir based in the Niagara Region, led by choral arranger Laurel Minnes, and JUNO Award-winner Serena Ryder, who sings on a pair of songs: “I Tried to Reach You” and “Swimming Like Flying.” “Moonlight, Stay Above” epitomizes what Great Lake Swimmers represents. The 10-voice strong choir lifts the lonely-sounding and wistful song up. As with that addition, the band on each album is fluid and always evolving. It always starts and ends with Dekker, but the songs themselves suggest what players and instrumentation might fit best with each new recording and live touring band.

Twenty years since the first self-titled release, Uncertain Country shows a songwriter at the top of his craft with so much more to say. In a time of uncertainty, one thing is certain: the Great Lake Swimmers’ first collection of new songs in five years is worth the wait

Venue

Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts
Morton Way
Theatre
Open / Operational

Event Image

Great Lake Swimmers @ Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts Sep 14 2023 - Dec 22nd @ Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts

Other Events

Search the Directory / Archive

List an Event in the Calendar

List a Physical Single Date or Recurring Event

For physical events that happen at a specific time. For example a concert, or dance performance. If there are multiple shows, you can still duplicate your event to cover them all.

List an Online Livestream Event

For online / livestream events. This will allow you to include a livestream url and have it featured in our livestream listings.

List an Ongoing Event

For events that run over a range of consecutive dates. i.e. Art show, museum show etc.

Submit a Profile to the Directory

List an Individual Artist / Artisan / Musician

(Painter, Carver, Dancer, Writer etc)

List an Arts Ensemble

(Band / Choir /Dance Troupe, Theatre Troupe, Artist Collective etc.)

List an Organization / Resource in the Directory

(organization, business, venue etc)

Submit Art

Submit a piece of Art

Add a photo / information on art by a local artist

Submit Public Art (Current)

Submit a piece of local public art to the gallery & map.

Submit Public Art (Historical)

Add a photos + info on pieces of public art that no longer exist to be included in the permanent public archive.

News + Media

Post an Opportunity

(Jobs, Funding, Calls to Artists)

Add / Link a Video

Add a video, which will be linked to profiles, and appear in the video feed

Add / Link an Article

Add, or link to an article about content in the directory.

Log In to Your Account