Armed with a new album A Forest of Arms released on April 21, acclaimed Canadian roots rockers Great Lake Swimmers are once again touring the country.

A dozen years ago Great Lake Swimmers begin in London, Ontario with, essentially, Tony Dekker and his acoustic guitar warbling out gorgeous bites of Canadian folk music rooted in the natural world. With the release of their Juno Award-nominated album Lost Channels in 2009, his signature sound was bolstered by the addition of a full band.

Slowly but surely, Great Lake Swimmers has evolved into one of the country’s finest roots bands bolstered by a seriously talented supporting cast including long-standing guitarist Erik Arnesen, bassist Bret Higgins as well as violinist Miranda Mulholland along with their new drummer Joshua Van Tassel.

Post City chatted with Dekker while at a stop in his old London, Ontario stomping grounds for a stop on his latest tour, which also brings the band to Toronto’s Randolph Theatre for a couple of show on April 23 and 24.

 

So you’re back in London, is this a time of reflection for you?

Ya, I mean, there’s a lot of memories flooding back actually, driving back into town. I did my undergrad here at Western in literature and ya, it’s one of those things. It’s been a while for me actually.

Was there anything in particular that inspired or informed the new album?

Really, it came from a lot of different places. Musically speaking, I wanted to focus on the rhythm section, percussion, bass, drums. And I wanted to go back to doing some location recording, which we did. And, also, the one song that was a bit of a cornerstone for the album, as well as providing lyrics for the title is “Great Bear.” And that was inspired by a trip to Northern B.C.

And what’s new with the band? How is that going?

It’s good. Since the last album, we have a new drummer, so that’s kind of a new thing. He’s added a tremendous amount to the band. He’s a great musician and sort of an electronic artist as well. And he’s a producer as well. He added a lot to the album.

As you mentioned, you did record a song on location. Tell me about that.

I had the idea, wouldn’t it be cool to record in a cave. I've been trying to keep an eye out for one, probably since the last record. And I found one in Tyendinaga, Ontario, which is sort of north of Belleville. And, they do a really cool tour in the summer that gives you an overview since the last ice age. The whole area is filled with fossils, and they talk about how rare it is for caves to exist in Ontario. But, you know, I was trying to keep an eye out, so I did some more research and I happen to be passing through, and asked them about recording music. When the time came to book sessions for the album, I got in touch and I was thrilled to be able to record in there.

And was it challenging to get all the equipment down there?

I think, I was pretty happy everything worked out well in the end. I wasn't just a challenge of gear, but also it was kind of like a refrigerator in there. It had a consistent temperature that much colder than it was outside. And the bats were just starting to return. There were a few in there, but not really much bat activity, and we didn't want to be disruptive because it was their home. But we have some outakes somewhere with some bats singing backup vocals.

Nature and the environment has long informed your music. Is this still the case?

It's really important to me to be inspired by our natural spaces and green spaces in the city and beyond. And also, it finds its way into the music as well. It's a way of celebrating the natural world and trying to make a point to be mindful of the environment we have left and to speak up for it as well.

Do you find yourself wanting to motivate people in that regard in a more obvious and compelling way these days?

I think so. The song “Great Bear,” is a very direct way of saying something like that. It’s not a concept album, and that’s not the focus, but it informs the album and sets a tone in a way. I mean, yes and no, I don’t think it’s a matter of being preachy but more just celebrating the beauty of a place and finding ways to be in touch with it. At the same time, I do feel an urgency to add my voice.