Great Lake Swimmers with The Wooden Birds (feat. Andrew Kenny of American Analog Set)
When Great Lake Swimmers’ Tony Dekker wrote the song “Everything is Moving So Fast,” he couldn’t have predicted that it would foreshadow the rapid success of the Toronto band’s fourth album, Lost Channels. For a project that has seen a slow upward trajectory since its humble beginnings in 2001, the Great Lake Swimmers are suddenly getting exponentially more attention across North America and Europe, entrancing newcomers to the band with Dekker’s unforgettable voice and compelling songwriting.
That Lost Channels was a success in Canada is no surprise: Great Lake Swimmers have long been a word-of-mouth favourite for whom critical mass was inevitable, and they are regarded as a national treasure by the country’s public broadcaster, the CBC; Lost Channels recently topped the chart on CBC Radio 3 (which is also broadcast in the U.S. on Sirius Satellite Radio). It also sat at #1 on iTunes’ Singer/Songwriter chart.
But it’s not just the home team cheering on the Swimmers. Lost Channels attained the #2 Most-Added position at the influential radio trade magazine Friday Morning Quarterback. It debuted at #10 on Billboard’s Heatseekers Chart in its first week, re-entering the Top 10 in May, and was #1 on the Amazon MP3 downloads chart. Meanwhile, an older non-album track, “See You On the Moon,” can be heard on prime time television in a Honda ad. And individual bloggers have been massive champions: Great Lake Swimmers reached “Most Blogged Artist” status on premier MP3 site Hype Machine.
No doubt much of this has been fuelled in part by public endorsements by the likes of Feist, Robert Plant, NBC Nightly News anchor Brian Williams and cyclist Lance Armstrong. The latter two have both raved about the band on their personal websites; the former have handpicked the Great Lake Swimmers to open shows and whole tours. They’ve also shared bills with Bela Fleck & The Sparrow Quartet, Hayden, Goldfrapp, and Bill Callahan of Smog.
This sudden exposure is new for a band that has always dwelled in shadows, telling tales of hidden histories, singing of "mining for light in the dark wells," of being "tuned to an instrument of greater and unknown design."
The instrument in question is the singular voice of Tony Dekker, a voice that summons ghosts from times past. It’s a voice that is capable of conveying heartache and comfort all in the space of a single phrase. Though his supporting cast has changed over the years—with the exception of longtime right-hand man Erik Arnesen — Dekker has always encircled him self with sympathetic players who value spacious arrangements that frame his vocals. Over time, the band has evolved from a sparse, delicate and hushed unit into a well-rounded folk rock band, sacrificing none of their original intimacy while upping both the volume and tempos when necessary.
"starkly evocative and melodically melancholic...simple, yet stirring" - Paste Magazine
“A wonderful atmosphere…minimalist well done” – New York Times
Opening tonight will be The Wooden Birds, the new musical vehicle for Andrew Kenny, best known as the singer/songwriter behind mellow indie favorites the American Analog Set.
Tickets are on sale now from Ticketweb, the Cedar Ticketline (612-338-2674 ext 2), and Cedar outlets.
Andrew Kenny is the main singer/songwriter of the American indie/lo-fi band American Analog Set. In 2004 he released a split EP in the Home Series (Vol. V) with Benjamin Gibbard of Death Cab for Cutie, All-Time Quarterback, and The Postal Service. Andrew...
Toronto indie-folk/rock darlings Great Lake Swimmers return with New Wild Everywhere (April 3, 2012), their fifth studio album and follow up to 2009's Juno and Polaris-nominated album Lost Channels. Lead single "Easy Come Easy Go," the most upbeat and up-...
Andrew Kenny is a native Texan who after nearly six years in Brooklyn, NY has returned to beautiful Austin, TX. He's best known as the singer/songwriter behind mellow indie favorites The American Analog Set. However, he's also performed as a guest artist with...
Major Funders
This activity is made possible in part by a grant provided by the Minnesota State Arts Board, through an appropriation by the Minnesota State Legislature from the Minnesota arts and cultural heritage fund with money from the vote of the people of Minnesota on November 4, 2008
