Great Lake Swimmers is a Canadian indie folk band which formed in 2003 in W… Read Full Bio ↴Great Lake Swimmers is a Canadian indie folk band which formed in 2003 in Wainfleet, Ontario, Canada. The band began with Tony Dekker (vocals, guitar, harmonica), Erik Arneson (banjo, guitar, harmonium), Bret Higgens (bass), Julie Fader (keyboards, vocals) and Greg Millson (drums). Julie Fader subsequently left, and Miranda Mulholland, on violin and backing vocals, joined.

Fifty-five years ago, Marilyn Bell took a plunge and traversed Lake Ontario. Back then, being a Great Lake swimmer was a big deal; now, it's an astonishing physical feat taken for granted. It's a rapidly forgotten part of history, like a faded map or a tattered photograph. Or a lost channel.

Tony Dekker's Great Lake Swimmers have spent the past seven years performing on stages around the world - though, like Bell, they should never be taken for granted. LOST CHANNELS, their fourth album set for release on March 31st, finds them once again recording at historic locations. This time in the Thousand Islands region of Ontario and New York state, telling tales of hidden histories, still "mining for light in the dark wells," still "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.

Dekker chooses to record in old churches, community halls, abandoned grain silos and rural locations. It's easy to hear why. His voice doesn't need any studio embellishment, standing at its strongest when bathed in natural reverb and enriched by the historical context surrounding it.

To record LOST CHANNELS, Dekker and company went upstream on the St. Lawrence River to the Thousand Islands, halfway between Toronto and Montreal, a historic and picturesque area that straddles the Canadian/American border, and has been designated a World Biosphere Region. Great Lake Swimmers arrived at the invitation of fan and Thousand Islands photographer/regional historian Ian Coristine (www.1000islandsphotoart.com).

Coristine was able to arrange for the band to record in a number of acoustically unique spaces within the region, including one of the area's most storied landmarks, Singer Castle on Dark Island, near Hammond, NY (www.singercastle.com); as well as the historical Brockville Arts Centre (www.brockvilleartscentre.com); and at St. Brendan’s Church in Rockport, ON.

Additional recording took place at Halla and the Lincoln County Social Club in Toronto and the album was woven into a cohesive whole at the House Of Miracles, in London, ON, with long-time Great Lake Swimmers collaborator, Andy Magoffin.

That the album was created in both rural splendour and urban Ontario makes perfect sense for a band that has always navigated the parallels between natural and urban rhythms. River imagery recurs throughout LOST CHANNELS; the title of the album is a reference to a certain passage of the St. Lawrence, close to the recording locale, where a reconnaissance boat from a British warship went mysteriously missing in 1760. There’s no specific reference to the incident in the lyrics, though there are plenty of night skies, howling winds and raging rivers in almost every song which captures an elusive sense of mystery. As the album closes, Dekker sings the final lyrics—“Like the unstoppable river… Your beauty is gentle/ but forceful, and fast”—before the band ends on a suspended note. There is no resolution there, only eternity, a continuum, an endless river.

LOST CHANNELS also features the talents of Julie Fader (flute/backing vocals), Greg Millson (drums), Darcy Yates (bass), with appearances by Erin Aurich on violin; Mike Olsen on cello; and Paul Aucoin on vibraphone; along with special guests / Swimmers collaborators Serena Ryder with vocals on “Everything Is Moving So Fast” and Bob Egan on pedal steel.

Four albums into an already-rich and storied career, Great Lake Swimmers’ live show has won them ever-expanding audiences in the United States and Europe, and of course their native Canada. In 2008 Great Lake Swimmers shared the stage with an impressive list of artists, including Feist, Bela Fleck & The Sparrow Quartet, Hayden, Goldfrapp, Bill Callahan of Smog, and Robert Plant & Alison Krauss.

Everything Is Moving so Fast
Great Lake Swimmers Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

What sort of pressure, and what kind of force
Must there have been to drive you here
Was it uplifting, or was it deformed
Faulting, and rifting, you folded

What does it fell like to fall
In slow motion, despite it all
There's no time to think it through

When we're connected over the blue

Everything is moving so fast
I am unlimited
Everything is moving so fast
I am unlimited

What sort of wisdom, and what kind of thought
Must there have been to scatter you
So far and random, your heavenly bodies
Still see the faint light in your eyes

What does it feel like to fall
In slow motion, despite it all
There's no time to think it through
When we're connected over the blue

Everything is moving so fast
I am unlimited

Everything is moving so fast
I am unlimited

Overall Meaning

The song "Everything Is Moving so Fast" by Great Lake Swimmers explores the concept of movement, both physical and emotional. The opening lines suggest a geological phenomenon - the movement of tectonic plates that lead to the formation of mountains and valleys. The lyrics pose the question of what external forces could have been strong enough to bring the singer to their current position in life, either uplifting or deforming them as they were brought closer to their destiny.

The second verse shifts the focus to contemplation of falling in slow motion and the fleeting connection between people. The blue in the last line of the stanza refers to the earth's atmosphere, which appears blue from space, suggesting our shared connection as we move through space and time. The chorus expresses a sense of exhilaration and a feeling of being unconstrained despite the overwhelming pace of life. The song reflects on the deep questions of existence and the intense emotions that arise through the ever-changing circumstances of life.

Line by Line Meaning

What sort of pressure, and what kind of force Must there have been to drive you here Was it uplifting, or was it deformed Faulting, and rifting, you folded
What external influences were powerful enough to bring you to this point in time? Was it positive or negative? Did you experience tectonic activity that caused you to crumple and fold?

What does it fell like to fall In slow motion, despite it all There's no time to think it through When we're connected over the blue
What is it like to experience a slow fall, even though everything around you is moving quickly? There's no time to contemplate when our connection is over the vast ocean.

Everything is moving so fast I am unlimited Everything is moving so fast I am unlimited
The rapid movement surrounding me makes me feel free and limitless.

What sort of wisdom, and what kind of thought Must there have been to scatter you So far and random, your heavenly bodies Still see the faint light in your eyes
What type of knowledge and understanding was required to spread you out so widely and haphazardly? Your celestial bodies still possess a glimmer of hope, in spite of this dispersion.

Contributed by William S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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