TORONTO FOLK ROCK FAVORITES, GREAT LAKE SWIMMERS ANNOUNCE SPRING TOUR

BRAND NEW ALBUM 'LOST CHANNELS' WILL BE RELEASED 

MARCH 31ST

SELECT JANUARY DATES WITH WILCO'S JEFF TWEEDY

"The group's songsmith Tony Dekker has without doubt created a repertoire of songs that belong to a dreamtime--ones that could easily have been sung for hundreds of years."

- New York Press

"Banjo-fueled indie folk that pushes the boundaries of traditional songwriting."

- Top Indie Releases in 09, Denver Post

"Dekker's bare-bones songs have played out like an afterword to a watery schlep across Erie or Ontario: He's empty and downtrodden from the journey, but wiser for the hardship."

- Time Out NY

Vancouver, January 21, 2009 - With their fourth album LOST CHANNELS set for release on March 31st, Toronto folk rock favorites are taking to the road to showcase their outstanding new batch of songs. The US tour will kick off on the west coast in Seattle on March 31st and includes marquee dates at Spaceland in Los Angeles and The Bowery Ballroom in New York.

Their 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 & AlisonKrauss. And with select opening dates for Wilco's Jeff Tweedy later this month, the list continues to grow.

The anticipation for the full-length follow up to the highly praised 2007 album ONGIARA has already started to accumulate. Feature album previews have already popped up everywhere from Brooklyn Vegan andPitchfork to Paste, Venus and Time Out New York.

LOST CHANNELS, their fourth album, finds them once again recording at historic locations, this time in 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 himself 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.

Lost Channels also features the talents of Julie Fader (flute/backing vocals), Greg Millson (drums), Darcy Yates (bass), along with special guests / Swimmers collaborators Serena Ryder with vocals on "Everything Is Moving So Fast" and Bob Egan on pedal steel.

Select January Dates:

Jan 29 - Kalamazoo, Michigan @ The State Theatre (w/ Jeff Tweedy)

Jan 30 - Indianapolis, Indiana @ Locals Only

Jan 31 - Urbana, Illinois @ Univ. of Illinois (w/ Jeff Tweedy) 

Lost Channel's Spring Tour Dates:

Mar 31 - Seattle @ The Tractor Tavern 

Apr 01 - Portland @ Doug Fir 

Apr 03 - San Francisco @ The Bottom of the Hill 

Apr 04 - Los Angeles @ Spaceland 

Apr 05 - Tucson @ Plush 

Apr 07 - Austin @ Stubbs Bar-B-Q 

Apr 08 - Denton @ Hailey's 

Apr 10 - Atlanta @ The Earl 

Apr 13 - Charlottesville @ Gravity Lounge 

Apr 14 - Washington @ Black Cat 

Apr 15 - Philadelphia @ Johnny Brenda's

Apr 16 - Northampton @ Iron Horse Music Hall 

Apr 17 - New York City @ The Bowery Ballroom 

Apr 18 - Cambridge @ The Brattle Theater 

Apr 20 - Newport @ The Southgate House 

Apr 21 - Chicago @ Schubas 

Apr 22 - Minneapolis @ 7th Street Entry 

Apr 23 - Madison @ High Noon Saloon

All Tour Dates With Kate Maki