Great Lake Swimmers September 26, 2008

Tony Dekker, the singer/songwriter behind Canadian band Great Lake Swimmers, has built a strong stateside following built around his `chilled out folk songs,` which reflect influences from Nick Drake, Neil Young, and Eliot Smith, among other songwriting heroes. Canada`s Chart magazine had this to say about Ongiara, the band`s most recent release: `Just when it seems like it can`t possibly get more beautiful, the next song sets the bar even higher and it becomes an overload of pure awesome. Ongiara is slow and spare, yet amazingly rich and varied... Decidedly country in flavour but not in overall tone... Dekker weaves lyrical tales that are as ethereal as his shimmering songs, open to interpretation while bearing a straightforward foundation.`