Another Canadian song today, mostly because I am so terribly homesick. Today I have the Great Lake Swimmers, an Ontario (Toronto) based group who sings delightful rocky/folky songs. This song was recently featured on the http://www.obviously.ca website, and here's a bit of the interview:
About Great Lake Swimmers

Great Lake Swimmers is the Toronto-based project of singer-songwriter Tony Dekker. It is influenced by folk and roots traditions, dusty country and western vinyl records, and the independent DIY spirit. The music has been compared to songwriters Nick Drake, Mark Kozelek, and “After the Gold Rush”-era Neil Young.

Q & A with Great Lake Swimmers

1. What concerns you the most about Canada’s environment?
What concerns me most Canada’s environment is the policy and practice of large industrial corporations, and the effect they have. I think we need stricter laws and enforcement regarding pollution by large companies, leading to greener methods of production. We are at a point where we can no longer see our resources as disposable or as something we can take for granted.

2. What do you in your day-to-day life for the environment?
I try to be mindful of how much I use my vehicle. As a musician there are times that using a vehicle for transport is unavoidable, but living in Toronto means there is a lot of opportunity to use public transit, and alternate modes of transportation such as a bicycle, to get around. Also, I try to always remember to bring a cloth bag with me to the grocery store and library to avoid using a plastic one.

3. Do you incorporate environmental practices/issues into your tours or
concerts or music?
We try to be mindful of our daily practices of recycling and are generally economical when it comes to touring. Also, the themes of landscape and environment feature prominently in many of the songs, so it reinforces the great connection and respect that we have for the environment.

4. What music are you listening to right now?
I am mainly listening to the newest Joanna Newsom album, which is called “Ys”, but I have also been listening to The Band, The Baptist Generals, Do Make Say Think, Basia Bulat, Jonathan Inc., we vs. death, Oliver Schroer, The Besnard Lakes, The Beatles ("Revolver"), St. Dirt Elementary School, Scud Mountain Boys, Octoberman, The Remains of Brian Borcherdt, Polmo Polpo, Richard Buckner, Lullabye Arkestra, Galaxie 500, The Dirty Three, and Leonard Cohen ("Death of a Ladies Man").

5. What’s in your blue box right now?
Mostly bottles and cans, and a few wine bottles, which I’m going to take out and bring back to the store, since they’ve introduced the new program for returning wine and liquor bottles in Ontario. Oh, and about 15 cm of snow.

Here's a link to their myspace page: http://www.myspace.com/greatlakeswimmers

their official website: http://www.greatlakeswimmers.com/

Your Rocky Spine Lyrics

I was lost in the lakes
And the shapes that your body makes
That your body makes, that your body makes
That your body makes

The mountains said I could find you here
They whispered the snow and the leaves in my ear
I traced my finger along your trails
Your body was the map, I was lost in it

Floating over your rocky spine
The glaciers made you, and now you�re mine
Floating over your rocky spine
The glaciers made you, and now you�re mine

I was moving across your frozen veneer
The sky was dark but you were clear
Could you feel my footsteps
And would you shatter, would you shatter, would you

And with your soft fingers between my claws
Like purity against resolve
I could tell, then and there, that we were formed from the clay
And came from the rocks for the earth to display

They told me to be careful up there
Where the wind blows a venomous rage through your hair
They told me to be careful up there
Where the wind rages through your hair