Great Lake Swimmers - Jan 12 at Elixir

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This Thursday (Jan 12) at Elixir - Rock Crew, Elixir and CFRC present Great Lake Swimmers with Stephanie Leah Gora.

Great Lake Swimmers return with a warm second album, Bodies and Minds, filled with songs of heartbreak, rural nostalgia, and the search for spiritual transcendence.

The album picks up where Great Lake Swimmers' critically-acclaimed 2003 debut left off, featuring gentle, thoughtful compositions and understated instrumentation, while also moving fluidly into alt-country pop territory with sweet harmonies, light orchestration, and even a few up-tempo numbers. (Think Mark Kozelek playing Neil Young, or the delicate Nick Drake delivered with the heart of Gram Parsons.)

The record includes songs about manic depression ("Various Stages"), the sense of a higher power ("Song for the Angels") and finding spirituality in nature ("I Saw You in the Wild"). It is a bold step forward for the Toronto-based band.

Bodies and Minds was recorded in a lakeside church in rural southern Ontario, continuing the emphasis on atmosphere from the debut album (which was recorded in an abandoned grain silo). Engineered by Andy Magoffin (Constantines, Royal City) and mixed at his celebrated House of Miracles, the record has a sparkle and shimmer that is due in part to the cavernous surroundings in which it was captured.

This fresh group of songs also accurately captures the sound of the band that brings stories written by singer/guitarist Tony Dekker to life. Featuring Sandro Perri (of Polmo Polpo) on lap steel, Erik Arneson on banjo, Almog Ben-David on Wurlitzer piano, and Colin Huebert on drums, the new band tastefully accompanies Dekker's graceful songs on the record and in live shows.

Great Lake Swimmers were awarded the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's Galaxie Rising Star Award in March 2005 and previously were voted Favourite Folk/Roots Artist at the 2004 Canadian Independent Music Awards.

Stephanie Leah Gora is a singer-songwriter from Hamilton currently living in Kingston studying at Queen's University. She has been learning music for most of her 22 years and has been performing for the past 5.

In 2003 she and guitarist James Young formed an acoustic rock band, Go Lightly, along with bass player Matt Tremblay and drummer Vic DaSilva. Go Lightly played a number of gigs in Kingston and Montreal, opening for the likes of Throwback and the Fembots.

For the past year, Stephanie has been on something of a hiatus due to an overwhelming school schedule. However, 2005-2006 promises to be a more creative year and she will be recording a new demo in November and touring whenever her studies allow.

http://www.greatlakeswimmers.com

http://www.myspace.com/stephanieleahgora

http://www.cfrc.ca

http://www.elixirnightclub.com

http://www.rockcrew.ca

COMING SOON:

Pocket Dwellers at Elixir - Jan 19

Tom Green at Elixir - Jan 24

Brian Borcherdt & Wax Mannequin w/ Nich Worby at Clark Hall Pub - Jan 27

Kardinal Offishall w/ Rochester AKA Juice at Elixir - Feb 2

Ember Swift w/ Vanderpark - Feb 9

Fred Eaglesmith at Elixir - Feb 23

Metric w/ Islands at Grant Hall - Feb 28

Cuff The Duke at Elixir - Mar 9

[SaggyBalls]

why don't you post that on your website. I don't know how many people here know about these guys. It's nice to have that meat up on your own website.

If i were in kingston i'd be there. Saw them play an acoustic set at Track and Field and they were definitely one of the best acts of the entire weekend. I'd have ranked them in the top 5 of the 30 or so bands i saw and my friend sharon and I got theere just in time to see them. awesome sound, great performance, intense composure.

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it's on there in the 'press room' section

[kc]

Incredible voice and songs.

A Must!

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tonight!

Doors at 9 PM, music at 10.