FOR THE RECORD- GREAT LAKE SWIMMERS AT CENTRAL UNITED CHURCH
May 7th, 2012 Great Lake Swimmers played at the sweat box known as Central United Church downtown, not the Knox Church where I went first. Cold Specks opened armed with just a guitar. She took the time to joke with the audience with some cannibal jokes. “What’s the meaning of trust?” I heard a woman behind me whisper “Oh, that is a really great question.” The room went silence waiting enlighten with her wisdom, “one cannibal giving another cannibal a blowjob.” I tell you, church humor gets me every time.
Great Lake Swimmers are touring to support their last album New Wild Everywhere. All GLS albums stay true to their Canadian roots, and their live shows are no expectations. Dressed in flannel, with the new addition of fiddler and singer Miranda Mulholland, Tony Dekker was thoughtful and charming as the lead man to the show. Erik Arnesen puckled away on the banjo, Bret Higgins played the upright bass and mandolin, and Greg Milson on drums.
Majority of their 80 minute set was showcasing New Wild Everywhere, Dekker did reach into the vault to give the band a couple song breathier with performing solo “Moving Picture Silent Films” off their 2004 self titled, along with “I Saw You in the Wild” off 2005’s “Body and Minds.” One thing that was apparent Dekker’s vocal were soothing to the ears. “My Rocky Spine” had all the crowd clapping and singing along.
The Great Swimmers lyrical seemed to have moved backwards from the strong lyrics at start of their career. The live show is nothing but perfection, besides the poor view from the second level from theCentralUnitedChurch, and the heat that almost had me fanning myself like a 50 year old, everything sounds better in churches, except religion.
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