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Water music.
Seems fitting that Great Lake Swimmer's Tony Dekker would want to record their latest album, Lost Channels, near water.
It seems the band that made a Toronto Centre Island ferry the Ongiara (the Iroquois name for Niagara) famous, can't get enough of the St. Lawrence Seaway.
Looking for another maritime location to record their fourth album, the band eventually settled on Brockville and the 1000 Islands, singling out Singer Castle in Hammond, N.Y., the Brockville Arts Centre, and St. Brendan's Church in Rockport as much for their atmosphere as acoustic potential.
"We just love the region," Dekker, 32, says. "We found unique spaces to record in and tapped into the spirit of the region. You get the feeling of space and great spirits when you're close to the water. It felt like home.
"I like more natural acoustics," he adds. "I like to hear the person play. The Brockville Arts Centre is an acoustic wonder. You can't beat it for sound."
Back from their European tour, Dekker, who grew up on the shores of Lake Erie and now lives in Toronto, says he found the region almost by accident after taking a spontaneous exit off the highway and on to the scenic route on the 1000 Islands Pkwy.
"As a musician, I live on the 401 and for years didn't even know it was there. I love the feel of playing for a small community."
Life in a small Canadian town also gave Dekker the personal space to dig deep and write songs about those things you think about late at night when you're staring at the stars on a camping trip.
To quote his song River's Edge, "River's edge, you're all that I have, and a night full of promises."
"Lost Channels is a step up and forward," he says. "I wanted to write about the spirituality you find in the natural world. It's the thing we experience when we fall in love. You can feel the tension between nature and the city when you're away from it."
With its empty resonant sound and haunting lyrics, the album's first single, Everything is Moving So Fast, went gold and helped make their recent European tour a success.
"Less is more musically. When I write a song, I try hard to listen to what instrumentation it requires. Too many producers will add stuff that isn't necessary. It's important to be tasteful and not smother the song."