CREDIT: MARINA MANUSHENKO
A couple members of the Great Lake Swimmers call Western their alma mater. The band will be making a return to the Aeolian April 15 and 16.

Tony Dekker and Great Lake Swimmers call Toronto their home, but it seems the band always returns to the Forest City.

The group is set to release its sixth full-length album, A Forest of Arms, April 21. Dekker explained the band’s London love.

“We recorded a large part of our third record Ongiara at the Aeolian Hall, in 2006,” he said. “It’s an excellent sounding room, and we try to play there whenever we come to town ... I really respect how the Aeolian has become woven into the fabric of the music community.”

Choosing London for the start of the band’s Canadian tour was an easy decision for the band, but Dekker says the Aeolian made even more sense being the first of three venues to host back-to-back shows.

“Our last show in London was sold out, so we decided to go with two shows this time around..,” he said. “I can’t think of a better way to kick things off. It will be the first place where we’ll have our new record in hand. Coming back to the Aeolian Hall feels a lot like coming home.”

But, it’s not just the Aeolian connecting Great Lake Swimmers to London.

“Western is actually my alma mater, where I received an undergrad degree in English Literature,” Dekker said. “Miranda, our violin player, studied music at Western for a few years as well.”

Add to that the band’s early work being mixed by Londoner Andy Magoffin – owner of the House of Miracles Studio.

“I guess you could say that our ties to the city are quite strong.”

A Forest of Arms was made during a time when Dekker was working for the World Wildlife Fund, with the experience being a constant influence during recording.

“The [album] title ... is a line from a song on the new album ... inspired by a trip that I took with [WWF] into the Great Bear rainforest in northern B.C. to see firsthand the incredible ecosystems and way of life in that part of the country,” Dekker said. “It is an area that is being threatened by the construction of the Northern Gateway pipeline, and I can say with certainty that from my perspective the pipeline is a very bad idea.”

“I chose to draw upon the beauty and mysterious nature of the place for the song. It’s one of the last unspoiled places of its kind in the world, and it is upon us to speak up to protect it.”

The band’s immense respect and love for the natural world translated into a rather different experience when working on A Forest of Arms, with Great Lake Swimmers getting to record several songs in the oldest natural cave system in Ontario.

“I stopped in at Tyendinaga Cavern a few summers ago out of curiosity,” Dekker said. “They do a really great cave tour during the summer months, and I got to talking with them. It’s quite a rarity to have caves like that in Ontario, because of the intense pressure that the glaciers had on the Canadian Shield.’

“It’s really all about natural acoustics, and it really doesn’t get much more natural than recording in a cave below the earth’s surface. It added a really dynamic sonic layer of sound and an overall intense experience to the recording process.”

With the Aeolian shows coming up April 15 and 16, Dekker is nervous but excited too.

“I think it’s some of our strongest work, and we’re really looking forward to taking the show on the road.”