Great Lake Swimmers' Tony Dekker: Accidental Bandleader, ep. 335

About this episode

Tony Dekker discusses his new album 'Caught Light' and the lessons learned about letting go in music and life.

Accidental bandleader and beloved Canadian Tony Dekker joins us to talk about Great Lake Swimmers' new album, 'Caught Light.' Tony is up to old tricks again, like recording in a remote and weird place (in a century-old farmhouse in the middle of the woods) and working with his merry band of rotating musician friends, including producer Darcy Yates (Bahamas). The album was recorded in three days, the shortest amount of time he's ever spent on a record. In that very fast process, he had to learn to let go of control. In our Basic Folk conversation, he shares what he's learned about the beauty of letting go. We also get into how Tony feels most capable of confronting environmental and political themes in his songwriting and daily practice. In recent years, Dekker has moved his family from Toronto, the big city, back to the Niagara area in Ontario where he grew up, to establish a small town community and life. We revisit his early years in Wainfleet, ON, discussing the ins and outs of his family's farm, his love of country radio, and talent for picking any instrument. He learned the joy of playing music at a young age. The reward of music was enough, and that notion has translated…

People in this episode

Guest: Tony Dekker

Topics covered

• music
• songwriting
• environmental themes
• personal growth
• Canadian music

Keywords

• Great Lake Swimmers
• Tony Dekker
• Caught Light
• songwriting
• environmental themes
• music recording
• Canadian music

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Great Lake Swimmers, Darcy Yates

Books & works: Caught Light

Places: Niagara, Toronto, Wainfleet, ON

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