Peterborough Musicfest Presents: Tim Baker + Great Lake Swimmers

Led by singer/songwriter Tony Dekker, the critically acclaimed indie-folk band Great Lake Swimmers is teaming up with Tim Baker of Hey Rosetta! to hit the stage at Del Crary Park on July 6th.

The Toronto-based Great Lake Swimmers feature a blend of acoustic instruments, rural soundscapes, and wistful vocals, creating a pastoral warmth. Known for their homespun folk and lush, intimate Americana, the band celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2023 with “Uncertain Country,” an album that tackles the collective anxiety of a world mired in uncertainty, where doubts are followed by discovery and themes of new beginnings. Recorded in different locales with a variety of musicians, a theme of questioning runs throughout the album.

“Moonlight, Stay Above” encapsulates the band’s ethos beautifully with a 10-voice strong women’s choir (Niagara’s Minuscule) lifting it from its wistfulness. They were shortlisted for the prestigious Polaris Music Prize and nominated twice for Canada’s Juno Awards, with the CBC calling them “a national treasure.” Critics describe their music as “a stunning variety of tones and textures… nothing less than both cerebral and sublime.”

Joining Great Lake Swimmers is Tim Baker, known for founding Hey Rosetta!, a Juno-nominated, Polaris-shortlisted, and multi-award-winning band based in St. John’s, Newfoundland. With over 15 years of performing their high-energy spectacle in stadiums, clubs, theatres, and major festivals worldwide, Hey Rosetta! called it quits in 2017.

Back in 2016, Baker debuted his first solo song, “Spirit,” on CBC Radio’s “The Current” as part of a special series on the economic challenges of life in Newfoundland. The song appears on the 2019 album “Forever Overhead,” which in June of that year was named to the initial longlist for the 2019 Polaris Music Prize. At the Juno Awards of 2020, he received a nomination for Songwriter of the Year for the songs “All Hands,” “Dance,” and “The Eighteenth Hole.”

Baker, who performed “Songbirds” at the investiture of Mary Simon as Governor General of Canada, released his second solo album, “The Festival,” in October 2021. It includes singles “Lucky Few,” “Some Day,” and “Echo Park” (written during Baker’s time as the lead singer of Hey Rosetta!).

Listen to Tim Baker HERE

Listen to Great Lake Swimmers HERE