Tickets - https://www.eventbrite.com/e/dear-rouge-tickets-45724939525 VIP Ticket options Phase One - $34.99 Ticket Tour T-shirt Digital Download of Phases (Hi-Res) Phase Two - $54.99 Ticket Phases VIP Tour Laminate Exclusive tour t-shirt designed by Danielle Pre-Signed Phases Tour Poster Dear Rouge Custom Bag Unreleased Phases Demo’s & B sides Download Link Digital Download of Phases (Hi-Res) Since putting out their debut EP in 2012, Drew and Danielle McTaggart have been on a somewhat breathtaking upward trajectory. That independent release led to another one, and the accolades began to flood in: a B.C.–based radio award, songwriting prizes, a sweet record deal, charting singles, and a 2016 Juno for Breakthrough Group of the Year followed in short order. For all intents and purposes, says Drew, it was the most ecstatic period of their lives. He and Danielle—partners in life and art—had quit their day jobs to focus on music full-time; they’d wholly channeled their energies into honing their sinewy, hook-driven indie rock. “It was the highest time of our lives,” he says now. “But we realized that, at the same time, a lot of our friends back home in Vancouver were going through incredibly hard experiences.” The contrast was jarring. While the McTaggarts were gearing up to work on their sophomore LP, Drew’s cousin passed away; other friends were in the midst of harrowing life transitions. Before long, they realized that the contrast between those emotional extremes had provided a psychological backdrop for Dear Rouge’s creative process. “It really got us thinking,” says Danielle, “half the album became about the joys we were experiencing, while half the album was about pain and hardships.” With writing and recording came clarity, and what Dear Rouge realized was this: regardless of what you’re going through at a given moment, that reality is always in flux. Equal parts...

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Canadian folk mainstays Great Lake Swimmers have revealed plans for their next full-length album. The Waves, The Wake will arrive on August 17 via Nettwerk. The band returns to Sudbury on Saturday, September 29th at The Townehouse Tavern. Tickets go on sale Friday, April 13th, 10am. The new LP was recorded in a 145-year-old church in London, ON, and hears frontman Tony Dekker abandoning his usual instrument of choice. He ditched the acoustic guitar this time around — even on songs that were initially written on six strings, like "The Talking Wind," he transposed the notes into woodwind arrangements. "Over the process of writing and recording The Waves, The Wake I became somewhat disenchanted with the sound of the standard acoustic guitar and typical folk-rock lineup," Dekker said in a statement. "So with the help of co-producer Chris Stringer we tried to find ways to expand the palette of acoustic instrumentation to include woodwinds, harp, congas, marimba, vibraphone, piano and lute. The focus was to find musicians and arrangers that would suit the songs, rather than have a regular backing band as we have done in the past, and that resulted in a more minimalist, scaled back approach." He also called the upcoming album the most "varied" record the band have ever made, which he hopes will be reflected in their live set-up, as well. In addition to upcoming shows throughout the spring, Great Lake Swimmers will embark on a tour of western Canada this fall. See the upcoming dates below. Furthermore, the band has teased the new record with a video for "The Talking Wind." The opening track will also appear on a teaser EP dubbed Side Effects, which features three songs from the upcoming full-length. That release is due out April 13.