East Pointers bring Celtic magic to the festival

When the East Pointers kicked off the 21st Sisters Folk Festival at Village Green Park, the house was packed. And after just a few tunes the Canadian trio became a crowd favorite with their enthusiastic charm, upbeat Celtic rhythm and extraordinary skill.

With fiddler Tim Chaisson, tenor banjoist Koady Chaisson, and Jack Charron playing guitar, the multitasking talents helped to create a sound which makes it hard to believe there were only three players.

The inspiring collaboration had the audience clapping and dancing along.

Tim and Koady Chaisson are first-cousins and grew up together on Prince Edward Island off the east coast of Canada.

"We were best friends as kids and played music together at an early age. We grew up playing the style of traditional Celtic music," Tim told The Nugget.

Most of their family, including uncles and cousins, play music and it goes back seven generations.

"We are French Canadian, but where we grew up is greatly influenced by Scottish and Irish musical roots," Chaisson added.

Tim met Charron about eight years ago in Ontario, Canada and they became good friends.

"We all played music and had been talking about starting a band for years," Chaisson said. "We finally got it all together two and a half years ago and began writing our own songs. We wanted a fresh take on the traditional music - a bit of a contemporary twist on the style."

Natalie MacMaster, a Cape Breton fiddler, was a major musical influence on the band over the years.

"She plays several tunes from the Cape Breton tradition - a soulful Scottish style of folk fiddling," Koady said. "Growing up she was definitely someone to look up to."

Although each of the trio contributes as songwriters, Tim tends to be the lead singer when not performing instrumental melodies.

The trio went on the road when Koady finally retired from being a lobster fisherman to play the tenor banjo full-time with his cousin and Charron.

"For the past year and a half, we have been on the road full-time. We've been all over the world, Australia, the UK, Canada and Scandinavia," Tim said.

The East Pointers have been to lots of folk festivals, but the trio said that the Sisters Folk Festival was a really amazing experience for them.

"We taught at the Americana Song Academy at Caldera for the four days prior to the festival and it was incredible," Tim said. "Our jaws dropped to see the beauty of the area that surrounds the camp."

Each year Sisters schools get to enjoy a taste of SFF. It's a sneak-peek opportunity for Sisters students to listen to a handful of successful artists that enjoy giving back to the next generation of aspiring performers. And this year East Pointers were one of the artists that enjoyed interacting with the students.

"On Friday we played for the elementary school and at the high school. It was really wonderful to see how they all welcomed us with open arms. It's amazing that they incorporate the Americana style in the school system," said Tim.

Last October the East Pointers released their first full-length album with all original songs, "Secret Victory."