The East Pointers

Last updated
The East Pointers
The East Pointers performing at WOMADelaide 2017.jpg
The East Pointers performing at WOMADelaide, Australia, March 2017 (Left: Tim Chaisson, Middle: Koady Chaisson, Right: Jake Charron)
Background information
Origin Prince Edward Island, Canada
Genres Indie folk
Years active2014–present
LabelsNettwerk
Members Tim Chaisson
Jake Charron
Past membersKoady Chaisson

The East Pointers are a Canadian contemporary folk music group from Prince Edward Island, [1] who won the Juno Award for Traditional Roots Album of the Year for their album Secret Victory at the Juno Awards of 2017. [2] The group originally consisted of guitarist Jake Charron, banjoist Koady Chaisson (d. 2022), and fiddler Tim Chaisson. [1] They perform Celtic-influenced original songs and instrumentals with contemporary influences. [3]

Contents

History

The three musicians formed The East Pointers in 2014. They began performing in Atlantic Canada, and they toured Ontario after gaining popularity in Canada's eastern provinces. [4] They released their debut album, Secret Victory, in late 2015, and promoted it through concert performances in Canada, the United States and Australia. [5] They won the Canadian Folk Music Award for Ensemble of the Year at the 12th Canadian Folk Music Awards in 2016, [1] and were nominated for Instrumental Group of the Year. In 2017, they performed in the United Kingdom. [6] The band was nominated again for a Canadian Folk Music Award as Ensemble of the Year in 2018. [7]

In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada, the band coordinated livestreamed weekly "#Annedemic" readings of Anne of Green Gables , with guest readers reading one chapter of the novel each week. Koady Chaisson read the first chapter; guest readers over the rest of the series included Anthony Field,Catherine MacLellan, Jenn Grant, Daniel Ledwell, Patrick Ledwell, Irish Mythen, Laura Cortese, Miranda Mulholland, Colin MacDonald of The Trews, Graham Wardle, Jonathan Torrens, and Megan Follows. [8]

Koady Chaisson passed away in January 2022.

Members

Former Members

Discography

Studio albums

Singles

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lennie Gallant</span> Canadian musical artist

Lennie Gallant, CM is a Canadian singer-songwriter and instrumentalist from Prince Edward Island. His music crosses into the folk rock and country music genres, while celebrating the musical heritage of his home province. He has been presented with many awards for his performances and songwriting.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tanya Tagaq</span> Canadian Inuk throat singer

Tanya Tagaq, also credited as Tagaq, is a Canadian Inuk throat singer, songwriter, novelist, and visual artist from Cambridge Bay (Iqaluktuuttiaq), Nunavut, Canada, on the south coast of Victoria Island.

Prince Edward Island is a province of Canada consisting of the island of the same name, and several much smaller islands. Prince Edward Island is one of the three Maritime Provinces and is the smallest province in both land area and population.

Le Vent du Nord is a Canadian folk music group from Saint-Antoine-sur-Richelieu in Quebec. The band performs traditional Québécois music, as well as original numbers in this style, in French. In 2018 the group's membership consists of Simon Beaudry, Nicolas Boulerice, André Brunet, Réjean Brunet and Olivier Demers. Their first eight recordings have been nominated for multiple awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jim Byrnes (actor)</span> American-born actor and musician of blues

James Thomas Kevin Byrnes OBC is an American actor and blues musician.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tim Chaisson</span> Musical artist

Timothy Chaisson is a Canadian singer/songwriter from Souris, Prince Edward Island. He is a member of Juno Award winning group, The East Pointers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jenn Grant</span> Musical artist

Jenn Grant is a Canadian folk pop singer-songwriter based in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rose Cousins</span> Canadian folk-pop singer-songwriter

Rosanne Millicent "Rose" Cousins is a Canadian folk-pop singer-songwriter. Born and raised in Prince Edward Island, she is currently based in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sultans of String</span>

Sultans of String are an instrumental music group based in Toronto, Ontario, combining elements of Spanish flamenco, Arabic folk, Cuban rhythms, and French Manouche Gypsy-jazz. The group's leader is producer and Canadian musician Chris McKhool.

Chris McKhool is a Canadian violinist, producer, guitarist, composer, and singer-songwriter. He has received numerous awards for his work, including four JUNO Award nominations and four Canadian Folk Music Awards for his various recordings.

Patrick Ballantyne is a Canadian songwriter, singer and guitarist, best known for co-writing hit songs for Big Sugar, notably "If I Had My Way". He has also released five successful solo albums.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ashley Condon</span> Musical artist

Ashley Condon is a Canadian folk singer/songwriter from Montague, Prince Edward Island. She has released two full-length albums and won New Artist of the Year at the 2012 PEI Music Awards.

Irish Mythen is an Irish-born Canadian contemporary folk singer-songwriter. In recent years, Mythen has performed with Rod Stewart, Gordon Lightfoot and Lucinda Williams at major festival stages the world over. Mythen's first two full-length albums were Sweet Necessity in 2008 and Open Here in 2011. She moved to Prince Edward Island in 2007, where she won the Songwriter of the Year Award in 2016 for her song "Gypsy Dancer". Her third album, released in 2014 titled Irish Mythen, won the East Coast Music Association 2015 Roots Album of the Year. Mythen is described as "rambunctious, thoughtful, tender and loud" by ABC Radio National. She was one of several female artists at the 2018 edition of the legendary Cambridge Folk Festival, who were singled out by the Guardian newspaper in their praise of new festival booker Bev Burton's female-heavy line-up for the festival. Australia's premier folk and roots festival Byron Bay Bluesfest call her a 'must see artist' and she is booked to make a third appearance at the festival in 2019.

Shane Ken Cook is a Canadian violinist. He is a long-time member of the celtic fusion ensemble Bowfire, and is a past Canadian Grand Master fiddler and U.S. National Fiddle Champion. His musical career has taken him to tour across Canada, the United States, Mexico, Germany, England, China and Taiwan.

Ten Strings and a Goat Skin was a Canadian folk music group from Rustico, Prince Edward Island, who performed traditional Celtic and Acadian folk music, in English and French.

The Fretless are a Canadian folk music group based in Toronto, Ontario. The group, consisting of violinists Trent Freeman, Karrnnel Sawitsky and Ben Plotnick, and cellist Eric Wright, won the Juno Award for Instrumental Album of the Year at the Juno Awards of 2017.

Còig is a Canadian folk music group from Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia. The group consists of Darren McMullen on guitar, mandolin, mandola, banjo, bouzouki, whistles, flute and vocals; Rachel Davis on fiddle, viola and vocals; Jason Roach on piano and Chrissy Crowley on fiddle and viola.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vishtèn</span> Canadian folk music group

Vishtèn is a Canadian folk music group from Prince Edward Island and the Magdalen Islands, whose style is rooted in Acadian music. The group consisted of vocalists and instrumentalists Pastelle and Emmanuelle LeBlanc, and instrumentalist Pascal Miousse, but Pastelle LeBlanc died of breast cancer in 2022 at age 42. The group is most noted for their 2018 album Horizons, which received a Juno Award nomination for Traditional Roots Album of the Year at the Juno Awards of 2019. The band includes instruments such as fiddle, electric guitar, accordion, mandolin, whistles, jaw harp, foot percussion and bodhran.

Beòlach is a Canadian instrumental folk music group from Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia. They are most noted for their 2020 album All Hands, which was a Juno Award nominee for Traditional Folk Album of the Year at the Juno Awards of 2021 and won two Canadian Folk Music Awards for Traditional Album of the Year and Instrumental Group of the Year at the 16th Canadian Folk Music Awards.

Patrick Ledwell is a Canadian stand-up comedian, best known as a frequent guest on the CBC Radio comedy series The Debaters. The brother of musician and artist Daniel Ledwell, he is from Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "P.E.I.'s The East Pointers 'pumped' about Canadian Folk Music award". CBC News Prince Edward Island, December 5, 2016
  2. "P.E.I.'s The East Pointers celebrate winning a Juno Award". The Guardian , April 2, 2017
  3. "The East Pointers: Secret Victory review – smart, stomping maritime folk". The Guardian, Robin Denselow, 17 December 2015
  4. "Pointing the way to music success and the Esplanade". Medicine Hat News, By Chris Brown on October 4, 2018
  5. "Canadian boys are back in town". Wauchope Gazette, March 12, 2017
  6. "Live Review: The East Pointers – Thomas Hughes Memorial Hall, Uffington". Folk Radio, by Martha Buckley 6 November, 2017
  7. "Gunning & Cormier, Papillon up for Canadian Folk Music Awards". Chronicle Herald, Stephen Cooke, September 20, 2018
  8. Alison Jenkins, "P.E.I. band continues #Annedemic with Anne of the Island beginning soon". Journal Pioneer , June 16, 2020.
  9. Dave Stewart, "Koady Chaisson, member of P.E.I. band the East Pointers, dies suddenly on Jan. 6". Saltwire , January 7, 2022.