The East Pointers heading home to P.E.I.

Award-winning trio to perform in Charlottetown on Feb. 10

“When I played that song for my mom, she said, ‘That’s going to hit home for a lot of people.’ Many families are forced to split their time, with at least one member having to go out west – usually to Alberta – to make ends meet.” Koady Chaisson

Prince Edward Island fans will have a chance to catch up with the East Pointers next month when the Juno Awardwinning, P.E.I.-based trio brings its international tour to Charlottetown.

Fiddler/singer Tim Chaisson, banjoist Koady Chaisson and guitarist Jake Charron will perform in the Homburg Theatre of Confederation Centre of the Arts on Feb. 10, hot on the heels of a new single release and six Music P.E.I. nominations, including album of the year, group recording of the year, roots contemporary recording of the year, song of the year, entertainer of the year and touring artist of the year. The awards will be handed out during Music P.E.I. Week, Jan. 25-28.

The band’s new single, “Two Weeks”, was released last month from their sophomore LP, “What We Leave Behind”. The melancholy song was cowritten with Grammy awardwinning Gordie Sampson amid recording sessions at Nashville’s famed Sound Emporium last winter, where “What We Leave Behind” was cut. The song documents a passage all too common in the band’s home province and played out the world over in many communities: the need to leave home and travel far away from friends and family to find work.

“When I played that song for my mom, she said, ‘That’s going to hit home for a lot of people,’ ” said Koady Chaisson.

“Many families are forced to split their time, with at least one member having to go out west – usually to Alberta – to make ends meet. It’s so hard. I did it, though luckily not for long, but there are people in my community going through it month after month, year after year.”

The new album, which was produced by East Coast-bred songwriter/producer Sampson, features a diverse selection of songs, ranging from sombre and hauntingly beautiful to joyous and celebratory.

As a folk power trio, The East Pointers mix dynamic transatlantic Celtic sounds with three part-harmonies and have been collecting accolades since the release of their debut album. “Secret Victory”, including, a 2017 Juno Award for traditional roots album of the year, as well as a 2016 Canadian Folk Music Award for ensemble of the year.

And it seems more praise is in store for the new ablum

“‘What We Leave Behind’ is certainly a breath of fresh air that blows straight from Eastern Canada,” says Folk Radio UK.

The band finishes out this month on tour in New Zealand before heading home to Canada for a tour that runs into March.