The East Pointers
Playing Taranaki’s Womad Festival in March, The East Pointers are a Canadian Celtic band comprising Ontario guitarist Jake Charron and seventh-generation Prince Edward Island musicians Tim (fiddle) and Koady Chaisson (tenor banjo/ vocals/step dancer). The trio’s debut album Secret Victory – mostly written in Australia in early 2015 – features a host of original and traditional songs, feisty instrumental jigs, stomps and reels, and has seen them hailed as torchbearers for a new wave in traditional music. A former lobster fisherman, Koady answers our questions. ‘‘I’m a French Arcadian who unfortunately can’t speak French. It’s on the list of things to do, though. The music of Canada, in general, is extremely rich and varied. The music I play has been passed down in my family for seven generations and would fall into the Celtic genre. What The East Pointers do, however, is a little different to what we grew up playing. We put our own spin on it and play all original tunes. It’s always been dance music though, that hasn’t changed with us.’’
What do you enjoy about playing events like Womad?
‘‘Hearing such a huge diversity of other bands play is definitely one of the highlights. I always leave festivals like Womad feeling deeply inspired to practice and write new music. And I love watching people dance to our ‘‘I’ve been spending a lot of time at the site of the Woodford Folk Festival in Queensland, Australia. What Bill Hauritz, the festival director, has built here, along with his team, is quite remarkable. His creative vision is never ending and I consider myself lucky to call him a friend.’’
'I love watching people dance to our music. That's the ultimate goal. There's nothing more gratifying than seeing big smiles and tired bodies walking out the door after a gig.'
What are you reading right now?
‘‘American Gods by Neil Gaiman.’’
Listening to?
‘‘In the Magic Hour by Aoife O’Donovan.’’
What things are you most looking forward to over the coming year?
‘‘On a personal level, I’m getting married in April! I’m looking forward to that. With the band, I’d say recording our second album, and continuing to play a lot of great festivals all over the world. It’s gonna be a year full of excitement.’’
What life lesson would you pass on to your children?
‘‘Listen to your gut.’’
What job would you do other than your own and why?
‘‘If I had to do something else I imagine it would be in the environmental defence realm. I have a biology degree I haven’t done much with. Perhaps I could put that to good use.’’ – Grant Smithies
Womad NZ takes place March 17-19 in New Plymouth. Full details: womad.co.nz