An ocean of emotion in motion, fervent folk revivalists The East Pointers could very well be the True North of Canadian Celtic musical innovation. As recipients of the Juno Award For Traditional Roots Album Of The Year, this triumphantly tenacious trio are breaking boundaries with their newest release entitled Yours To Break.
As The East Pointers banjo player Koady Chaisson reflects, “the music we play is deeply rooted in the Celtic tradition of the East Coast of Canada… with some traditions, they seem very guarded. We wanted to make music that felt good to us and that came across as authentic. We needed to break some boundaries, in order to kind of break those boundaries we needed to feel confident that we could do that and still go back to where we come from. We’re just trying to evolve it and move forward.”
With decorative elements including banjo and electronica, the band’s aspiration to preserve; yet revise, the identity of Celtic tradition is certainly pointing in the right direction. As Koady comments, the composition of a song “changes from piece to piece really; but we definitely like to do it collaboratively. I think always, you know, the strength in numbers type thing – the piece becomes stronger the more voices that are put into it. We’ve always taken little pieces here or a chord progression there or a melody here and brought it to the other two members of the band. I think with us we’re on the road so much, and there’s no better place to be inspired.” Deriving rich musical material from scenic stimuli is also a common practice of the band; as is evident in their piece ‘Halfway Tree’, where soft drops of guitar seemingly fall like water in a forest.
Further global matters of an ecological nature are exposed through pieces such as ‘S.O.S. (Save Our Sharks)’; and as Koady informs, “The inspiration behind that had a lot to do with a fella from Toronto, his name was Rob Stewart, and he wrote a couple of documentaries – Sharkwater and Sharkwater II which kind of just drew attention to the declining shark populations around the world – you know; Shark Fin Soup…obviously so tragic and heartbreaking. He was definitely one of the most courageous people. It’s one of those things that you can do as a musician – is try and keep somebody’s legacy alive in some small way by writing something for them. We’re big believers in [being] minimalistic on the road; reduce plastic. We all have reusable cups and reusable water bottles… sustainable touring is something we believe in passionately; [and] mental health is something that is near and dear to everybody in the band.”
For much of his life, Koady has experienced the symptoms of Bipolar Disorder; and with a prominent campaign towards generating awareness and compassion for the illness, his openness about the topic reveals the stigma that is around mental health. “People feel ashamed; it’s so common. The stigma is getting better but it’s certainly still there and when you have a platform to speak honestly about it; I think any attention you can draw to it in a positive light – obviously it can save lives. Seeing strength in somebody that doesn’t see it in themselves is something that’s really important…now is the time to step out from behind that curtain and just embrace it because it’s just part of life.”
Quite justifiably, Koady summarises “Every day that we’re on the road I feel so thankful and blessed that I get to do what I do; [as music is] the best mood stabiliser that you could ever be on…music is one of those great unifiers that takes people on both sides of the fence.”
When & Where: Port Fairy Music Festival, Port Fairy – March 6-9. Tickets here.
Written By Renée N. Abbott
Photo by Bill Reynolds