This time last year, I had never heard of The East Pointers.
I’d wager that for many who had journeyed to the Woodford Folk Festival, the story would be similar. A band that sounds either like a land mass or a species of shark; probably worth checking out. As such, I was one of the surprised and enthusiastic many who were bamboozled by this Canadian three-piece. They went on to be the highest-selling act of the festival, and their blend of quasi-instrumental foot-stompin’ folk proved so popular that their love of Australian audiences translated directly to their debut LP, Secret Victory.
“The pressure’s on now!” guitarist Jake Charron laughs. “It was really an amazing experience last year, especially at Woodford. We didn’t really have a full album then, just our little EP. So it’ll be nice to get back there with the full record. A lot of it was definitely inspired by the things we were doing and seeing there in Australia, so I hope people like it. It took around ten days to record. Ten days, pretty relaxed. We were in this open, big old church that had been turned into a studio, and we recorded most of it live off the floor. We wanted to try and capture some of that live feeling.”
It’s an interesting aside, given that dirges are clearly in the air this year. So many bands across so many different genres have seemed compelled to record in churches lately. It must be something in the holy water.
“I don’t know what it is about these beautiful old buildings that aren’t being used anymore. They sound awesome, their acoustics are just fantastic. A lot of what is on [the album] we were writing as we were touring, playing bits and pieces live as we went. People might recognise some of it, maybe a song or two they heard last year at places like Woodford that ended up on the record. It really kind of evolved as we went along, and so by the time we left Canada we had a pretty good idea of what we wanted to put on the record.”
The rise of nu-folk (which is a truly terrible descriptor) has been well documented for almost ten years now, ever since acts like Bowerbirds, Mumford & Sons, Laura Marling and the like began roaming the land. Yet it is a genre that still seems on the rise, snatching influences out of the air like leaves and working them into new forms. Perhaps this is the reason for the music’s endurance; alongside a very long history of folk artists is a potential for renewal and exploration.
“I think [for] people these days, there’s so much produced music available, and you know, some of it is really amazing,” Charron considers. “But there’s something about this more organic type of thing. It’s fun to play, it’s fun to dance to. Ha, hopefully fun to listen to. The previous few generations here in Canada, this type of music hasn’t been mainstream. But it seems to be coming back around. I don’t know if it’s the same in Australia, but there seems to be a lot of younger people digging this genre. It’s always been there, but maybe there’s a little more strength to it this time around.”
The East Pointers’ own roots lie in an early love of Celtic music, and the perhaps unexpected potential of the instrumental. It is an inherent aspect of their music, and to see the trio in the midst of a song sans vocals – each entirely consumed by their instrument, be it Charron on guitar, Koady Chaisson on fiddle or Tim Chaisson on banjo – it is easy to see the allure.
“I think most of our focus has been on the instrumental, because something the three of us had in common growing up was playing these traditional melodies that didn’t have words,” says Charron. “We all like to sing, and Tim specifically had a great solo singer-songwriter thing on the go. So we have a lot of fun working out three-part harmonies. But right from the get-go, having [songs] go down a vocal path or instrumental path, we haven’t quite encountered something that could be either yet. I’m sure that’ll come. We haven’t had to force any of our songs yet. They become what they want to become.
“[Instrumentals] kind of leave it a little bit more open to interpretation. We’re influenced by the strong Celtic tradition that goes back for centuries, and I think people can feel that. They want to move and dance. Words might take you down a different path completely. That’s not a bad thing, but I like seeing where an instrumental set can change a mood, and paint pictures in your head that lyrics might force on you instead.”
The East Pointers have a string of Australian performances ahead, and while you’re unlikely to hear them choose their favourite local haunt, the fact they named a song ‘Woodfordia’ probably says quite a bit.
“This whole thing is a new project for all of us, and it’s nice to be so well received right from the start. It meant a lot having all of that support at Woodford, and we’ve tried to keep in touch with fans from there as the year has gone along. We can’t wait to be back. It’s a special place for us, and with the full album now we’re really excited.”
The East Pointers’ releaseSecret Victory is out now independently; and they play theGaelic Club, with The Button Collective onThursday January 14. Also appearing at Woodford Folk Festival 2015/16, Woodfordia, Sunday December 27 – Friday January 1.
