“Before Koad passed away it was like the best we’ve ever seen him — mentally and physically,” says The East Pointers’ Tim Chaisson. In January of 2022, his cousin and fellow member of The East Pointers Koady Chaisson passed away from a previously unknown health condition. As a driving force in the band, and as a friend and as family, his loss weighs heavily. But Koady’s spirit is still felt significantly in their music and in their community.
In this episode of Following Folk, band members Tim Chaisson and Jake Charron beautifully speak of their friend and band mate, discuss about how mental health and working through difficult times has always been a foundational part of the band, and swim in freezing cold water — something Koady liked to do.
Tim and Jake also work on a new version of their song “Stronger Than You Know” which was written with Koady and also appears on their Juno-nominated album House of Dreams, featuring tracks recorded with Koady before he passed away — including a banjo track heard in this episode. The episode culminates with a performance of the song for their community in Charlottetown.
This episode was a special one for Trent and I, as Koady was a close friend of Trent’s. Tim, Jake, and the rest of the Chaisson clan were so warm and welcoming to us – even as the peer pressured us to join them for an icy dip in the frozen Atlantic in January!
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- Year / 2023
- Role / Director & Cinematographer
- Gear / Canon C300MKII, DJI Mavic Pro II
- Location / Prince Edward Island
- Producing Partners / CBC Arts & CBC Gem
