TIM CHAISSON IN AUSTRALIA.
BY ALYSSA GALLANT, OCTOBER 2011.

Island singer Tim Chaisson is on a month-long tour in Australia where he will play alongside Shanon Noll and The Trews in some cool venues. He’s the lead singer of the Island band, Morning Fold but he’ll be playing solo on his Australian tour. He’s been rehearsing to perform by himself.

“It is such a different dynamic when you are by yourself. You have to re-think everything.”

To Chaisson, music is everything.

It is something he has been doing since he can remember. He started off playing the fiddle, which developed into guitar and song writing. Music means a lot to him because he says it is a family thing and growing up, everyone played. Now that he has made music his career it means even more.

Morning Fold, a four-member band includes high school friend Brien McCarthy on bass. Tian Wigmore, who Chaisson met in his first year of university and has been playing music together for over five years, on electric guitar and backing vocals. Wigmore knew Nat Lamoureux and he became the drummer of the band. Chaisson said music brought them all closer together.

“You get to spend a lot of time with each other and we become almost like brothers.”

In high school Chaisson said he played in a band with his two older brothers and two older cousins. They were his role models because Chaisson says the most influential age is a teenager. He was on the road with them and they thought him a lot.

They taught him how to have a good time and to respect people he said.

“I am glad I adapted that rule.”

He got to work with Gordie Johnson and Joel Plaskett on his album, Broken Hearted Beat. He considers Johnson and Plaskett as his musical mentors. Chaisson got to co-write a lot of his songs with them and he said, he learned a lot. Johnson produced the record for Broken Heart Beat.

Chaisson also got to do a couple of shows with Plaskett over the past few months.

Chaisson has a busy schedule but when he finds free time he likes to keep active, spend time with family and friends and watch documentaries. His favourite documentary is on legendary Rock-and-Roll singer Tom Petty. He also spends time catching up on social networking. He has 5,000 friends on Facebook, and almost 2,000 followers on Twitter. Social networking means a lot to him and has helped him boost his music career, he said.

“I was putting on a show at Hunters and Facebook was new. There was this event thing you could create on Facebook and I only had a few hundred friends, so I sent it to everyone. The show was packed and they all told me that they seen it on Facebook.”

That’s when he realized the power of social media and he has been using it ever since. Then Twitter came out he said it was great to get a quick point across.

“I enjoy following people on Twitter to see what they are up to. I think it changed the way everyone works in the music business.”

Chaisson got to tour with fellow Maritime band, The Trews. Both bands got super close on the road, he said.

“There is a lot of bands you tour with and you don’t necessarily become close with them but for some reason with these guys, we just hit it all off.”

The Trews were one of Chaisson’s favourite bands before he started to play with them.

“I remember in high school being proud of The Trews because they were from the East Coast.”

During their tour, The Trews found out that Chaisson could step dance. They did not really believe that he could, so during their second set of their acoustic show Chaisson played the fiddle for them the entire set. One part of the set there was a rhythm where one could step dance to.

Vocalist Colin MacDonald told the audience Chaisson was going to step dance on stage as a joke. Everyone chuckled but then was shocked when he said that he would. Chaisson started to step dance before a crowd of 1,200 at a rock concert.

After the show, people were curious and started to ask questions about step dancing and the culture to Chaisson, who graciously answered every question with pride.

“I always try to push Celtic music because I am such a fan of it.”

In addition to his Australian visit, Chaisson is also working on another album, which will hopefully be released before summer 2012. He says it will be different and he thinks the songs are a lot better.

“There more meaningful because a lot of the songs I wrote when I was 18-19-years-old on are on Broken Hearted Beat album. Now I have a different outlook on life and relationships. I’ve grown up a lot and met new people.”

He has been doing more co-writing on the new album and he thinks the songs took on a different sound. Chaisson says his biggest career goal is to reach his full potential and to continue touring around Canada and hopefully more in the States.

He also wishes one day to tour more of Australia. He is happy with his success so far and hopes it continues to be just as successful in the coming years. Chaisson’s personal goal is to be happy. He wants to live on P.E.I. in a nice cottage by the water.

“That is what I want.”

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Alyssa Gallant is a journalism student in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. She grew up with the views of sandy red beaches and rusted, aged harbour ports on the western side of the Island. She has a strong passion for vintage photography, travelling and classic rock. Peace, love and vinyl records!

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