By Jay Scott Kanes

CHARLOTTETOWN, PEI, Canada – For Tim Chaisson, the decision to pursue his passionate interest in music came easily. In a sense, so did polishing his skills as a singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who blends pop, rock, Celtic and folk.

“Basically, writing songs and playing music are my life,” said 22-year-old Tim. “Music is my full-time job and passion. It’s what I love, and I’m young, so I'd might as well have a go at it.”

Tim’s genes supply much of the interest and talent. He comes from one of Atlantic Canada’s leading musical family, the Chaissons of King’s County. His father, brothers, uncles and cousins, dozens of Chaissons, rank among Prince Edward Island’s leading fiddlers, pianists and guitarists.

“I started to play music at about age six,” Tim said. “I consider myself so lucky to have had great opportunities to learn and play. In my family, it’s kind of a given. Everyone plays music.

“Wherever I go, especially in Atlantic Canada, people say, ‘Oh, you’re from the Chaisson clan. Do you play the fiddle?’ And of course, ‘Yeah, I do.’ It’s one of those things. Lots of Chaissons play fiddle music.”

Tim also leads a rock band, Tim Chaisson and Morning Fold, co-starring Tian Wigmore (guitar, backup vocals), Brien McCarthy (bass) and Nat Lamoureux (drums and backing vocals). “We’ve done lots of shows, tons of them,” Tim said.

Together with the band, Tim just finished a new CD, one for which they traveled to Texas to work with producer Gordie Johnson, formerly of the band Big Sugar. Earlier, Tim issued three solo CDs.

At university, Tim has studied psychology. “That’s something to fall back on,” he said. “I know I’ll always play music, but someday I’d love to be a teacher too.

“I grew up on traditional music and always love playing that. But now I focus on music with a rock feel and folk elements. Actually, I try to bring in as many elements as possible, including pop. A bit of everything, really.”

Tim’s album, Even, appeared in 2006. Two singles from it went top-of-the-charts on East Coast Countdown, a nationally syndicated radio show.

No, it ain’t easy.
You’re the one for me, I know.
I’ll be yours again,
Just like it was back then.
We’ll be the envy of the world that we live.
So if it all works out,
We’ll be in love all over again.
From “All Over Again”, Tim Chaisson, 2006

“Not long ago, I did some writing with Joel Plaskett, a Juno Award-nominated songwriter from Nova Scotia,” Tim said. “Before that, I wrote everything myself.”

I’m spinning round and round.
There’s too many ways how she’ll be found
Cause if I keep messing
If I keep messing it up,
I’ll have a whole lot of nothing.
I’m trying just a little too much.
By the way, I feel better when I say,
I know she’ll be here.
There’s no need to fear.
I have to get it off my mind how on earth
I haven’t met my final judgment of the day.
There must be a better way.
From “Better Way”, Tim Chaisson, 2006

“Sometimes I sing other people’s songs at shows,” Tim said. “That can be a good way to learn and keep up on things. But I’ve recorded only my own songs.”

Back in 2004, Tim released Something Acoustic, his second CD. At age 15 (in 2002), he’d issued a self-titled debut album of “mostly fiddle”.

Asked how many instruments he plays, Tim pauses to count – fiddle, guitar, bass, drums, piano and mandolin. “In my family, we always had instruments to play,” he said. “I think that’s why I learned so many.”

He tackled the fiddle first. “I was young, but didn’t find it too difficult. It sort of came to me. Probably I just absorbed what was going on because we always had fiddles around. Each instrument seemed to come naturally, one after another.”

Originally from Bear River in eastern PEI, Tim once charted a course for Los Angeles to work with album producer Steven Miller, who has helped Sting, Pink and Suzanne Vega. There, he met leading writers and gained a crash course in song structure. “That was a cool experience,” Tim said. “I still send songs to Steven, and he critiques them.

“But it’s great to be home and building a base here, not in Los Angeles among millions of musicians. I love being a Canadian artist.”

Seasoned as a ceilidh and concert performer, Tim has played across the Maritimes and in New England.

I met this kid the other day,
And he said his world is turning dark and gray.
I told him to smile and live for all,
And don’t be afraid that he might stand too tall.
From “Not Like Me”, Tim Chaisson, 2004

Each summer, Tim appears at the Rollo Bay Fiddle Festival organized by the Chaissons. “I’ve been there every year since my birth,” he said.

Early on, Tim took guidance from his father Kevin, a pianist. “When I’m around my folks, my Dad will say, ‘Crack out the fiddle, and we’ll play some tunes.’ That kind of music’s inside me. It’s always with me.”

As a teenager, Tim toured North America with a family band, the Celtic-rock group Kindle, later renamed Celtic Tide. Individually, he has a big collection of PEI Music Awards and competed for ECMA (East Coast Music Association) honors.

“My long-term musical ambitions are similar to what I do now – writing songs and playing music,” Tim said. “I’d love to write songs for other people too, and I’ve done a little of that.”

Tim’s unlikely to stop making music. “That’s my job,” he said, “but I don’t consider it one. It’s more like fun.

“To travel around the world and play music – that’s what I want to do. For me, that’s happiness.”


Morning Fold stays busy playing 'tons' of shows.



Applause from the crowd brings a smile.


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