Jay Smith joins Tim Chaisson and Morning Fold for an Easter swooning.

JAY SMITH JOINED TIM CHAISSON AND MORNING FOLD EASTER MONDAY TO ROCK THE CARLETON. DAVE LIDSTONE Walking into the Carleton Monday night I wasn’t sure

what to expect. I’d only been inside the joint a couple times previously and I still felt a bit out of place. But within seconds I was greeted by my pals in the Fourth Well, so I pulled up a chair at their table and ordered a Keith’s.

Jay Smith was supposed to start at 9p.m., but in true east coast rock ‘n roll style it was just before 10p.m. when he took the stage. Apparently a few parties in the joint who were eating dinner earlier hadn’t paid for the show and were yet to leave, so everything had to be put on hold until they took off. A little nit-picky in my opinion, but fair nonetheless. People who paid for the show deserved the table and the nicely padded seats. Well played Carleton owner Mike Campbell, well played.

I’d first seen Smith playing with Matt Mays and El Torpedo in Fredericton in 2009. They were opening up for

the Black Crowes and I was easily impressed by Smith’s lead work, as well as his back-up vocals and rhythm playing. “He’s gotta be 16 years old,” I remember thinking. If you haven’t seen Jay, you should know he’s got one of the babiest faces you’d ever seen. Not a bad thing though. When he’s 45 he’ll likely stop getting I.D.’d at the LC.

Smith didn’t over stay his welcome on stage due to the late start but I doubt anyone, including headliners Tim Chaisson and Morning Fold, would have minded. He worked the stage like the veteran player he is, strummin’ out some old favorites and

previewing new tunes off his next album, which according to Jay will be an EP, with the first single being a tune called “Midnight Rose.”

After a quick smoke break between acts, Mike Campbell was back on stage introducing Murray River, PEI native Tim Chaisson and his band of misfit musicians Morning Fold (Tian Wigmore on guitar and Nat Lamoureux on percussion). “Wow...

jeepers,” was Tim’s reaction to the crowd’s response as he strapped on his acoustic guitar and began his set.

I met Tim almost a year ago exactly at the ECMA’s on PEI last spring and was fully impressed by his mix of east coast fiddle music and contemporary rock. The combination is something special. Soft and lilting vocal harmonies coupled with fluid, perfectly

placed lead breaks and the stage presence of an old blues player, Chaisson and his band have the capacity to charm audiences of any age. It’s pretty hard to be from the east coast and not dig a couple jigs and reels every now and again.

After playing a few tunes and rippin’ a couple reels, Smith was invited to join the band on stage. Smith was recently asked to join Chaisson and Morning Fold on a Toronto tour to fill in for Wigmore on guitar, so the chemistry among the members was tried

and true. It was a treat to watch such accomplished players having such a good time. After being encouraged several times by Chaisson to get up and dance, two girls finally took the bait, ditched their shoes and went for broke on the “dance floor” dancing a full-on jig.

All-in-all it was a special tamed down, make your girlfriend wish you were the guitar player kind of night. The audience was just as into it as the players and I doubt it could have went any better. The boys done good.

You can check out Tim Chaisson and Morning Fold and Jay Smith this weekend at the ECMA’s in Moncton, NB. Tim and the boys will be playing a private show as well as the actual gala, so if even if you can’t make the 2.5 hour rip to Monkey Town you can

tune in on your television set or internet device and capture some east coast magic from the comfort of your own home.

EASTER SWOONING

The chemistry between Tim Chaisson (left) and Jay Smith is tried and true.