Elmer Deagle

By Dan MacDonald


Ever since returning from the ECMAs I’ve been listening to a self-titled debut CD from PEI’s Elmer Deagle. He’s part of the extended Chaisson Family from the Rollo Bay area, a cousin to JJ, Brent and Timothy Chaisson, well known names throughout Celtic music.

Elmer is known as a great instrumentalist, a solid guitarist, a substantial fiddler and an absolute whiz on the mandolin and this recording just confirms it. He does it all and does it all well. Very well! There is a great guitar cut (Charity’s Rage, one of his own compositions) and several fiddle cuts that sound like he was playing at the Red Shoe (and he has). There are also several vocal cuts that feature his sisters Donna and Lisa with Elmer doing much of the instrumentals.

But the real highlights are the mandolin cuts. This is where he really shines. By the time he has reached the second tune on the first cut (Christy Campbell) you know that he has it, that special gift that makes him stand out. And when he gets around to Tullohgorum 10 cuts later, all you can do is sit there and smile.

The CD is well laid out and produced. Recorded at Lakewind Studios it has some great arrangements and delightful accompaniment from an all-star cast of backup musicians that included Gordie Sampson, Brent and Timothy Chaisson on guitars and Troy MacGillvray doing most of the piano (with Mac Morin on one cut).

Elmer Deagle’s first solo CD may be hard to track down but it will be well worth the effort.

- Cape Breton Post

Pin your ears back for this one. Elmer Deagle (how can you not like a guy with a name like that?) is from Prince Edward Island in Canada and is one of 70 (seventy) first cousins in the seventh generation of the famouse Chaisson dynasty (in Prince Edward Island that’s a bit like being born a Waterson!). Elmer plays pretty much anything with strings on it but in this collection it is his mandolin and tenor banjo picking that gets a particular showcase and the man’s musicianship is extraordinary! He brings with him a bunch of top quality musicians from his filing cabinet of cousins and a repertoire that mixes the music of the ceilidh with more contemporary compositions (there are a couple of songs in here that you will hear more of in the future, I reckon). Listen to instrumental track ‘ 67 Mount Edward Road’ and follow it with the delightful country feel of the song ‘Grammy of Mine’. There’s not a bad track here. The CD is well recorded and packaged, though Elmer doesn’t seem to have a record label..or distribution..or management.. so goodness knows how you will get hold of copy but it’s worth trying. Elmer’s web site at www.elmerdeagle.com takes you to his page on MySpace! He’s too busy making music to make it easy for the rest of us, but who cares? I love it to bits.

Phil Thomas
Living Tradition

- Living Tradition

Deagle was the mandolin player for Kindle, a short-lived Celtic crossover band from eastern Prince Edward Island. More recently he has lent a hand to his cousin Timothy Chaisson during a the latter's ascent into the folk-pop mainstream of Canada. Deagle's mandolin playing of traditional tunes retains more of a Cape Breton flavor compared to the bluegrasstending picking of fellow Acadian J.P. Cormier. Furthermore, PEI musicians don't have the aggressive stomp of the Cape Bretoners; there is still lilt to their playing. The piano(a Cape Breton standard) is present on most cuts, used as a rhythm instrument, and here mercifully mixed down. Deagle includes standard tunes of eastern Canada ("West Mabou Reel," "Flying Cloud"), many of the Scottish Cape Breton standards ("Tullochgorum," "Marchioness of Huntley," "Julia Delaney"), and contemporary tunes, both his own and those of his extended family (Kevin Chaisson's "Carter MacKenzie" and Timothy Chaisson's song "In Front of You". - Dirty Linen

"First up was Elmer Deagle, who proceeded to wow the audience into mesmerization, as he played some of the most smoothly picked out traditional pieces on a banjo that I’ve ever heard." TODD MACLEAN 23/05/08



- The Guardian

Elmer Deagle, music artist from P.E.I., released his debut, self-titled CD in 2005, and is a knock out in every respect. Elmer is a young talented musician who is a whiz on the mandolin and fiddle....The album was mixed, mastered and recorded at Lakewind Sound Studio's, Point Aconi in Cape Breton. Listening to this album, you are hearing some of the most gifted talented music artists on the East Coast. The album is a joy to behold. Atlantic Seabreeze rates this CD very high on its rating listings. The CD is a welcome addition to all music lovers libraries.
-John Gavin - Atlantic Seabreeze

The future of Maritimes music is secure in the hands of young bands like the Chaisson family and Celtic Tide.

With its self-produced debut album, Kindle, Celtic Tide takes its place among the up and coming artists of a music-rich culture of Prince Edward Island. The band's grasp of musical traditions is strong, and the musicians certainly don't flinch from employing traditional techniques throughout the recording. Neither are they worried about imposing their own sense of style and injecting a healthy dose of modern musical ideals into their sound...."Frozen Fingers," conversely, casts the spotlight on some frenetic yet flawless fingerwork on a pair of acoustic guitars. Deagle shows his chops on the mandolin in the intricate "Clelmo."... -Tom Knapp


















lkjlkj - Rambles Magazine