Joel Plaskett

Biography

Joel Plaskett (born William Joel MacDonald Plaskett on 18 April 1975) is a Canadian rock musician and songwriter based in Halifax, Nova Scotia. He was a member of alternative rock band Thrush Hermit in the 1990s and then a member of Neuseiland. Subsequently, he has realsed solo albums and recorded as Joel Plaskett Emergency. His music falls into a number of genres, from blues and folk to hard rock, country, and pop His 2015 album "Joel Plaskett and the Park Avenue Sobriety Test" touches on his...

Joel Plaskett (born William Joel MacDonald Plaskett on 18 April 1975) is a Canadian rock musician and songwriter based in Halifax, Nova Scotia. He was a member of alternative rock band Thrush Hermit in the 1990s and then a member of Neuseiland. Subsequently, he has realsed solo albums and recorded as Joel Plaskett Emergency. His music falls into a number of genres, from blues and folk to hard rock, country, and pop

His 2015 album "Joel Plaskett and the Park Avenue Sobriety Test" touches on his solo acoustic side, his guitar rock work with Joel Plaskett Emergency, his happy-go-lucky rhyming talents, carefree memories of growing up in Nova Scotia, and a little bit of anger at the forces that make life tougher these days. There are references to his salad days, like “On A Dime,” which starts with a blast of downhome Celtic fiddle from Cape Breton great J.P. Cormier. Then there’s Plaskett riffing on memories of playing road hockey in the liquor store parking lot, and later, traveling to Memphis with his band Thrush Hermit to make their first album. The album. also refers to the cast of characters that helped make the album, with Joel Plaskett Emergency appearing on more than half the tracks. It’s more like the Emergency-Plus, as lots of familiar faces from previous Plaskett discs are aboard. Longtime Emergency cohorts Dave Marsh – drums and Chris Pennell – bass anchor the rhythm section. Previous group members Tim Brennan and Peter Elkas play on several songs. From Plaskett’s former band Thrush Hermit is old pal Ian McGettigan. Then there are guests, friends and neighbours, such as Cormier, Halifax singer-songwriter Mo Kenney, singer Erin Costelo, and pedal steel player Dale Murray (Christina Martin, Cuff the Duke).

He released the album Solidarity, a collaboration with his father Bill, in 2017. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.