Biography
For over three decades, Joel Plaskett has proven himself a spinning wheel of reinvention. The Nova Scotia songwriter's eclectic body of work reveals a restless and playful spirit, always transforming and expanding.
While continuing to celebrate—and be celebrated for—his regional ties and embrace of East Coast musical traditions, Joel’s omnivorous appetite for new sonic horizons is an integral part of his work. His discography includes heavy riff epics, like Thrush Hermit's now-classic swansong Clayton Park (1999); low-fi and wide eyed solo records like In Need of Medical Attention (1999) and La De Da (2005); lean, loose and lyrical rock and roll with the Emergency on Down at the Khyber (2001) and Truthfully, Truthfully (2003); and a father-and-son nod to English folk traditions with Solidarity (2017). Then there are the endeavours that push the envelope further: the Emergency’s romantic epic concept album Ashtray Rock (2007); the months-long songwriting challenge Scrappy Happiness (2012); and Three (2009) and 44 (2020), Joel’s sprawling, multi-record ventures exploring love, loss, and existential investigation. For his latest release, the 4-track project One Real Reveal (2024), Plaskett strips his songwriting down to its raw materials, allowing everything in—all the human touches the tape could pick up—and letting (almost) everything out.
Coast-to-coast and the world 'round, Joel has rocked crowds at clubs, festivals and grand old theatres with longtime Emergency bandmates Dave Marsh and Chris Pennell as well as drawn audiences close with intimate acoustic shows, both solo and with his father, Bill. Then there are the special events that have really allowed Joel to reach the rafters, like headlining Toronto’s Massey Hall with everyone in tow, playing the NAC in Ottawa backed by the national orchestra, and warming up huge stages for artists like The Tragically Hip and Paul McCartney.
Joel and the Emergency have also been roundly celebrated within the music industry for their work, racking up awards and nominations from the JUNOs, the Polaris Music Prize, the East Coast Music Awards, Music Nova Scotia, and numerous others.
While Joel’s songs are beloved far beyond the community that helped forge his sound, his creative heart is still found at home in Nova Scotia. At 45 Portland Street in Dartmouth there’s Fang Recording, the studio where he’s made many of his albums and produced records for other great artists like Mo Kenney, Steve Poltz, Shotgun Jimmie and Jimmy Rankin.
And through the door to the front of the building lies Taz Records, Morley's Coffee and Friction Books. Since 2023, Joel has used the space to present Window Inn Wednesdays, a monthly, no-phones-allowed variety show that pushes back—like most of his projects—against the speed and din of modern life, making space for real engagement between art, artist, and audience.
2025 saw the release of ‘Songs From The Gang – A Celebration of Joel Plaskett’ – a deluxe covers album featuring the music of Joel Plaskett performed by Arkells, Sloan, Jill Barber, The Sheepdogs, Julian Taylor, Jenn Grant, Bahamas, City and Colour, Rose Cousins, Frank Turner, and many more.
Joel Plaskett Emergency
In 2026, the Joel Plaskett Emergency celebrates 20 years of rollin’ and rockin’ in their current incarnation—Plaskett himself on the guitars, Dave Marsh on drums, and Chris Pennell on bass. They’ve marked the occasion with “Fill In the Blanks,” a strutting ‘70s-style riff-rocker with playful lyrics subtly inspired by the theory of “hot” and “cool” media established by influential Canadian philosopher Marshall McLuhan. “I was imagining April Wine jamming with Steve Miller but then Dave and Chris took it to Portland Street like they always do”, says Joel. The raucous tune looks back fondly on life before the proliferation of attention-hijacking and encourages listeners to embrace the mystery and participate in the moment as Plaskett winkingly withholds words from its punchy chorus.
It’s a fitting new track for a songwriter and band who continue to deliver their message through analog mediums and spontaneous performances. Throughout their 20+ years, the Emergency has remained committed to the unvarnished push-and-pull that makes their trio so compelling. When they take the stage this summer for a score of dates they’ll prove this commitment once again.
The story of the band begins in fall of 1998 when Joel asked Tracy Stevens, Andrew Glencross and former members of Superfriendz, Charles Austin and Dave Marsh, to join “The Emergency Band” to play shows featuring the songs from his upcoming solo debut, In Need of Medical Attention. When the introspective album eventually dropped in fall of ‘99 the band embarked on a memorable drive through a torrential hurricane to New York City in Joel’s enormous 69’ Pontiac Parisienne to perform at CMJ, marking the first of many miles to be clocked by the band.
As Joel worked up new songs at the millenniums end and his former band Thrush Hermit played their final shows, his musical connection with Dave, an experienced and mercurial drummer, grew stronger. In early 2000, the Emergency scaled down to a lean three-piece and Dave’s former Blackpool bandmate, Tim Brennan joined on the bass guitar. Working up the new material on the third floor of the historic Khyber building in Halifax, “The J.P.E.” soon recorded their reverberant and rollicking, debut Down at the Khyber. The album brought them press accolades and tours in the U.K. and they dug in, crossing Canada multiple times in Plaskett’s 1995 Chevy Suburban to cut the teeth on stage and build an audience. In 2003, they followed up with the more polished and punchy, Truthfully, Truthfully, featuring songs like “Work Out Fine” and “Extraordinary” which remain fan favourites to this day. Shortly after the album's release, Tim Brennan bowed out to teach photography at art school.
By 2004, Khyber and Truthfully co-producer (and Joel’s former Thrush Hermit bandmate), Ian McGettigan had taken up the band’s bass duties and the Emergency set out for a tour with The Tragically Hip in arenas across Canada, firmly solidifying their reputation as a hard swinging, dynamic live band. The band recorded the Make A Little Noise EP in 2005 with Big Sugar’s Gordie Johnson in the producer’s chair and the effort yielded the Top 40 hit “Nowhere With You.” After an epic New Year’s Eve show at Halifax’s Marquee Club, Ian moved on to pursue his work with Camouflage Nights and Joel and Dave were once again in search of a bass player who could ground their unique guitar and drum entanglement.
One evening in early 2006, Joel found himself in a cab with their future bass player at the wheel. Chris Pennell, who had been gigging locally for years with the band Slight Return, expressed interest and scored an audition. Once Dave found him a suitable nickname, Chris “The Elk” Pennell settled in to hold down the centre and the band went on to make their most successful record to date—2007’s teenage love triangle rock opera, Ashtray Rock. Amidst the album’s hectic tour cycle, Joel and Dave carved out time to work up Marsh’s excellent solo debut, The True Love Rules.
The Emergency wrapped 2008 with a six show run at Toronto’s Horseshoe Tavern and over the next few years traveled the US in support of The Hip, toured Australia, opened for Paul McCartney in Halifax and headlined the legendary Massey Hall.
In 2012, the Emergency embarked on Scrappy Happiness, their most ambitious and in-the-moment album project - recording and releasing a song a week for 10 weeks. While the approach harkened back to the quick turnaround singles of the 50s and 60s, it also foreshadowed the speed and immediacy at which the digital world now moves. The album’s fierce and lyrical opening track, “Lightning Bolt,” quickly became a live show staple and a testament to the band’s electric alchemy.
While Joel’s solo and collaborative musical endeavors have run the gamut over the years, his performances and recordings with the Emergency remain a uniquely recognizable group effort that has garnered a diehard audience and many awards and nominations—including recognition from the Junos, Polaris, CBC, ECMA, Music Nova Scotia and more.
With nearly three decades of odometers rolling, the Joel Plaskett Emergency remains a Nova Scotia band whose joyful energy has rocked the corners of Canada, from Newfoundland and Labrador to Iqaluit and Dawson City. “Fill in the Blanks” is out now and the band returns to select festival stages this summer.
