Joel Plaskett hasn't aged a bit. His voice hasn't lost any of its youthful lilt since I first interviewed him back in 1995, when we were both teenagers. He's still as rhapsodic and talkative as he was when he was touring Smart Bomb with his old band Thrush Hermit. And even though there are a few greys poking out of his hair, he even looks as though time has not yet caught up with him over all these years.
Of course, Joel Plaskett has in fact aged. Duh. And the way that it's most obvious is the extensive set of recordings he has amassed. Plaskett has proven himself to be one of Canada's most reliable songwriters, both in quality and frequency. In 1999 alone, he released Thrush Hermit's swan song, Clayton Park, the debut album by Neuseiland, his side-project with Super Friendz members Charles Austin and Drew Yamada, and his debut solo album, In Need Of Medical Attention. Subsequently, he has steadily released at least one album of his own every other year, not to mention produced recordings by Two Hours Traffic, Al Tuck, Sarah Slean, Old Man Luedecke, Mo Kenney and Shotgun Jimmie, while running his own label, New Scotland Records. Along the way, he has also rounded up a handful of Juno nominations (including a win in 2010 for Adult Alternative Album of the Year) and a couple of Polaris Music Prize shortlists.
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