Thrush Hermit « NxEW.ca

2Jan/11Off

LIVE VIDEOS : Joel Plaskett at St. Ann’s Auditorium

Joel Plaskett at the Vogue Theatre in Vancouver back in 2009.

Halifax singer-songwriter/rocker Joel Plaskett played a one-off show on December 28 2010 in Victoria while he's on the west coast visiting extended family. The sold out 200 person audience in the quaint, lovely little St. Ann's Auditorium were treated to solo guitar (or $5 keyboard) renditions of material from his solo career, songs with the Emergency as well as oldies from the defunct Thrush Hermit. Plaskett played two separate sets and was called back out for 2 encores, taking many requests from the audience, as well as calling the seated crowd to its feet in joining his karaoke sing-along to hit "Fashionable People."

Below are the links to 5 videos from that night. Although the video quality suffers from the dim lighting in the room (no spotlights!), the audio is crystal clear. I hope you enjoy the three new songs from Plaskett, and two "oldies"-- "Non-Believer," one of my favourites, and "Before You Leave" from the Hermit days.

"The Island Girls and the Harbour Boys" (New)

"I'm Yours" (New)

"Absentminded Melody," transitioning into "For Your Consideration" (New)

"Non-Believer"

"Before You Leave" (Thrush Hermit)

Tagged as: 2010, Concert Review, Halifax, Joel Plaskett, live recording, live videos, new songs, St. Ann's Auditorium, Thrush Hermit, Victoria No Comments

5Nov/10Off

The Ruckus – Thrush Hermit Documentary

When Thrush Hermit did their quick reunion tour back in March 2010, they played a brilliant gig in Ottawa. One person got to sit down with the band for a 40-minute interview before they did their soundcheck. Was it the CBC? No. Was it CTV? No. Was it Ottawa Express? No.

It was me. Some suburban dad with a microphone and a list of questions. Booyah!

I took Joel Plaskett, Ian McGettigan, and Rob Benvie out for coffee at a little tea shop across from the club, and we sat and chatted about the full history of Thrush Hermit (1992-1999). (The drummer Cliff Gibb hung out at the club to set up his kit.)

Now, you can hear the whole interview, interspersed with a whack of music from their entire catalog on The Ruckus. Three full episodes can be heard here:

You'll also hear other folks chiming in on the history of the band. I chatted with Chris Murphy from Sloan, Laura Borealis, and legendary producer Steve Albini.

It really was a thrill for me to sit down with the guys. I have been a fan for years, and it was a riot to actually sit casually and chat about the band's history.

For more details on The Ruckus, and my new Track of the Day feature, go to www.kevinmcgowan.ca. And to purchase your own copy of Thrush Hermit's "Complete Recordings Box Set" go to Maple Music.