There’s a heartwarming, wholesome, humble Canadian-ness to Joel Plaskett. It’s not just that his songs are peppered with references to Canadian towns like Musquodoboit Harbour, Rivière-du-Loup, Kelowna and Sault Ste. Marie, but it’s his peaceful appreciation of simple joys: watching storm clouds and sunrises, drinking out of mason jars, working in the garden or singing to the moon. Whereas Springsteen’s chrome wheeled, fuel-injected, hemi-powereds scream down the boulevard, Plaskett quietly hitchhikes out of town with his heavy heart and lonely love. When Plaskett’s Nova Scotia-ness comes through in his lyrics, it’s never ostracizing; he brings everyone along on that Dartmouth ferry ride into the city to check out live music. Plaskett is beloved, not only by the army of fans who sing along, learn to play his songs or come to cheer him on in concert, but also by the many musicians with whom he’s become old friends during his 30+ years of making music. Plaskett’s circle of friends (Bahamas, Steve Poltz, Sloan and more) held him in such high esteem that they celebrated his last birthday by surprising him with secretly recorded versions of 22 of his songs. Joel, we love you – everyone loves you! And we are so happy to kill some time and go nowhere with you.

- Chantal Vitalis