Joel Plaskett Emergency at the Vogue

For a guy who has never been a household name in, say, Moose Jaw, Joel Plaskett sure does get a lot of recognition. Log onto his Wikipedia page and you’ll find a list of accomplishments as long as Ron Jeremy’s dong. Highlights include nominations for every major Canadian music prize that counts (think Polaris, Junos, the Buckys), a smattering of American nods (hello, Billboard), and more regional accolades than one can shake a stick at (dude might as well have his own table at the East Coast Music Awards). Hell, Paul McCartney was so impressed by Plaskett’s 2009 recording, Three, he picked him as his opening act that year in Halifax. All of this is another way of saying that the singer has quietly become something of a big deal in Canada, which is all the reason you need to be at the Vogue on Saturday (April 14), when the ever-adventurous indie stalwart supports his latest outing with the Joel Plaskett Emergency, Scrappy Happiness. You will sing along, unless, of course, you were raised in Spuzzum, which explains why you’ve never even heard of the guy.