Even the happy gets a little scrappy

Whether you're a Thrush Hermit enthusiast, recognize his work with The Emergency, or are a die-hard fan of his solo endeavours, including 2009's ambitious triple album release, Three, Canadian indie rock musician Joel Plaskett is a name that speaks volumes and soon his new record Scrappy Happiness will too.

Inspired by his thirty-third birthday in 2009, Plaskett released Three, a three-disc collection compiling a total of 27 songs. Though a daring move in the music industry to produce such a sprawling album, Three was and still is well received by both old and new fans alike.

"I thought that the triple record was a bit of a risky move because I didn't know if people would even tune-in for that duration. Some people probably just picked their favourite songs and made a mix and that was that, but the record tells a story for those who want to hang around for the hour and a half," said Plaskett.

According to Plaskett, Three tells a story of "going away, being alone and coming home", which is hinted at through song titles on each disc such as, "Run, Run, Run", "Demons" and "Rewind, Rewind, Rewind". With a new year and a new story to be told, Plaskett is currently working on his latest record, Scrappy Happiness.

"The name stems from the idea of being happy about things that are imperfect, whether it's music, or even just your life. Nothing is perfect, things are either glossed over or you get bored, so happiness is usually kind of – scrappy. Life is a lot more uneven than you think it is, and sometimes the things that you think will make you happy don't," said Plaskett.

About a year ago, Plaskett released a rarities and B-sides record, which allowed him to review his older music and put together something without a lot of pressure. However, it was not long before Plaskett was ready to tackle a new full-length record for the first time since multi-award winning Three.

"I was faced with a challenge because the reception was really positive with Three and it did introduce my music to a lot of new people. So, I feel like people are going to check in and care, but at the same time I knew that I had to deliver something different and hopefully interesting in another way," said Plaskett. "And that's when I got the idea that maybe recording a song a week would be fun."

Always approaching projects in his own unique way, Plaskett is channelling the days when songs went from studio to radio in record time. On Jan. 10, Plaskett kicked off the first of 10 weeks in which he and his band The Emergency will be releasing a new song every Tuesday.

"I have really been into singles lately – doing little one off projects with artists like Shotgun Jimmie recently. It was really fun – just that idea that you spend a few days working on a song and you're like ‘I just want to put this out', well why wait? Let's get it out now," said Plaskett.

Taking into consideration his own studio, Plaskett realized that nothing stood in his way of coming up with a project that had momentum over a 10-week period, followed by a Canadian tour.

"It's fun to work on a song and see it through, not start a record and do a bunch of drums, then listen to drums and bass for four days and then start with the guitars, it's so ho-hum," said Plaskett. "Why not just dig into one song, lay down the drums, the bass, record and two, three days later, or sometimes a day later even, you walk out and think, ‘wow, look at that, a song'. You're not sitting on it for two weeks as a rhythm track. It's the luxury that I have with my own studio too, so I'm just trying to take advantage of the fact that I have that good fortune."

Plaskett's songs are ideas in his head long before they reach the studio, so, even though he is releasing a song a week, each one undergoes significant contemplation. The difference is that Plaskett has not done demos of the songs; in fact, he has made a point not to document them in order to keep them fresh. According to Plaskett, devoting a week to a song is plenty of time and still allows for perspective to be gained without the anxiety of perfectionism interfering.

"By going through the process of recording the songs, I discover what I like or don't like about them and then I have a week to kind of make it work, or if it doesn't work then it goes. It's just a song, it's only a week, then I'm onto the next one," said Plaskett. "It would be in my nature to give myself time and perfect, but if I have a deadline, then I can only go so far and there comes a point when I let go and think ‘this feels like me right now', whereas, if I sit on something for six months I think about what I could do differently and what could be better."

The same year that Three debuted, Plaskett played at Brock's Centre for the Arts with Peter Elkas, and this upcoming April he will be returning to St. Catharines to put on a rock show with The Emergency and special guest Frank Turner.  

"I remember that Brock gig. I just remember it being a really humorous show and getting totally carried away and Pete was right there with me, so we were laughing the whole night. So, I have really fond memories of Brock because I remember the feeling in the room and people seemed really into it, it was a great venue," said Plaskett.