Thrush Hermit was a Canadian

alternative rock Alternative rock (also known as alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative) is a category of rock music that evolved from the independent music underground of the 1970s. Alternative rock acts achieved mainstream success in the 1990s w ...

band active in the 1990s, known for their "highly energetic, humorous, and unpredictable performances," as quoted by

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History

Thrush Hermit was formed in Halifax,

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, located on its east coast. It is one of the three Maritime Canada, Maritime provinces and Population of Canada by province and territory, most populous province in Atlan ...

in 1991 by

Joel Plaskett William Joel MacDonald Plaskett (born April 18, 1975) is a Canadian rock musician and songwriter based in Halifax, Nova Scotia. He was a member of Halifax alternative rock band Thrush Hermit in the 1990s. Plaskett performs in a number of gen ...

(vocals, guitar), Rob Benvie (vocals, guitar), Ian McGettigan (vocals, bass), and Michael Catano (drums). Catano was replaced by Cliff Gibb in 1994; Gibb in turn left the band in 1999 and was replaced by Benn Ross. They signed with Murderecords in 1994 in time to release their ''Smart Bomb'' EP, which featured Benvie's song "French Inhale" and Plaskett's "Hated It". The former would get some rotation on

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, which then held a reputation for more alternative programming, while the latter would end up in the

Kevin Smith Kevin Patrick Smith (born August 2, 1970) is an American film director, producer, writer, and actor. He came to prominence with the low-budget buddy comedy film ''Clerks (film), Clerks'' (1994), which he wrote, directed, co-produced, and acted i ...

film ''

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''. Following the release of the band's second EP, the

Steve Albini Steven Frank Albini (; July 22, 1962 – May 7, 2024) was an American musician and audio engineer. He founded and fronted the influential post-hardcore and noise rock bands Big Black (1981–1987), Rapeman (1987–1989) and Shellac (band), ...

-produced ''The Great Pacific Ocean'', the group signed in 1996 with Elektra Entertainment which released their first full-length album, '' Sweet Homewrecker'', in 1997. The Memphis-recorded album showcased the songwriting of Plaskett, Benvie and McGettigan. The album proved a disappointment from Elektra's standpoint however, and Thrush Hermit was bought out of their contract. After their foray into the

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market, Thrush Hermit returned north to release their final album, '' Clayton Park'', on Sonic Unyon in 1999. The album was a critical success, and was nominated for a

Juno Award The Juno Awards (stylized as JUNOS), or simply known as the Junos, are awards presented by Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences to recognize outstanding achievements in Canada's mu ...

. Thrush Hermit performed as part of Humble & Fred Fest at

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in Toronto, and at the Horseshoe Tavern in 1999, but made plans to disband in September that year.Gillis, Carla
"Thrush Hermit flies again: Quintessential 90s canuck pop sensations drop a multi-disc set and hit the road for a two-week binge"
''

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'', March 24–31, 2010. Volume 29. The band had signed up for the triple-headliner "Front Man War Tour" alongside

The Flashing Lights The Flashing Lights were a Canadian alternative rock band, active in the late 1990s and early 2000s. History The Flashing Lights was founded by Matt Murphy, as a side project, performing around Halifax when Murphy was not performing and record ...

and Local Rabbits, but had to back out because of Plaskett's health. Once he recovered, the band embarked on their own farewell tour of Canada, in December 1999, and then disbanded. Thrush Hermit were featured on the mainstage at

Edgefest Edgefest was an annual outdoor rock festival in Canada. It was founded by staff members of Toronto radio station CFNY-FM. From 1987 to 2015, the festival was held every year in the summer (except for 2007). The festival was most frequently held ...

in 1995; rather than playing their own material they played exclusively

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covers. Similarly, for their first national TV appearance on MuchMusic they played a

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cover instead of highlighting any songs from their album. Plaskett went on to begin a recording career with his band The Joel Plaskett Emergency. Benvie released a solo record under the moniker "Tigre Benvie", and subsequently joined The Dears, while McGettigan began producing records by Canadian rock acts such as

. McGettigan also produced records for Plaskett, and later became a member of The Joel Plaskett Emergency. Benvie and McGettigan then joined the band Camouflage Nights, which features a revolving door cast of musicians. Thrush Hermit reunited for a brief set following a Joel Plaskett Emergency show at the Marquee Club in Halifax on December 31, 2005. The band also reunited for a brief tour of eastern Canada in March 2010. Locations included Moncton, two nights in Halifax at the Paragon (originally the Marquee), Ottawa, Peterborough, Waterloo, two nights and one afternoon show in Toronto. That year New Scotland Records released a box set of all of the Thrush Hermit recordings. In 2019, the band announced that they were reuniting for 14 shows to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the release of ''Clayton Park''.

Tribute record

In 2008 a tribute album was released, titled ''Songs For The Gang: Thrush Hermit Tribute'' featuring Thrush Hermit songs by Canadian artists including The Meligrove Band and

Two Hours Traffic Two Hours Traffic is a Canadian indie rock band, based in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. They are named after a line in the prologue to Shakespeare’s ''Romeo and Juliet''. Critics have drawn comparisons to 1970s power pop band Big Star (b ...

. The album was issued by Gooseberry Records on CD and digital download via Zunior.

Discography

Albums

*1997: '' Sweet Homewrecker'' (Elektra) *1999: '' Clayton Park'' (Sonic Unyon)

EPs

*1993: ''Ammo'' (

Cinnamon Toast Records Cinnamon Toast Records was a Record label, record label from Halifax, Nova Scotia. It was inspired by the American label Simple Machines and was run by Walter Forsyth, Lee Ann Gillan, Shawn Duggan, Colin MacKenzie, Robert Jeans and Miroslav Wiesn ...

) *1994: ''

Smart Bomb ''SMart'' was a British CBBC television programme based on art, which began in 1994 and ended in 2009. The programme was recorded at BBC Television Centre in London. Previously it had been recorded in Studio A at Pebble Mill Studios in Birmingham ...

'' (Murderecords) *1995: '' The Great Pacific Ocean'' (Murderecords) *1997: '' Rock and Roll Detective'' (Elektra)

7" Singles

*1993: "Marya" (Genius Records) *1994: "French Inhale" (Genius Records) *1995: "Take Another Drag" ( Bong Load) *1997: "Giddy with the Drugs" ( Murderecords)

Collections

*2010: ''The Complete Recordings'' (New Scotland Records)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Thrush Hermit 2010 in Canadian music Musical groups established in 1992 Musical groups disestablished in 1999 Musical groups from Halifax, Nova Scotia Canadian alternative rock groups Murderecords artists Canadian power pop groups Sonic Unyon artists Elektra Records artists