Joel Plaskett Emergency - Twenty Years Gone: Joel Plaskett Emergency Revisits Down at the Khyber (2021) Hi Res

In January 2021, to celebrate its 20th anniversary, The Joel Plaskett Emergency went to The New Scotland Yard in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia to revisit and re-record their celebrated debut album, Down at the Khyber. One of Canada's most celebrated songwriters, Joel Plaskett has dozens of awards to his credit and thousands of tour dates under his belt. Joel is known as one of the country's most innovative, hard-working, and fiercely independent artists, whether as a solo performer or with his rock band, The Emergency.

Back in late 2000, as buzz surrounding Joel's newly formed band The Emergency was growing, the group began recording Down at the Khyber, at the Khyber Building at 1588 Barrington Street in Halifax. The Emergency often played shows at the club on the first floor and even rented rehearsal space on the third floor, where the recording studio was located. With low ceilings and small rooms, the challenges of the studio presented an opportunity.

"We were trying to work with the limitations of the space and just make something sound cool and unique," said Plaskett. "That's what's neat about the original Khyber recording is we're working with what we've got and I think we found some personality."

Released to widespread acclaim in 2001, Down at the Khyber was nominated for "Best Alternative Album" at the 2002 Junos, and eventually would rank No. 46 in Bob Mersereau's The Top 100 Canadian Albums, alongside albums by icons such as Rush, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell and The Guess Who.

For the 20th anniversary re-recording, Plaskett performed the songs live, mostly as a three piece, with minimal overdubs. The two bassists who have performed in the Emergency alternate throughout the record.

"I really like the first record," said Plaskett. "It has a lot of charm, my singing is still pretty young and pitchy and has some personality, but I do feel like I've become a better singer.

"And so I enjoyed singing on this revisiting one because I could really dig into the songs in a different way. Having sung them for 20 years, I felt like I could almost sing them in the way that I was maybe aspiring to back then, but wasn't necessarily able to hit in the same way."