Does anyone else remember Thrush Hermit? I heard "Violent Dreams" on the concourse Thursday afternoon and it made my day. They were (and still are) one of my favourite bands, one of the last survivors of the "Halifax scene". Then, in a tragedy often reenacted by other talented Canadian bands, they released their finest album to date and broke up.

But the end of Thrush Hermit wasn't a total loss. Guitarist/singer/songwriter Joel Plaskett released his solo work "In Need of Medical Attention" almost immediately, and followed up by forming The Joel Plaskett Emergency, touring Canada and England in support of their debut, "Down at the Khyber." Plaskett scores points for actually staying in Nova Scotia, while all his contemporaries and friends made their western exodus to Montreal and Toronto.

Fellow Thrush Hermit guitarist and songwriter Rob Benvie released some sketchy solo work under the moniker Tigre Benvie, but eventually skipped town for Montreal to join the (former) darlings of Canadian music press The Dears. I hope he's happy. But I don't much care for his band.

Ian McGettigan ties with Plaskett when it comes to post-Hermit contributions to music. He has worked with such Canadian acts as The Flashing Lights and The Superfriendz, as well as producing The Joel Plaskett Emergency's debut. Despite all the great work he's done producing the music I love, I miss when he wrote some of it. McGettigan's contribution to "Clayton Park", the Hermit's final record, was my favourite cut on the whole album. But it needs more cowbell.