“Oh you know, a long time.” Dave Marsh pauses, thinking about his career as a Halifax drummer. It’s a long pause, fitting for representing a long time. “Let’s just say…” he begins slowly, “since the mid ’70s.” You might remember him as the skinman for such bands as No Damn Fears, Bluegrass Lawnmower, The Realists, Cheticamp and the Super Friendz, who are back in the studio. But keep your cords on: “It’s kind of a get-together party record,” says Marsh. “We’re not touring or anything.” Fine by us, because Marsh’s time-keep spot in the Joel Plaskett Emergency is the reason he upset last year’s winner Benn Ross, and we wouldn’t want him to burn out. No worries, says Marsh: “Joel is my thing. Joel’s the gig.”
Runners-up: (tie) Loel Campbell (Contrived, Wintersleep) and Benn Ross (too many to name)