Folk singer Joel Plaskett pens the new classic campfire song, “Hey Moon (A Campfire Song)”
Joel Plaskett is a beloved east coast Canadian singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist whose music brings together the energetic melodies and hooks of power pop, the muscle of hard rock, and more intimate singer/songwriter fare. Plaskett’s songs are a perennial part of the national playlist, a fixture on “best of” lists, and the soundtrack to the lives of faithful fans across the country and around the world.
When the YMCA in Vancouver asked Plaskett to play at their “virtual campfire” over the pandemic in 2021, he figured he’d write a song for a real campfire and the real moon above. Written with the beautiful simplicity of three chords, Plaskett started and finished “Hey Moon (A Campfire Song)” 15 minutes prior to recording it for the live stream.
“This version gets kind of rocking for the summer festival stages but it’s basically a folk song at heart,” says Plaskett. “My hope is people will write their own verses for the moon and sing the chorus together.”
Watch the lyric video for “Hey Moon (A Campfire Song)” below and learn more about Joel via our Five Questions With segment.
Care to introduce yourself to our readers?
My name is Joel Plaskett and I’ve been a traveling musician since graduating high school in 1993.
Tell us a bit about your most recent release.
My latest release, “Hey Moon (A Campfire Song),” was recorded back in April at my studio, Fang Recording. I wrote it very quickly in 2021 to play for the YMCA Vancouver’s “Virtual Campfire” live stream. Since then, it has become a sing-along at my live shows, so it’s nice to have a version out for people to listen to.
Where do you tend to pull inspiration from when writing?
People, places, interesting expressions, states of mind.
Do you have any upcoming shows you’d like to tell us about?
I have a handful of shows in September and October, mostly in the Maritimes. My website, joelplaskett.com, has them all there.
What’s your goal for 2023?
Record an album and get one more haircut before the year is out.