Ben Caplan
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Ben Caplan is a Canadian folk musician from
Halifax, Nova Scotia Halifax is the capital and largest municipality of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the largest municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of the 2021 Census, the municipal population was 439,819, with 348 ...
. He often performs with his band The Casual Smokers, and his first full-length studio album, ''In the Time of the Great Remembering'', was released on October 20, 2011. His second record, ''Birds With Broken Wings'', was released September 18, 2015. His third album, ''Old Stock,'' was released on June 15, 2018, and his fourth album, ''recollection (reimagined),'' was released on October 15, 2021.


Career


Early years

Ben Caplan was born and raised in
Hamilton, Ontario Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario. Hamilton has a Canada 2016 Census, population of 569,353, and its Census Metropolitan Area, census metropolitan area, which includes Burlington, ...
, and now resides in
Halifax, Nova Scotia Halifax is the capital and largest municipality of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the largest municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of the 2021 Census, the municipal population was 439,819, with 348 ...
. He started playing the guitar at the age of 13, but it was at the age of 19 that he started his journey as an independent singer-songwriter. Although he studied at the
University of King's College The University of King's College, established in 1789, is in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.Roper, Henry. "Aspects of the History of a Loyalist College: King's College, Windsor, and Nova Scotian Higher Education in the Nineteenth Century." Anglic ...
, he decided that in order to have a career in music, it would have to become his priority. He participated in the Artist Entrepreneur program through Canada’s Music Incubator. He has been a touring musician since 2006 and released his first full-length album in 2011.


Touring

In 2011 Caplan toured across Canada, and performed some concerts in Europe as well. In 2012, Ben Caplan & The Casual Smokers toured the east coast of Canada, performed at South by Southwest in
Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...
, and performed at the
East Coast Music Awards The East Coast Music Association is a non-profit association that hosts an annual awards ceremony based in Atlantic Canada for music appreciation on the East Coast of Canada. Its mission is to develop, advance and celebrate East Coast Canadian mu ...
(ECMA) Gala. Caplan performed live at the 2013
Byron Bay Bluesfest The Byron Bay Bluesfest, formerly the East Coast International Blues & Roots Music Festival, is an annual Australian music festival that has been held over the Easter long weekend in the Byron Bay, New South Wales, area since 1990. The festiv ...
that took place from March 30 to April 1. From April to the end of July in 2013, Caplan played a number of shows that spread across Australia, the
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,
Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
, Switzerland,
Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...
,
Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the ...
, the
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
, and
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
. Among these shows, he performed at Glastonbury Festival ( UK), The Hop Farm Festival (UK), and Roots In The Park Music Festival (Netherlands). In December 2013, Caplan returned to the
Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
for a weekend tour that consisted of dates in Tilburg, Arnhem, and Haarlem. From December 28, 2013, to January 10, 2014, Caplan played a series of shows in Australia and participated in the
Woodford Folk Festival The Woodford Folk Festival is an annual music and cultural festival held near the semi-rural town of Woodford, north of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It is one of the biggest annual cultural events of its type in Australia. Every year ap ...
and Sydney Festival. From February 21 to April 1, 2015, Caplan toured the United States for the first time. He performed three times during South By Southwest in
Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...
, in the middle of the tour. Between 2015 and 2016 Ben embarked on back to back North American and European Tours While touring Europe Ben has received positive reviews major publications such as Independent UK and The Guardian UK who say "For all the fierceness of the Canadian's appearance, nothing quite prepares for his voice, both spoken and singing." and "From Satanic hoedowns to swaying country heartbreakers, this evening with the larger-than-life Caplan makes for rollicking fun." ranking him – 4/5 stars


Awards

;Nova Scotia Music Awards 2012 * WON Entertainer of the Year * Nominated for Digital Artist of the Year * Nominated for New Artist of the Year * Nominated for Male Artist Recording of the Year—''In the Time of the Great Remembering'' * Nominated for Recording of the Year—''In the Time of the Great Remembering'' * Nominated for New Artist of the Year * Nominated for
SOCAN The Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada (SOCAN) is a Canadian performance rights organization that represents the performing rights of more than 135,000 songwriters, composers and music publishers. The organization collects ...
Songwriter of the Year ;Hamilton Music Awards 2012 * WON Roots Recording of The Year ; East Coast Music Awards 2013 * WON Rising Star Recording of the Year * Nominated for Folk Recording of the Year ;Nova Scotia Music Awards 2015 *Nominated for Entertainer of the Year ; East Coast Music Awards 2016 * Nominated for Album of the Year * Nominated for Folk Recording of the Year * Nominated for Song of the Year


Discography


Albums


References


External links


Official Website

Facebook

Twitter

YouTube

Instagram

Bandcamp
{{DEFAULTSORT:Caplan, Ben Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Musicians from Hamilton, Ontario Musicians from Halifax, Nova Scotia University of King's College alumni Canadian folk musicians