Ben Caplan is a Canadian folk musician from

Halifax, Nova Scotia Halifax is the capital and most populous municipality of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the most populous municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of 2024, it is estimated that the population of the H ...

. 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'', came out on September 18, 2015. His third record, ''Old Stock'', was issued on June 15, 2018, his fourth, ''recollection (reimagined)'', on October 15, 2021 and his fifth, ''The Flood'', on May 30, 2025.

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 2021 Canadian census, population of 569,353 (2021), and its Census Metropolitan Area, census metropolitan area, which encompasses ...

, and now resides in

. 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 is a public university, public Liberal arts college, liberal arts university in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Halifax, Nova Scotia.Roper, Henry. "Aspects of the History of a Loyalist College: King's College, Windsor, and ...

, 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 South by Southwest (SXSW) is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and Convention (meeting), conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, Texas. It began in 1987 and has conti ...

Austin, Texas Austin ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Texas. It is the county seat and most populous city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and W ...

, and performed at the East Coast Music Awards (ECMA) Gala. Caplan performed live at the 2013 Byron Bay Bluesfest 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 Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

, the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

, 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 Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

, and

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

. Among these shows, he performed at

Glastonbury Festival The Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts (commonly referred to as simply Glastonbury Festival, known colloquially as Glasto) is a five-day festival of contemporary performing arts held near Pilton, Somerset, England, in most su ...

( UK), The Hop Farm Festival (UK), and Roots In The Park Music Festival (Netherlands). In December 2013, Caplan returned to the

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

and participated in the Woodford Folk Festival and

Sydney Festival Sydney Festival is a major arts festival in Australia's largest city, Sydney, that runs for three weeks every January since it was established in 1977. The festival program features over 100 events from local and international artists and inclu ...

. From February 21 to April 1, 2015, Caplan toured the United States for the first time. He performed three times during

South By Southwest South by Southwest (SXSW) is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and Convention (meeting), conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, Texas. It began in 1987 and has conti ...

, in the middle of the tour. Between 2015 and 2016, Caplan 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 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

*
YouTube

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 21st-century Canadian folk musicians Singers from Nova Scotia