The future looks bright and busy for Ben Caplan after NXNE

By: Emily Johnson –

Ben Caplan. Photo by: Courtney Lee Yip

Halifax singer-songwriter Ben Caplan visited Toronto last week for the NXNE festival and has been enjoying his stay. Between chilling in his new favourite cafes and working hard on his music he was happy to speak about his recent experiences and future endeavors.

Caplan had a lot to share about his recent adventures in Europe. “I quickly learned that the process of getting four people out on the road is logistically and financially challenging. It was the first time we had the contracts that actually allowed us the freedom to do that, so it was great. Actually touring around for a full month is really rewarding. We had a ton of fun, and the cities are just beautiful. The crowds response was great too, so it was a big success.”

He expressed that there is a clear difference in the way the musical scene is understood in European culture. “It’s really different there. The crowds were bigger, which was nice, but the greatest thing was that the promoters and clubs treated us like we were professionals, who have a skill and a trade that we are specialists in. We got a large degree of respect. In Canada, often times the vibe from promoters and bar staff is that we’re just a bunch of hooligans who are out there playing music because we don’t want to get a real job. Whereas in Europe we have a real job, and it’s playing music.”

Playing and writing music is a job that Caplan takes very seriously. Despite having a degree in history and philosophy, he has always seen himself as a musician. “I don’t use my degree to get paid, but what I studied was the art of having clear thinking.”

These thoughts are expressed in the lyrics he writes. “I’m interested in the context of ideas and development of a vast world video. I think what I try to do lyrically and musically is to understand my own world view and my own mythologies. Recently my songs have had a political bend to them just because of the political reality in Canada and other places around the world. Since those are the things I’m thinking about and experiencing right now, that’s what I’m writing about.”

The stylistic differences can between his 2009 self-titled album and “In The Time of Great Remembering” derived mostly from how each album was produced. “The big difference was the kind of perfectionism that one has access to when tracking in a studio versus live recording. The first album was quite early on, a real low-fi do-it-yourself kind of thing. Even though I think musically I was heading in the direction I am in now.”

“I don’t use my degree to get paid, but what I studied was the art of having clear thinking.”

Caplan delved into what we can expect from him in the future. He is hoping to collaborate with a New-York clarinettist named Michael Winograd. “He works a lot with a Montreal producer named So Called. I saw them perform in Poland when we were touring, and I’m really hoping that we can work on a record together at some point.”

Another collaboration may be on the way with a band Caplan met on tour as well. “I found a band that was really cool, and very unique. I wrote a song for them, so I could sing and play piano with their instrumentation, and we got into the studio. So I’m hoping that that’s going to turn into a release for the fall, just as a single.”

If these hopes don’t come true, we can definitely await his next EP to be released in the fall at the latest. After that Caplan will be working hard on the songs for his next full album.