Ben Caplan

Ben Caplan is a Canadian singer-songwriter from Halifax, Nova Scotia, known for a booming, gravelly voice and a theatrical stage presence built around a thick beard and a top hat. His music draws on Eastern European and Balkan folk traditions, klezmer, country, Americana, and jazz, often arranged with upright bass, drums, strings, and horns rather than a conventional rock band setup. This mix of influences gives his songwriting a raucous, cabaret-like energy alongside more intimate, confessional moments.

Caplan built his career through relentless touring, both as a solo performer and fronting his backing band The Casual Smokers, playing well over a thousand club shows across Canada, Australia, and Europe, including an appearance at Glastonbury in 2013. He has shared bills with acts as varied as Grizzly Bear, Dirty Projectors, The Staves, and Blondie, reflecting his crossover appeal beyond the folk and roots scenes.

His debut album, «In The Time of the Great Remembering», established him as a major voice in Canadian folk-rock, earning him Nova Scotia's Entertainer of the Year in 2012 and the East Coast Music Award for Rising Star Recording of the Year in 2013. He later gained wider recognition through his songs for the acclaimed folk musical Old Stock: A Refugee Love Story, which further showcased his gift for blending narrative songwriting with klezmer-inflected arrangements.