Award-winning Atlantic Canadian artists Ben Caplan and Terra Spencer have joined forces on their brand-new album, Old News, set for release on October 14, 2022.
Combining the extensive musical backgrounds of two celebrated East Coast artists, Ben Caplan and Terra Spencer’s Old News sets aside genre and celebrates impeccable storytelling, elevated musicianship, and creative collaboration with the warmth of analog recording. Born over a cup of tea at Ben’s kitchen piano while Terra introduced him to a tender song called “VHS”, this unlikely musical marriage has evolved into a full-length album and international tour. Terra, a multi-award-winning artist coined “the real deal” by legendary Canadian artist Ron Sexsmith, has been widely recognized for her skillful songwriting, comforting vocal delivery, and delicate melodies. Known for his booming, gritty voice and called “an unmistakable presence” by UK’s top news publication, The Guardian, Ben is also a multi-award-winning artist on the global stage, performing at some of the world’s most coveted festivals including Glastonbury and SXSW.
Terra and Ben’s debut as a duo on Old News showcases their remarkable talents and willingness to challenge themselves as artists. Ben saw in Terra’s prolific writing the opportunity to produce an album of material other than his own for the first time, bringing to the table his appetite for ambitious arrangements, diverse taste in instrumental music, and his circle of players from his years of touring with the rotating members of his band, The Casual Smokers. It was Ben’s distinctive voice that first inspired Terra to reach out to him between Covid lockdowns, hoping to cast him in the role of the reminiscing widower portrayed in “VHS”. An album of undeniable warmth, the analog style of recording and juxtaposition of Terra’s gentle delivery with Ben’s husky growl make for an incredibly engaging listen, exploring loss and longing with empathy, intimate vocal performances, and Terra’s signature storytelling.
Old News has a dual meaning – these are new songs with a throwback sound, but they are also stories of someone struggling with loss while the rest of the world carries on, a phenomenon Terra witnessed both in her experience as a funeral director and while living in a world emerging from a global pandemic into a “new normal”. Terra drew from both personal and imagined experiences to write the album’s eleven songs with empathetic themes of letting go and saying goodbye, and, as a solo performer, seized the rare opportunity to write duets. “I have always loved the way albums let you weave together songs to tell a bigger story.”
The album weaves in elements from multiple genres including ‘70’s-inspired Folk and Roots, and Jazz instrumentation with an upright bass, piano, horns, and drums. Old News was notably recorded live off the floor to analog tape over several days at Joel Plaskett’s Fang Recording in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. Anchored by solo and joint vocal performances by Ben and Terra, it features East Coast core players Ronald Hynes (Hey Rosetta!) and Andrew Miller, with appearances from Jamie Robinson (Gordie Sampson, Jimmy Rankin), Donald MacLennan, Jamie Kronick (who also photographed and designed the album artwork), emerging sibling trio The Gilberts, and the horn section of Andrew Jackson, Brad Reid, and arranger Matt Myer. Mixed by celebrated East Coast producer Daniel Ledwell and mastered by Grammy nominee Philip Shaw Bova, the project pays tribute to the traditional style and spirit of studio recording, capturing the live sounds and energy of musicians performing together in a room.
Through the creation of Old News, Terra and Ben introduced one another to music, ideas, and musicians they may otherwise have never experienced. Along the way, they also forged a friendship and connection that can be heard, preserved on this record.
Old News begins with “Brick and Mortar”, a gentle piano ballad inspired by the crumbling brick textile mill in Terra’s hometown of Windsor, Nova Scotia. A natural opener for the album, the song tenderly sets the stage of the album’s relatable themes of loss and letting go, and struggling to say goodbye. Terra’s emotive piano blends beautifully with the lament of the horns and voices of two people drawn together in the act of being pulled apart. “VHS”, the song that gave way to the entire project, is an imagined story of a man rediscovering treasured memories of his wife as he adjusts to life alone. Ben’s captivating voice floats over Terra’s intentionally simple piano piece, lending to the sense that the deeply personal and moving words are pulled from a diary page.
Old News concludes with the cheeky, jazzy, call-and-response duet “Good Friends”, the first single from the album. Reaching back to the glory days of jazz duets and the “are we, aren’t we” playfulness of Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong, Terra Spencer’s adamantly fictional tune paints the predicament of walking a fine line between friendship and something more. The track includes a notable horn breakdown, in which Terra and Ben can be heard giggling into the background – as good friends do – before giving the friendship a jovial nudge back into place.
A unique and skillful exhibition of exceptional songwriting and musicianship, and a nod to the music and recording style of yesteryear, Old News showcases the limitless talent, musical knowledge, and creativity of two artists who, at the time of recording, had only known each other for a few months. Both relevant and relatable, the album is a musically masterful and lyrically delicate exploration of the sounds and styles from long ago, while remaining remarkably fresh. In Terra’s words, “I think everybody can connect with losing something, or having to let go of hopes or expectations”. With Old News, Terra and Ben have created a beautiful space to explore the gentle art of saying goodbye.
“Old News” will be available everywhere on October 14th 2022
Connect with Terra Spencer:
Website: https://terraspencer.ca/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/terra.spencer
Instagram: http://instagram.com/orangeterra/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/TerraSpencer
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKDB6gv0fQu1c7LzlIA4ntg
Bandcamp: https://terraspencer.bandcamp.com/
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2nbbXrGn70IzneA2d2AeBW
Connect with Ben Caplan:
Website: https://www.bencaplan.ca/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bencaplanmusic
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bencaplanmusic/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/bencaplanmusic
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/bencaplanmusic
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5eKwTB9ociIYxmAsVR0kXp
