ben-caplan

Allow me to provide some context. It’s been five years since I’ve done NXNE. I mean REALLY done it  – the kind where you’re OD-ing on Red Bull and candy, limping from feet blisters and your ears are constantly ringing when you decide to go to bed at 5 am in the morning. The kind… Read More »

Ah, Live in Bellwoods. A time of lounging in the sun and listening to always memorable and often unexpected sets from your favourite bands. A time when everyone at NXNE, wristband or no, ID or no, can gather in the park and enjoy awesome tunes and each other. This year, the totally free performance series… Read More »

It’s Day three of Canadian Music Week and let’s face it: Toronto is up there in having one of the best music scenes in the world. With a plethora of up-and-coming bands, collective and creative musical minds and enthusiastic fans right at its feet, it’s basically the main reason I came back from my extended… Read More »

March is the official start of Festival season, and Canadian Music Week is here! Don’t be overwhelmed, we’ve got our top picks for every night of the fest, which runs from Wednesday, March 21st until the 25th, all over the city. To make your life even easier, they’ve created a Social Media Cheat Sheet, with all… Read More »

Last winter, on a crisp January night, a Haligonian friend persuaded me to accompany him for an evening of casual tunes in the living room of a small apartment near Beaudry metro. The setting was cozy and eclectic (one bedroom in the place had a rotating bookcase as a door) and when we arrived, numerous… Read More »

Ben Caplan doesn’t mince words.  (And neither do I, his month-long residency starts tonight, February 1st, at Supermarket (268 Augusta Ave)!  See you there!!)  The Halifax-based musician (who hails from Hamilton – word!!) is an enigmatic blend of raging gypsy melodies and bellowing proclamations of honesty and soul.  More than the music, though, Ben’s a… Read More »