Rugged, raspy, and roaring with charisma, Ben Caplan’s voice is to song as smoke is to bourbon: perfectly coupled. He is a songwriter and performer who is bold in both range and ferocity. The music is fuelled by a quality of melodrama and powerful lyricism that sets Caplan apart from his peers. Either solo or backed by his band, The Casual Smokers, Ben Caplan has captured the attention of music fans and media across Canada, Australia, and throughout Europe.

Ben Caplan is supported by upright bass, drums, Eastern European inspired strings, and occasionally horns. Ben himself moves between guitar and piano, marking his place in the world's music landscape with an outrageous musicality and a growling spirit. 
 
Besides writing and recording, Ben Caplan is almost perpetually on tour, having played more than 1000 shows since the release of his debut album in late 2011. His songs, his voice, his humour, and his charm collude to create a rhapsodically energetic live show – an elegant cacophony drawing fans in ever widening circles.

On the strength of his debut album, In The Time of the Great Remembering, Ben Caplan won numerous Canadian awards, including Nova Scotia’s 2012 Entertainer of the Year and the East Coast Music Award for Rising Star Recording of the Year for 2013. He’s shared stages with acts ranging from Grizzly Bear and Dirty Projectors to The Staves and Blondie. In addition to his 1000+ club shows, He’s played major festivals around the world including the UK’s Glastonbury in 2013.

In 2015, Ben Caplan will continue to break new ground with dates planned across North America and around the world. His highly anticipated second album, Birds with Broken Wings, is prospected to be released internationally in fall of 2015.

Formed in 2007, Them Bird Things is the most critically acclaimed English-language act out of Finland in the 2000s. Their third album, "Pachyderm Nightmares," came out in January 2013. Them Bird Things is Salla Day (vocals), Timo Vikkula (guitar), Arttu Tolonen (multi-instrumentalist), Affe Forsman (drums) & Tapani Varis (bass).

contacts:  philippebalatier@gmail.com - Philippe: 0637063375

2012 Naissance d’UULZALGA
Après une année d’échanges musicaux via le net et de pré-production, Philippe Balatier et Viktor Zalzanov se
retrouvent au Studio les Grands Pins pour une semaine de création en compagnie du très
éclectique guitariste Christian Boyé.
Le 3 février 2012, le trio présente pour la première fois en public le fruit de son travail.
Les harmonies vocales d’Okthon jonglent avec les sons électroniques de Balatman et
s’envolent sur les accords tout en finesse de la guitare de Chris ; un mélange savamment dosé
de chants diphoniques, de guitares planantes, de sons urbains, d’instruments traditionnels…
qui entraîne très vite le public dans un voyage au coeur d’une steppe high tec dominée par
l’esprit chaman. On frise la transe, on danse, on sourit d’extase….Un vrai succès qui installe
définitivement la volonté d’emmener la musique née de cette rencontre improbable entre
musique traditionnelle bouriate et électrojazz sur les scènes internationales.
Pour cette aventure un nom s’impose : « Uulzalga » qui signifie rencontre en bouriate.
Le 13 juillet 2012 Uulzalga est invité à se produire sur la scène du festival « Voices of
Nomades » à Oulan Oudé ! Enorme succès pour le trio qui voit l’ensemble des artistes
invités au festival venir le féliciter ; un concert qui va transporter le public dans une grande
farandole collective. La fusion est partout, sur scène, entre artistes et public et dans le public.
Uulzalga est l’histoire d’une rencontre inscrite dans la Terre des Chamans, une histoire pleine
de promesses que Tatiana Lambolez , Isabelle Gouachi, Viktor Zalzanov, Philippe Balatier et
Christian Boyé souhaitent emmener loin, très loin …

contacts:  zazconcept@club-internet.fr  -  Isabelle: 0616778257

Sisters Leah and Chloe Smith founded Rising Appalachia on their back porch in Georgia, playing simple fiddle and banjo melodies and leaning into their families rich musical traditions. It has since become a globally recognized Americana and world folk ensemble, celebrating a unique blend of Southern-rooted music, storytelling, and community. The band features David Brown (bass, guitar), Duncan Wickel (fiddle, cello), and Biko Casini (percussion), and infuses music with a unique tapestry of Appalachian, Irish and traditional influence but stays connected to simple songwriting. Rising Appalachia has captivated audiences for nearly 2 decades, from busking in New Orleans to touring Europe, and has been featured at prestigious venues like Red Rocks, Telluride Bluegrass Festival and Woodford Folk Fest. Their performances at NPR's Tiny Desk and Preservation Jazz Hall have solidified their status in the folk music scene. Breaking industry norms, the band's approach to music is as much an artistic statement as it is a movement, culminating in their newest album, 'Folk and Anchor' a carefully curated collection of cover songs. This project includes remakes from Bob Dylan to James Blake, Erykah Badu to Beyonce and showcases their eclectic style, inviting listeners into a rich musical journey.

OTTOLINE PRE-ORDER –– https://orcd.co/ottoline

"Desperate Times, Mediocre Measures" is a song that tackles the idea of the cyclical and corrosive nature of power structures across our societies - Hierarchical Structures that, like all structures in our reality, are made up of, and reinforced by people who find themselves, more often than not, enforcing the very corrupted elements of those structures, sometimes purely due to the fact that this can become the prime method of propping themselves up within that structure. How can one separate the agendas of massive faceless corporations from politics when the politicians need donations from those corporations to get ahead on a ballot?; to be able to afford to advertise themselves to the masses?; to be able to rent a tour bus?; to get in the position of power in the first place?
If the public servants rely so heavily on these corporations, then their agendas will inevitably become intertwined, and prioritised over the agendas of the public they are supposed to be serving, however good the initial intentions are of those who aspire to take office. This is the natural corrosion of any structure that has been around for a while, whether built with steel, or ideals, eventually it will need to be tended to before it collapses on top of whomever it plans on sheltering.
I find this to be true of things even down to the mind of a human individual - Every so often render repair work must be done to keep a structure strong. The song makes reference to that in a round about way, but don't feel obliged to concentrate on the words. In an era where an all encompassing God has lost its power to influence over the pervasive wants and needs of the individual, we find ourselves, ironically, in a time of deity-like absolutes that have just as much power to destroy the collective ideals that allowed for these progressive structures, destined to corrode, to even be built in the first place. You can't just smash it down and start over again; that, in practical terms, is equivalent to war and chaos. It's an important time for individuals to recognise the gods within themselves, to overcome the instinct to destroy out of fear, and instead build out of love; Something in our nature that can take the most trying times to learn how to excavate.
These times are desperate.
Hate is mediocre.
Violence is mediocre.
Absolutes are mediocre.
The song is out now.
It is from an upcoming album called "Ottoline"
Give it a listen if it pleases thee

I release records as plain and simple 'Adrian Crowley' 
You'll find *mostly* home recorded, rare and/or unreleased material here...demos, cover versions and other wonky chips that don't or didn't appear on my official records.

I'm new to this place so I've probably done it all wrong. 

Thank you for listening.
www.chemikal.co.uk

Fire Draw Near is a monthly podcast and radio show which investigates Irish traditional music and song in all of its myriad forms.

https://campsite.bio/firedrawnear

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