Caplan, Ben - Old Stock

Tracks

Side 1

		Track Name	Length
	1	Traveller’s Curse	03:33
	2	You’ve Arrived	03:59
	3	Intermezzo 1	02:04
	4	Truth Doesn’t Live in a Book	04:53
	5	Od Yishama	02:20
	6	The Happy People	01:34
	7	Minimum Intervals	02:29

Side 2

		Track Name	Length
	1	Widow Bride	04:01
	2	Intermezzo 2	04:01
	3	Plough the Shit	05:02
	4	Lullaby	04:08
	5	Fledgling	03:12
	6	What Love Can Heartbreak Allow?	03:06

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Information/Write-up

Canadian singer-songwriter Ben Caplan is like a force of nature. His earnest, impish face is framed by a mess of unruly hair and he possesses a booming baritone voice, equal parts Tom Waits and Tom Jones. A prolific artist and tireless performer, he has been touring and recording relentlessly for the last six years, building a steady following and garnering critical acclaim.

Old Stock is his third album and it is a formidable undertaking. It is part of a multimedia project, comprising a studio album, live show and stage play chronicling the exploits of two Jewish Romanian refugees fleeing their homeland for Canada in 1908. The album is a collection of songs composed for the play, which was co-written with playwright Hannah Moscovitch. It debuted at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2017 and is touring the UK following a hugely successful run in New York, Edmonton in Canada and Mayfest in Bristol. There is a 3-night album show residency at The Lexington, London in September and the theatre performance of Old Stock: A Refugee Love Story plays 12 & 13 October at Artsdepot, Camden, London.

Old Stock is the story of Chaim and Chayah, whose characters are based on playwright Hannah Moscovitch’s real-life grandparents, two Jewish refugees fleeing Romania in 1908. They arrive in Canada where they start a new life and eventually found a large family. Old Stock is, first of all, a reminder of the long history of immigration and the role it played in the history of North America. At the same time, it’s obviously a very poignant story in this day and age. Syrian and Ethiopian refugees are being evicted from makeshift camps in Calais. Children are snatched from their parents by Border Patrol at the US-Mexico border and put in cages in an abandoned Walmart and a tent city in the Texas desert. The pain and suffering experienced by men, women and children from all over the world, wishing nothing more than to live free from fear, continues unabated.

The title comes from a speech by Stephen Harper, a Canadian politician who made the distinction between “old stock Canadians” and new immigrants. Caplan turned it around and used the odious expression as the title for a story about immigrants a hundred years ago.

Old Stock is a dazzling feat of writing, both lyrical and musical, drenched in irreverent humour and more than a little bombast, delivered with irresistible energy and joie de vivre. Caplan is backed by a stellar band, with accordion and clarinet figuring prominently, in a musical setting that is steeped in klezmer music, in keeping with the story.

The album begins with a meandering accordion, joined by an undulating clarinet on “Traveler’s Curse” as Caplan’s roaring baritone sets up the story of Chaim and Chayah, turning the tables on those who would them deny them the right to start over.

“Truth Does not Live in a Book” starts with a humorous spoken word introduction then morphs easily into a merry sing-along tune about the written word versus the oral tradition while “The Happy People” does its title justice with a raucously uplifting klezmer tune and infectious melody.

‘Minimum Interval” is a hilarious rollicking little ditty about the ‘proper’ time to have intercourse with your spouse.

Another spoken word piece “Intermezzo 2”, may well be the most gripping of the entire record. Framed by minimalist, ominous organ drones, it is the story of a pogrom, told in harrowing detail, painting a grim and terrible picture. It takes place in Montreal, but it could just as easily be Russia in 1900 or Berlin in 1936. This piece had me in tears, it’s such a vivid description of the horrors humans can inflict on one another when fueled by blind, stupid hate.

“Lullabye” sounds like Tom Waits at his most gruffly tender. It is mostly Caplan’s voice over understated, somber piano chords until he is joined by violinist Mary Fay Coady on vocals and a roaring clarinet.

Using the story of a mother bird and its young, “Fledgling” offers a touching metaphor for immigration and the long and perilous journey of starting over far from the place you were born.

On Old Stock Ben Caplan is in top form as lyricist, songwriter, singer and performer, making an old story compelling and new. Like me, you may not be lucky enough to live anywhere near where the Old Stock tour passed through and experienced the actual play in all its glory, but this album is the next best thing.

There’s a long tradition both of Jewish political activism, and of artists and musicians fighting for social justice, and Ben Caplan fits proudly in both. He has used his considerable talent and unstoppable energy to create a mini-masterpiece that’s historic and timeless at the same time. We may never know whether Old Stock will change anybody’s mind, but perhaps that’s not the point. Sometimes just having somebody who can translate a complex and highly politicized issue like immigration into what it’s all about: PEOPLE…is more than enough. Top hat off to you, Mr. Caplan. We need more performers like you.
Phil Vanderyken, KLOFmag, June 26, 2018

Ben Caplan: vocals, guitar, banjo, harmonica
Graham Scott: accordion, piano, organ, keyboards, synth bass
Chris Weatherstone: clarinet, alto saxophone, flute, spoons, vocals
John Davis: upright bass
Jamie Kronick: drums, washboard, percussion, cymbal
Zoe Aqua: violin
Mary Fay Coady: vocals, violin
Taryn Kawaja: vocals

Arranged by Graham Scott (track B1, B4)
Produced by Graham Scott
Engineered and mixed by Tony Maimone (Studio G, Brooklyn, NY)
Additional recording and engineering by Todd Carder (The Bunker, Brooklyn, NY)
Additional engineering by Aaron Nevezie (Panda Picnic Studios, Queens, NY)
Mastered by Philip Shaw Bova

Artwork, photography, and layout by Jamie Kronick

Recorded at Studio G, Brooklyn, NY; The Bunker, Brooklyn, NY
Mixed at Studio G, Brooklyn, NY
Engineered at The Bunker, Brooklyn, NY; Panda Picnic Studios, Queens, NY
Lacquer cut at Salt Mastering

Includes a custom inner sleeve and a download code

Notes:

Intermezzo 1: Traditional music (Sher 199) as notated by Moses Beregovski
Od Yishama: Words from Jeremiah 33:10-11
Plough the Shit: Monologue excerpt from Pico della Mirandola's Oration on the Dignity of Man

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