Early years Ben Caplan was born and raised in
Hamilton, Ontario, and now resides in
Halifax, Nova Scotia. In 2012, Ben Caplan & The Casual Smokers toured the east coast of Canada, performed at
South by Southwest in
Austin, Texas, and performed at the
East Coast Music Awards (ECMA) Gala. Caplan performed live at the 2013
Byron Bay Bluesfest that took place from March 30 to April 1. From April to the end of July in 2013, Caplan played a number of shows that spread across
Australia, the
Netherlands,
Germany,
Switzerland,
Poland,
Norway, the
United Kingdom, and
Canada. Among these shows, he performed at
Glastonbury Festival (
UK),
The Hop Farm Festival (UK), and Roots In The Park Music Festival (Netherlands). In December 2013, Caplan returned to the
Netherlands for a weekend tour that consisted of dates in Tilburg, Arnhem, and Haarlem. From December 28, 2013, to January 10, 2014, Caplan played a series of shows in
Australia and participated in the
Woodford Folk Festival and
Sydney Festival. From February 21 to April 1, 2015, Caplan toured the United States for the first time. He performed three times during
South By Southwest in
Austin, Texas, in the middle of the tour. Between 2015 and 2016, Caplan embarked on back to back North American and European Tours While touring Europe Ben has received positive reviews major publications such as Independent UK and The Guardian UK who say "For all the fierceness of the Canadian's appearance, nothing quite prepares for his voice, both spoken and singing." and "From Satanic hoedowns to swaying country heartbreakers, this evening with the larger-than-life Caplan makes for rollicking fun." ranking him – 4/5 stars ==Awards==