New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Nashville-based, Atlanta-born, multi-instrumentalist Ben Cramer, aka Old Sea Brigade, released his debut full-length album, Ode To A Friend, today via Nettwerk Records. Having toured throughout the U.S. this fall, Old Sea Brigade will spend the winter touring around the UK, Scandinavia and Switzerland (dates below).
For Ode To A Friend, Cramer teamed up again with producer Jeremy Griffith, whom he worked with on his 2016 self-titled, debut EP as Old Sea Brigade. The two looked to build upon the work that came before, breaking barriers and blurring the lines. While the songs remain rooted in Americana, indie, rock, and ambient soundscapes, they also toss and turn between analog cinematic flourishes and provocative lyricism. The album title, Ode To A Lost Friend, was inspired by the loss of Cramer's best friend to suicide.
The album ends with the title-track, "Ode To A Friend", two-minutes that leaves a lasting impression, that's both heartfelt and heartbreaking. Discussing, Cramer stated, "When I started Old Sea Brigade, the time that followed was the best two years of my life. I could tour and work on music full-time. In the middle of all that happening, one of my best friends committed suicide. It's a heavy record in that respect. I came up with the lyrics to the title-track, right after he passed. I didn't want the song to have a normal structure. It's almost like an interlude to tie up the album dedicated to him. He was always such a big proponent and fan of my songs. He encouraged me to move towards a solo career. The title made sense. I finally felt vulnerable enough to put out music that was close to me."
Old Sea Brigade's 2016 self-titled debut EP featured single "Love Brought Weight", which caught fire and has since generated almost 20 million Spotify streams. Between touring alongside Julien Baker, Joseph, Luke Sital Singh, Lewis Watson, John Paul White, and more, he released 2017's Cover My Own EP. Old Sea Brigade will return to the stage in North
America this spring.
Tour Dates:
01/20 - Newcastle, UK @ Think Tank?
01/22 - Dublin, IE @ Ruby Sessions
01/24 - Manchester, UK @ Castle Hotel
01/26 - Glasgow, UK @ Saint Luke's & The Winged Ox
01/27 - Leeds, UK @ Brudenell Social Club
01/28 - Bristol, UK @ The Crofters Right
01/29 - London, UK @ The Islington
02/01 - Falkenberg, SE @ Tryckhallen i Hwitans Trädgard
02/05 - Uppsala, SE @ Klubb Uffe
02/06 - Stockholm, SE @ Twang
02/07 - Oslo, NO @ Grunerløkka Brygghus
02/08 - Le Lignon, CH @ Festival Antigel
