OLD NEWS

Old News began with a tender song about a dusty box of videotapes, shared over a cup of tea at Ben Caplan's kitchen piano in Halifax, Nova Scotia between Covid lockdowns. The song "VHS" planted a seed that grew into a nostalgic live-off-the floor album of Terra Spencer's signature story songs, captured at Fang Recording in Dartmouth, NS with some of the city's finest instrumentalists and Ben Caplan for his first time in the producer's seat. A marriage of yesteryear jazz albums and '70s analog warmth, the songs performed by Terra and Ben are souvenirs of real and imagined people and places, exploring loss and longing through Terra's lens as a songwriter and funeral director. The album was first introduced to Canadian audiences via a cross-country Canadian tour and summer UK run.

LYRICS

Album

Old News

Terra Spencer & Ben Caplan

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Terra Spencer and Ben Caplan became good friends over a cup of tea, with a tender song about a VCR played on Ben's kitchen piano. That afternoon visit was the beginning of Old News, a collection of eleven new songs from Terra's notebook shaped by Ben's imagination as a debut producer. The album was recorded with a host of Halifax's finest players

Terra Spencer and Ben Caplan became good friends over a cup of tea, with a tender song about a VCR played on Ben's kitchen piano. That afternoon visit was the beginning of Old News, a collection of eleven new songs from Terra's notebook shaped by Ben's imagination as a debut producer. The album was recorded with a host of Halifax's finest players at Fang Recording in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. Told by Terra's butterscotch voice and featuring Ben's distinctive sandpaper baritone, these are nostalgic songs about the gentle art of saying goodbye.

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  1. 1
    Brick and Mortar 3:37
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  2. 2
    Mr. M 3:01
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    VHS 5:31
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  4. 4
    Harry 3:39
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    At Your Service 2:55
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  6. 6
    Somewhere 2:04
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  7. 7
    Messy 3:49
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  8. 8
    The Circus 3:53
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  9. 9
    Saudade 4:18
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    Maybe 3:03
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  11. 11
    Good Friends 2:49
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Reviews

In “Old News,” Spencer weaves a mysterious aura around finely etched portraits of faces, places and faded memories, as only a songwriter of her imminent promise can. Almost in cinematic slow motion, a series of characters materialize, share their hard-won lessons and dissolve, cross fade into another...These eleven tracks are exceptional achievements in songwriting and musical performance."  - Douglas McLean, Great Dark Wonder

 "With two very disparate voices; OLD NEWS is a series of highs and lows, dark and shade; with Terra providing the lightness to Ben’s naturally dark shade on a set of songs that weren’t necessarily written for this format; but end up being a perfect combination." - Alan Harrison, Rocking Magpie

ABOUT "GOOD FRIENDS":

A jaunty, Randy Newman piano combines with Caplan’s baritone to open this warm-wood, jazz-steeped number that sees two local singer-songwriter legends combining their superpowers. It’s the leading single for a joint album, Old News, that’ll be dropping mid-October, redolent in the smoke of an imaginary cabaret bar where Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong often split the stage (and maybe a drink). - Morgan Mullin, The Coast

"Spencer has outdone her previous gem, 2020's multiple award-winner Chasing Rabbits, her songwriting even more outstanding. One beauty follows another, no two are alike musically or thematically. She has a wonderful perspective on people, a huge tenderness, and seemingly limitless empathy. Yes, it's sentimental as all get out, filled with old people, old dogs, old teachers, and lovers parting as friends, but the songs will melt the hardest hearts." - Bob Mersereau, Top 100 Canadian Singles