Old Sea Brigade

We never know where life will take us. The path forever twists and turns in unexpected directions. Singer, songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Ben Cramer a.k.a. Old Sea Brigade, never imagined he would be living almost 5,000 miles away from his native Georgia in Sweden as a husband and father. However, that’s where he is now!

Moreover, he’s sharing the story of this unpredictable journey on his 2024 EP series If I Only Knew (Parts 1 & 2) [Nettwerk Music Group].

A season of change informs the seven tracks on Part 1.

“Five years ago, my life looked so different,” he observes. “I didn’t even know where Gothenburg was on the map. If you told me I’d be living in Sweden with a family of my own, I wouldn’t have believed you. So, the title, ‘If I Only Knew’, is fitting. This record was made after getting married and becoming a dad. It was a lot to process. It’s amazing, though. I always just let whatever’s happening reflect in the songs.”

Such reflections have defined the music of Old Sea Brigade since 2016. Listeners have followed along as Ben effectively journaled his life aloud across projects such as Old Sea Brigade EP [2016], Ode To A Friend [2019], All The Ways You Sing in the Dark EP [2020] with Luke Sital-Singh, Motivational Speaking [2021], and 5AM In Paradise [2022]. His catalog has quietly generated hundreds of millions of streams anchored by “Love Brought Weight,” “Tidal Wave,” “Hope,” and “Call Me When You Land” [with Luke Sital-Singh]. Beyond inciting the applause of Boston Globe, Brooklyn Vegan, Consequence, No Depression, Uncut, Under The Radar, and more, he made his national television debut with a stunning appearance on CBS Mornings “Saturday Sessions.”

For If I Only Knew, he reteamed with some of his closest creative confidants co-producers Jeremy Griffith and Owen Lewis. Over the course of three weeks, they recorded the project in Sweden for the first time.