Old Sea Brigade

The nom de plume of Atlanta-raised, Nashville-based singer/songwriter Ben Cramer, Old Sea Brigade emerged in 2016 with a sound that combines heartfelt indie folk and atmospheric, Americana-laced indie rock. Cramer released a series of acclaimed EPs before issuing his first full-length effort, 2019′s Ode to a Friend. Two years later, he returned with his candid sophomore long-player, Motivational Speaking, followed in 2022 by 5am Paradise. His songs have been featured in several television shows including Grey’s Anatomy, This Is Us, Nashville, and A Million Little Things.
After several years playing in bands around the Atlanta area, Cramer decided to forge ahead as a solo act, adopting the Old Sea Brigade name in 2015. Self-released in 2016, his eponymous debut EP earned him enough buzz to land key support slots for Hiss Golden Messenger, Julien Baker, and Benjamin Francis Leftwich during his first U.S. tour. Later that year, he inked a deal with Nettwerk and began work on a follow-up release. Cramer’s first single for Nettwerk, the rousing “All the Same,” dropped in September 2016 and was later included on 2017′s Wash Me Away, the first of three EPs he would issue that year. The song “Tidal Wave,” from his next EP, Cover My Own, notched significant play on streaming networks. Cramer closed out a banner year with the Christmas EP Songs for the Holidays.
Scattered throughout 2018 were the singles “Hope,” “Feel You,” and “Sinkhole,” which preceded Old Sea Brigade’s 2019 full-length debut, Ode to a Friend. Two years later, Cramer returned with the inward-looking Motivational Speaking, which parsed the isolation, loss, anxiety, and confusion he felt during the COVID-19 lockdown. Cramer’s emotionally wrought music became more transitional on his third Old Sea Brigade album, 2022′s 5am Paradise. ~ James Christopher Monger