Benjamin Tod Announces Solo Album ‘Shooting Star’ With Defiant Lead Single “I Ain’t The Man”

Nashville has changed quite a bit over the years, and Benjamin Tod has been on the front lines of it all. When he began busking on the streets of Lower Broadway as a teenager, the sound, culture, and people that called Nashville home were quite bit different than they are now, and while the new has surely taken over, mixing the old with the new doesn't always go over well. That's the crux of Tod's brand new single "I Ain't The Man." As prolific an artist as it gets, Tod has been writing, releasing, and performing authentic country music with reckless abandon for well over a decade at this point. The Lost Dog Street band frontman just released a fantastic record titled Survived back in April with his band, and now just a few months later, he's already on to the next project. Titled Shooting Star , Tod's forthcoming solo album which was just announced today, is set to be released in it's entirety on October 18th. The album will feature 10 brand new tracks, with the lead single "I Ain't The Man" hitting streaming platforms today for all to hear. A defiant stand against the Nashville establishment, or perhaps more specifically those who are moving in by the masses with no regard for the true locals and the indigenous music scene, "I Ain't The Man" is a steel-soaked country song that cleverly presents one of Tod's qualms with the direction Nashville is headed. And speaking from his own personal experience, as Tod so eloquently puts it, the new track comes as the result of several unfortunate encounters with "soft-handed cosplay cowboys who don't know cultural respect or etiquette," and seem to ironically act as if Tod is the one who doesn't belong in town. "I wrote 'I Ain't The Man' after many incidents in Nashville over the years being mistaken for a hipster. As people have moved predominantly from coastal cities, us Native Nashvillians do have more and more negative experiences with confused strangers in town... Just know that every now and then in Nashville, you might step on the boot of a real one." So now that you've been properly warned, feast your ears on Tod's latest solo single, "I Ain't The Man." "I've been nice and clean for ninety days But don't poke the wolf inside his cage I can flip a script with the slight of hand Lord, I ain't the man you think I am Call the law or let me be I've got friends inside I'd love to see Wanted all across the land Lord, I ain't the man you think I am" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cXL_kEwwd2s If "I Ain't The Man" is any indication, Tod's next album is going to be some of his best work yet. Predicated conceptually, to an extent, on this defiance towards the Nashville machine, and sonically explorative as he seeks to create a honky tonk record that captures each era of country music in its sound, Shooting Star is a quasi-concept record that will carry plenty of weight for anyone who appreciates real country music. This sentiment is communicated through the insightful context Tod has provided on how the album came to be. "The original idea for this album was for each song to be placed in a different production period in country music history. Obviously, there's no way to cover everything so preferences shine through. A tune goes as far back as the mid-50s and spans up to the early '90s. It spilled out seamlessly. I wanted to prove to myself and the industry that I could write an elite country record with ease. If I didn't accomplish that goal, I sure as hell came closer than anyone on pop country radio either way." If one thing's for sure, it's that Benjamin Tod is not messing around with this new record. "I started playing guitar on the streets of Lower Broad as soon as I was aa teenager, and was kicked out of Robert's, Layla's, and Gruhn Guitars more times than most regulars had been there before the age of 20. Looking back now, I see how much those experiences shaped and influenced me. I certainly took it for granted most of my life, but now that I'm on the 'backside of thirty' I can feel the Honky Tonk down deep in my blood. So be on the lookout for more singles before Shooting Star is released in its entirety on October 18. And don't forget to pre-save the album here so you don't miss it when it's released. In the meantime, though, Benjamin Tod is hitting the road with hard with support from Matt Heckler, Casper Allen, and Nolan Taylor, and these are shows you do not want to miss. https://www.instagram.com/p/C9PxWl7R2eL/?img_index=1

Benjamin Tod & Lost Dog Street Band Tour:

September 1 - Central City, KY - Lu-Ray Park and Amphitheater September 10 - Birmingham, AL - Saturn September 11 - Jackson, MS - Duling Hall September 13 - Houston, TX - The Heights Theater September 14 - Dallas, TX - The Kessler Theater September 15 - Austin, TX - Emo’s September 17 - Tulsa, OK - Cain’s Ballroom October 11 - Bloomington, IN - Bluebird Nightclub October 12 - Madison, WI - Majestic Theatre October 13 - Chicago, IL - Thalia Hall October 15 - Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue October 16 - Des Moines, IA - Wooly’s October 18 - Denver, CO - Ogden Theatre October 19 - Cheyenne, WY - The Lincoln October 21 - Bozeman, MT - The ELM October 22 - Missoula, MT - The Wilma October 23 - Boise, ID - Knitting Factory Concert House October 25 - Seattle, WA - The Showbox October 26 - Spokane, WA - Knitting Factory Concert House October 27 - Portland, OR - Revolution Hall October 29 - San Francisco, CA - The Chapel October 31 - San Luis Obispo, CA - The Fremont Theater November 1 - Los Angeles, CA - El Rey Theatre November 2 - Solana Beach, CA - Belly Up Solana Beach November 3 - Mesa, AZ - Nile Theater November 6 - Salt Lake City, UT - The Depot November 8 - Lawrence, KS - Liberty Hall November 9 - Fayetteville, AR - George’s Majestic Lounge November 10 - St. Louis, MO - Delmar Hall