Exclusive: Benjamin Tod Talks Inspiration Behind “I Ain’t the Man” and Upcoming Honky Tonk Album ‘Shooting Star’

Benjamin Tod has written and recorded music in the acoustic folk tradition for more than a decade. Most fans know him for his solo acoustic albums or as the frontman of Lost Dog Street Band. Later this year, he’ll show fans a new side of himself with Shooting Star, a collection of original honky tonk songs inspired by classic country music. Today (July 26), Tod shared the first sample of the forthcoming project. Listen to “I Ain’t the Man” below.

“I Ain’t the Man” serves as the album opener on Shooting Star. From the opening notes, played by a pedal steel guitar, it lets listeners know that Tod went in a different direction with this project. The reason behind this sonic shift is two-fold. First, it sees him going back to his roots. The singer/songwriter grew up in Nashville and spent many days of his formative years on Lower Broadway. “That sound was always on the tip of my tongue, but it wasn’t until about five or six years ago when I started getting back into my roots, really listening to country again, and enjoying honky tonk,” he said in press materials. “This record feels like a homecoming.”

[RELATED: Benjamin Tod Reveals Why Lost Dog Street Band Almost Split Before Recording Their New Album ‘Survived’: Exclusive]

Additionally, he said, “It’s almost a spite album, to prove what I can do as a writer in whatever medium I step into.” He added, “I wanted to prove to myself and the industry that I could write an elite country record with ease. Either way, if I didn’t accomplish that goal, I sure as hell came closer than anyone on pop country radio.”

Benjamin Tod on the Inspiration Behind “I Ain’t the Man”

While “I Ain’t the Man” sets the tone for Shooting Star, Benjamin Tod said it’s more of a warning than an introduction. In a recent interview with American Songwriter, he discussed the inspiration behind the song.

“Generally, it’s hard when you walk into any kind of hipper city, now—Nashville obviously being one—and you look like a hillbilly people just assume that you’re a hipster. That you’re a city slicker LARPing as a cowboy,” he explained. “I had quite a few confrontations over the years with people not understanding the culture. You know, like people coming up behind and grabbing your hat and being like, ‘Oh man! That’s cool!’ and you have to rip it out of their hand and shove ‘em up against a wall and them being like, ‘What’s wrong, man?’ You don’t do that,” he added.

“That song is just a reminder that the tales and stories that you read in Townes’ biography, Guy Clark’s and Steve Earle’s, there are still people around who live those same tragic, romantic, beautiful, desperate stories,” Tod said. “We’re still around and we’re still telling the stories. We’re not a relic of the past or a costume.”

Additionally, Tod said, the song stands as a reminder of the kind of people who helped put Nashville on the map. “The archetypes who built this town are the hardcore troubadours. We are the actual hillbillies and every now and then, you’re going to run into one of us and you treat us like a hipster, you’re going to get smacked in the mouth.”

Shooting Star Tracklist and Info

1. “I Ain’t the Man”
2. “Saguaro’s Flower”
3. “Back Toward the Blue”
4. “Mary Could You”
5. “Shooting Star”
6. “Satisfied with Your Love”
7. “Nothing More”
8. “Like It or Not”
9. “Tramp Like Me”
10. “One Last Time”

Shooting Star drops on October 18. It will be available across streaming platforms, on CD, and vinyl. Pre-order a physical copy of the album today.

Featured Image by Starla Groves