BENJAMIN TOD - SHOOTING STAR LP

Shooting Star carves a fresh creative path for Benjamin Tod, a storied singer-songwriter and frontman of Lost Dog Street Band. The self-proclaimed “proprietor of misery,” Tod finds himself transcending into a life of gratitude, patience, and stability. Shifting from his signature somber tone of struggle and survival, Tod and his coal fire throat radiate a feeling of clarity and new beginnings in the face of adversity. The result is this intrinsic, musical crossroads — more Hank Williams than Bob Wills, more Marty Stuart than George Jones. With a thick thread of honkytonk woven into it, the album leaves fingerprints on seemingly every style of country, from outlaw to red dirt, folk to indie, the culmination of which being a happily welcomed challenge for Tod — the ethos of his life and career at this juncture howling loudly “obstacles are opportunities.” Tod views Shooting Star as a rebuttal to the current state of affairs, for good or ill, of his native Nashville and of the music industry itself. The 10-song LP harkens to the golden era of country music. It’s taking “three chords and the truth” and actually holding yourself to those standards of vulnerability and authenticity. “I want to make music that helps people on a personal basis, to work through their own trauma and problems, to better serve their families, themselves, and their communities,” Tod says. “As a society, we need to reform back to our spirit. And my intent is to direct people back to their spirit — mind, body, and soul.”