<p class="wp-block-paragraph">“I started playing on the streets of Lower Broad as soon as I was a teenager and was kicked out of Robert’s, Layla’s, and Gruhn Guitar more times than most regulars had been there before the age of 20,” reminisces songwriter and recording artist <a href="https://mgshdb5ab.cc.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001gefJn96dfBrSD7trjCI6GHF7F1qmlvNRYR5TbDuppaXESCPrq5uxeo96Wju1VfLLY-01rdiwbsQqoQKSiLu8E3Q0EmHIx_c9jLHEI95GnjpQjKDhvdxGRGvXVAZvXzh_y50SF7V3kIrhF5AbNcaAPth7mHiQ6dGY&;c=o1Yk7g2zoz1hKP8D9rA5Yo2LkdT0EH4_uYNgYSeI2t9gxvrI0wnu4w==&;ch=GTz4dFXyBjynZM2EcwoTlkUu13FG-AiDiTVp9bmV1lO6ZzOIPmkjoA==" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Benjamin Tod</a><strong> </strong>on his formative years as a rare Nashville local. </p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://countrymusicnewsblog.com/wp-content/uploads/Benjamin-Tod-Shooting-Star-1024x1024.jpg" alt="Benjamin Tod To Release Honky-Tonk-Centric Album ";Shooting Star";" class="wp-image-40848"/></figure>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">“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 deep down in my blood.” Tod cut his teeth on a myriad of genres and notably found success with poignant folk songwriting fronting his group, <strong>Lost Dog Street Band</strong>, but the pull back to Nashville’s country music scene he once rebelled against was strong enough to land him with a bucket full of songs and an album to make. </p>



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<p class="wp-block-paragraph">On <strong>October 18th via Thirty Tigers</strong>, Tod will release his <strong>all-new solo LP, </strong><strong><em>Shooting Star</em></strong><em>,</em> a ten-song venture into country music&#8217;s last six or seven decades. “The original idea for this album was for each song to be placed in a different production period in country music history,” says Tod. “Obviously, there’s no way to cover everything so my preference shines through. A tune goes as far back as the mid-50s and spans up to the early 90’s.” The album—which Tod sees as a musical homecoming of sorts—was written in about two weeks. “It spilled out seamlessly,” he says. “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.”</p>



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<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Today, Tod released his <strong>first single </strong>from <em>Shooting Star, </em><strong>“I Ain’t The Man.”</strong> “I wrote ‘I Ain’t The Man’ after many incidents in Nashville over the years being mistaken for a hipster,” says Tod. “As people have moved in from predominately coastal cities, us Native Nashvillians do have more and more negative experiences with confused strangers in town.” The song’s title is a phrase Tod has had to use against, in his words, “soft-handed cosplay cowboys who don’t know the cultural respect or etiquette” as Nashville continues to devolve into a party destination for all walks of life. “Just know that every now and then in Nashville, you might step on the boot of a real one.” ;</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Fans can <strong>stream or purchase</strong> “I Ain’t The Man” today at <a href="https://mgshdb5ab.cc.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001gefJn96dfBrSD7trjCI6GHF7F1qmlvNRYR5TbDuppaXESCPrq5uxesNtIJwq_pJ1GlsnkZwVm7b0-RbtvSF0Rz8MZ9snrXTUQ2J1_sb77iHhrP03APAScMvez8GrI3I4ni-IDakn2aFi2wDyDBBluADb44YO9eCe&;c=o1Yk7g2zoz1hKP8D9rA5Yo2LkdT0EH4_uYNgYSeI2t9gxvrI0wnu4w==&;ch=GTz4dFXyBjynZM2EcwoTlkUu13FG-AiDiTVp9bmV1lO6ZzOIPmkjoA==" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">this link</a>and <strong>pre-order or pre-save </strong><em>Shooting Star </em>ahead of its October release <a href="https://mgshdb5ab.cc.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001gefJn96dfBrSD7trjCI6GHF7F1qmlvNRYR5TbDuppaXESCPrq5uxesNtIJwq_pJ1oi999nFk1C8qKp57Q0IlvQbV2mRPzwHxQg2_XdQgd9DmpIU_X5F8ZyY2ygML4kKqenjPfzqVRd5vZFNX2jyAxah1sYlGm9NO&;c=o1Yk7g2zoz1hKP8D9rA5Yo2LkdT0EH4_uYNgYSeI2t9gxvrI0wnu4w==&;ch=GTz4dFXyBjynZM2EcwoTlkUu13FG-AiDiTVp9bmV1lO6ZzOIPmkjoA==" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">right here</a>. In September, Tod, along with the entire Lost Dog Street Band, will hit the road for a <strong>nationwide <em>Shooting Star </em>tour </strong>covering both his solo and band catalogs. Tour dates can be found below and at <a href="https://mgshdb5ab.cc.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001gefJn96dfBrSD7trjCI6GHF7F1qmlvNRYR5TbDuppaXESCPrq5uxeouCN6S-k_axpmLgBvhfJ6MdhJld4Z_U0YZSUYjM5Xek64C5U29uBZgCvyQG2BOARG__dLo_pX01h-rpeDGBXW24uYbO4V5o1240v9u_ZPiC&;c=o1Yk7g2zoz1hKP8D9rA5Yo2LkdT0EH4_uYNgYSeI2t9gxvrI0wnu4w==&;ch=GTz4dFXyBjynZM2EcwoTlkUu13FG-AiDiTVp9bmV1lO6ZzOIPmkjoA==" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">benjamintodmusic.com</a>. </p>