Lost Dog Street Band is back after an extended respite from the touring life, and with a new album on the way, has announced plans to resume touring this spring.
In a post made to the band’s Instagram back in June of 2022, frontman Benjamin Tod announced ambiguously that LDSB’s tour that summer would be their last for the foreseeable future as he needed some time to reconsider what was next for him as a musician.
Now, nearly a year and a half later, Tod and LDSB have officially announced new music is coming, and they have released dates for 17 highly anticipated shows in April and May of 2024. After penning a handful of new songs, Tod says he realized these were meant for the band:
“After recording my solo album, I looked over all the songs that I had ready for a new record. These were songs for my band. I had to admit to myself that I wasn’t done with Lost Dog.”
Historically a trio comprised of Tod as songwriter, vocalist, and guitarist, as well as his wife Ashley Mae on fiddle and Jeff Loops on upright bass, the band will take on a slightly different look for this tour, bringing fans a bigger and better full band sound with Ben Duvall contributing drums and Tebbs Karney on pedal steel.
Tod provided some additional commentary on the lineup expansion and upcoming tour.
“Adding Ben on drums and Tebbs on pedal steel opens me up so much for expression. I’ve had to hold back so much the last few years in hindsight.
Being able to really pull back on my guitar playing allows me to focus in on my vocals. It helps when I’m on stage now that I can actually feel the music and get into the music being played.”
With a new look and fresh sound, these are not shows you are going to want to miss.
Tour Dates
April 18 – Detroit, MI – St. Andrew’s Hall
April 19 – Cleveland, OH – Agora Theatre
April 20 – Pittsburgh, PA – Thunderbird Cafe and Music Hall
April 21 – Columbus, OH – The Bluestone
April 23 – Morgantown, WV – Metropolitan Theatre
April 24 – Rochester, NY – The Essex
April 26 – Portland, ME – State Theatre
April 27 – South Burlington, VT – Higher Ground Ballroom
April 29 – Boston, MA – Royale
May 1 – Brooklyn, NY – Music Hall of Williamsburg
May 3 – Philadelphia, PA – Brooklyn Bowl – Philadelphia
May 4 – Washington, DC – The Howard
May 5 – Charlottesville, VA – Jefferson Theater
May 8 – Charleston, SC – Music Farm
May 10 – Asheville, NC – The Orange Peel
May 11 – Charlotte, NC – Neighborhood Theatre
May 12 – Atlanta, GA – Variety Playhouse
While details surrounding the new album have yet to be announced, aside from the mere fact that it is happening and should be released this spring, the band did tease a new song on Instagram as they announced the new tour dates.
If you are not familiar with the existing music of Benjamin Tod and Lost Dog Street Band, that is something you are going to want to change. The music itself is incredible, but Tod has a pretty wild story, too, that adds an unmatched element of authenticity to his music.
Spending most of his childhood under the care of his grandparents, Tod, a Cottonwood, TN native, received his first guitar at seven years old. He wouldn’t learn to play, though, until he was 14, and soon afterwards he had been expelled from school and found himself busking on the streets of Nashville, years before the city became what it is today.
A drifter most of his teenage years and into his twenties, Tod’s early adulthood was defined by music, train hopping, and substance abuse. It was during these years that he met future wife and Lost Dog Street Band member Ashley Mae in Muhlenberg County, Kentucky.
A self-taught fiddle player originally from Rapid City, South Dakota, Mae had relocated to Nashville with her mother who worked for a rock radio station. At age 17, the two set out together to hop trains and travel the country playing music on city streets. After playing in various bands, they formed Lost Dog Street Band together in 2010. LDSB struggled initially, though, and the band’s beginning was far from fruitful. But thanks to an invitation from bluegrass outfit The Devil Makes Three to tour with them, which kept them afloat. And the rest is history.
While there is a lot more to the story that is well worth diving into, much of the band’s history and essence is captured within the top tier music they have been releasing for over a decade now as mainstays on the alt-country scene. Since 2011, LDSB has released seven albums, including 2022’s Glory, their most recent record which deals with Tod’s addictions and recovery.
In addition to his music with LDSB, Tod has released three solo albums as well, with 2017’s I Will Rise, 2019’s A Heart of Gold Is Hard to Find, and his latest project Songs I Swore I’d Never Sing that dropped in September 2022. Between these 10 total albums, Tod has a deep catalog of music to showcase his talents.
A thoughtful songwriter with unique vocals that seem to reflect the heavy content of his music perfectly, Tod has plenty of top-tier songs in his collection. Here are a few of my favorites to get you started.
“September Doves” – Lost Dog Street Band – Rage and Tragedy (2016)
“Fighting Like Hell to Be Free” – Lost Dog Street Band – Glory (2022)
“Using Again” – Benjamin Tod – I Will Rise (2019)
“Weight of a Trigger” – Lost Dog Street Band – Weight of a Trigger (2019)