Benjamin Tod
Benjamin Tod Flippo[1] (born November 11, 1990), is an American singer-songwriter. He is lead singer and guitarist for the Lost Dog Street Band with his wife Ashley Mae (vocals, fiddle) and Jeff Loops (bass).[2] The band has released several albums through crowdfunding platforms, with their album Weight of a Trigger reaching number five on the Billboard Bluegrass Albums chart in 2019.
Benjamin Tod | |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Benjamin Tod Flippo |
| Born | November 11th, 1990 |
| Genres | Country, folk |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, singer-songwriter |
| Instruments | Guitar, vocals |
| Years active | 2008–present |
| Labels | Anti-Corp |
| Associated acts | Barefoot Surrender, Lost Dog Street Band |
| Website | www |
Biography
Early life
Tod grew up in Cottontown, Tennessee. At the age of fourteen, he was expelled from school.[3] Tod began hopping freight trains as a way to see the country.[4]
Lost Dog Street Band
After being part of a music group called Barefoot Surrender, Tod and bandmate Ashley Mae formed the Lost Dog Street Band in 2010, named after their yellow Labrador, Daisy. Tod would do guitar and vocals while Mae would play the fiddle.[5]
Tod and Mae met Nicholas and Shannon Jae Ridout. The two couples formed the street-quartet, Spitshine, and began touring together. In 2013 Nicholas Ridout committed suicide and Tod and Mae rekindled Lost Dog Street Band.[1][5] The band has crowdfunded multiple album through Indiegogo and Kickstarter, as well as self-publishing their music videos on the YouTube channel GemsOnVHS.[3][6] Lost Dog Street Band toured and released their fifth studio album Weight of a Trigger in 2019, and in April of that year, the album reached number five on the Billboard Bluegrass Album chart.[7]
Solo career
In 2017, Tod released the solo album I Will Rise which was recorded with "two mics and no overdubbing." In early 2019, Tod announced his second solo album, A Heart of Gold is Hard to Find, which was released November 22, 2019.[8]
Personal life
Benjamin dropped out of school at age 14, and filled with wanderlust, he started hopping freight trains to get around the country and see the sights, staying away from big cities as they were scary for the rural young boy. He often lived with his grandpa, who isn't his biological granddad, but raised and looked out for Benjamin in his youth. Their relationship is explained in the song "We Ain't Even Kin", from A Heart of Gold Is Hard to Find.
In 2008, Tod met Ashley Mae when they were 17 and 18 years old, and lived in Muhlenberg County, Kentucky.[3] Ashley went to college in Colorado, and Tod frequently hopped rail cars to get across the country to see her. The two would also ride freight trains together to explore the country, and in the beginning of their relationship they lived for as low as $400 a month, doing minimum wage jobs, busking on the streets, and living in cars, campers and trailers.
Benjamin has struggled with addictions for most of his adult life, both alcohol and harder drugs, and has written several songs about this issue. He is sober as of 2020.
Discography
as Lost Dog Street Band
- Sick Pup (2011)
- Life's a Dog-gone Shame (2013)
- Homeward Bound (2015)
- Rage and Tragedy (2016)
- Weight of a Trigger (2019)
Solo albums
- I Will Rise (2017)
- A Heart of Gold Is Hard to Find (2019)
References
- Berlatsky, Noah (April 20, 2018). "Nashville's Lost Dog Street Band makes ragged-but-right folk music". Chicago Reader. Retrieved September 9, 2019.
- "Lost Dog Street Band". Retrieved September 9, 2019 – via Facebook.
- Siegel, Jacob (August 8, 2018). "GemsOnVHS: Meet the YouTuber Who's Spearheading a New Wave of DIY Americana". Rolling Stone. Retrieved September 9, 2019.
- Viriyapah, Matthew (August 13, 2019). "Lost Dog Street Band: Modern Outlaws". KOSU. Retrieved September 9, 2019.
- https://do303.com/events/2019/7/26/lost-dog-street-band
- Nowels, David (August 17, 2019). "Show Review: Lost Dog Street Band, Matt Heckler, and the Tillers". Americana Highways. Retrieved September 9, 2019.
- "Bluegrass Music: Top Bluegrass Albums Chart". Billboard. April 13, 2019. Retrieved September 11, 2019.
- "Benjamin Tod: Lost Dog Street Band Frontman Confirms November Release Of New Solo LP, A Heart Of Gold Is Hard To Find, Via Anti-Corporate Music; Video Posted". Earsplit Compound. September 10, 2019. Retrieved September 12, 2019.
