[Cover photo credit to Starla Groves]

Lost Dog Street Band frontman and solo artist Benjamin Tod just released a new album made up entirely of cover tunes, titled Country is Dead, via Thirty Tigers.

He explains his philosophy of covers:

My general take on covers is they either need to be done differently, or done better. There’s a few that are impossible to do either with, but I think we hit that mark on most of this record. I wanted to take on the challenge of making new arrangements, and in some cases, reinventing old standards in completely different ways.

The twelve songs of this new collection each received a “sonic revamp” and they are all foundational for Tod. From the father of Country music, Jimmie Rodgers, to the traditionalist Keith Whitley, to the California movement of The Byrds, as well as greats like Hank Williams, George Jones, and Merle Haggard, Tod has explored every corner of his influences while piecing together this album. 

Tod says of the tracklist:

Some of these songs I started playing on the streets of Nashville when I was a teenager, and shaped who I am as a writer and a musician. This was a full-circle kind of moment, and really a means of insight into who I am.

Benjamin Tod & Lost Dog Street Band resume their tour on October 1st in Cincinnati, Ohio. A full list of tour dates can be found below or at benjamintodmusic.com/tour.

Country Is Dead Tracklist (with the original recording artist):

Waiting For A Train (Jimmie Rodgers)

Hickory Wind (The Byrds)

Natural Thing To Do (Larry Sparks)

Highway 40 Blues (Ricky Skaggs)

Nashville Women (Hank Locklin)

You Take Me For Granted (Merle Haggard)

Some Broken Hearts Never Mend (Don Williams)

Alone And Forsaken (Hank Williams)

Color Of The Blues (George Jones)

Only A Hobo (Bob Dylan)

Ragged Old Truck (Billy Joe Shaver)

Turn This Thing Around (Keith Whitley)

Catch Benjamin Tod & Lost Dog Street Band On Tour:

Oct. 1 – Bogart’s – Cincinnati, OH

Oct. 2 – Globe Iron – Cleveland, OH

Oct. 3 – Majestic Theatre – Detroit, MI

Oct. 4 – Roxian Theatre – Pittsburgh, PA

Oct. 6 – Anthology – Rochester, NY

Oct. 8 – Higher Ground Ballroom – South Burlington, VT 

Oct. 9 – Higher Ground Ballroom – South Burlington, VT

Oct. 10 – State Theatre – Portland, ME

Oct. 11 – Royale – Boston, MA

Oct. 13 – Bowery Ballroom – New York, NY

Oct. 15 – Union Transfer – Philadelphia, PA

Oct. 16 – The Howard – Washington, DC

Oct. 17 – Jefferson Theater – Charlottesville, VA

Oct. 18 – Cat’s Cradle – Carrboro, NC

Oct. 20 – The Fillmore – Charlotte, NC

Oct. 22 – Variety Playhouse – Atlanta, GA

Oct. 23 – The Orange Peel – Asheville, NC

Oct. 24 – The Orange Peel – Asheville, NC

Oct. 25 – The Mill & Mine – Knoxville, TN

Nov. 6 – Charleston Coliseum – Charleston WV * 

* Supporting Charles Wesley Godwin