“It’s probably a good thing,” Benjamin Tod says, reminiscing about his initial missed connection with fellow songwriter Matt Heckler. “We commiserate often about if we had met when we were both in our darkness, we probably would have consumed each other or combined flames and consumed the entire world.” Fortunately, for the rest of the world—and for fans of the two widely loved artists—Tod and Heckler have since become good friends, and now, official collaborators.
Today, Tod and Heckler released both sides of their new digital single, “Kentucky Coal” and “Cry You A River.” Recorded at The Bomb Shelter in Nashville, Tennessee, these two tracks are a hallmark for both musicians: the first co-write of Heckler’s career and a very rare co-write for Tod. Now that the pair have reconnected, it didn’t take long for the songwriting sparks to fly. “Kentucky Coal,” a fitting tribute to the state’s coal country, poured out in just twenty minutes, but “Cry You A River” was crafted over the course of six months. A piece of historical fiction inspired by Airdrie Hill, famously dubbed “an abandoned old prison” in John Prine’s “Paradise,” “Cry You A River” is about what was actually an abandoned old furnace staffed by prisoners. “We took the liberty of being creative with the history, but put ourselves in the time and place and really tried to feel what it would be like and what the conditions were, and what they do to you mentally,” says Heckler. “What it would do to any man—you’d want to flee and to run away.”
Fans can stream or purchase both “Kentucky Coal” and “Cry You A River” today at this link. This release comes hot on the heels of another special collaboration for Tod: his version of Waylon Jennings’ “Outlaw Shit” featuring Shooter Jennings. Check out “Outlaw Shit” right here.
While Tod & Lost Dog Street Band aren’t on the road at the moment, fans can look forward to a Benjamin Tod performance at Stagecoach in Indio, California, next year. To get excited, the band’s live album, Live From a Mile High, is a stellar representation of the band’s energetic and powerful stage show. Listen right here and visit benjamintodmusic.com to stay up to date.
About Benjamin Tod: Benjamin Tod is the lead singer-songwriter and guitarist for the acclaimed Lost Dog Street Band. Tod’s latest solo release Shooting Star, found the Nashville-native returning to some of honky tonk’s greatest for inspiration and transcending into a life of gratitude, patience, and stability. Released on Thirty Tigers, the album received praise by Billboard, NPR, American Songwriter, Whiskey Riff, and Saving Country Music.
About Matt Heckler: Heckler is a solo multi-instrumentalist who barely fits into any ordinary musical category. He tends to keep to the darker side of Appalachian mountain music and early bluegrass, but listen long enough and you’ll soon be transported to the mountains of Eastern Europe or a dimly lit bar in Ireland where they honor those who have passed with a gently swaying a cappella ballad. After touring almost nonstop for years in support of bands like Devil Makes Three, Lost Dog Street Band, Flogging Molly, and others, Heckler, like the rest of us, got sidelined by the ongoing global pandemic. With the newfound time off, he set to pushing creative boundaries in his home recording studio as far as his mind would allow. Each fiddle, banjo, and guitar track was carefully put in place, all the while retaining the grit and energy reflected in his live shows. Paired perfectly as the sequel to After The Flood, his latest Blood, Water, Coal album is a defining release in his career.
