Lost Dog Street Band perseveres for DIY ‘Glory’ | Music

Singer, songwriter and guitarist Benjamin Tod, violinist and vocalist Ashley Mae and bassist Jeff Loops will be sharing music from “Glory,” which was released Jan. 21 on the band’s Anti-Corp Music label. It’s an opportunity to enjoy the fruits of the band’s rolled-sleeve work ethic in person and just savor the songs.

“Glory” is an unapologetically acoustic album. In keeping with the musicians’ busking roots, arrangements are clean and spare; harmonies are haunting. The lyrics, which plumb the price paid for independence and perseverance, linger long after the strings are still. Moments of recognition of hard-won growth make way for the realization that there’s always farther to go; sometimes, self-respect is the most treasured and elusive prize.

“As far as the material, some of it is a decade old. Some of it was written the week before recording,” Tod said. “”I typically start with about 14 songs to do demos for. I choose 10 because it looks good on vinyl. I’m a very symmetrical person.

“What actually ends up on the album is what I feel. One song will just feel out of place.”

Tod is grateful to be back on stage after all the pandemic closings. The band resumed live shows last spring for appreciative audiences who’d missed them, and the stage is where Tod likes to be.

“It feels great,” he said. “People are so hungry for honesty. for truth, for real art — and I get to do that for a living.”

Being back under the lights brings Tod closer to the transcendent moments in the midst of all the toil and discomforts. Even those don’t escape his painterly gaze.

“I’m not really a creature of the road anymore. I prefer to be home,” Tod said. “But It’s always really rewarding to be on stage. Only 5 percent of this entire time is things going right on stage. Your sock could be bunching up in your boot and driving you crazy. There could be some belligerent person screaming in the front row.”

For a musician who has been performing out on his own since age 17, artistic independence involves one tradeoff after another. For Tod, it’s a way to hang on to integrity in what can be a loud, glitzy, greedy world. He recently bought and converted a bus himself for the trio to use on tour.

“It’s not easy when you’re doing it yourself,” he said. “It’s a lot of work being independent. The payoff for independence is I don’t have a lot of money to split up. I’d rather work on my own vehicle than pay someone else to do it.”

“I keep my publishing rights and my royalty rights. It’s kind of a trade; you have to build things really grassroots — fan to fan. I’d rather own everything and be able to make every single decision.”

If you’re looking for a happily-ever-after veneer and a musical world in which problems are solved in three radio-friendly minutes, these aren’t your songs. But if you have an appreciation for the rewards of getting real and understanding that the toughest journeys in life are never really over, you’ll keep coming back to them.

In keeping with the 24/7 nature of the DIY work ethic, Tod already has a solo album in the works. “Songs I Swore I’d Never Sing” already is recorded and mixed.

“I’m always 20 steps ahead of myself,” Tod said.