We first heard from Tom Benz in November of last year upon the release of his single “Down in the Willow Garden.” That track introduced us to a uniquely gifted singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist with a deep, lifelong appreciation for the simple things. Though he was born and raised in Germany, where he still lives today, Tom has spent decades immersing himself in classic Americana music and culture.
Inspired by the unexpected downtime of the pandemic, over the last two years the musician and luthier has recorded dozens of Folk, Country and Bluegrass songs on the popular music distribution and collaboration site Bandlab. Working with both his ‘real’ band The Stringband Ramblers and his virtual Bandlab group Them Damned Ol´Hillbillies, Tom Benz creates timeless acoustic music that invoke images of simpler days.
“To Suffer and Die” is the latest single from Tom Benz and The Stringband Ramblers, released to BandLab on April 3, 2022. Although the song is an original composition it has the soul and subject matter of a century ago. Backed by an organic ensemble of acoustic guitar, double bass, guitar, mandolin and harmonica, Tom sings a melancholy ballad of the downtrodden, inspired by the Great Dust Bowl/Great Depression era. He is joined on the track by Ulrich Von Zydowitz (guitar, mandolin).
Check out the “To Suffer and Die” video below. Follow the links below the video to connect with Tom Benz. Get on his profiles, get in the loop on all of the music to come and dig into his deep back catalog.
