Benjamin Tod Claps Back at Gavin Adcock (not Sam Barber)
Singer/songwriter Benjamin Tod has been mixing it up more and more in the country music space lately, specifically calling out the cucks in the industry that didn’t spend a second paying dues before they were sent off on a tour bus to open arena shows, or went straight to arenas themselves due to being a TikTok sensation.
Specifically, Tod has been on the warpath against Gavin Adcock and his hijinks, coming to the defense of Charley Crockett and others after Gavin decided he was the arbiter of authenticity in country music all of a sudden. Now Benjamin Tod has received incoming from the Country Music Wrestling Heel himself. Commenting on a clip from a Whiskey Riff podcast about the importance of paying dues in country music, Gavin Adcock clucked, “If you played for $75 for years and years you need a new job.”
This was the opening Benjamin Tod had been hungering for, and twisted off of Adcock.
The reason why it’s so wonderful is that it’s completely emblematic of why people like Gavin Adcock cannot represent country music. You have no idea how many people you $hit on with this comment.
You know how many years Willie Nelson burned up the road? Don’t get me started with The Louvin Brothers, Waylon, Johnny, everyone, and 95% of our industry, you just insulted. Because it shows this clear divide where you have no f–king concept of the relationship between talent and success, and the inequalities that exist throughout this industry that lend like someone like you getting power easily.
Second, it shows that you are an entitled little brat. You have no concept of hard work. You have no concept of what it took to for the majority of us to get here. It is absolutely pathetic in my eyes. You insulted everyone and you openly make the case that you don’t appreciate or understand the hard work that artists like me, and 95% of the industry who worked in that capacity for years and years and years to get where they are because you got it handed to you, just like you got handed your daddy’s truck…
You are a lazy, stupid, shiftless motherf–ker … That cross on your hand ain’t gonna save you from selling your soul to the devil to get where you are. You don’t represent Christians, and you don’t represent country music. I’ll see you at Stagecoach mother f–ker.
Both men happen to be playing the Stagecoach Festival in Indio, California in April of 2026. Another artist on the lineup is viral songwriter Sam Barber, who similar to Gavin Adcock, came up significantly via viral songs and videos on TikTok. In fact, Benjamin Tod brought up Sam Barber in the same podcast with Whiskey Riff as an example of an artist who shot to stardom overnight, but it still doing things the right way, improving over time, and showing respect to other performers.
However, a fake TikTok account maliciously edited the video to make it appear that Benjamin Tod was calling out Sam Barber specifically for being one of these ungrateful TikTok performers. That video in turn went viral, resulting in a backlash against Tod. Last week when Saving Country Music posted some tour dates of Tod, it received a strong and unexpected backlash from some country fans. Some of that was due to the misconceptions about the Sam Barber quote.
Benjamin Tod says about the Sam Barber situation in the same video calling out Gavin Adcock, “This is a completely fake account making fake content. I did nothing but say good things about Sam Barber. And I love Sam and he knows that, because we got each other’s numbers and talked and laughed about it afterward. So it was a good PR day for us.”
What Benjamin Tod actually said on the Whiskey Riff podcast about Sam Barber was, “There are some credible examples of that. Sam Barber would probably be the pinnacle of that—someone who came into the industry at the spark of a flame from TikTok and from those means, and has only gotten better, his writing has only gotten stronger, his composure has only gotten better, he’s still humble and wonderful, and creative.”
Some people still have beef with Benjamin Tod for other reasons, perhaps some credible since he’s such an outspoken and prickly personality. Some might also criticize Tod for even paying attention to Gavin Adcock, similar to the criticisms Zach Bryan and Charley Crockett have faced. Since Gavin Adcock is a troll, it’s the attention he craves. Even if it’s negative, it can help Adcock’s star burn brighter.
But in this instance, nothing Benjamin Tod said about Gavin Adcock is untrue. Shooter Jennings, American Aquarium, Max McNown, Brandon Bing, Jack Browning, Evan Horner, Britt Taylor, Jake Owen, Gus Clark, Josh O’Keefe, even Canadian pop country artist Meghan Patrick are some of the performers who came in praising Benjamin Tod for his rant.
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November 24, 2025 @ 11:54 am
Adcock is a tool, and his music sucks. But Tod seems a bit insufferable himself.
November 24, 2025 @ 12:16 pm
Gavin Adcock is the hockey goon.
Benjamin Tod is the hockey enforcer.
November 24, 2025 @ 1:01 pm
Same thing. The enforcer wears your team’s uniform. The goon wears the other team’s.
November 24, 2025 @ 1:13 pm
Yeah yeah. That’s kind of my whole point. The difference is subtle, but that difference is critical.
November 26, 2025 @ 3:29 pm
I think it’s a silly argument one one is just a dick who gets off on being an asshole. Wtever else he is Tod is correct about everything he said about Adcock. By contrast Adcock misses the mark because he’s a self absorbed douche with the depth of a mud puddle. He’s a good example of what’s gone wrong with the country. We used to want celebraties to at least pretend to be decent people. Now they they can get milage for how awful they can be
November 24, 2025 @ 7:26 pm
both of which are nearly extinct due to a changing league that demands a different type of talent and skill. (nothing wrong with an actual scrap on the ice though that isn’t staged… the analogies are endless)
November 24, 2025 @ 12:35 pm
I don’t really see the point in the WWE type theatrics. Seems like just focusing on writing songs, improving musicianship and taking care of ones own physical and mental health, building positive relationships etc would be a better use of time for all parties. And not listening to arena/pop country in the first place. I had a campfire and listened to Del Reeves last night, it was fantastic!
November 24, 2025 @ 1:34 pm
It used to be that artists calling each other out even across the mainstream/independent divide was rare. Now thanks to Gavin Adcock, it’s becoming more and more common, and thus, the cultural cache each one of these moments comes with is diminished. I certainly questioned if this was even worth reporting on. But what I found most important to set the record straight on and intriguing about this story was this fake controversy involving Sam Barber. I saw a ton of chatter about this after trying to figure out why my anodyne post about Tod’s tour dates became a war zone.
November 24, 2025 @ 2:38 pm
I don’t know who any of these people are but that aspect totally makes sense. Especially given the age of social media. Glad I’m not on any of it anymore.
November 24, 2025 @ 12:47 pm
I’ve drove from north Georgia to Kentucky to see lost dog. I took a hand written letter to his people at a show that they were taking up for Benjamin. All about how his music has been a blessing in my life through hard times. Tod’s fan base, I would bet, is much more loyal than Adcock’s. That’s got to count for something.
November 24, 2025 @ 1:11 pm
High school drama.
November 24, 2025 @ 2:40 pm
I’ve seen a middle school Sound of Music performance that was more entertaining, then again, Edelweiss is a hell of a song!
November 24, 2025 @ 1:52 pm
So over it. This is “My dad’s bigger than your dad” bs on both sides.
November 24, 2025 @ 3:01 pm
Lololol
November 25, 2025 @ 11:20 am
My dad can beat up your dad.
November 25, 2025 @ 7:21 pm
Agreed. Nothing more than dick measuring. Both of these guys come off as insufferable clowns. There are many ways to the top. The idea that someone hasn’t paid their dues because you took the long way means nothing. I couldn’t name one tune from either of these fools, and I have no desire to listen. It reminds me of all the fake outlaws like Shooter and Eric Church fighting over who was more of an outlaw years ago. Middle school bullshit.
November 24, 2025 @ 2:02 pm
On this week’s episode of “When assholes collide”…
November 24, 2025 @ 5:08 pm
Different sides of the same coin maybe.
I’m curious about what happens at Stagecoach. Actually, not really.
November 25, 2025 @ 7:22 pm
Nothing will happen. Internet tough guys are a dime a dozen. 😂
November 24, 2025 @ 2:23 pm
I’ve never listened to Benjamin Tod, but this makes me not want to. I’ve never listened to Gavin Adcock because I just can’t do it with the ridiculous name and his attitude/keyboard-warrior persona get old the minute they surface.
Authentic doesn’t tell you it’s authentic. It doesn’t have to. It’s observable.
November 26, 2025 @ 7:48 am
Agreed. I had a very unsavory interaction with BT a couple weeks ago. I commented on the insta video on whiskey riff’s interview with him saying that he sounds pretentious. He then went on to call me names and blocked me after ranting about how much more country and outlaw he is than me. It’s cringey at the lease and pretentious and arrogant at worst. He’s really just a big ego who absolutely cannot take criticism of any kind. Fuck that dude
November 24, 2025 @ 2:58 pm
While I can understand from Tod’s point of view how calling Adcock out in this context would feel urgent from a cultural preservation perspective………….ultimately every bit of free publicity is just another W for Adcock.
Adcock absolutely strikes me as the kind of person who will put out “Try That In A Small Town II” next year because he KNOWS that will draw a lot more eyes and attention to him.
November 24, 2025 @ 3:08 pm
Gavin Adcock looks like the love child of Billy Ray Cyrus and Harley Race. No offense to Harley Race.
November 24, 2025 @ 3:25 pm
Adcock’s comment isn’t entirely wrong.
November 24, 2025 @ 3:53 pm
Benjamin Tod is every bit as insures Adcock. And Adcock gives me the worst gas. The fact that Tod is given a pass so often makes me think that we’ve lost all judgment.
November 24, 2025 @ 6:20 pm
Benjamin Tod is a great singer songwriter. After that, he’s really trying to hard with all this attention. Guy is just thirsty for attention so he can make more money.
November 25, 2025 @ 12:14 am
Let the music do the talking. I have enjoyed Tod’s music and his live album is very good. I have not heard Adcock’s music and it is not high on my to do list having read the comments about it. Adcock’s comments are ‘immature’. Tod is not wrong but not all artists have succeeded ‘paying their dues’ his way. He might have paid his dues but has he succeeded? I suppose it depends on what one calls success. Some worthy and talented artists have succeeded through radio (in the past), TV talent contests and through Tic Toc (which I have never used). It works for some and not for others and one can hardly have a go at those artists who have managed to take a ‘short cut’ to success. Whether their career has longevity, only time will tell. It is the fake accounts that can manipulate the messages that is the biggest concern (but even some big TV channels edit the news to give a completely false impression such as the BBC). At the end of the day, it is the music that will probably talk the loudest. In 10 years time will Tod or Adcock still be ‘succeeding’?
November 25, 2025 @ 5:39 am
Boys,boys..
November 25, 2025 @ 8:27 am
Beefing like you’re rappers is really unbecoming.
November 25, 2025 @ 9:44 am
I am all for the starving artist that eventually find success, but what is wrong with someone that successful right out of the blocks. Not picking sides but what are you supposed to do? This day of being able to expose your music to the masses on demand just changes the game for better or worse.
November 25, 2025 @ 9:55 am
I think it would be healthy if our culture had a healthy outlet for the dueling instinct that has so clearly not gone away. Formalized ways for men to challenge each other to boxing or MMA-style fights would go a long way to ending these kinds of Internet slap fights.
They are both going to be at Stagecoach–set up a ring, pick a rule set, find a ref and a fight doc and let’s go. The tickets are already on sale.
The hard part will be figuring out who will fight Adcock on the main card and who fights him on the undercard.
November 25, 2025 @ 10:21 am
Tod forgets that business acumen is required with success and talent. He cites Waylon, Willie, and Cash as grinders but all three were also marketed well or engaged in sharp marketing. People hate Garth for his marketing skills but the man understood what the music business and not what singers want it to be.
I have listened to maybe one Adcock song but the man knows how to harness modern media to build his fan base.
It is the 1970s anymore. The singer can directly interact with his or her audience. Yeah, I get it. It isn’t as romantic or gritty to use a TikTok video than singing for tips and $75 in a smoky bar. Times change.
Tod’s last paragraph is laughable tough guy BS.
December 2, 2025 @ 11:09 pm
One of the best insights into the industry ever. For Country….and music in general. Thank you. CK.
November 25, 2025 @ 1:47 pm
It’s good to see the whole industry just become a bunch of whiny little bitches.
November 25, 2025 @ 3:19 pm
The whole society, you mean.
November 25, 2025 @ 4:22 pm
Seventy-two IQs among the Country gent-ry.
November 25, 2025 @ 7:19 pm
We have become so dull to great things. Workmanship, taste, craft ect. The more we fill our ears with garbage the sad reality is we loose the sensitivity to what’s exceptional and in this case music. The majority can’t tell the difference between great vs mundane or memetic. There were mediocre artists back in the golden age of music we just didn’t hear them because filter barriers. Those are gone with social media. Now we elevate mediocre artists to the level of greatness. Artists who can’t sing so well ,write very well or have elementary vision when it comes to music are stars. Only way to reverse it is highlight those who are actually striving to reach that bar on a disciplinary level and I do t think publications will because those holiday bonuses will be gone with the mail. There is a war on beauty we need more fight from publications like this.
November 26, 2025 @ 5:52 am
I don’t know how Jack Browning gets to weigh in on this. He’s a shitty backup QB at best…the Bengals suck with him in instead of Burrow
November 26, 2025 @ 8:09 am
this is such a great underrated comment, I’m sorry I can only give it one like
November 26, 2025 @ 8:04 am
Does anyone really give a sh$t? I mean really? Sounds to me like the people making a big deal of this are the clickbait writers and dime-a-dozen podcasters trying to get engagement. The days of burning up the road playing smokey taverns is gone, unfortunately, and has shifted to monthly listener totals on spotify (one has 300k listeners, the other has 5.8M listeners). They each chose their path to success. To each is own.
November 28, 2025 @ 8:46 am
Paying dues ain’t going on the road man. It’s listening to thousands and thousands of hours of good music and acquiring taste and being able to raise hairs from that taste. The key is acquiring exceptional taste. That’s not so easy to do. That’s why guys like Ben Tod struggle with melody and phrasing and lyrics to be frank. They need support from these trendy outfits like western as fuck and gems on vhs to put them on the map. Those outfits help there friends.. that’s why there’s so much cringy music on there.
The really good stuff doesn’t need broken bow country and all these other clicky trendy outfits to promote them. Listen to how horrible Ben Tods Disneyland version of Waylon’s song is? Tells me his taste wasn’t good enough to recreate that song in his own way that was something compelling.. it’s taste . Trigger has done a decent job at being flat out honest when it comes to his reviews.. but I think even he knows he’s holding back. To be a formalist hold it to the highest. Really use that bar for a standard of discipline .. elements and principles that make something truly great. Trigger time to ramp up on what people might not want to hear . Save the music man. I’m begging you to go further.
November 28, 2025 @ 9:32 am
Hey Tom,
So a few things here.
First, when Benjamin Tod was blowing up via Western AF and Gems on VHS, and people were asking me to comment on him or Lost Dog Street Band, I didn’t say much. I did mention him and the band, but I didn’t really connect with him or the music at that time. I wasn’t against it. It just wasn’t really that country, or as refined as someone like Sierra Ferrell. When I did start talking about Benjamin Tod more is when he started doing more country stuff, namely his last album, and the solo album before that. I feel like I’ve been fair and honest with Tod’s music as I have with everyone’s. I guess you’re talking about Tod’s version of “Outlaw Shit,” but I rarely review singles, especially covers. But maybe I will commentate on it if he releases it on an album.
What we’re seeing here is the souring on the independent country public with all of this calling out of other artists. Similarly to how during the Bro-Country era when everyone started releasing country protest songs, people started getting super tired with them, even if they agreed with them. That’s what we’re seeing now with these Benjamin Tod quotes. I agree that Tod can come across as a little insufferable. I recognize that. But I’m quite stupefied people are making him a moral equivalency to Gavin Adcock.
The main reason I wanted to post this article was to set the record straight about the fake video about Benjamin Tod and Sam Barber, because I personally witnessed how that was poisoning the well on Tod unfairly. But you kind of had to address the Gavin Adcock stuff with it. Now Tod is calling out Whiskey Riff, because they refuse to correct the record, even though it was their video that got cut up and manipulated, because that means they would have to criticize Gavin Adcock, and they don’t want to get sideways with that camp.
We’re seeing the same thing happen with Rolling Stone and Whiskey Riff praising Treaty Oak Revival today, not offering any sort of scrutiny to the behavior that band is instigating that I have personally witnessed result in injury to kids.
I get why people have soured on Benjamin Tod. I really do. But he’s not the problem here. The problem is acts like Gavin Adcock and Treaty Oak Revival, and the media’s obsequious tongue bathing of them because they’ll drive more clicks than Benjamin Todd. I’m just trying to point attention in the right direction.
November 28, 2025 @ 3:48 pm
Thanks Trigger, will we ever see music artists rewarded based on merit? Is the damage to great? We’ve moved away from formalism.. to me the only thing subjective about music is its meaning.
November 30, 2025 @ 10:15 am
Regarding people getting praised based on merit alone – Ian Noe? Has a cult following And I’m pretty sure that he never really did any shenanigans to promote himself and he’s reclusive. He’s almost the anti-tod in that it’s also singer-songwriter stuff that’s dark, but goddamn people are so passionate about his music without any major promotion.
Maybe james McMurtry? I don’t know much about his past, but he’s an unassuming older dude who doesn’t sing amazingly well And people absolutely eat it up. Maybe fred eaglesmith too.