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A veteran of many a local band, Ben Pilgrim took his act solo in 2005. With a new love for folk and country blues and the punk of his teenage years still flowing in his veins, Ben would often be found in rock clubs and coffee houses alike, punching out catchy and thoughtful songs, aided only by his bluesy harmonica and heavy flat pick.

In 2006, a chance meeting at a local hootenanny brought Ben Pilgrim together with the guitar genius of bluesman Blind Benny Tilken and the sweet harmonies of Mary Bee, both former members of the Bangor Beatles. Soon Blind Benny and Mary Bee summoned the rest of their former band mates. Upon their arrival, they all played songs for three days straight, ending with a drunken version of Woody Guthrie’s “Better World A-Coming.” Stumbling again and again over the line “We will all be union and we will all be free,” the band was for evermore known as the Free Union.

Since that day, Ben Pilgrim and the Free Union Band have spent their days and nights traveling around playing to excited crowds far and wide.

Here is some of what the press says about Ben Pilgrim:

"Recording is an art, and I want to learn more about this craft and keep pushing it further,” local folkster and Best Acoustic Singer/Songwriter winner Ben Pilgrim humbly declared while chatting up The Further Adventures of Ben Pilgrim (75 or Less Records), an impressive debut disc released last October. A veteran of the local music scene (playing in the Mister Rogers Project and the Setbacks as a teen), Pilgrim decided to go the solo route and work the coffeehouse circuit and has since formed his Free Union Band, featuring the angelic harmonies of Mary Bee and banjo maestro Blind Benny Tilchen. The Further Adventures EP opens with “Stranger On the Line,” a toe-tapping gem that gradually gathers some serious steam. Pilgrim and Bee are a seamless fit vocally, with “Threadbare Broken Blues” bringing their work to the forefront, while “Rhythm of the Rain” addresses the war and family heartache it has produced. The closing “Bar Blues no1” would do Eric Bachmann proud with the plaintive, bottle-tipping bravado lines, “I don’t like sittin’ at the bar, wondering who you are” and “I wanna go somewhere no one knows/ I’d be so much better on my own” before a solemn harmonica chimes in. The lonesome wanderer vibe becomes increasingly endearing and engaging. The Smith Hill denizen and Seekonk High School alum says AS220 “feels like home” and will have his Free Union Band in tow for a number of upcoming shows from New Hampshire to Connecticut, working out new material for a full-length release scheduled for late summer. Stop by Ben Pilgrim’s MySpace page for all the info.

— Chris Conti Providence Phoenix

"if you are a frequenter of captains dead, you probably know, and have learned to accept that i have an affinity for the dulcet tones of harmonica and acoustic geetar. granted just cause an artist has the ability to combine the two, it dont mean shit to me. do it like my man ben pilgrim and you got me at first strum and/or blow, of the harmonica, that is . . . ben pilgrim is a throw back type of chap. pilgrim lovingly intermingles the yesteryear likes of guthrie, pete seeger and dylan with today’s keepers of the torch like oldham, whitmore, etc. his ep the further adventures of...sounds like it was recorded in the close quarters of a dimly lit cabin, creating a rustic and moody affair that would most certainly make the forefathers proud"

-captains dead

"I have been meaning to write about Ben Pilgrim for ages (well, since October). "God Should Have Made You Ugly" got stuck in my ear and I compulsively listened to it for a month and promptly moved on. I was immediately reminded of that glorious song... "God Should Have Made You Ugly" is a bittersweet lament about the deadly combination of beauty and cruelty. The track is a sloppy single take, with a rough-hewn voice and acoustic guitar. The harmonica captures the sound of lamenting spot on"

-the hipster menace