Life, Values & Legacy: Our Chat with Ben DeHan of Baltimore

Ben DeHan shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.

Ben, really appreciate you sharing your stories and insights with us. The world would have so much more understanding and empathy if we all were a bit more open about our stories and how they have helped shaped our journey and worldview. Let’s jump in with a fun one: What battle are you avoiding?
Honestly? Right now I’m avoiding quitting smoking. I keep telling myself I’ll follow through soon and I actually will but for the moment, it’s one of those battles I’m still dancing around.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m Ben and I front a band called Free Friends. We’re a pop punk band out of Baltimore, blending that early 2000s emo energy with our own modern twist. What sets us apart is a mix of things: we’ve got a cellist (my wife, Lo), which adds this really haunting, cinematic layer to our songs you don’t typically hear in our scene. It’s also just the three of us (me, Lo, and Gil on drums) and it’s this tight little family where the love for what we’re doing is real, onstage and off.
Right now we’re getting ready to drop our debut album Life After You and hit the road, with a big show coming up in DC on July 27 at Pearl Street Warehouse – Tickets are available here: https://www.unionstagepresents.com/shows/free-friends-pine-creek-academy/

It’s been wild watching everything come together. From touring and recording to getting to work with people like Matt Malpass (blink-182) and Matt Squire (All Time Low), who’ve shaped some of our favorite records. At the end of the day, our brand is built around the idea of community. Free Friends isn’t just a name, it’s an invitation. If our songs can give someone a little hope or make them feel less alone, then that’s everything to us.

Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. Who were you before the world told you who you had to be?
Before the world tried to tell me who to be, I was just a kid with a guitar and a skateboard, blasting Blink-182 and Jimmy Eat World, dreaming about seeing the country from the back of a beat-up van. I had this cautious optimism, like someone who’s already burned their hand on the stove but can’t help reaching again. I spent years living out of that van, chasing shows, then ended up behind a cubicle desk, wondering where that spark went.

Now I’m back to where it all started making music that feels like home. I’ve swapped some of the pop punk crunch for atmospheric strings and lofi beats, but the heart-on-sleeve urgency is the same. In a way, after all the ups and downs, I’m closer than ever to the kid I was, just with a few more scars and a deeper love for the process that brought me here.

Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
There was a time where I did give up. I tried my hardest to, because I thought living the life I was “supposed” to live would be easier. Turns out, it was impossibly harder. All the meaning just drained out of my life. It’s not about checking boxes or doing what others, even people you love and respect, think you should do. You have to follow what’s in you, even if it seems (and it will) extremely hard. I barely made it back, but I thank God every day that I did.

I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. What would your closest friends say really matters to you?
They’d probably say it’s all about connection for me: being real, building something meaningful, and making people feel seen. Whether it’s through the music, the conversations after shows, or just the way I show up in their lives, I care deeply about leaving people better than I found them. They’d also say I’m relentless about chasing what sets my soul on fire, no matter hard it gets.

Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: If you knew you had 10 years left, what would you stop doing immediately?
I’ve thought about this often and can say honestly that I’d be doing what I’m already doing now. I’ve stripped away the noise, stopped living for anyone else’s expectations, and zeroed in on what matters most to me. That being the people I love, the music that keeps me breathing, and making the most of every moment I’ve got left.

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Image Credits
Ren Garczynski, Ian Bell

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