Folk Rockers Billy Pilgrim Unearth Vintage Tracks For 'In The Time Machine'

A folk rock band best known for their work in the 90s, Billy Pilgrim, are back.

Featuring Andrew Hyra and Kristian Bush (Sugarland, Dark Water), the band have announced the release of a new album coming this Fall called In The Time Machine, a title that's very apt considering the album will bring us unreleased tracks from "the vault", including the single “Call It Even,” which has been released.

Almost twenty years ago, Billy Pilgrim recorded a collection of songs as their third studio album release, but the master tapes were burned in a fire in late 2000 at Nickel & Dime Studio near Decatur, GA. Apparently, one copy survived, and from it, about 500 CDs were pressed and sold at a 2001 performance at Eddie’s Attic in Atlanta, GA.

After that concert, Kristian Bush and Andrew Hyra went their separate ways, never actually breaking up, but also not in contact with each other for 15 years. Bush says: “I remember thinking to myself, man, this band isn’t finished,”

In 2020, during the pandemic, Bush discovered the isolated single copy of the recording while cleaning out his home, and this Fall, that music will be released.

Aside from Hyra and Bush, there are other musicians featured on In The Time Machine, including:

Brandon Bush (Sugarland, Train) on keyboards; David LaBruyere (John Mayer) on bass; Joey Craig on guitar; and Sigadore “Siggy” Birkis (John Mayer), Marcus Petruska (Corey Davis) and Travis McNabb (Better Than Ezra) on drums.

Producer/engineer Don McCollister, who owned Nickel & Dime Studio, co-produced the album along with the Bush brothers and Hyra.

In the 90s, Billy Pilgrim’s music was featured as the soundtrack for Melrose Place, My So-Called Life, and many more TV shows.

“Call It Even,” was released, in part, because it speaks to the idea of "second chance at life" that the band faces right now.

Hyra explains:

"It’s quite a thing to sabotage your opportunities. As you get older, It’s quite a bit more of a thing to realize that you sabotaged others. I’ve always loved this recording and song for as grounded as it is in forgiveness. Forgiving oneself and everyone in your life is such a profound expression of love and this song represents that sentiment so well."

Bush adds:

“This is a very honest way to re-approach this album. We left off in this moment. And this is the moment we want to start back with again.”