Free Bleed: Building community through hardcore music

By Emily Braunstein

Bre Adair may just seem like a normal Flagler student by day, but catch her at a club in Jacksonville screaming with soul at the top of her lungs and you will see a totally different side of her.

Adair is the lead singer for a punk rock band called Free Bleed, practicing and performing out of Jacksonville.

“Hardcore has been a passion of mine for a majority of my life. It has been a space not only where I enjoy the music that is performed locally, but that I felt like I had a community of people who supported me and supported the people around me,” she said.

Adair has been in the hardcore scene since her freshman year of high school, starting out interviewing local hardcore bands and venues in her hometown of Fargo, North Dakota.

Hardcore is a predominantly male-led musical genre, and Free Bleed is creating a space for women in the hardcore community. The band has two women, including Adair and their guitarist, who is a trans-female.

“My message to the audience is don’t be afraid to take up space, especially women. Stand up for what you believe. Be unapologetically a woman and keep fighting. Your voice matters.”

Music, and everything that comes with it, has changed Adair’s life. It brought her friends and a partner who share the same passion for hardcore, and belief in unity and equality. The hardcore music scene is a bonding experience.

“Music has bled into my life in every way possible,” she said. “I found my boyfriend and closest friends through the music scene here. Everything I stand for is community and fighting for people and their voice, which has translated through music. It helps me stay grounded and has brought the most solid friendships I have ever had.”

Adair is a full-time student at Flagler College with a Cinematic Arts major, working three times a week and practicing with Free Bleed for six hours in Jacksonville. Although she is constantly busy, she loves every part of her life and keeps a positive attitude.

“I wouldn’t have it any other way. I am proud of each part of my life, being a film student, being employed and being the vocalist of a hardcore band. I like staying busy when I am being creative and I have found a good routine to be able to balance all of it to the best of my abilities.”

She is the first person in her immediate family to attend college. After the passing of her childhood best friend during her senior year, it inspired her to pursue her passion for film.

The hardcore scene is filled with misconceptions — that it is filled with drugs, alcohol, violence and people essentially beating each other up. Adair said the reality of the community is something entirely different: people who support each other through good music. They stand for POC and LGBTQ,, and speak out against the cruelty of the world going on around them

“Our band speaks out against drunk driving, women’s abuse and stands for unity,” she said. “I wanted to be able to project that, and I found a group of people who wanted the same. It’s been life changing.”