When outsiders think of Wisconsin, music isn’t associated with it. It’s the cheese state with endless fields and cows.

Bryan Fleming from La Crosse, Wisconsin, has an issue with this. Bryan sees music everywhere — in basements, in clubs, or in any place with a PA. But, this isn’t Milwaukee’s Steve Miller Band or Eau Claire’s Bon Iver. This is hardcore, a certain blend of aggression, emotion, power, and community.

Being in any band is work. Besides practicing and writing music, you have to find a place to play, and then you have to get people to show up. But, hardcore isn’t selling out county fairs. In fact, you’re lucky if your band can find a basement to play and 20 paying audience members to cover gas.

So, when Bryan decided to get 16 hardcore bands from across the state to play the two day Wisconsin Hardcore Fest, you could be asking “Why? Why do this?” For him, the drive for this festival is the very core of hardcore itself.

“It’s passion,” says Bryan. “A lot of times, it’s the purpose and feeling behind the music. And the sound can come secondary.”

Bryan’s passion for music and the underground community in general pays off. The festival captures an emotional undercurrent that keeps the hardcore community from disintegrating. This sentiment hasn’t gone unnoticed.

“I come to a show and I have a ton of friends,” says photographer Trevor Sweeney. In fact, the camaraderie continues after the festival which Trevor reminds us is “pretty cool.”

Bands can’t pay the bills playing hardcore. They lose money. Lots of it. For a festival like this, it’s a struggle to stay above water. Yet, there’s some kind of reward for this. The force that keeps Bryan and this festival going isn’t monetary; it’s a chance to feel connected to something bigger than one’s self.