Admiral Freebee

by Chris True
Admiral Freebee was the performing moniker of one Tom van Laere, a Belgian singer/songwriter born in Brasschaaat, Antwerp. In 2000, Freebee took part in the "rock competition" Humo's Rock Rally, a competition in which he won second place from the judges but won the audience vote. His debut album, Admiral Freebee, was released in 2003 and was followed up with the March 2005 release of Songs. During the interim, Freebee toured both solo and in a group setting, and his studio band was made up of session players well known for their work with some of the big alt-rock stars of the 1990s. In 2006, Admiral Freebee released his third album, Wild Dreams of New Beginnings, which broke the Top 40 in the Belgian charts.