Fear and Loathing: Closer to the Edge is a very interesting political website. And they are throwing a very interesting (Free!) Closer to the Edge festival on Saturday September 27 at Nicollet Commons Park in Burnsville cohosted by Elephants and Flowers Media. They have also invited a number of local civic-minded groups such as Women’s March MN, Minnesota 50501, MN Music Resistance and more to have a presence, celebrate and recruit members. We were able to learn a little more about the organization and the event.
[Big update added 2 hours after original post: Chastity Brown has been added to the line up!]
Please tell us about the Closer to the Edge community and website.
Closer to the Edge is a reader-supported media platform where independent journalism, music, activism, and storytelling collide. We write about what matters and publish what others won’t — mixing deep investigative reporting with humor, chaos, and creativity. We are entirely powered by community support, grassroots momentum, and a shared desire to push back against corruption, cruelty, and complacency. It’s journalism that doesn’t flinch, art that doesn’t apologize, and a growing collective of readers, writers, musicians, and weirdos building something together — from the edge, but never over it.
Please tell us about the Closer to the Edge music fest on September 27 at Nicollet Commons Park in Burnsville. Who is playing? Is there parking, food, beer?
The Closer to the Edge Music Fest is a free, all-ages event on Saturday, September 27 from noon to 7:00 PM at Nicollet Commons Park in Burnsville — right next to the Ames Center and the Heart of the City parking ramp, which has plenty of free spots. Live music starts at 1:00 PM. It’s not a protest, not a fundraiser, not a political stunt — just a day of honest music and real community. Our 2025 lineup features a surprise headliner, folk-pop firebrand Favourite Girl (Katy Vernon’s bold new project), local soul-rock standouts The Hazy Phase, and the emotionally fearless sonic experimentation of REIKI. We’ll have food trucks on site, a park that encourages blankets and lawn chairs, and while we’re not selling alcohol, the vibe will be celebratory, inclusive, and electric from start to finish. No glass.
What inspired you to organize the Closer to the Edge music fest?
After years of writing about everything that’s broken, we wanted to create something that felt whole. The music fest is a living embodiment of Closer to the Edge’s core purpose: to tell the truth, build community, and refuse despair. We believe joy and defiance go hand in hand — and that people need spaces where they’re not being sold something, recruited for something, or talked down to. The idea came from a simple question: what if we threw a music festival that felt like a welcome instead of a warning? What if it gave people something to believe in again — or at least something to dance to while we sort the rest out?
How did you find and select your performers and partners?
We started with artists we trust — not just for their sound, but for their soul. Every performer on this bill has something to say and the courage to say it, from the roar of The Hazy Phase to the vulnerability of REIKI and the razor-sharp melodic power of Favourite Girl. We looked for people who weren’t just talented, but true. The same goes for our partners — organizations like Women’s March Minnesota, Minnesota Music Resistance, and 50501 aren’t here for lip service; they’re here because they live these values every day. We wanted the lineup and partnerships to reflect what Closer to the Edge stands for: radical honesty, human connection, and creative resistance.
What would make for a successful event for you — during and after the day?
If people show up and feel like they belong — that’s success. If a teenager hears a lyric that hits home, or an elder hears music that heals something old, or someone meets a stranger who understands them — that’s more than enough. We hope folks walk away with stories to tell, music in their heads, and a new sense of what’s possible when we gather without pretense. And afterward? If even a handful of people decide to create something of their own — a song, a letter, a connection, a risk they were scared to take before — then the ripple will keep moving long after the festival is over. That’s what we’re really after.
Mostly Minnesota 