Do you DIY? Well, Dean Berlinerblau sure does. Northern Isolation Fest is kicking off this weekend in it’s third incarnation.

Depending on your age, or what you’re into, you may or may not know that Duluth has experienced a major resurgence of our underground music scene over the last few years. Around a decade ago, there was a thriving underground, where any punk, any underager, could enjoy a show.

After an increased crackdown from the city, all of our house venues fizzled out, and the all-ages scene went along with it, as many venues stopped doing anything but 21+ shows as well. That is over.

A dedicated group of musicians and music lovers, including Berlinerblau, really took matters into their owns hands a few years ago and brought back the house shows and all ages venues.

Berlinerblau, took it step further and created his own festival three years ago with the help of long time respected punk drummer, Mike Wilson. Now we are on to year three, and the line-up looks great (see flyer above).

Northern Isolation is a very curated local festival, with an emphasis on the concept of free speech and creativity. Berlinerblau and I, sharing a similar love for the DIY community, actually decided to branch out, and have a fairly in-depth podcast session about the entire thing, which you can find on our website and Facebook page. Come see for yourself what this young guy can do.