By Ken McGagh and Christine M. Quirk
Photos by Ken McGagh/The Concord Bridge
James Schermerhorn “inadvertently became a music venue owner” during the pandemic, when, with people working from home and social events canceled, some were inspired to try something new.
“I offered up the barn to locals who wanted a place to play music indoors but with a ‘safe distance,’” he said. “It grew from there. … Word got out that I had the rehearsal space, so local bands started to come to play. It became about music and community.”
Schermerhorn started Barnfest in 2022 as a way of gathering this community — the 80 to 90 musicians who create, collaborate, and record in his Concord barn-turned-music-studio.
“The only way to get everyone together was to throw an outdoor concert,” he says.
The event was so successful that last weekend Schermerhorn hosted his third Barnfest, an invitation-only afternoon of jamming and performances.
“The first year I called the Concord police and said, ‘I’m doing this, do I need a permit or anything?’” Schermerhorn recalled.
“The officer said, ‘Well, are you any good?'”
Technical expertise
Schermerhorn consulted with Peter LeBau, who had designed a music space for musician Daryl Hall. Hall hosted the MTV show “Live from Daryl’s House,” featuring the pop star jamming with guests at his home in Millerton, New York.
The top floor of the barn is built to studio specs, while the lower part is faithful to the 19th-century design.
“Peter instructed me on design elements, which included modern sound acoustic enhancements while respecting the providence of the barn built by George Baker in 1890,” Schermerhorn said in an email.
Saturday’s bands included Yvie and Friends, featuring Schermerhorn and his 17-year-old daughter, Yvie; the New York-based Inkwell Singers; bluegrass band Max’s Fault, featuring Jason Johannesen and Tim Collins of Concord; Deb and Steve Berke; The Anna and Mickey Show, featuring Anna Huckabee Tull of Concord; Russell Turnquist and Friends; Zion Rodman and Friends; and the Barndawgs. The concert finished with an encore jam.
