cause the process is cathartic.
Joe Wern, general manager of Little Tree Acoustic House Concerts
and research scientist, knows of the healing power that the music Bar-
rett writes and performs can hold. Barrett’s album Heart and Soul,
which he had written while going through the angst of a divorce, hit
Joe especially hard as he was going through a divorce at the time that
he first listened to it.
Wern explained part of the magic of the house concerts that Barrett
puts on, multiple shows having happened at Little Tree Acoustic House
Concerts, is he has an “authentic connection between the audience and
performer.” Wern went on to explain his house concert series wouldn’t
exist if it wasn’t for Barrett.
Wern explained his brother Karl Wern, a performer himself, was
good friends with Barrett. Karl actually played one of Barrett’s songs,
Sacred Yard, at the brother’s friend’s wedding. That was the first time
Joe Wern had heard Barrett’s music. Wern said he was so captivated
by the song that he thought his brother must have written it for the
couple and was surprised to hear that it was written by Barrett.
“I immediately went out and bought his CD ‘I ain’t lying I’m telling
you a story,’” said Joe Wern.
Wern said he then went and bought the rest of Barrett’s CDs. He was
finally able to meet Barrett when he and his brother were doing a gig
together. The two then began a friendship that lasts today.
Six months after they first met, Joe Wern came into contact with
Barrett again. Barrett called Wern and explained that he had been
submitted for the 2009 Telluride Bluegrass Festival for the title of Tel-
luride Troubadour in Telluride, Col. Since Wern was from Colorado,
Barrett asked if he might know someone who had a house that would
be able to host a concert so that Barrett could raise money to afford his
rental car.
Wern agreed to help and contacted Kelly Murphy, who is a scientist
for NASA Langley as well as the host of Harris Creek Acoustics house
concerts, to learn more about what house concerts were. Wern ex-
plained the phenomena of house concerts as a way to honor the per-
Mitch Barrett playing at the
Little Tree Concert on July
23, 2011
Mitch Barrett playing the
Dulcimer, Kentucky’s state
instrument.
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