The Big Barn Dance turned 20
In Full Moon ‘New Mexico Rain’ style
IF THERE WAS A DOWNSIDE to this year’s Big Barn Dance it could be that Michael Hearne and his daughter Sarah Hearne Naftis, Event Director, have raised the bar to an unprecedented level. The event was sold out well before the three-day music festival started, and the Art Stroll saw more locals taking advantage of the free music than in the event’s history. Along with the beautiful weather, enthusiastic crowds, and a community of talented musicians, there was a spirit palpable to nearly everyone. The day after the 20th annual event had culminated, a tired and happy Michael Hearne reflected, “It’s always been like this, but it’s never been like this. I feel like we found the right formula for this festival with the setup with the town of Taos, the musicians — some who are already booked for next year. The audience was so full of joy — my head is in the clouds and my heart is full.” Music legend Rodney Crowell first came to Taos when Joni Mitchell suggested it as a place to heal a broken heart. “I came and let nature talk to me,” he explained. “There’s a feeling to this place that is special, just like there is a feeling to music. We’re feeling it when we’re playing, the dancers are feeling it when they move to it, and I want to contribute to those feelings here.”
Crowell performed Friday night with his Nashville-based band albeit with some local flavor mixed in. Talparesident and keyboard master John Hobbs, sat in for Crowell’s bass player and expertly played bass from his keyboard. It was apparent how important feeling the music is to Crowell, as he directed his musicians during their preshow rehearsal, “If you feel it and the audience is feeling it, then keep going.” Later he explained, “I’m not going to rein them in because the audience will feel that. When the magic is touching the crowd and us on stage, we’re all feeling the same thing and that’s what we want to achieve. The audience is part of the music too.” Leslie Jobe would no doubt agree. She first came to the Big Barn Dance in 2011, with her now husband Dino, who reside outside of Austin, Texas. But back then it was following the couple’s first blind
date,“Dino had tickets and asked me to go. Despite my children thinking I was crazy to head to New Mexico with a stranger, I agreed. I was welcomed by this family of people here in Taos and it keeps us coming back. We are so grateful for the time and effort that goes into making this happen each year.” Bob Fulton of Westcliffe, Colorado, has been coming to the Big Barn Dance since 2010 and speaks to a similar experience. “We keep coming back for the power of the music. Michael and Sarah knocked it out of the park this year.”
Tina Maniacalchi-Rochowiak from Glenwood Springs, Colorado, added, “I appreciate how the artists connect with the audience.” That connection is not only a result of Hearne’s love of the music, but also his love for the people who collectively share in the experience. “It’s a music festival and a love festival. I hope we can have the Barn Dance for years to come. Bill Hearne put on the best show I’ve ever seen him play at the Barn Dance.”
Indeed, that performance not only included world-renowned Scottish harmonica player Spider Mackenzie, but also included, as Travis Hearne joked, “about 745 Hearnes on stage.” The collective family of Hearnes and “Hearnettes” joined together to sing ‘New Mexico Rain’ while the audience sang along. From the always-popular and energetic, Beat Root Revival, and Balsam Range, who played with such talent, the audience often erupted in impromptu standing ovations midsong, to the iconic Lost Gonzo Band, who joined the crowds in clapping for their band members who were playing with nearly unmatched talent — this year felt extra special. Hearne ended the festival with a stage full of musicians performing the classic Dobie Gray hit, “Drift Away,” in front of a dance floor full of dancers wearing vibrant colors and twirling skirts that seemed to be part of the music. As if on cue with the last note played, the skies opened up and delivered a ‘New Mexico Rain,’ a fitting adieu to the man who wrote the song and had just closed out perhaps his most successful Big Barn Dance yet. As fans scurried out of Kit Carson Park, one group could be heard singing the famous line from Hearne’s well-loved song, “If I ain’t happy here, I ain’t happy nowhere.”