In this conversation, Barnett English shares his journey from a music enthusiast to the founder of the Joshua Tree Music Festival. He discusses the unique aspects of his festival, including its intimate atmosphere, focus on emerging artists, and family-friendly environment. Barnett also addresses the challenges faced by the festival industry, especially in the wake of recent cancellations, and emphasizes the importance of shared experiences among attendees. The festival's diverse activities and workshops, along with its camping accommodations, contribute to a holistic experience for festival-goers. Vist the Website HERE Instagram HERE Follow The Highway 62 Instagram HERE Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Barnett English and the Joshua Tree Music Festival 03:05 Barnett's Journey into Music Festivals 05:58 The Unique Experience of Smaller Festivals 08:47 Artist Selection and Festival Philosophy 12:02 Challenges in the Festival Industry 15:03 The Importance of Shared Experiences 17:57 Family-Friendly Atmosphere at the Festival 20:56 Workshops and Activities Beyond Music 24:03 Logistics of Running a Biannual Festival 27:03 Camping and Accommodations at the Festival 29:55 Final Thoughts and Festival Highlights Barnett English (00:00.269) Yeah, it wouldn't be my first time. Danny (00:01.914) And so here we go. All right, Barnett English. Thank you so much for joining me here on the Highway 62 podcast. How are you today? Barnett English (00:12.377) Fabulous, best day of my life. Thanks for asking. Yeah. Danny (00:14.235) Every day, right? I love the background there. You got some really cool artwork going behind you. that you in the home office or? Barnett English (00:19.374) Hmm Yeah, world headquarters. It's our only headquarters. Yeah, yeah, some killer photos that friends have taken and trinkets and books. Things that inspire. Danny (00:33.838) Wonderful. Excellent. You are the founder, the creator of the Joshua Tree Music Festival. And I want to talk all about that and, you know, what's in store for this year. But first, I'd like to hear a little bit about your background prior to that and kind of how you found your way into starting a music festival. Barnett English (00:57.351) Yeah, that's a good question. Gosh, I've been a music junkie my whole life. So I started collecting albums when I was 10 years old. I'd get split albums with my brother and it Sears and Roebuck back in Louisville, Kentucky for five bucks an album. And then made hundreds and hundreds of mixed tapes and spent a really stupid amount of my earnings in my whole life on. Danny (01:12.044) Yeah. Barnett English (01:25.927) on records and CDs. So I've always loved music and then started a coffee business back in 93. Started selling coffee at music festivals. And so now 30 years later, I've been to over 1200 music festivals selling coffee. And the first one I went to back in 95, I saw some of my favorite bands and met these friends, people that are still friends today and had the most amazing time. Danny (01:34.815) okay. Barnett English (01:51.656) I walked away from that one going, you know, that's all I want to ever do is be at a music festival. This is, this is it. This has got it all, you know? And so here we are 30 years later and I'm still doing it. So I was going to coffee, selling coffee at these festivals. And then on a whim, I came to Joshua tree to the campground on Sun Fair road, the Joshua tree Lake campground, where we have the festival. There was a small didgeridoo gathering there. And so I came to sell coffee there and I drove in in the middle of the night and didn't see a thing and woke up in the morning and looked out and went, holy smokes, look at this view, know, looking at the national park and, you know, stars all, blinding stars at night. And then, so I mentioned to the folks that own the campground, said, hey, Sally, why don't you have a real music festival here, you know? And more than just didgeridoos, nothing against didgeridoos, but there are more instruments. Danny (02:29.23) Yeah. Danny (02:45.913) You should. Barnett English (02:47.689) So she said, you know, gosh, if you're so smart, why don't you do it yourself? And so she dared me. And so within six months, I'd moved to Joshua Tree, found a home and had our first music festival. And that was April of, April 9 through 11 of 2003, we had our first one. So, so I just fell in love with Joshua Tree instantly. Danny (03:05.324) Wow. Danny (03:09.579) It's, know, as you know, from just a little bit of, you know, chatting we had done, I'm a musician myself, so I'm used to, you know, from that musician side of going to big music festivals as a musician. You know, I've played Reading and Leeds and I just got back this weekend, this last weekend, we played Riot Fest in Chicago, which is a huge music festival. And I guess from my standpoint, when you say like, Barnett English (03:23.506) Yeah. Barnett English (03:32.349) Right. Danny (03:37.741) All she ...
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