Dan and Kasey Barnhart, Healing with Music

 

 

Common Chords By Randall Hill

Dan and Kasey Barnhart

Fourteen-year old Kasey Barnhart was going through a tough time. Her parents, Dan Barnhart and Jan Howard, were splitting after 19 years, forcing the Carolina Forest 10th grader to deal with the complicated feelings that come for the children involved in such breakups.

“The emotions I felt were mostly anger cause I didn’t know what was going to happen,” she said during a visit at her father’s home outside Conway. “I felt like getting my words out in a song would help a lot more than throwing stuff across the room and yelling and crying. Music helped me a lot.”

Several months after the split, Kasey was making one of her regular visits to her 38-year-old dad.

“She started playing guitar about a year ago,” said Barnhart, wearing his trademark ball cap and a well-worn black Taylor guitar T-shirt. “I thought it would be kind of neat to write a song together.”

So father and daughter teamed up, and the collaboration produced an emotional ballad about their situation.

“The song `Stormy Weather’ was about our family breakup and how difficult it was on her and on me,” said Barnhart, taking a break from a recent practice session. “It was about healing.”

After they started writing together, performing together was the next step.

“Most of my friends don’t know that I sing and play guitar,” said Kasey, who lives with her mother in a two-bedroom apartment in Carolina Forest.

“We can’t just sit together and talk, that would be awkward,” she said, dressed in an angelic white dress and brushing her reddish blond hair to one side of her face. I’m a teenager and he’s an old man. Putting words and feelings into a song really helps our perspective to see how each other is feeling.”

Singer/songwriter Dan Barnhart and his daughter Kasey perform their song "Stormy Weather" in this music only video for Common Chords.

 

 

Singer/songwriter Dan Barnhart and his daughter Kasey perform their song "Monsters" in this music only video for Common Chords.

 

Stormy weather

By Dan and Kasey Barnhart

Four bedroom house we called our home

Now me and mom we live all alone

Two bedroom apartment on the edge of town

Kind of hard without you around

Walking around wonder if it will ever

Be the same as before when we were all together

Looks like I’m in for stormy weather

Though the skies are blue

Sweetheart you know that I love you

You know your mom and I both do

But we couldn’t get along

But you ain’t done nothing wrong

Walking around wonder if you will ever

Smile like you did when we were all together

Looks like I’m in for stormy weather

though the skies are blue

I’m not that little girl you use to know

I cant believe how much you’ve grown

Gone are the days of baby dolls

Now its cell phones and ipods

Walking around wonder if it will ever

be the same as before when we were all together

Looks like I’m in for stormy weather

Though the skies are blue

Comments

[Dan Barnhart]

I would like to thank randall hill and james rimes for all of their hard work...great job

[Jeanette Howard]

I definitely appreciate the work that Randall and James did for this wonderful video..

[Allison Krimmminger]

What a moving and wonderful insight into their story and situation. Break ups are hard for kids at any age, but Kasey has handled it with grace and has found a positive outlet through all the upset.

[T'Neah Brown]

Oh. My. Gosh. This is amazing! Kasey and her Dad are awesome!!!! They both have great voices! I Love You Kasey!!!!!!

[Alec paitsel]

Wow. Untill recently I had no idea that you were doing this. Keep it up because you are really good.

[Stacy Prince]

Great song. I could listen to this all day!

[Kathy]

What a beautiful bond a father and daughter share. It brought tears to my eyes. Dan, you are a terrific father & Kasey, you my dear, are a sweetheart. I can't think of a better way of expressing your emotions than through writing and singing music together. Kasey is absolutely right, throwing things won't resolve issues. It would only cause more pain and confusion. I do have correct Miss Kasey though, your father is not old.....lol, he is 38 years old. He is still a young man. I suppose when I was your age, I thought 38 was old too! Keep up the great work. I admire the bond that sharing music together has given you. Touched my heart!!! <3<3<3

[Jeanette Howard]

Wow, Kasey you are so good. What a set of lungs you have. You do look angelic in that dress. I love you, girl. Randall, thanks for a great article and video. I will enjoy looking at it all the time. And the newspaper, what a picture. Almost the whole page. Thanks for everything you did for Kasey. :)