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Auburn parks counselor records as 'Little Farmers,' places albums on streaming services
Summary
Simon Barry, a City of Auburn camp counselor, described creating the music project Little Farmers during the COVID era and releasing multiple albums and tracks on streaming platforms. He said the work is intended to be humorous and family‑friendly and that campers occasionally hear his songs at programs.
A City of Auburn camp counselor who performs under the name Little Farmers described on the Parks podcast how a collaborative, lighthearted music project that began during COVID has grown into multiple albums available on mainstream streaming platforms. Why it matters: Local creative activity by municipal staff can connect youth programming and community culture; music shared with campers becomes part of program life and community identity. Simon Barry said he and a friend began making songs as a joke while playing video games during the pandemic, then expanded the project and released material on services such as Apple Music and Spotify. He described the songs as intentionally unserious, often comedic, and aimed at making people laugh rather than being serious commercial releases. Barry said he has put together three albums and roughly 50 tracks across the releases. Barry also discussed producing recordings in home settings (a Mac in his garage) and using freely available beats, and said some campers have heard or reacted to his music during programs. The podcast hosts and fellow counselors described varied reactions from children when songs were played in camp settings. What’s next: Barry said he continues to write and record, sometimes involving friends with little prior studio experience, and distributes new material through standard music platforms. The Parks team noted staff creativity can be part of the recreational environment but did not discuss any department policy changes related to outside creative work.
