BarBaRa

I'm from a performing family line, and my maternal grandparents were vaudevillian singers/dancers/actors. My aunt and great aunt were well-established stage actors in.

I was one of those children who choreographed little song and dance concerts, and performed them along with my sisters, for my (then-surviving vaudevilllian) grandfather and parents.

I sang on the 'channel niners' show as a teenager in a guest performance with a singing group my mother managed, called 'the joybelles', but at that stage I had a lot of living and discovery to enjoy and didn't really take it further.

Also as a teenager my dancing was more prominant. I started dancing at about 4years of age, and still love it, form classical and jazz ballet, to latin dance (salsa, merengue, tango etc) to bellydance and my own style of moving.

After attaining a Cert. in Performing Arts, and Stage Management, I moved on to theatre and singing in various bands.

I wrote my first song and recorded that and subsequent songs mid 2000. I performed some of them at the Woodford Folk Festival (a well-known event each year just north of Brisbane, Australia), and my cd '...and in the beginning' was launched.

I play djembe, some harp, zills, req and am learning to play keyboard, and more of my lap harp.

I'm performing now with a small orchestra (vocals) and about to join a rock band on the coast.

I am looking at doing a couple of albums of my own songs, along with a couple of songs 'BM' has written for me. Some of these songs are up now on this site, with lots more that I've written/am writing, and waiting to be produced.

One of my goals for the future is to to enjoy this amazing country of ours and (why not) overseas, if the opportunity arises. I will be starting my Bachelor of Creative Arts (Multimedia) degree early next year. Meanwhile I'm learning heaps, and loving it. I'm experimenting with styles and letting go of censorship to see where this all goes.

Previously I performed in a duo, which launched me into the music industry. A lot of learning there, for which I am grateful.

I'm performing and writing regularly right now with my partner,Ralf Tyrrell, who is an accomplished producer/performer/songwriter/musician. Blue Iguana is our new band with a regular gig in Maleny Qld (Australia); Tarnogard, for when it's Ralf and Me. BarBaRa when it's just me.

I do backing vocals for some of our recording clients. That's lots of fun and filled with variety.

I used to sing mainly at the Upfront club in Maleny, the Maleny TearRoom, and occasionally at the Red Kettle club in Mapleton, on Queensland's Sunshine Coast hinterland. Special moments? yes. They're all great fun.

I started out with alternative styles, native american type stuff. A spiritual message done kinda bluesy, and an alternative christmas song (up previously), but lately I've gone a little broader and I'm experimenting with a wider range of songs. Some a little risque, and others more romantic , lovesongs.

The country style seems to suit me and I am writing more of those for my album. We're paying some attention to more covers (we normally do our originals), and they are having some influence on our writing, but also the reverse. It's an interesting journey putting my own "stamp" on a cover song.

lots, but I have a really good mike (shure), my lovely djembe and a few little bits and peices that I tie to it (like my rain maker made from porcupine quills and beans in a hollowed out wooden cylinder), shaker eggs, some aboriginal style sticks (for a great tac tac sound). my own voice.

I was born on John Lennon's birthday, the 9th October, and like him, I am passionate about making a difference to this planet. My poetry reflects that, and some of my older songs. I feel that music is a healing tool of it's own merit. I feel that I'm going into a wider direction. I'm still learning (as are we all), about songwriting (most of my songs fall into my head and are written in five minutes, which is very useable) and how to move it to something workable.

I am more creative than technical, more right brained than left. This is an interesting journey.