Born into a highly eccentric and artistic family, Seattle-born Barbara Ireland’s childhood was offbeat and never dull. One of the quirks (and perks) was that every night for years she and her drummer brother were given unofficial ‘instruction’ by their George Carlin-esque father on how to listen to the deeper nuances in music, and how to appreciate a huge variety of genres from all the rock greats, to R&B, bebop jazz, and blues.
Barbara got her first taste of playing an instrument when she was seven years old and began piano lessons. ‘Baa Baa Black Sheep’ just didn’t cut it for her; it was composing that grabbed her interest the most. A year later she had a dream in which a woman taught her how to play a concert harp – and immediately Barbara began harp lessons. At age nine, she composed a book of songs for beginning harpists titled, ‘Songs From Nature’ that is still in use today.
Barbara began gigging at age 16, playing a multitude of synths as well as singing in Gordon Raphael’s band, Mental Mannequin. Later she joined Upchuck Gerra’s seminal glam-punk band, The Fags, first as keyboardist, and later as bassist and vocalist. It was at a Fags show that she first met Pearl Jam’s Stone Gossard who describes The Fags: “This band had it all… shows of such beautiful chaos and bacchanalia that the audience became part of this orgy of musical and sexual exploration…” Over the next few years, Barbara performed in the bands: Sleeping Movement, Red Masque, and The Romans.
Barbara continued to develop herself musically by studying jazz piano and voice at Cornish College; composing soundtracks; singing jazz standards in smoky New York bars; and composing classical songs on piano.
Barbara enjoyed every moment of recording and performing as singing-partner with Stone Gossard in his solo band, the Hank Khoir.
She also played bass in The Spooges, a band that celebrated the music, lyrics and artistic vision of Iggy Pop and The Stooges… and Spooges shows always proved to be a wild, glitter rock spectacles!
In 2010 Barbara released her cd of pheromone jazz, “Turning Back Time: Music To Kiss By”.
In 2012 she released her original tunes on the cd, “RED.”
Barbara’s 3rd cd is in the works…
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