*penrhythm*

When Sarah Barry came over from her home town in County Leitrim, Eire with her Australian husband, Dave Ballantine, in October 2006, no-one could have known the impact they would make, least of all these two unassuming, yet talented, musicians and entertainers.Their love of, and ability and interest in, music soon had them seeking out places where they could listen to good sounds - and join in and play themselves.A hugely talented percussionist and flutist, as well as bandleader, Sarah made a living as a professional musician back home. Dave, a circus performer before taking a year out to learn the craft of boat building from the many experts in and around the Falmouth area, was himself a decent drummer in his own right, but had become an accomplished performer after two years of marriage.Back in Falmouth, Sarah and Dave were increasingly meeting people with no musical experience, and no known musical talent either, who told by them they would love to learn to play a musical instrument and be part of a band. So Sarah and Dave decided to set-up a samba band, using their own money to buy the instruments.It wasn’t just drums that Sarah and Dave bought, either. As Sarah said, “A lot of people assume that samba is about drums, and it is and they are important. But it is also about bells, shakers, tambourims and other instruments, too.”The mix of primal beats and hip swinging rhythms proved irresistible. It wasn’t long before the numbers doubled. A gig was quickly booked for Miss Peapod’s at Jubilee Wharf in Penryn. Someone in the crowd heard enough to convince them that Sarah and Dave’s eclectic mix samba band could mix it at a reggae night full mainly of students.Joe Weir, another original band member, remembers it well, “The venue above Miss Peapod’s was in full swing while we were next door getting the tunes tight. There were a lot of nerves, but also a lot of excitement and quite a buzz. We walked in around 11.30pm, set up in front of the djs and, under Sarah’s expert guidance, belted out our three tunes non-stop for a good half an hour. We got a great reaction from the crowd, who danced all round us in a semi-circle and got right into the intoxication sound of samba.”‘Bangers and Mash’ was the name the group gave themselves that night, but being a very democratic and easy going collective it never stood, as some members didn’t like it. That never stopped other offers of gigs being received, and before long Sarah and Dave had created a sought after samba band, made up largely of first time players of musical instruments.Sarah and Dave, their courses finished, have returned to County Leitrim.Still without a permanent name, going under the guise of ‘Penrhythm', ‘Samba Assassins’, ‘Sambatastic’ and ‘The Goblin Drummers', ‘Drum and Drummer’ and now without the leaders and organisers, the remaining band members were determined to keep the group going.*Penrhythm* now includes band members who are Falmouth born and bred, and others from Thailand, Japan, Canada and all parts of the British Isles. We range in ages from early twenties to fifty plus, and our previous musical experience and ability is about as wide. But thanks to Sarah and Dave we have gathered a bit of momentum in terms of learning samba rhythms and playing gigs. We are building on that and keeping the band going establishing a name for ourselves and growing larger and larger.»-(¯`v´¯)-» Design your MySpace with MyLook «-(¯`v´¯)-«