ARCHIE ROACH ANNOUNCES INAUGURAL ‘THE ARCHIE ROACH FOUNDATION STAGE’ FOR 2022 PORT FAIRY FOLK FESTIVAL
National treasure, Archie Roach is thrilled to announce the launch of the inaugural THE ARCHIE ROACH FOUNDATION STAGE at 2022 Port Fairy Folk Festival. The stage will be curated by Archie Roach and the local Gunditjmara community of southwest Victoria, and will provide the opportunity to share the ancient knowledge of the Gunditjmara people through dance, art, music, storytelling and conversations about native plants and bush medicines.
“It’s very important and culturally significant that we, as the Gunditjmara community in southwest Victoria, can share our culture which has existed for well over sixty thousand years, with the rest of the community, especially those attending the folk festival,” explains Archie. “For me personally, it’s huge! I was taken away as a child from my mother’s country when only two years old. To come back to my community and to be able to present our culture on the Archie Roach Foundation stage would not have happened if I had not found my way back to my people. The local Gunditjmara community will be programming the stage and that’s what is exciting about this idea. We are only limited by our imagination. I am very grateful to both RISE and Port Fairy Folk Festival for getting behind this, and I’m so stoked and can’t wait to present something exceptional!”
On Wednesday next week, Archie will unveil the first episode of Kitchen Table Yarns – his twelve-part YouTube series initiated to support emerging Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander singer songwriters. Episode one will see Archie invite the supremely talented Yorta Yorta woman, Allara Briggs Pattison to yarn with him (via zoom) at his kitchen table to share stories about her songs, her community and her language.
With thanks to Creative Victoria and the Australia Council For The Arts for making this project possible, this incredible series will be a story of intergenerational celebration and connection through music. The first episode is set for release at 5pm AEST on August 4, and the second and third episodes featuring Rulla Mansell & Marlon Motlop will land at 5pm AEST on August 18, and Lydia Fairhall at 5pm AEST on September 1. And then new episodes will drop at 5pm AEST on the first Wednesday of each month thereafter, all available to stream on Archie Roach’s YouTube channel www.youtube.com/archieroachmusic
“When I started off in music nobody had much of a clue about who I was and what I was writing about,” Archie explains. “I was considered a curiosity. Yarning at my kitchen table with these young artists will help people understand who they are and give them another platform to promote their music. The kitchen table has always been a place of inspiration for me. It’s a place where I’ve written most of my songs, drank many cups of tea, ate meals, played music whilst my children ran around making plenty of noise. It represents family, community and love. We thought it would be a great idea to have a YouTube series and conversation at the kitchen table.”
“It’s important their voices are heard so they don’t have to go through what I went through. They are our future and when the time comes for us older singer songwriters to finish up we know it’s in good hands.”
And it is bittersweet that today Archie has been announced on the lineup for Queenscliff Music Festival set to take place on November 26, 27 and 28 this year, but regrettably also today announces the rescheduling of his nine-date regional NSW tour due to the evolving COVID-19 circumstances in NSW. All tickets purchased will be honoured for the new dates (which will be announced in the coming weeks), without need for exchange.
“We are sorry to inform you that we had to reschedule the NSW regional tour that was going to happen in August – to early next year because of the current COVID situation,” explains Archie,“Please hold on to your tickets, as we are really looking forward to catching up with you early next year. I hope everybody stays safe during these uncertain times. Look after yourselves.”
Tune in to each episode at youtube.com/archieroachmusic
For more information, head to www.archieroach.com
WED 4 AUG | 5PM AEST | KITCHEN TABLE YARNS | EP 1 FEAT. ALLARA BRIGGS PATTISON | WATCH
WED 18 AUG | 5PM AEST | KITCHEN TABLE YARNS | EP 2 FEAT. RULLA MANSELL & MARLON MOTLOP | WATCH
WED 1 SEP | 5PM AEST | KITCHEN TABLE YARNS | EP 3 FEAT. LYDIA FAIRHALL | WATCH
26 27 28 NOV 2021 | QUEENSCLIFF MUSIC FESTIVAL, VIC | TICKETS QMF.NET.AU
Further information on the first three Kitchen Table Yarns artists:
Allara Briggs Pattison is a Yorta Yorta, musician, composer, filmmaker, and involved in the climate justice movement. Using a double bass and loop station at the core, she is inspired by ancient oral traditions and is a natural storyteller. Allara harnesses hard-hitting spoken word taking the listener on a journey reflecting cultural, spiritual and environmental empowerment. Gently lulling audiences into a united chorus of unadorned melodies, her sound is unique and soul-stirring.
“The kitchen table series is super exciting and such an amazing opportunity for emerging artists to chat with Uncle Archie about music, life and culture. Even when gigs seem to be cancelled over and over again, this series creates something deadly, ongoing and humbling in a time when there is no stability as a musician. Big love and thanks to Uncle Archie for the opportunity to yarn over a cuppa tea and a Monte Carlo.”
Rulla X Marlon burst onto the Australian music scene in under a year. The two played football together at the Glenelg FC in Adelaide, SA but In the past year have gone from kicking footballs to kicking down doors and performing on some of the biggest stages in this COVID era. From opening for Midnight Oil at WOMADelaide to rocking the stage at the Bass in the Grass Festival in Darwin, the two are backed by an all First Nations band to bring you a sound so compelling it makes you want to dance, with lyrics that make you want to think. Rolling Stone has labelled Marlon X Rulla as an act to “…undoubtedly need, to pay attention to as their careers rise”.
“To be able to share a yarn with Uncle Archie means more than we can put into a small sentence or to even try and summarise. It’s beyond an honour. It’s a moment in time I have no doubt we’ll cherish for the rest of our lives. Uncle Archie means so much to us individually but also collectively to all people. Uncle Archie epitomises the essence of a true authentic storyteller. His being will transcend for generations, long into the future.”
Lydia Fairhall is a Worimi woman respected nationally as a theatre and film producer, a community arts and cultural development practitioner, a writer, an artistic director, a musician, songwriter and more. She has programmed and produced countless shows, for the likes of ILBIJERRI Theatre Company, Brown Cabs, Queensland Performing Arts Centre, Bangarra Dance Theatre, Sydney Theatre Company, Footscray Community Arts Centre while also producing a run of incredible albums including her most recent – ‘True North’.
“Uncle Archie’s music has got so many of us through hard times and been the soundtrack to our joy and belonging. It is an honour of the highest kind to be joining him at his kitchen table.”
GOLDING ANNOUNCE NEW SINGLE & VIDEO BOXING UNDERWATER FEAT. CAILIN RUSSO
Indie electronic stunners Golding have today announced their neoteric new single Boxing Underwater, a meandering, expressive track that ponders – will the magnetic force that drew two people together still exist when those people are sober? Co-written with beloved pop songwriter Jarryd James and featuring the breathtakingly understated vocals of Cailin Russo, Boxing Underwater is out today.
Boxing Underwater is evocative of indie-electro-pop influences such as RÜFÜS DU SOL, Running Touch, and Chet Faker, yet Golding continues to carve a unique path for themselves through their intricate, hooky vocal melodies, modern, sharp production, and clever lyrical turns that keep the listener guessing. Boxing Underwater is particularly special, co-written alongside global superstar and master melodist Jarryd James, as lead singer Jay from Golding explains, “Jarryd has always been a huge inspiration and someone I’ve looked up to as an artist. He’s always encouraged me to explore my musical freedoms and demonstrated the idea of ‘you can do anything’, there’s no rules in songwriting. To finally be creating in a room with him was a special moment for me.”
Working alongside LA artist Cailin Russo was another snappy opportunity for Golding – and she is a perfect choice for this track, as her voice floats delicately amongst the hypnotic electronic bed of instruments. Reflecting on their time working together, Jay remarks, “We didn’t realise that the song could grow even more until Cailin came on to feature. I’ve been a fan of Cailin’s music for years and have always had her in the back of my mind as someone I’d like to work with. Her vocals really helped set the tone and the mood of the song, all the pieces fell into place.”
The mood of the track is wistful, even a little melancholy, but undeniably beautiful. There’s room for the listener’s interpretation, yet another alluring charm – the audience will interpret each word and each textural movement differently, as Jay explains, “I love how creatively vague the lyrics are. I really want people to find their own meaning within the track and hope the lyrics can speak to people in their own way. Boxing Underwater is a melodic expression that evokes emotion through the sonics of the track, allowing listeners to create their own sub-narrative and imagery in their minds.”
Filmed and directed by Nicholas Stevens (Havana Brown, Manu Crooks, Onefour) at Fastback Studios, the video for Boxing Underwater is engaging and beautifully shot, taking on a life of its own, as Matt explains, “It was really important to us to show varying sides of relationships, not just the good but the bad too. We wanted to capture the emotion of a real relationship so we were lucky enough to have real-life couple Mikalah and Zohar star in the clip, you can truly feel the love and chemistry between them as you watch the video unfold.”
After the success of their recent collaboration with Boo Seeka on Don’t Waste Your Love and previous single Alone. Together now on its way to notching up 2 million streams on Spotify alone (and spawning that ultracool Touch Sensitive remix), it’s a thrill to see this electrifying duo back again so soon, and with such a strong offering. This really is just a taste of what is to come from Golding.
Boxing Underwater feat. Cailin Russo is out today.
Golding is Jay Bainbridge and Matt Bartlem.
“‘Boxing Underwater’ sees the pair – comprising Jay Bainbridge and Matt Bartlem – working with US artist Cailin Russo to create the uplifting, melodic single which sees razor sharp production, slick musicianship, and clever lyrical turns coming together to create an impressive pop tune” Rolling Stone AU
DRAPHT SHARES NEW SONG PROBLEM HERE FEAT. COMPLETE & ELI GREENEYES + NEW ALBUM SHADOWS AND SHININGS OUT SEPTEMBER 10
Aussie hiphop king Drapht will tonight share his electrifying new track Problem Here, featuring fellow local Perth hypes Complete and Eli Greeneyes, dropping at 8pm AEST. Accompanied by a killer video, Problem Here is the second taste of the prolific artist’s brilliant new album Shadows and Shinings, an introspective and complex release demonstrative of Drapht’s impressive penchant for reinvention, out September 10 – and available for pre-order now. To celebrate the new album, Drapht will be hitting the road in September for a massive national tour, kicking off at Settlers Tavern in Margaret River, WA on September 3, then moving through Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne, Geelong, Maroochydore, Brisbane and wrapping up at Miami Marketta on the Gold Coast on September 26.
Problem Here follows on from the spectacular Shadows On My Walls (that was complemented by the wacky, supremely clever video), a haunting track written “on the verge of a breakdown”, as Drapht himself describes. The two tracks feel connected through the act of self-reflection – Drapht’s uncanny ability to identify the things poisoning his outlook on life and dissecting them through hooky melodies, nostalgic, persistant beats and clever production. Problem Here feels equally influenced by Eminem as it does Machine Gun Kelly and Andre 3000, and with brilliant vocal contribution from Eli Greeneyes (who also produced the track) and Complete, this song is seriously powerful. Speaking on the inspiration behind Problem Here, Drapht explains, “It was the last song written for my album. I had just bought my dream house in the hills of Perth, and the week I moved all my stuff in – planes started flying over. Then I found termites in the roof, snakes in the backyard, and to top it all off I have a toddler at home and I decided to throw a puppy in the mix just for some extra excitement. It was all a tad bit stressful…!”
Filmed and directed by close Perth friends Complete and Uncool Sam from Drop Shot Media, the video for Problem Here is comical and true to narrative, as Drapht enthuses, “This clip was loads of fun and super easy to make, as we just focused on bringing the lyrics to life within the house where the initial idea came about. Thankfully the termites and snakes weren’t living there anymore.”
The new album Shadows and Shinings is a step into new territory for Drapht, but that’s no surprise – Drapht has proven album after album that he will always challenge himself as an artist and push the genre of Aussie hiphop in exciting directions with every release. Shadows and Shinings is a 15-track adventure through the human psyche, contemplative and deep, but still full to bursting with addictive beats and clever production. Finished during the lockdowns of 2020, Drapht explains the process behind the album, “This album to me has been one big purge and a reset for the most part. It kind of feels like it’s meant to be slotted in just after my 2011 release The Life of Riley. Some song ideas had been following me around for 8 or 9 years, with others only being a few months. For the most part I owe finishing it to the isolation period in 2020. I had a lot of time to reflect on the identity and the relationships that came with making music. I found a lot of peace in letting go, going back to what I knew worked and concentrating on the people who truly matter… I worked with a heap of killer guests and friends on this project. There’s a lot of cathartic venting within the subject matter, but in all, it was the easiest and most enjoyable album I have made to date. I truly believe this is my best stuff.”
Drapht is a national treasure at this point, with platinum records, multi-platinum and gold singles and two ARIA awards under his belt. Shadows and Shinings is a stellar addition to his discography and will further prove his complete legend status, not just in the world of Aussie hiphop, but across the entire Australian music industry. Luckily, fans across the nation will have the chance to see Drapht live on his national tour in September – giving fans a taste of what to expect, Drapht says, “You can expect your old mate, backed by a high energy, six-piece live band of friends, and we’ll be playing 15 years worth of bangers.”
Problem Here featuring Complete & Eli Greeneyes is released at 8pm AEST this evening.
Shadows and Shinings is out September 10 – pre-order now.