Australian icon, Archie Roach, rereleases his 2022 NSW tour dates and shares his Kitchen Table Yarns YouTube series.
Australian icon Archie Roach recently releases his highly awaited NSW tour dates for 2022. Set to play fourteen shows from January to April, the tour kicks off with a performance at Sydney’s Yabun Festival on January 26.
Following is another Sydney show at Supper Club at Mary’s Underground. Then, on to Lismore, Grafton, Coffs Harbour, Newcastle, Thirroul, Central Tilba, Bathurst, Dubbo, Griffith, Wagga Wagga, and finishing up at Albury Entertainment Centre on April 18.
Archie Roach explains,
“COVID really stopped a lot of us from going out to do what we love doing, playing music and interacting with people. I’m busting to get back on the road again; it’s been too long”
Tickets are on sale now from: www.archieroach.com/tour
Kitchen Table Yarns
Archie Roach introduces First Nations talent, Kee’ahn as the latest guest of his twelve-part series Kitchen Table Yarns; a YouTube series that aims to support emerging Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander singer-songwriters. Chatting via Zoom at Archie’s kitchen table, the episode is live now on the Archi Roach YouTube Channel.
Proud Kuku Yalanji, Jirrbal, Zenadth Kes song woman, Kee’ahn is busy achieving, since releasing her debut single “Better Things” in May 2020. She won the 2020 NIMA Archie Roach Foundation Award and the Music Vic Award for Best Emerging Artist.
Kee’ahn is also repping Australia at the US Folk Alliance ‘Folk Unlocked’ international conference for showcases in January. Then she’s on to SXSW in February. Next up, comes her rescheduled Northcote Social Club show on January 27, supported by June Jones.
Connecting With Archie Roach
Excited about the opportunity to yarn with Archie Roach for his Kitchen Table Yarns series, Kee’ahn says,
“[I look] forward to connecting with Uncle Archie after learning of his story as a teen growing up, first watching him play at Woodford folk festival a couple of years ago and admiring his strength in truth-telling and vulnerability. Having a yarn over a cup of tea is the perfect way to meet him and speak with him propa, so I’m incredibly grateful and honoured to have the opportunity to connect and learn from him.”
Archie says of Kee’ahn,
“Kee’ahn is a gentle young woman, originally from Townsville in north Queensland. I love that her heritage is Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander,” says Archie. “It was a pleasure for me to get to know her better through my Kitchen Table Yarns. Kee’ahn is a great singer songwriter. Her song, ‘Better Things’ just stops you in your tracks. It’s a song not just for the times we are going through now, but a song for the ages.”
Emerging First Nations Artists
Archie Roach’s online series features 12 emerging First Nations songwriters and musicians from around the country. Early episodes feature Allara Briggs Pattison, Rulla Kelly Mansell and Marlon Motlop, and Lydia Fairhall. Connecting through online video, Archie continues to invite these exceptional young artists to yarn with him at his kitchen table. The artists share stories about their songs, their communities, and their language throughout the episode.
December sees Archie share two episodes of his Kitchen Table Yarns series with Black Rock Band appearing as guests on episode 5, live now.
“I love the energy of the Black Rock Band, especially the front man, Richie,”
says Archie Roach. “They are a great young band from Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory and I am really proud of what they are achieving. And I’m really looking forward to having them join us on the Archie Roach Foundation stage at next year’s Port Fairy Folk Festival. I am sure people will come to love them and their music, as we have.”
Archie Roach’s Legacy
The legacy of Archie Roach forges ahead with Archie Roach Foundation. The artist’s partnerships with NIMAs and Music Vic Awards are in their fourth and fifth years.
“I am proud of the Archie Roach Foundation’s partnerships with both the National Indigenous Music Awards (NIMAs) and the Music Vic Awards. The NIMA’s partnership with the Foundation is now in its fourth year. This year’s recipient of the Archie Roach Foundation award was young NT rapper, J-MILLA,” explains Archie. J-MILLA is Archie’s first guest back on Kitchen Table Yarns in 2022.
Thrilled to have taken out this year’s Archie Roach Foundation Award, J-MILLA beams,
“I’m over the moon, aye! It’s such a blessing to receive this award and I am so honoured to be recognised and appreciated by a proper legend! Thank you Uncle Archie.”
Archie Roach says that, “Our partnership with Music Vic Awards is now in its fifth year. The Archie Roach Foundation Award for Emerging Talent (for First Nations Acts) will be announced on Thursday 10 December. All the nominees for the 2021 Award, Allara, Bumpy, Madi Colville Walker, The Merindas and River Boy are stars.
He explains that the awards are,
” a way to recognise our young emerging singer songwriters and the prize money we offer hopefully goes some way to support their creative projects. We look forward to continuing both these partnerships.”
Ancient Knowledge
Already set to be a huge year for Archie Roach with the remainder of his Kitchen Table Yarns series rolling out and the rescheduled NSW tour, 2022 will also see the inaugural The Archie Roach Foundation Stage set up at Port Fairy Folk Festival.
The stage will be curated by Archie Roach and the local Gunditjmara/Eastern Maar 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.
Tickets to the NSW tour are on sale now from www.archieroach.com/tour
Tune in to more Kitchen Table Yarns via Archie Roach’s YouTube Channel.
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