ARCHIE ROACH ANNOUNCES 'RUBY HUNTER AWARD' AHEAD OF ARCHIE ROACH FOUNDATION STAGE CURATION AT PORT FAIRY FOLK FESTIVAL THIS WEEKEND
Archie Roach - photo credit James Morris for Baked
Beloved Australian music icon, Archie Roach has today announced the Ruby Hunter Award – an award designed to support emerging First Nations female artists, with the first recipient set to be announced on Friday night at the Archie Roach Foundation Stage, the opening night of the Port Fairy Folk Festival. Ruby Hunter was a trailblazer and an acclaimed songwriter and performer who used music to champion the rights of Aboriginal women, so it is only fitting the award recipient will score artist mentoring sessions with some of this country’s most recognised First Nations women in music, as well as a $5,000 cash prize.
Archie beams,“I am very proud to be able to announce this inaugural Ruby Hunter Award - it will help fulfil Ruby's vision to support and nuture young emerging female artists. It's great that the first recipient will be a young Ngarrindjeri woman.”
A Maar Nation Elder, Archie is incredibly proud to launch the Archie Roach Foundation (ARF) stage on Peek Whurrong country in south west Victoria this weekend, thanks to a very special partnership with the Port Fairy Folk Festival. Archie explains the importance and cultural significance of the Maar Nation community sharing culture which has existed for well over sixty thousand years with Port Fairy Folk Festival audiences. “For me personally, it’s huge! I was taken away as a child from my mother’s country when I was just two years old. To return to my community and be able to present our culture on the ARF Stage would not have happened if I had not found my way back to my people. I feel honoured that the ARF stage will be at this year's Port Fairy Folk Festival and I am most excited to showcase Eastern Maar culture and all the up and coming artists that will be performing on stage.”
Curated by Archie and members of the Maar Nation, the stage shines a wholehearted spotlight on both emerging and established First Nations musicians from across Australia. It will host a series of community-led traditional dance, art and songwriting workshops, curated conversations, storytelling, yarning circles and more, with a stack of the weekend’s curation being livestreamed on Archie Roach’s social media accounts. Hear Kutcha Edwards, Emma Donovan, The Merindas, Shellie Morris, Amos Roach, Kee’ahn, Lee Morgan, JALGANY, MARLON X RULLA, the Singing Our Futures collective, NT rapper J-MILLA and remote West Arnhem Land up and comers, Black Rock Band. The stage will also host a live 'Kitchen Table Yarn' with Archie and some very special young guests, with the yarn set to land on Archie’s YouTube channel as episode 7 of his online ‘Kitchen Table Yarns’ series. “I love the Kitchen Table Yarns and the opportunity to do it on the ARF stage will give people a better idea of what it's all about,” says Archie. “And I am looking forward to seeing my young guests face to face as the online Kitchen Table Yarns came into being during COVID when we could not go anywhere.”
The Archie Roach Foundation stage is proudly supported by the Restart Investment to Sustain and Expand (RISE) Fund – an Australian Government initiative. Head to https://portfairyfolkfestival.com/tickets/ for information.
This week holds a lot of significance for Archie Roach, with his film Wash My Soul in the River’s Flow (a cinema portrait of two of Australia’s great artists: Archie Roach and Ruby Hunter at the peak of their powers) hitting cinemas across Australia on March 10, and his career anthology My Songs 1989-2021 set for release on March 11. Happy to be as busy as ever, Archie enthuses, “I am excited to launch my career anthology, My Songs 1989-2021at the festival on Sunday and will be performing my new song, One Song with my band and special guest, Sally Dastey. And this weekend also sees the national release of Wash My Soul in the Rivers Flow which celebrates Ruby's music and her story of the lower Murray River and Corrong.”
And Archie will be setting off on his NSW/QLD tour at the end of the month, performing sixteen dates across regional NSW and QLD in what has been announced to be his last road tour.
For tickets and information, head to https://www.archieroach.com/tour
ARCHIE ROACH TOUR DATES
https://www.archieroach.com/tour
THU 31 MAR – SARATON THEATRE, GRAFTON NSW
FRI 01 APR – CIVIC THEATRE, IPSWICH QLD **NEW SHOW**SELLING FAST**
SAT 02 APR – NORPA, LISMORE NSW **SOLD OUT**
SUN 03 APR – PRINCESS THEATRE, BRISBANE QLD **NEW SHOW**
TUE 05 APR – JETTY MEMORIAL THEATRE, COFFS HARBOUR NSW **SELLING FAST**
WED 06 APR - JETTY MEMORIAL THEATRE, COFFS HARBOUR NSW **SOLD OUT**
FRI 08 APR – DUBBO REGIONAL THEATRE & CONVENTION CENTRE, DUBBO NSW
SAT 09 APR - GRIFFITH REGIONAL THEATRE, GRIFFITH NSW
SUN 10 APR - WAGGA CIVIC THEATRE, WAGGA WAGGA NSW (PRESENTED BY GREAT SOUTHERN NIGHTS) **SELLING FAST**
TUE 12 APR – BATHURST MEMORIAL CENTRE, BATHURST NSW
WED 13 APR – TILBA VALLEY WINERY & ALE HOUSE, CORUNNA NSW
15-16 APR - NATIONAL FOLK FESTIVAL, CANBERRA ACT
MON 18 APR - ALBURY ENTERTAINMENT CENTRE, ALBURY NSW
THU 21 APR – SUPPER CLUB @ MARY’S UNDERGROUND, SYDNEY NSW **SELLING FAST**
FRI 22 APR – CITY HALL, NEWCASTLE NSW **SELLING FAST**
SAT 23 APR – ANITA’S THEATRE, THIRROUL NSW **SELLING FAST**
