Archie Roach To Launch Online Interview Series 'Uncle Archie’s Kitchen Table Yarns'

Australian music icon Archie Roach has today announced a brand new interview series set in his own kitchen. Uncle Archie’s Kitchen Table Yarns will see the legendary singer/songwriter play host to a number of young First Nations voices from the Aus music scene, interviewing them about their experiences and the impact of their identity on their music.

Since being forced to postpone his farewell tour as a result of the pandemic, Roach has pivoted to the interview series as an alternative way to connect with younger artists. Chatting from his home kitchen on his mother’s Gunditjmara ancestral lands, the series promises to be "a story of intergenerational celebration and connection through music."

“When I started off in music nobody had much of a clue about who I was and what I was writing about,” Roach 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."

Composer Allara Briggs Pattison - one of the series' subjects - says Uncle Archie's Kitchen Table will be a vital piece of media for both musicians and First Nations peoples in general. "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," she states. "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."

The first episode in the series, featuring Pattison, will be released on Roach's official Youtube page on 4 August. For updates concerning Roach's tour schedule, keep an eye out over at theGuide.