Good Medicine
Archie Roach
The Playhouse
November 15, 2012
In the notes accompanying his most recent album Into The Bloodstream, Archie Roach writes about pain with a capital P. In the space of about two years, he lost his beloved partner and muse, Ruby Hunter, and after that followed a stroke, then a diagnosis of lung cancer. The latter resulted in surgery and a fear that his ability to sing might be affected as a result, on top of the fear that he wouldn't be able to create anymore in that his "reason for words" was gone. This latest record arose in the wake of these events, and it's played a massive part in the healing process. Great sadness has given way to hope. It's sad that Roach is just about as well known for his life punctuated by sorrow and difficult times, as he is for his soulful singing and songwriting. But the album launch last Thursday night, which also opened the 2012 Australasian Worldwide Music Expo, was very much a celebration of the man, his music and his ability to come out the other side of another tumultuous period in his life.
Although his voice was a little fragile for the first couple of numbers, it lacked nothing in its feeling and the power to evoke what it was like during Roach's childhood. The record is very much a story of his life, tracing back to his recollections of his mother and being taken away from her, all the way through to his love for Ruby, and above all his gratitude for still having a song to sing now. I haven't been to a show in recent times where I've felt the need to come home and scribble down every detail before I forget it. With most of the songs on the album lined with gospel, blues and soul, it would be easy to sum up the night by saying that it felt very much like going to church. Above all it was a celebration of rising above the pain of hard times and focussing on the good, imbued with a heavy dose of perspective and giving thanks. What have we really got to complain about anyway?
It's such a cliche but you could very much feel the love in the room, and not just because the stage was full of people, including the band, choir, brass and string sections. Small things like Paul Kelly coming up to sing with Roach, and taking his hand, demonstrate how loved he is amongst his peers, as well as so many younger musicians - whether indigenous or not - who cite him as an inspiration. He gives voice to feelings of loss and love, as well as describing the land and its connection to his people, but without a hint of anger or ostensible activism. The fact that he makes his songs so personal makes them all the more real to the listener, much moreso than any political statement. Simple truisms like if you were to heal the land, you have a chance at healing the people and vice versa, would mean something more loaded coming from anyone else. It says a lot about just what a gentle soul Roach is in that he finished up the hour-and-a-half show by saying how he hoped that if there was anyone who had come along with troubles on their mind, perhaps the evening had helped to lift their spirits. As for me, I wasn't so much troubled when I got there, but I was definitely elated when I left.
The Playhouse
November 15, 2012
In the notes accompanying his most recent album Into The Bloodstream, Archie Roach writes about pain with a capital P. In the space of about two years, he lost his beloved partner and muse, Ruby Hunter, and after that followed a stroke, then a diagnosis of lung cancer. The latter resulted in surgery and a fear that his ability to sing might be affected as a result, on top of the fear that he wouldn't be able to create anymore in that his "reason for words" was gone. This latest record arose in the wake of these events, and it's played a massive part in the healing process. Great sadness has given way to hope. It's sad that Roach is just about as well known for his life punctuated by sorrow and difficult times, as he is for his soulful singing and songwriting. But the album launch last Thursday night, which also opened the 2012 Australasian Worldwide Music Expo, was very much a celebration of the man, his music and his ability to come out the other side of another tumultuous period in his life.
Although his voice was a little fragile for the first couple of numbers, it lacked nothing in its feeling and the power to evoke what it was like during Roach's childhood. The record is very much a story of his life, tracing back to his recollections of his mother and being taken away from her, all the way through to his love for Ruby, and above all his gratitude for still having a song to sing now. I haven't been to a show in recent times where I've felt the need to come home and scribble down every detail before I forget it. With most of the songs on the album lined with gospel, blues and soul, it would be easy to sum up the night by saying that it felt very much like going to church. Above all it was a celebration of rising above the pain of hard times and focussing on the good, imbued with a heavy dose of perspective and giving thanks. What have we really got to complain about anyway?
It's such a cliche but you could very much feel the love in the room, and not just because the stage was full of people, including the band, choir, brass and string sections. Small things like Paul Kelly coming up to sing with Roach, and taking his hand, demonstrate how loved he is amongst his peers, as well as so many younger musicians - whether indigenous or not - who cite him as an inspiration. He gives voice to feelings of loss and love, as well as describing the land and its connection to his people, but without a hint of anger or ostensible activism. The fact that he makes his songs so personal makes them all the more real to the listener, much moreso than any political statement. Simple truisms like if you were to heal the land, you have a chance at healing the people and vice versa, would mean something more loaded coming from anyone else. It says a lot about just what a gentle soul Roach is in that he finished up the hour-and-a-half show by saying how he hoped that if there was anyone who had come along with troubles on their mind, perhaps the evening had helped to lift their spirits. As for me, I wasn't so much troubled when I got there, but I was definitely elated when I left.
posted by yossarian | 3:59 PM
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