ALL INDIGENOUS
When it comes to songwriting and singing, no-one in the country, (with the exception of Kev Carmody), comes within co-oee of Archie Roach in expressing the suffering of Aboriginal Australia and the uphill battle of reconciliation. So, for me, the track LITTLE BY LITTLE from the album Ruby, was a perfect opener for our ‘All Indigenous’ show.
Throughout the program we showcased an enormous variety of music: Everything from classic digderidoo, jazz, blues, country, pop, rock and hip-hop. The show really got moving with an amazing didgeridoo composition from four didg virtuosos: David Hudson, Alan Dargin, Matthew Doyle and Mark Atkins delivering the very sweet MOUTHPIECE from the Sounds of Gondwana album. We followed that with a track I never tire of, just because its so joyful: Willcania Mob and DOWN RIVER.
Then it was the great Kev Carmody with FROM LITTLE THINGS BIG THINGS GROW. Kev co-wrote the song with Paul Kelly. Here’s a clip of Kev Carmody, John Butler and Paul Kelly performing From Little Things Big Things Grow at the Make Poverty History concert in Melbourne 2006.
I love Leah Flanagan. Her TYPSY TANGO from the Making Waves compilation album is a corker. She has a great voice that she utilises for any genre from jazz to folk to latin and she’s also a multi-instrumentalist, moving between guitar, piano, and ukelele. And if you’re a regular listener to my show, you’ll know that I do have a soft spot for the ukelele!
The Warumpi Band had a huge hit with BLACKFELLA, WHITEFELLA. Here’s their promo-video for that single, taken from the 1987 album Go Bush.
We had a giveaway worth mentioning in the blog this week. Soundtracks and signed posters from the film SAMSON & DELILAH. Directed by Warwick Thornton, the film recently won the Camera d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival. It’s about two Aboriginal kids in an isolated 
community in the Central Australian desert, who take off on a journey of survival. The film has been getting rave reviews from every major film critic in the country, so personally I can’t wait to see it.
We played a few songs from the soundtrack album that includes everything from Mexican love ballads by Ana Gabriel through to country classics from Charley Pride. And, of course, it also features some of our best Indigeneous performers. Tracks we played included WALPIRI WOMAN from the Teenage Band, WASTING YOUR LIFE from the Tableland Drifters and NIGHTBLINDNESS from Troy Cassar-Daley.
Ruby Hunter is an amazing performer in her own right and she also happens to be the life partner of Archie Roach and that makes them a dynamic duo. She is a member of the Ngarrindieri tribe and often performs with Archie who she met at 16 while both were homeless teenagers. Check out the video for LET MY CHILDREN BE.
Jimmy Little is an icon of the Australian music industry, so I had to include his version of UNDER THE MILKY WAY. Then Blue King Brown livened things up with COME AND CHECK YOUR HEAD.
Although Geoffrey Gurrumul has been around for a while, singing with Yothu Yindi and, most recently, with The Saltwater Band, his self-titled album has been an international sensation. I chose to play WIYATHUL during this show but all of the tracks from this album were worthy contenders. When I saw him perform at the Blues Fest he literally brought tears to the eyes of this tough old broad. Check this out:
The rain is back again in Byron, after a few sunny days, so the very lovely Christine Anu’s SUNSHINE ON A RAINY DAY was more than appropriate. And I wish I had a video of Seaman Dan singing BLUES ON A UKULELE; I’d love to see him perform that. Very cute.
Our token bit of hip-hop came from the Morganics with a tune called ALL U MOB. This was followed by what has to be one of the most powerful Australian recordings ever: TREATY, by Yothu Yindi – a fantastic melding of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal cultures, both in the bands’s line-up and in the music they create. Have a look:
The Stiff Gins gave us a nice piece of pop with DRIVIN’ and then it was more didg from the masters of the genre - David Hudson, Alan Dargin, Matthew Doyle and Mark Atkins. The track was DANCE THIS TIME AROUND. And I absolutely loved ABUCA from Dubmarine, JAILANGURU PAKARNU from the Warumpi Band and JAH IS THE LIGHT from David Dow. Talk about a diverse line-up!
Drawing the show to a close, I went with Casey Donovan, (remember her from Australian Idol?) with a very personal song that she penned herself called HELP ME. Gorgeous. And we had just enough time to fit in Dan Sultan with MONEY. We’ll be seeing him next year in the film version of Bran Nue Dae. Can’t wait for that.
What an amazing array of talent. It was an absolute pleasure and a privilege to present today’s show.
Here’s the complete playlist for you:
Little by Little - Archie Roach
Mouthmusic - David Hudson, Alan Dargin, Matthew Doyle, Mark Atkins
Down River - Willcannia Mob
From Little Things Big Things Grow - Kev Carmody
Blackfella Whitefella - Warumpi Band
Typsy Tango - Leah Flanagan
Walpiri Woman - Lajamanu Teenage Band
Let My Childen Be - Ruby Hunter
Rain - Radical Son
Come And Check Your Head - Blue King Brown
Under the Milky Way - Jimmy Little
Wiyathul - Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu
Sunshine On A Rainy Day - Christine Anu
Blues on a Ukulele - Seaman Dan
ALL U MOB - Morganics feat. Wire, Stingray & Haille Suspicious
Treaty – Radio Mix - Yothu Yindi
Nightblindness - Troy Cassar-Dally
Drivin’ - Stiff Gins
Dance this time Around - David Hudson, Alan Dargin, Matthew Doyle, Mark Atkins
Wasting Your Life - The Tableland Drifters
Abuca - Dubmarine
Jah Is The Light - David Dow
Jailanguru Pakarnu - The Warumpi Band
Help Me - Casey Donovan
Money - Dan Sultan
Next week’s show is on the OCEAN. Because we all like to be beside the seaside!
Listen to Lyn McCarthy at the Theme Park on BayFM 99.9, Tuesdays 2-4pm (Sydney time). Also streaming on www.bayfm.org
Tragically, also on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/maccalyn
and Twitter: http://twitter.com/themeparkradio
And just in case you have been missing my usual inclusion of Roy Orbison in the show: here is Roy in Darwin in 1972, giving the didgeridoo a go. Imagine him as part of the Yothu Yindi line-up. OMG!
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