Kirsha Kaechele’s illuminating songs

It’s fair to say, Kirsha Kaechele has lived a life less ordinary. The American artist and curator lives in Hobart, but Australia is just the latest home for a woman who has sought out experiences her whole life. As a teenager, she left home and travelled to 50 countries in 7 years – a self-education in the furthest corners of the world. She lived with the Sannyasin cult, she dropped ayahuasca in the Amazon, and set up shop in a derelict part of New Orleans, bringing art projects to some of the poorest neighbourhoods in town. Kirsha’s latest work is a book called Eat the Problem. It’s a work of art and cookbook all at once, with contributions from famous chefs and thinkers; looking at the question of invasive species and how we can make a flaw a feature in the most sustainable way. When you read Kirsha’s bio, you want to spend a day talking to her. I got an hour. From The Kinks to The Stranglers, Chamorro celebration music, to Tasmanian troubadours, she shared her illuminating songs and incredible stories with me. A wild conversation with a wonderfully curious soul.

Johnny Sablan - ‘Tippi Tippi Tan’

The Kinks - ‘Waterloo Sunset’

The Stranglers - ‘Golden Brown’

Ben Salter - ‘Isolationism’

Christopher Coleman & The Great Escape - ‘Jesse’