Vinyl Stories

as part of the 2025

The seed has been planted and ideas being set for new 'Vinyl Stories' soon.
Details will be published when confirmed.

THANK YOU

On 17 July 2025 I held my first Darwin Fringe Festival event and was overwhelmed with the response.

Over 60 people attended and we heard incredible stories and reflections from Melanie, Ryan, Emcille and Nigel (bio's below) of one song that impacted them when young and we shared a space of listening to their selected song on vinyl record.

For me, it was a joy to host an event that seeks to build community and a collective appreciation of story telling and listening in the physical form with sounds from vinyl records.

Based on the overwhelming appreciation and response, I intend to host more of these events on Larrakia country in the future.

Thank you:
Melanie, Ryan, Emcille, Nigel
Darwin Fringe Festival
Bustard Town
Everyone who came

~ John Rawnsley ~

presents as part of 2025

an exploration of sound waves through story-telling and song

Meet the Panel

Melanie Mununggurr

Melanie Mununggurr is a Djapu mother, poet, storyteller and performer, and the Australian Poetry Slam Champion for her 2018 poem ‘I Run’.

Ryan Sage

Ryan Sage is the proud owner of Air Raid Records, a thriving record store in its sixth year also serving as a dedicated space for musicians to rehearse and perform.

Emcille Wills

Emcille Wills is originally from a small fishing village in Escalante (Philippines) and through her music and community work strives to highlight the richness of her heritage and amplify the voices of underrepresented communities.

Nigel Browne

Nigel Browne is a descendent of the Larrakia and Wulna peoples, lawyer, advocate and the CEO of the NT Aboriginal Investment Corporation.

Vinyl Stories is a panel discussion exploring the stories, interpretations and musical forces that shaped
influential people of the Territory. Each panel member will choose one song that impacted them earlier in life. We will explore what this meant to them and their story and together share a space where their choice is played on vinyl record.

The show is for people who appreciate music but also appreciate the deeper forces and interactions that voice,
listening, hearing, living and being serves. It will be an appreciation of the connection between the sound waves
that a particular song projects and the broader context and worlds that we interact.

Immerse yourself in sensory experiences through story-telling and personal reflection; the sharing of an intimate
space and to be present as we share in a collective appreciation and personal insight of their chosen song on
vinyl record.

Within each panel member, and within all of us, is a story and narrative that threads songs, time and space.

Held on Thursday 17 July 2025 from 8.30 pm (one hour show)

@ Bustard Town, cnr Shadforth Lane & Nuttall Place