Interview by Erandhi Mendis // Photography by Silly Goose
This year’s RISING Festival is set to showcase some of the most powerful voices in Australian music — and none resonate quite like Ripple Effect Band. These trailblazing artists are more than just performers; they’re pioneers in more ways than one. Blending raw rock energy with rich cultural roots, Ripple Effect Band stands out as a rare force in the Australian music scene — Indigenous women who not only sing but play their own instruments, commanding the stage with authenticity and strength. We caught up with them ahead of their RISING performance to talk music, identity, and making space for the next generation.
Ripple Effect is the first all-female group from Maningrida – a powerful statement. How has community responded to your journey and success so far?
We are the first women from our community to form a band and as instrumentalists as well as singers, we are distinctive in the Australian music scene as an Indigenous women’s rock band. We are proud to be part of a growing movement of women musicians and producers who are changing the Australian music scene, such as Emily Wurramara, Thelma Plum, Kardajala Kirridarra, Barkaa, Ruby Hunter, Stiff Gins, Shakaya and West Arnhem band Wildflower. We strongly believe that as women, as mothers, sisters, daughters, and partners, we have a lot to say and to share, and our journey, which has been supported by our wonderful community of Maningrida. In 2023, a highlight of our band was performing at the Maningrida AFL grand final. On that day, our community celebrated strong women and men, with the all-male Liverpool River Sunset Band performing before and during the women’s grand final, and then us as an all-women’s band performing before and during the men’s grand final. This shows how we have been part of a change that is happening in our own community where women feel confident to express themselves and join in playing music, playing sport and being active and positive.
Your music blends reggae and blues with country influences and stories from Arnhem Land. How do you describe your sound to new audiences, especially those might hear you live for the first time in places like RISING Festival?
Saltwater music – a mix of surf rock, reggae and Country, mixed in with traditional Indigenous languages, stories and music –think of bands like Yothu Yindi, Letterstick Band and King Stingray and be prepared to dance!
Many of your songs are performed in First Nations languages like Ndjébbana, Burarra, Na-kara and Kune. Can you share what it means to you to be keeping these languages alive through your music?
Ndjébbana keyboard player Patricia Gibson comments:
Singing in our Indigenous languages is powerful because it is connected to our songlines and our Country. It makes us strong and proud and reminds us of our ancestors. We love to celebrate the different languages of Maningrida. My song “Ngúddja” talks about how barrawurlwurl (the wind) blows across the land bringing ngúddja (languages) and barrómaya (the spirits of the ancestors). The chorus then says, Ngarra-ngúddjeya ngúrra-mala,djíbba wíba ngabayúkana, meaning that we call out in our different languages but we sit down on this land together.
Many of your songs are incredibly moving. How do personal stories shape the way you write and perform music?
West Arnhem Land has a long tradition of evocative songs about country, written and performed on country, and as women we felt it was vital that we participated in this music making process as we have seen our fathers and our uncles do. Some of the songs are old songs we have been given permission to sing and perform, and we have written songs about shared experiences and our connection to Country. When we were songwriting for the album, we spent a lot of time on Country, camping at each band member’s outstation and attending cultural events, as well as hunting, fishing and sharing experiences, as well as eating delicious seafood and laughing a lot!! This strengthened our bonds as a band and camping out on country was the inspiration for many of these songs, and writing lyrics with knowledge holders has deepened the language and the meanings held in the lyrics.
You’ve written and recorded the first-ever songs in Na-kara, a language spoken by only about 50 people. What was that process like?
Writing songs in endangered languages such as Na-kara helps to keep the language strong and creates a record for the future. The song “Na-meyarra” on the album is emotional song about Jolene Lawrence’s country of Nameyarra, at the mouth of the Cadell River. The river flows into the ocean at Nameyarra and it is a powerful place where the saltwater mixes with freshwater. Jolene and Jodie composed the song with support from Jolene and Rona’s grandfather Jimmy Kalamirnda (now deceased) and Grandmother Mary Nabbalangkarra. It uses deep language about the mix of freshwater and saltwater that occurs at Nameyarra, naming the birds and plants surrounding the brackish water and it evokes the spirits of the place and of people who are no longer with us.
Your musical journey began in high school and evolved into something much bigger. How did it feel to reunite years later and reignite that spark?
Ripple Effect Band girls love to rock the stage and Burarra drummer Stephanie Maxwell James states:
My first band was called The Front Street Girls and now I have Ripple Effect Band. Music is my life. I am never giving up.
Kune bass player Tara Rostron is a Music NT Remote Music Ranger, running workshops and sharing her knowledge with young people. She reflects on her own musical journey that started in high school and how being part of Ripple Effect Band and co-producing the album has been such a powerful and positive force in her life, sharing:
I feel happy that I’m co-producing all those songs and even when I’m walking, I can feel something that’s holding me and telling me that I’m doing fine. I’m standing strong and it’s so positive. I’ve been making decisions and it’s sort of controlling me. You see, music is very important to me because I like to encourage and inspire other people, especially young people.
You’ve performed all over Australia and even introduced Na-kara to toddlers through ABC Kids. What has been the most surprising or emotional reaction from audiences?
When we look out and see our audiences singing along in our languages, it is incredibly moving. Especially for highly endangered languages such as Na-kara. A highlight for us was at the Kidzone at WOMADelaide in 2023 when we ran a workshop to teach the words and dance for Na-bárddja: The Little Crab. So many families turned up and so at that moment hundreds of voices joined in singing Na-kara language. This is how we can help make our languages strong for the future.
How do you hope your story influences young women and girls across Australia?
Our songs come from women’s voices, and we hope our perspectives inspire other women to stand up and speak out. Bass player and vocalist Rona Lawrence is a Na-kara woman who is a mother to three sons. Rona’s determination has kept her touring and performing whilst juggling her responsibilities to her sons. She says:
I want to be a role model for other women. To let them know. Don’t sit at home and get worried and stress. Stand up and get involved. Play music. Go fishing or hunting. Make yourself feel better. I’m doing this for my kids, for their future, so they feel proud and they can listen to their mother singing Na-kara language. I want all women to feel confident to express themselves and to be proud of who they are and where they come from.
With members from both Indigenous and Balanda backgrounds, how do you navigate and celebrate the cultural exchange within the band?
Non-Indigenous band member Jodie Kell comments:
Working in intercultural collaboration can be challenging and it is so important to take time, listen closely and build deep relationships so there is trust and understanding. We spend a lot of time on Country, in community, with families as part of our working practice and as a non-Indigenous artists, I feel so blessed and honoured to have been welcomed into Maningrida community for so many years. As well as playing rock music, I have been taught language, traditional dance and how to hunt, fish and walk on Country. The music we make reflects this connection and shows how music is a way of building bridges and celebrating difference.
Your debut album Mayawa tells stories of family, Country, and even natural disasters. What message do you hope people take away after listening to it?
As our world faces issues due to climate change, and our hearts go out to those who are going through extreme storms, floods and fires. Our song “Cyclone” tells the story of the 2006 category 5 Cyclone Monica that threatened Maningrida. Our elders called upon the Djómi, local Dreaming spirits, who swam out together and stood up to the mighty wind, turning the cyclone away and saving our community. We were so lucky to be spared, but we believe our old people and our Dreaming spirits helped to save us. We want to remind people to listen to Country and to listen to the spirits of our land. It is time we respected Indigenous knowledge and ways of being, and to work together to protect our Country and this Earth, so we can have a better future for all of our children.
Ndjébbana singer Rachel Thomas comments:
This is a very important story because it is from old people, from their stories, especially the Dhukurrdji, the traditional landowners and my mum who is djungay (cultural manager). We are passing it on to young generations. That’s what we do in our culture. We keep our culture and our Country really strong like that. We hope you all join and keep our Country strong too.
As you prepare for your show at the RISING Festival in Melbourne, what excites you most about sharing your music in this setting and reaching a new audience?
We are so excited for RISING Festival – such an amazing opportunity to reach new audiences and rock the stage at the Melbourne Town Hall. We are also excited to meet and see other artists such as Annie and the Caldwells all the way from Mississippi. As a band coming from a remote community (Maningrida is 550km east of Darwin on a 4WD road), being able to connect with international artists and artists from across Australia is inspiring for our music.
Looking ahead, where do you see Ripple Effect in the next few years?
We have been so happy at the reaction to our album Mayawa and getting gigs such as RISING shows that Ripple Effect Band are also rising, reaching new audiences. We are working at songs for a new album and we have a dream to tour overseas. 8 years of hard work is paying off and we are excited to plan for the future.
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Catch Ripple Effect Band at RISING along with a wonderful lineup of artists for Day Tripper – tickets below.
DIIV, Mount Kimbie DJs, BKTHERULA, Ripple Effect Band, Annie and the Caldwells, Nyege Nyege, Chapter Music + more
Sat 7 June – Melbourne Town Hall
