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Frying Pan StudiosBook

How did we get here?

Well, it all started with the REDD.17.

In 2014, David Roper (bag-brand Crumpler founder) bought the historic ex-Abbey Road console, working with Brian Ritchie (Mona’s artistic director of music and Mona Foma, Violent Femmes bassist) on the idea of building a studio, before Brian took it to Mona founder David Walsh, who—unsurprisingly, given his long-standing fascination with the creative process—agreed to build Australia’s first recording-studio-in-a-museum. Chris Townend was brought aboard to design the ‘sonic playground’, and the rest isn’t quite history (but might be one day).

This guy pays the bills, just in case you see him around (or he wanders in to see what’s cooking).

This is where Frying Pan sits within Mona, on the Berriedale peninsula in nipaluna / Hobart, Tasmania. Its namesake (depending on who you ask), Frying Pan Island, sits across Berriedale Bay.

The studio is nestled near the Round House, a Roy Grounds-designed modernist marvel that’s been here since 1957—a year before the REDD.17 was unveiled. The house was incorporated into the design of Mona, just like Frying Pan.

Brian Ritchie, Violent Femmes bassist, Mona music director and shakuhachi enthusiast, cooked up a plan for the REDD.17 console and Frying Pan was born.

This is Chris. As well as running things, he designed the place. No biggie. 

This guy pays the bills, just in case you see him around (or he wanders in to see what’s cooking).

This is where Frying Pan sits within Mona, on the Berriedale peninsula in nipaluna / Hobart, Tasmania. Its namesake (depending on who you ask), Frying Pan Island, sits across Berriedale Bay.