In 1855, there was a clown riot or two in Toronto, actually. While Christo Graham wasn’t there, he and album collaborator Tyrone Savage have immortalised the horrifying and hilarious mayhem that inspires Clown Riot, the 10th album by the Toronto musician, actor, and graphic designer. Overture, the actual overture from the play and album is out today, May 7. The full soundtrack will be released digitally through We Are Busy Bodies on May 30.
“The Canadian theatre collaborators have found rock opera gold in that bawdy and tawdry slice of Toronto Victoriana. The music and lyrics are worth a riot on their own.
Heritage Toronto has just-the-facts basics: American clowns from a travelling circus engage in a brothel brawl with the bawdy house’s regular clientele, a company of volunteer firefighters. Clowns win Round One. Fired-up firefighters then start a revenge riot at the circus. Their Orange Order allies in the Toronto police do nothing to stop the ensuing clowns vs. firefighters chaos.“ – James Stewart Reaney, Retired Music Journalist & President of The London and Middlesex Historical Society
Clown Riot tells the spectacular true story of clowns and firemen, brawls and brothels, death-defying escape acts and a mob of angry protestants… all set against the backdrop of 1850s Toronto: a city on the brink of industrial and political revolution.
You should look it up. But first — listen to the album it inspired on repeat and repeat to infinity.