This Trouble Land is a concept album exploring the history of Toronto, the result of a five-year journey of research and musical exploration. Each track portrays a different event in Toronto’s past, from the founding of the British fort in 1793, to the present day. CDs and digital downloads can be purchased at circles.bandcamp.com and include a booklet which features historical photos and quotes to accompany the music (PDF booklet included in digital download). The recordings feature some of Toronto’s finest musicians:
Alexandra Tait – vocals (3, 4, 5, 8, 9, 10), composition (8)
Alex Samaras – vocals (2, 7)
Ben Dietschi – soprano & tenor saxophones ( 1, 2)
Matthew Roberts – producer, editor, composition, double bass (all tracks), spoken word (7), piano overdub (1)
Neil Whitford – electric & acoustic guitars (3, 4, 5, 8, 9, 10)
Tom Fleming – electric & acoustic guitars (1, 2, 6, 7)
Hayoun Lee – piano (3, 4, 5, 8, 9), composition (4)
Chris Pruden – piano (1, 2, 6, 7)
Mackenzie Longpre – drum kit, composition (1-9)
Although the album does not explore pre-colonial history of the Toronto area, I would like to acknowledge the sacred land on which Toronto exists. It has been a site of human activity for 15,000 years. This land is the territory of the Huron-Wendat and Petun First Nations, the Seneca, and most recently, the Mississaugas of the Credit River. The territory was the subject of the Dish With One Spoon Wampum Belt Covenant, an agreement between the Iroquois Confederacy and Confederacy of the Ojibwe and allied nations to peaceably share and care for the resources around the Great Lakes.
First-nations people were instrumental in the Battle of York and the War of 1812, which is the inspiration for track 2, and they have been and continue to be a vital part of Toronto’s story.
Click below to preview tracks, as well as view historical images.