Strangely enough, the thought of writing a musical or opera concept album isn’t sending rock musicians running for the hills. More artists are embracing these genres which had once been the territory of musical theater majors and larger-than-life (both figuratively and physically) tenors and sopranos. If rock music fans weren’t convinced this has changed, Forgive Durden should be a case in point. Working mostly on his own after bandmates chose to leave the group, Thomas Dutton not only conceived the idea for Razia’s Shadow: A Musical, but also wrote the music, found an artist to do the associated artwork and pulled in a vast number of other musicians to participate in the recording process. Although things aren’t completely settled for Dutton, the challenge of writing a musical is something he can eliminate from his to-do list.

Despite the somewhat unusual nature of Dutton’s latest album, reactions have been positive and that has to make the effort all the more worthwhile. Fans and critics alike have responded favorably to the album and the approach Dutton took. “The reactions have been amazing so far. Kids seem to really be touched by this album. I put a lot of time and energy and thought into crafting something special with this record and it’s so great to see people notice and appreciate that,” Dutton says.

It’s already clear the reaction to Razia’s Shadow: A Musical has been generally good, but what made Dutton decide to write a musical in the first place? Why not a concept album of some other sort or even simply a “regular” album? Dutton explains, “I wanted the album to feel bigger than itself. I wanted it to feel like there was a movie or book out there already that went along with it. Having the narration and the different character voicing made it a very fun album to write.”

One of the features that makes Razia’s Shadow: A Musical so interesting is the sheer number of people involved with the project. More than 10 musicians from a variety of musical genres agreed to participate in the project including Brandon Urie (Panic At The Disco), Shawn Harris (The Matches), Chris Conley (Saves The Day) and Danny Stevens (The Audition). For Dutton, the chance to work with so many other artists was extremely fulfilling. “It was amazing working with everyone. Every singer on the record is someone whose voice I love and whose ability I admire. Getting songs back from some of my favorite singers was a very strange and amazing thing. Hearing Chris Conley sing your melody and lyrics is an interesting feeling,” Dutton says. With so many people involved it wouldn’t be surprising if there were personality clashes or power struggles. Not so, says Dutton, “Everyone was very easy to work with and they were all very excited about the project and direction.”

In addition to the unique chance to work with so many other musicians, Razia’s Shadow also gave Dutton the chance to develop a visual aspect not typically present with albums. Not only does the narrative include its own cast of characters, but each character was fleshed out artistically by Blaine Fontana. Although he wasn’t the artist Dutton first sought out for the album artwork, Dutton quickly became interested and impressed with Fontana’s work. Dutton explains, “Blaine was actually the third artist we got for the project. The first two fell through and I had to scramble to find someone. I stumbled upon Blaine’s work and was blown away. He did such an incredible job. We talked a lot about how I saw the characters and then he just went to work. We made very few changes to his immediate comps. Time after time I was speechless about the different character art he did.”

Touring in support of the album has become somewhat more difficult after the departure of bandmates Thomas Hunter, Andy Mannino and Jesse Bauer. However, Dutton enlisted the help of his brother, Paul, and Rudy Gajadhar for the recording and live performances in support of Razia’s Shadow. Dutton has nothing but praise for his brother’s and Gajadhar’s hard work and is happy to be working with them despite not having them as permanent members of Forgive Durden. “There’s still no real solidified lineup. I’d like to continue to write with my brother and I’m sure we’ll be recording with Casey [Bates, producer]. So that’s the closest thing I have to a real band at this point, which I’m completely happy with,” Dutton says. However, it is this lack of a solid lineup that is both the greatest blessing and curse for Dutton right now. “The best and worst part is that it’s just me. I’m my own boss and can do whatever I want with this band, but it gets a bit daunting and lonely sometimes,” Dutton says.

Now that he’s got a musical written, what is next for Dutton and Forgive Durden? It’s no surprise that the future holds plans for more shows and writing more music. Will he write another musical? Maybe, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have any new ideas. Dutton explains, “There’s a lot of cool directions we’re trying to take this musical, so seeing this album through to the end is my number one priority at this point. I’d love to do another musical someday. But then again, I also would love to make a dirty rock record. We’ll see what happens.” – by EVELYN MISKA

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