My Songs.
All in the Family is a short album (EP) of songs intended for children or the inner child in each of us. All of the lyrics were written by Alan Millen. All of the music was written by Brian Bouthillier, with the exception of "Ice Cream", which is based on a song by Bob Davie and Marvin Moore. Most of the instruments were played by George Leger III, except for mandolin on 4 by Jeff Holl, and harmonica on 5 and 7 by Brian Bouthillier. Lead and background vocals are by Brian, except for background vocal on 5 by George Leger, and background vocal on 7 by Meita Winkler.
All of the songs were produced, engineered, mixed and mastered by George Leger III at Utopia Parkway Music.
Usually a studio album reflects the expression of an artist at a particular point in his or her life, whereas a compilation or anthology album collects songs from different periods, recorded at different times under different conditions. This album is neither. It is a collection of songs from different points in my life but recorded all together as a set; in that way it is a little like a live album, though not live. The songs are not necessarily in the order that they were written, but I have tried to arrange them in a way that shows a journey starting with the questions and discoveries of a young person and continuing to the reflections and insights of the more experienced self. I know many people don’t listen to a whole album at once any more, and maybe it doesn’t matter with these tracks either, but my hope is that listeners can recognize some of the stages of life here. My character starts out with the reluctance to move on from youth but recognizes it is inevitable, and then he observes how relationships with others can change people. He wonders what love is and where it is found. He goes through feelings of isolation and joy along the way, musing at times on our human weaknesses. Some of the experiences are quite unique to me; after all, I lived in a place where we still had outhouses and didn’t have electricity—maybe that’s why I wanted an all-acoustic album. Eventually, love is found, loved ones are lost, and in the end, a deeper spirituality exists than earlier on. It may not have been the greatest trip, but these are some of the things I have seen; this is where I have walked.
Musicians :
Brian Bouthillier -- Acoustic rhythm guitar, harmonica, and vocals; mandolin on 7
Peter Ward -- Upright bass on 1, 3, 5, 6, 9, 10, 13, 14, 15, 16
Annette Dominik – Violin on 1, 3, 5, 13, 15
Christina Zaenker – Cello on 7, 8, 13; background vocal on 13
Jay Williamson – Drums on 5, 6, 9; background vocals on 6, 14
Trevor Caswell -- Acoustic guitar on 3, 8, 16; background vocals on 6, 8, 14
Doug Noel – Acoustic guitar on 1, 4; mandolin on 1, 13
Jim Cochran – Acoustic guitar on 6, 9
Cindy Ross-Friedman – Piano 6, 9, 14
Chris Stevens – Banjo on 4
Dan Fremlin – Mandolin on 4
Graham Howe – Trumpet on 11
Bobbi Mitchell -- Background vocals on 16
All songs written by Brian Bouthillier (SOCAN)
Produced by Jay Williamson and Brian Bouthillier; Engineered and mixed by Jay Williamson
Mastered by George Leger III at Utopia Parkway Music