Winston & I

BRIANNA LIZOTTE

BRR-202401CD

Track Listing

Cha Kang Kang (2:48)
I’ll Bring the Bread Just in Case Mitch (4:20)
Leela Won’t Jig (1:44)
A Waltz for Sid and Delphine (4:33)
For Leon and Phoebe (2:27)
The Mental Breakdown (2:44)
When Forever Come to an End (4:07)

CHA KANG KANG
Growing up in Central Alberta, it was very rare to see aunts, uncles, and cousins who lived up North since the trip would be half a day long. One of my great uncles would play a game with us kids where he would grab our hands and bounce them up and down singing cha kang kang, then would tickle us and repeat until we were both laughing. He passed away when I was 8 years old, so I don’t have many memories with him, but my grandpa has home videos of him playing the game with my sister and videos of him playing the fiddle. He and other uncles who played fiddle were and still are my fiddle inspirations.

I’LL BRING THE BREAD JUST IN CASE MITCH
In February 2019, one of my good friends from Ontario, Mitch Case, attended an event in Edmonton. It was a great weekend filled with music and laughs, but the best part was being able to watch the posts of attendees on the screen beside the stage. While visiting during dinner, there was a video of a lady shoving dinner rolls into her purse with crumbs flying everywhere. We laughed hysterically for about 30 minutes, then the video replayed, and another laughing fit happened. Ever since then, we text each other pictures of the bread rolls during dinner at each event we go to.

LEELA WON’T JIG
My sister and I started fiddle lessons when I was ten and she was four. We attended many fiddle camps, Métis events, and family jams, but after six years, she decided to retire and tried out jigging. After a few months, she also thought dancing wasn’t for her either, so I wrote a tune called “Leela’s jig” to inspire her to relearn fiddle or dance. She loved the tune, but was resistant to retrying both things, so I renamed it to “Leela Won’t Jig.” Now she is not only an amazing Métis jigger, but also a beautiful dancer in a color guard group in Red Deer.

A WALTZ FOR SID AND DELPHINE
When writing this tune, the melody naturally flowed from my mind and was written within thirty minutes. I didn’t really know what it was about, but when I played it for my grandma, she told me that it sounded like something her dad would play for his wife or a tune they would waltz to. Even though I never had the chance to meet them, I watched many videos of him playing the fiddle from my grandpa’s home videos and inherited his fiddle when I started playing, so I feel very connected to him. This tune is not only for my great-grandparents Sid and Delphine, but also my grandma, Bertha.

FOR LEON AND PHOEBE
Since 2015, I have performed and attended many events at Métis Crossing located by Smoky Lake. Leon and Phoebe, who lived on site as groundskeeper’s, quickly became good friends with me and my family. While camping one summer, a tune was stuck in my head, so I quickly recorded it on my phone and texted different fiddlers asking if they’ve heard this tune before which they all replied no. It reminded me of the river that runs through Métis Crossing and how friendly the atmosphere is because of the groundskeepers. After years of visiting Métis Crossing and working as a summer student for two years, Leon and Phoebe helped me through some tough times in my life, so this tune is a thank you to them.

THE MENTAL BREAKDOWN
Between late 2020 and early 2021, I was in my second year of university, not only struggling with typical school stresses, but also dealing with being alone at home during lockdowns which took a huge toll on my mental health. Like many music students, being creative was hard because assignments were done through recording a video alone while playing with a backing track. I called my mom everyday crying and wanting to drop out of school because music was no longer fun and finishing a degree felt impossible. On one particularly hard night, my mom talked me out of dropping out of school yet again and told me to come home for a while during lockdown. After the call, I put all of my anger and loneliness into writing a tune. After 15 minutes, my spirits lifted and felt more motivated to at least finish my second year of school for a diploma. Now a few years later, I can proudly say that I have graduated with a degree in music performance.

WHEN FOREVER COMES TO AN END
Not every relationship ends with an explanation or mutual understanding, so this tune was written for myself as a form of closure. I have learned that people come and go without explanation, so it is important for me to let go of them even when they promised forever. I can mourn the loss of their presence, but I need to continue to show up for myself to live my life with or without someone by my side.

Album Credits

BRIANNA LIZOTTE – Fiddle
JUSTIN SMITH – Guitar
ROMAN KOZLOWSKI – Electric Guitar
NATHAN CEDANO – Tenor Saxophone
ETHAN GRAVES – Spoons & Trombone
JAMES KUMARAN – Cajon

Produced by Brianna Lizotte & Padraig Buttner-Schnirer
Recorded at MacEwan University, Studio A
Recorded and Mixed by Padraig Buttner-Schnirer
Assistant Recording Engineers: Ashe Stolte, Zak Wurtz, & Connor Archibald
Mastered by Reuben Ghose, Mojito Mastering
Executive Producer Craig Monk
Album Design by Andre Arabejo, DESN 231, Typography II, Design, MacEwan University
Design Management by Alex Keays, Assistant Professor