All Instruments | Randy Vidrine & Blake Miller | Advanced | Period 2 | Week 1 (July 7-12, 2024)
Learn original songs and tunes from the iconic band, Charivari, written by Randy Vidrine and Mitch Reed. This class will work like a band lab, so all instruments are welcome.
About the Instructors:
Randy Vidrine was born and raised in Ville Platte, Louisiana, in a family that spoke predominantly French. In high school he began playing guitar in a “ French” band, as it was known in those days. They did not call the music they were playing “Cajun” until a few years later. After going off to college and starting a family, he was introduced to Cory McCauley, and he began to get more serious about playing traditional Cajun music. McCauley Reed Vidrine recorded one album on vinyl before splitting up. Randy continued to play on guitar and vocals with Mitch Reed on fiddle. This duo played together for many years, touring and recording CDs with Tasso, Mamou Prairie Band, Charivari, and The Lafayette Rhythm Devils. The Rhythm Devils continue today, although Mitch has since departed from the band. Charivari recorded CDs for Rounder Records, including I Want to Dance With You, and A Trip to the Holiday. The band toured across the entire United States and countries such as England, Portugal, and others. Many of these tours included music and vocal workshops on Cajun music. Randy’s vocals have been described as “high and lonesome” and are all done in the French dialect of the Prairie Cajuns that live in the area where Randy was raised. In 2012 Randy was inducted into the Wall of Fame at the world famous Fred’s Lounge in Mamou, LA, where he still plays monthly with The Lafayette Rhythm Devils and with Jamie Berzas and Cajun Tradition. When not playing with The Lafayette Rhythm Devils or Cajun Tradition, Randy can usually be seen playing trio gigs with Jimmy Breaux and occasionally with his old bandmate, Mitch Reed.
Grandson of well known accordion builder Larry Miller, Blake Miller has been surrounded by Cajun music and culture his entire life. Hailing from the small town of Iota Louisiana, Blake, a fluent french speaker and songwriter, managed to acquire a degree in Francophone studier from The University Of Louisiana at Lafayette and in the mean time founded the popular young Cajun band The Pine Leaf Boys and became a member of the premiere Louisiana roots Band The Red Stick Ramblers. He has also served stints in just about every other cajun/creole band of note including Balfa Toujours, Les Malfecteurs and Cedric Watson & Bijou Creole bringing his strong cultural identity and accomplished musicianship to the world. Now plays with the world traveled Revelers for the past 10 years singing and playing his own songs on fiddle and accordion.