For the first time ever a truly international Cajun band featuring four of the finest musicians are available for festivals appearances around the world. This is a unique chance to hear one of the hottest Cajun bands around featuring musicians whose pedigree of recording and touring reads like a who's who of Cajun and Popular music.

 

Ten years ago Randy Vidrine and Mitchell Reed headed out of Lafayette Louisiana airport with guitar and fiddle in hand for their first overseas tour. Their destination was the UK and little did they know at the time but their brand of Cajun music would win a special place in the hearts of UK people and lead to them returning to those shores many times. Randy Vidrine's soaring Cajun French vocals and driving guitar rhythm provided the perfect foundation for Mitchell Reeds amazing fiddle playing. Since that first trip Mitchell Reed has gone on to play with people like Michael Doucet of Beausoleil, Balfa Toujours, and Steve Riley earning a reputation as one of the most respected fiddle players in Louisiana. Despite this he has not lost sight of the chemistry which makes his link with his friend Randy so powerful and the pair have stuck together to become one of the most well known and loved partnerships on the scene today. Some understanding of their standing in Louisiana is that as members of Charivari they are one of the chosen few bands who record with Rounder Records and have played festivals all over the USA

 

Now for the first time ever they have put together a truly international band by asking UK accordion player Chris Hall (R.Cajun, Bearcats, Zydecomotion and drummer Sam Murray (Bearcats, Zydecomotion) to come on board. Sam has played drums with many Louisiana musicians on their UK tours including Balfa Toujours, Sean Vidrine , and Willis Prudhomme and has a deep understanding of the beats needed to make the house rock. His understanding of Louisiana styles caused Marc Savoy to say he wished he lived in Louisiana ! Chris Hall is well known as the guy who started the Cajun ball rolling in the UK 25 years ago and has toured and recorded with an enviable and endless list of musicians that not only includes Louisiana names like Steve Riley, and Courtney Granger, but also UK legends like Bill Wyman, Kate Bush and Paul McCartney who enlisted his help for his Run Devil Run album and single leading to a string of national TV appearances including The Jools Holland show, The Tube, Top Of The Pops and the Live at The Cavern Show which was broadcast worldwide and later released on DVD. He has played with Randy and Mitchell on numerous occasions both in the UK and on gigs in Louisiana dancehalls and was Randy's first choice when he needed an accordion player for this new band. He has also collaborated with other Louisiana bands and appeared at Ft Lauderdale Cajun and Zydeco Festival in Florida backed by Sean Vidrine s' Swampfyre and Lorient Festival in France backed by Steve Rileys' Mamou Playboys. He was booked to return to Lorient Festival with Swampfyre and also appeared at Saulieu Festival in France again with a band of Louisiana Cajun musicians backing him up.

 

Breaux made a UK tour in 2002 to promote their CD “Breaux Bridge” and were a smash hit with headline status at Gloucester Cajun Festival and gigs in Belfast, Monaghan, London, Derby, Anglesey and Bracknell and were invited back to headline Gloucester Festival in January 2004. In August 2004 they returned to Europe to make a headline appearance at Tonder Festival and return again in October for a UK/Germany tour. They then also recorded a second cd "breaux bridge 2" which is due to be released any day now.

 

This new band are a unique meeting of minds and cultures; four guys who have been drawn together through their love of Cajun music and who unite to create a sound that warms the heart and moves the feet. The first truly international Cajun band.

 

NB. Recently Mitch Reed joined international supergroup Beausoleil. Whilst he will continue to make other gigs where he can this may mean he will be replaced by another major Louisiana musician on fiddle. Last tour was the awesome Chris Segura.