Interview with Mitch Reed

Accession No.: 
QU1-042

01:05 - Tourchon’s Reels by Charivari
03:54 - Interview
- Talks about the Scotch-Irish names in Evangeline Parish
- Dad, Bob Reed, formed the bands, The Mamou Prairie Band and T-Mamou
- Dad played piano, harmonica, and accordion
- Listened to a lot of different music growing up
- Got into Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin from a neighborhood friend
- Discovered Kate Bush’s “Hounds of Love” record, which inspired him to pick up the cello and fiddle
- Started learning Irish fiddle and then eventually got into Cajun/Creole fiddle
10:53 - Delius by Kate Bush
13:52 - by Dervish
18:58 - Interview
Started hanging out and playing with old Cajun/Creole musicians like Dewey Balfa and Canray Fontenot
Both parents grew up in Mamou
Grandmother would cook for a lot of people in Mamou
Cajun music would scare him as a child
Uncle Revon Reed got a master’s degree in English literature in Boston, helped to revitalize the Mamou Mardi Gras Courir, had a live radio show at Fred's Lounge in Mamou, and wrote two books on the Cajun culture called “Lache pas la patate” and “Bonjour”
28:02 - Dedans le sud de la Louisiane by Beausoleil
31:35 - La Valse de Josephine by Moise Robin
34:45 - Interview
- Would go to see Beausoleil live as a teenager, and was very inspired by Michael Doucet
- Became friends with Adner Ortego and learned fiddle, fiddle making, and cooking from him
- Talks about Moise Robin’s book, “The Golden Gate”
- Started a band with Randy Vidrine and Cory McCauley called McCauley Reed Vidrine
- Dropped out of college to tour with the band
41:36 - Soileau Two Step by McCauley Reed Vidrine
44:54 - Interview
- Started playing with the Mamou Prairie Band, which eventually became Charivari
- Talks about playing with Randy Vidrine
- Tells story about a falling out with Adam Hebert
50:55 - Don’t Cry Pretty Blue Eyes by Adam Hebert
53:31 - Interview
- Talks about currently playing with Beausoleil
- Talks about teaching fiddle lessons
- Also currently plays in a band called Racine
57:15 - Cajun Klezmer Breakdown by Charivari

Media Type: 
Audio
Collection: 
Corey Porche - Quoi Ya Radio Show
Subject: 
Cajun Music, Irish Music, Life Story
Creator: 
Corey Porche
Informants: 
Corey Porche, Mitch Reed
Coverage Spatial: 
Lafayette
Publisher: 
Center for Louisiana Studies; Corey Porche; KRVS
Rights Usage: 
All rights reserved
Language: 
English
Meta Information
Duration: 
59:01
Cataloged Date: 
Wednesday, March 24, 2021
Original Format: 
Born Digital
Digital Format: 
WAV
Bit Depth: 
16 bit
Sampling Rate: 
44.1 kHz