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Note: At the start of 2007,
Lisa and Mitchell Reed decided to close Louisiana
Heritage and Gifts, and their lives have
subsequently gone in different directions. The last jam session
was
held 3-5 p.m. Feb. 17, 2007. You can still help
"Save the Music," though, by purchasing recordings
from other Louisiana retailers or from the bands
themselves, either at venues or on-line.
Click for
more photos of bands and
photos of dancers.
Why do people love South Louisiana? Why do those
of us who were raised here or who settled here
actually love a place that offers sweltering
summers, swarms of mosquitoes, and occasional visits
by destructive hurricanes?
One big reason is the
sense of community and concern for others that is at
the heart of Cajun and Creole culture. When
Wilson Savoy of the Pine Leaf Boys read Nick
Pittman's cover story about the financial crisis
facing independent stores selling Cajun and Zydeco
music, he responded quickly. With the support and
hard work of many, many friends, Savoy and musicians
from across the region organized "Save the Music,"
an event to raise money to support Lafayette's main
outlet for local music, Louisiana Heritage and
Gifts, owned by Mitch and Lisa Reed.
About two weeks
later, on April 2, 2006, the yard next to the store
was filled with people who were there to offer support
and–this is the key to why people love South
Louisiana–pass a good time. All of the performers
donated their time. Others donated items for a
silent auction and worked as volunteers. Nick Pittman, entertainment
editor of The Times of Acadiana, who wrote the
article on the crisis facing independent music retailers,
was also there to offer his support. By the end of
the day, some $10,000 had been raised, enough to pay
off a substantial portion of the debt of Mitch and
Lisa's store.
The crisis, unfortunately, is not over. Not only
do retailers like
Louisiana Heritage and Gifts in
Lafayette and Music Machine in Eunice face difficult
times, but the musicians themselves lose out when
people who may think of themselves as fans burn
copies of CDs or exchange song files over the
Internet with no compensation for the artists who
created the music. In many cases, local bands that
release CDs
hope only to pay for production cost and distribute
CDs to gain some recognition
for the music they play in their spare time outside
their regular jobs. In other cases, bands that try
to support themselves through touring rely on CD
sales as a significant source of income.
Many CDs by Cajun and Zydeco artists are not
available through Internet retailers like Amazon.com,
but, even if you can find a CD on Amazon, why not
support the music you love more directly by ordering
it from a Louisiana source? And, by all means,
never obtain recordings illegally. The musicians in
Louisiana are doing everything they can to "save the
music," but they need our help.

Harry Trahan, Lisa Reed's father, performed with
his daughter and son-in-law Mitch Reed, shown above
at left on fiddle. Joining them were members of
Charivari, including Jono Frishberg, above, and
Randy Vidrine on guitar, who also plays with the
Lafayette Rhythm Devils. A couple of days after this
event Mitch Reed, Michael Doucet invited Mitch to
join BeauSoleil as a bass player, with an
opportunity also to play second fiddle. Mitch now
spends much of his time with BeauSoleil, but
Charivari will still be doing occasional gigs. Jono
Frishberg, who performs with Bayou Deville and other
groups, has relocated to Lafayette from New Orleans
after Hurricane Katrina.
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