Just wanted to say thanks for all the "pats on the back" on this forum and the emails and cards. Some of the readers here are also CFMA members and if you voted for the band and CD, I want to tell you how much I appreciate it. It was quite a thrill to receive "CD of the Year," "Band of the Year" and "People's Choice" awards a couple of weeks ago. I really was just honored to be nominated and had prepared myself to sit through the evening with my family and bandmates. What a thrill to be called up onstage for everything that we were nominated for!

Thanks so much for those who voted and made it happen. We have made so many new and good friends over the past few years. It is the friendships and memories that I treasure most. Here's hoping to personally meeting and jamming with more of you in the future. Let's keep the music alive!

Jude Moreau...I owe you more than money! This past Saturday I blew a reed on the second song! It was so bad I had to push the stop in on the opposing row. I switched to the D. Jude came in a played a few tunes on the D and I told him about my problem with the C. I asked him for a loaner for the rest of the gig. Instead he took my accordion home, found, changed and tuned the reed and returned to the gig...all within the span of about 5 songs! (It helped that he lived very close by!) I really appreciate you, Jude. And I owe you one!

You don't owe me anything Chris. That's just what friends do. Or, in the words of the "old timers" :
c'est Cajun oui !

Jude

Wow,

What a great story! The music world is far too short on tales like these...

Chris,

Last time I was home (L'anse Prien Noir) I stopped in at Todd Ortego's Music Machine to see what was up. He had the new CD of old recordings by Rodney LeJeune and since I had heard some of it on the radio and liked it (this album is a good example of what a guitar should sound like in a Cajun band) I bought it. Andrew Cormier on the cover led me to believe it was all him, but it was not all him. There was also Pat Savant and who else but Chris Miller on these great takes! Blew me away that you were playing that well in the 80's.

Hadley Castille used to brag on you pretty strong when I played with him. Now I know why. I hope we have the chance to meet up some time.

Oh, and another thing: Take care of Clint for me. He's like a big little brother, if you know what I mean.

Congrats on the awards.
Cory

Cory,

Yes, I hope we do meet up sometime. Your name comes up a lot in band conversations, especially since Clint did that album with you some years ago. Great CD. I saw that you were playing in San Antonio for the CFMA. We played there some months ago. How often are you still gigging?

RE playing in the 80s--yep, I am no Johhny-come-lately. I have been playing accordion for about 26 years. I love that Rodney LeJeune CD. I had to buy it also. I tried to get Rodney to join our band for the CFMA festival so he could spotlight some of the great songs. (There are so many more I wish they had put on there--J'sus pas d'blamer, for example) He has been fighting cancer and emphysema and can't walk very far without becoming winded, much less sing. I hope he recovers because I would love the opportunity to play again with him.

Hadley--now there a "cat." What a great musician and unique "character." I have some great Hadley stories! On two different ocassions we had no drums provided by venues out-of-state so I made a kick drum out of a cardboard box and cut a hole for the mic. Matt Swiler used his pedal to play the "Kick Box" and play the tamborine with brushes on top of the box (it was mic'ed on top too.) Blake Castille played guitar, I played accordion, Hadley, fiddle. We had people mesmerized with that setup!

I try to take care of Clint...but he is a "big boy" if you know what I mean! Did you know he was also playing sax now? And he just bought a Epiphone SG guitar and Roland Amp, and he is learning accordion on an old Hohner. I would say he is having a great time!