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about
the band...
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KRISTI
GUILLORY
accordion, vocals
Kristi
was pulled out of an 8-year retirement while finishing a
graduate degree in Folklore when asked to join the Lafayette
Rhythm Devils. She has since dusted off and retuned her
accordions for yet another round. She first picked up an
accordion at eleven years old and quickly immersed herself
in the Cajun culture and music learning from players such
as Octa Clark, Leroy Broussard and Aldus Roger. She first
learned an appreciation for music from her grandfather,
Jesse Duhon, an original member of the 1930s string band,
The Dixie Ramblers. Kristi formed her own band, Reveille,
and went on to win the CFMA’s New Dawn Award and Best
Female Vocalist as well as Best New Recording awards. Her
musical influences range from Cleoma Breaux, Iry Lejeune,
Nathan Abshire and Octa Clark to Zachary Richard and Mamou.
As a native Cajun-French speaker, a language she learned
from her great-grandmother, Kristi has a deep appreciation
for the stories within the songs of Cajun music. Kristi
can also be seen fronting the band "Bonsoir, Catin".
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RANDY
VIDRINE
guitar,
vocals
J.
Randy "Frisson" Vidrine. A Ville Platte, Louisiana
native, Randy now resides in Lafayette. As a child he grew
up in a bilingual household, and is a rare link to a quickly
disappearing past for Cajun Music. His voice is expressive,
passionate, and unquestionably authentic. One feels he is
in eerie time warp while Randy sings, yet many songs are
new- with lyrics he has written about life today. The attitude
and intensity would at times fit a heavy metal band, yet
it's true to the traditions of Cajun music. “Frisson”
does not play it safe- he makes each song his own.
In addition to vocal and songwriting influences from Adam
Hebert, Lawrence Walker and Shirley Bergeron, Randy's rock
solid rhythm on the guitar has been compared to the late
great Preston Manual of Mamou. Randy's love and pride for
his culture show in everything he does, and he has served
as a staff member at the Ashokan Fiddle and Dance Camp in
New York, Fiddle Tunes in Seattle, & Augusta Heritage
Center in West Virginia, to name a few. He has also presented
workshops at (among others): the London Cajun Festival (London,
England), Copenhagen, Denmark, Festivals Acadiens (Lafayette,
Louisiana), Festival International (Lafayette, Louisiana).
Randy has had his own group, Charivari, and has recorded
and toured with Mouton Noir.
“Frisson” is more than an exciting singer to
the genre of Cajun music. He is a treasure to the culture,
digging up the old forgotten tunes, writing new ones, and
keeping the language of his birth alive with each performance.
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CHRIS
SEGURA
fiddle
Chris
"Chop Chop" Segura began playing the fiddle at
the age of four and performs with the precision of a seasoned
veteran musician. He often plays bare-footed and head down,
lost in a trance and deep in concentration. Chris has showed
his devotion to the Cajun culture and language as the long-time
fiddler for the young and vibrant La Bande Feufollet. As
an admirer of the rhythmic styles of Mitchell Reed and Michael
Doucet, Chris has also learned from fiddlers such as Steve
Riley and David Greely of the Mamou Playboys. Musical roots
can also be found in Chris's family. In addition to his
father and mother enjoying Cajun music as a hobby, Chris's
great-grandfather, Robert "Vab" Fontenot, was
a Cajun fiddler originally from Belaire Cove in the Ville
Platte area. Chris is also a distant relative of the Segura
Brothers who made some of the earliest recordings of Cajun
Music.
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YVETTE
LANDRY
bass, t-fer, vocals
Yvette
is a native of Breaux Bridge. While she migrated to Lafayette
for a while, she has since returned to her home in St. Martin
parish. As a former Crawfish Queen, Yvette brings a regal
air and poise to the Rhythm Devils bandstand and has since
been deemed “Queen of Cajun Bass.” Yvette comes
from a long and venerable line of musicians. Her grandfather,
Lucien Landry of the Bill Landry Orchestra and The Louisiana
Six, was among one of most important working musicians from
the 1930s into the 1950s. Her grandmother, Viola Hebert
Landry of New Iberia, was a musician as well, playing with
her brothers Wilton, Noah, Cap and the rest of the Hebert
clan in The Louisiana Six. Yvette is an accomplished musician
and a classically trained pianist and has toured with orchestras
throughout the United States and Europe. As a bass-player,
however, she provides a rock-solid backbone and she can
often be seen keeping the rhythm section in line. Yvette
is also a member of "Bonsoir, Catin".
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DONALD
LEJEUNE
drums
Don'el
is a resident of Rayne but claims to be from the “other
side” of the Bayou Nez-Pique. He provides the Lafayette
Rhythm Devils with his signature exciting grooves. He is
also widely known for his devilish grin behind the drum
set.
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