Charivari Charivari's Website




CHARIVARI, pronounced "shah ree-va ree", is establishing itself as the premier concert and dance band in Cajun music today. The name comes from a Cajun wedding custom in which friends and family of the newlyweds throw a loud, raucous party on the night of their marriage. A wild time is anticipated, but just what will happen is uncertain... Keeping that spirit of mischief alive onstage is a group who never play a song the same way twice, improvising and personalizing both the old and the new. In the truest tradition of the pioneers of Cajun music, they draw inspiration from other cultures as well as their own, with surprising results! CHARIVARI delivers high-energy performances blending the best of traditional compositions with vibrant original works. With its' roots deep in the heart of the Cajun prairies of Southwest Louisiana, this band continues the legacy of waltzes, two-steps, fiddle tunes, and stories about the lives of the Cajun & Creole peoples. CHARIVARI is driven by the unique singing of Randy Vidrine and rip-roaring fiddling of Mitchell Reed. With the addition of Jonno Frlshberg on fiddle and accordion, the band explores the twin fiddle roots of this powerful music in an aggressive, urgent, yet ethereal way that maintains the tradition of improvisation. It gets better: These Lafayette, LA natives managed to find some Cajuns who grew up in New Orleans. They form a "blackened voodoo" rhythm section. Alfred "Bo" Ledet on bass, and Matt Swiler on drums provide a full, rich, mystical sound that can't help but move you off your seat and onto the dance floor!