A new music festival honors the musical legacy of the late Al Berard and aspires to pay it forward.
A NEW MUSIC FESTIVAL HONORS THE MUSICAL LEGACY OF THE LATE AL BERARD AND ASPIRES TO PAY IT FORWARD. BY NICK PITTMAN
When Al Berard died on Feb. 26 of this year, he left behind quite a legacy: Basin Brothers founding member; longtime fiddle player and teacher; proud promoter of Cajun music and culture; recipient of numerous awards; composer for TV shows and films such as Northern Exposure, the Sopranos and Double Jeopardy; member of the Traiteurs; adjunct instructor at UL Lafayette; and a list of recording credits as long as an NBA player's arm. However, as grand as these accolades are, it's not something his family wanted sitting on a shelf gathering dust.
Instead, they are moving forward with a fund, a festival and a record he wanted to release for years.
"We, as a family, wanted to continue my father's legacy as an ambassador to our culture and heritage," says Maegan Berard, Al's daughter and member of Bonsoir, Catin and Sweet Cecilia. To do this, they started the Al Berard Memorial Music Fund at the Community Foundation of Acadiana, which will provide scholarships, teachers and instruments for students. In an effort to jumpstart its coffers, this year sees the inaugural Al Berard Music Festival, on Saturday, Nov. 29 at the Henry Guidry Memorial Park in Henderson. For a first year festival, the lineup features an impressive and diverse grouping of bands, hinting at Berard's popularity. Taking the stage are Sweet Cecilia, REFLX, Jason Frey, Paul Daigle & Cajun Gold, The Huval Family Band, Jambalaya, NIK-L Beer Band, Roddie Romero & The Hub City All Stars, Forest Huval & Friends, The Basin Brothers and Bonsoir, Catin.
For the bands playing, it is more than just a typical festival. Eric Adcock, keyboardist for The Hub City All Stars, puts it best, saying the event is, "to celebrate a man who was pure of heart with music as his passion. It's important for us as musicians in this community and friends of Al and his family to come together to keep on playing. It's what he would have wanted and I am honored to be a part of it."
The festival grew from a fiddle camp Berard first held in April of 2013. After Berard died suddenly from an aneurysm, his family decided to move into another direction. Says Megan, "We couldn't continue the camp without him. So by having this festival, we are still honoring some of the things that Dad wanted to accomplish."
Another project that was almost cut short by his death was a guitar record he recorded. His family said he always wanted to release an album featuring him playing guitar, despite being known primarily as a fiddler. To fund it, Berard's family turned to Indiegogo, where in only two months, it raised more than $23,000, 234 percent of its goal. At one point, it was the fastest funded project on the site, which seeks donations from people across the Internet as a way to pitch-in small amounts to fund grass roots projects. The record received a limited release at Festivals Acadiens last month but gets its own spotlight at his festival.
For Megan, the work to build the fund ties into her father's spirit and legacy. "Dad always fought for the underdog. He would love the idea of having scholarships and instruments given to anyone interested in music, especially Cajun music."
