LES FRERES MICHOT
TRADITIONAL CAJUN MUSIC
Interviews, articles, and miscellaneous links
2023
Jazz Fest interview:
This is an interesting 44-min video of our interview last year at Jazz Fest. The interview took place at the Allison Miner Heritage Stage and is archived at the Jazz Fest Archives, which is open to the public but it requires viewers to do a short, easy registration to have access. For this session, Pat Mould interviewed Rick, Tommy, Bobby, and Andre Michot on May 6, 2023. The Michots speak about the origins of LFM and other matters, and play a few songs. Thanks to Pat Mould and to Ben Sandmel for setting this up. See link below.
https://nojh.saas.dgicloud.com/islandora/object/islandora%253A59000
or
https://www.jazzandheritage.org/archive/
KRVS interview:
Rick and Tommy interview on KRVS with Nonc Jules, Bal de Dimanche Apres Midi, 08/27/23, 02:15 pm:
https://www.krvs.org/show/bal-de-dimanche-apres-midi-on-krvs
2022
Natchitoches Folk Festival
Interview (42 min) of LFM (Rick, Tommy, and Andre). 07/23/22
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iec2HQSFIAM
KLFY interviews:
Acadiana Music Spotlight (tommy interview, KLFY, 2022)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTfzyyruJ5w
Acadiana Music Spotlight (bobby interview, KLFY, 2022)
Acadiana Music Spotlight (rick interview, KLFY, 2022)
2021
Mike Michot interview with Jan Swift where he speaks of the origins of LFM:
2019
Article by Louis in Talkhouse:
In this article Louis discusses his background and relationship with Louisiana French and how it is interwoven with our family and music and culture.
https://www.talkhouse.com/singing-old-french-in-new-america/
2018
TCM interviews on KRVS:
Tommy did two interviews on the University of Louisiana's Public Radio Station KRVS. The interviews were aired on a program called J'savais pas; they aired on successive Tuesdays in November, before and after Thanksgiving, 2018. Program host Esther Tyree asked Tommy questions about the origins of Les Freres Michot, about life growing up in the Michot family, and about musical connections and collaborations within the family.
The two interviews are linked below.
Part 1:
http://www.krvs.org/post/jsavais-pas-november-20-2018
Part 2:
http://www.krvs.org/post/jsavais-pas-november-27-2018
2016
The Flying Vet of Lafayette
Les Frères Michot provided the music for this film about Dr. "Lippi" Leonpacher who was a good friend of both of our grandfathers and he used to service the dairy cows on Idlewild Farm in Patterson where our grandfather WB Smith was general manager. Lippi would often bring his kids and they would hang out with mama and her siblings and play at the house on the banks of the Lower Atchafalaya River. One of Lippi's sons, Alfred Leonpacher, became a lifelong friend and fishing buddy of my dad. The Leonpacher family grew up with us in the Pilette area and rode the bus with us to school in Lafayette. Lippi kept a detailed journal and had hundreds of photographs and reels of film documenting his life and career. His granddaughter Leslie Leonpacher enlisted one of Lafayette's most talented film makers in Eric Breaux to weave all of this archival material into a wonderful documentary about one of the pioneers of early Lafayette who used his airplane to service ranches and cattlemen throughout south Louisiana, including the vast marshlands and cheniers of Vermilion Parish. I was honored that Eric and Leslie used our music for the film, including cuts from our first album, "Élevé à Pilette" and some solo pieces that I recorded with Eric in his studio on accordion and violin and tinwhistle. I am excited about the world premiere showing at the Southern Screen Film Festival on November 13 at ACA. Hope to see you all there! Click here for trailer of the film.
2013
Les Freres Michot on American Routes with Nick Spitzer.
Rick and Tommy speak with Nick about their album, La Roue Qui Pend, focusing on the background stories of several songs: La Jument de Michot, La Roue Qui Pend, L’un pas de Bayou Vermilion, La Chasse de Lapin.
http://americanroutes.wwno.org/archives/artist/1220/The-Michot-Brothers
2012
Whooping Crane Public Service Announcements (PSA). Les Freres Michot teamed up with Zachary Richard and the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries to create a PSA as an outreach effort to educate the public about the re-introduction of whooping cranes in coastal Louisiana. The PSAs in French and English features Zach's narration and the background music of LFM.
2010
LJM on Louisiana Legends 2010
Louis J. Michot, "le pere de Les Freres," was inducted as a Louisiana Legend by LPB in 2010. This episode of the series “Louisiana Legends” from August 31, 2010, features an interview with Louis J. Michot conducted by Beth Courtney. Michot, a native of Lafayette, is a businessman, philanthropist, and politician. The program includes commentary by brothers Tommy and Mike and others, as well as various shots from LJM's past. He served in the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1960-1964, the State Board of Education from 1968-1972, and as the Superintendent of Education from 1972-1976. He also founded and owned the Burger Chef Drive-In Restaurant franchise in Louisiana and Mississippi. In the interview he discusses: growing up in Lafayette with French-speaking parents; joining the Marine Corps during World War II; his family; his business ventures; the qualities of a successful small business owner; his drive-in theater; the Burger Chef franchise; his successful run for the Louisiana House of Representatives in 1960; his role as the Superintendent of Education; the need for career-focused education; his hopes for the future of Louisiana; the challenges facing the state; and his humanitarian work. See link below:
http://ladigitalmedia.org/video_v2/asset-detail/LLOLG-2004
1986
LFM trip to Krakow, Poland
LPB has archived its episodes from the program “En Francais” from the 1980s. Click on the link below to see tcm interview in French with James Fontenot in 1986, including film clips from the LFM trip to Poland. LFM was the first Cajun band to play behind the "Iron Curtain," before the fall of the USSR in 1989.
http://ladigitalmedia.org/video_v2/asset-detail/LFRAN-0701
Miscellaneous links:
Below is an article by Dominic Cross in the Daily Advertsier from 2015 about Tcm visit to France:
https://www.theadvertiser.com/story/life/2015/05/28/pride-character/28082287/
https://kpel965.com/vermilionville-to-honor-michot-family/
https://www.acadianmuseum.com/legend.php?viewID=110
https://www.downtowncajunband.nl/sitewillem/Acadiana%20Gateway/music/lesfreresmichot.htm.html
Andre Michot accordions:
https://www.michotaccordions.com/blank-mpvle
Louis' radio program on krvs:
Below is an online recording of Lfm playing at the Liberty Theater in Eunice, Louisiana, October 8, 1988, from the University of Louisiana Archives of the Center for Louisiana Studies,
Accession Number LI2-063:
CFMA Album 1986 featuring LFM:
https://www.discogs.com/sell/item/1207395229
Louis J. Michot Jr. bio:
https://conservapedia.com/Louis_J._Michot
https://www.acadianmuseum.com/legend.php?viewID=180
Tommy and Louis playing in Pilette:
https://youtu.be/KsD2X56wwpQ
Rick, Tommy, Andre, and Bobby being interviewed by Pat Mould at Jazz Fest, Allison Miner Stage, 2023.