CREDITS/PROJECTS

Grammy Nomination for “Best Traditional Folk Music” Recording, 1991

Produced the album titled “Let’s Get Cajun” by the The Basin Brothers Band--arranged, recorded, mixed, edited, and mastered.

Composed and arranged six of the fifteen songs on album.

Played fiddle, guitar, mandolin and sang while directing other musicians in band.

Public Broadcasting System and West Virginia State Park, 1995

Composed and recorded segments of original music and voice-overs for documentaries.

HBO Series--Sopranos, Television Series--Northern Exposure, Movie--Double Jeopardy, 1990’s

Several of my original songs were used as background cues (BG-CUES) in the above-mentioned series and movie.

“Al Berard Teaches...Cajun Fiddle Basics” DVD, 2002

Produced by Tommy Gath and Susi Mills, recorded this 50 minute teaching DVD of interactive instruction organized for replay of sections for beginner fiddle players--lead fiddle and seconding.

Jingles for local radio and television commercials, 1990’s

Composed, produced and recorded jingles for Budweiser, Whitney Bank, Evangeline Motors, Randol’s Restaurant, Cajun Heartland State Fair, and Now It’s Cajun Seasoning Company--Lafayette, Louisiana area.

Producer for Various Recording Albums/Artists

Produced six albums for The Basin Brothers Band--“Let’s Get Cajun”, “Stayin Cajun”, “Mulate’s

Presents The Basin Brothers”, “Dans La Louisiane”, “Deux Violons” (Two Violins), and “Fait a la Main” (Hand Made).

Produced two personal albums--“C’est Dans La Sang Cadjin” (“In the Cajun Blood”)--Al Berard and Errol Verret and “Al Berard and Friends”--Al Berard.

Produced, recorded and edited the album “Chante Ti Garcon”--Pope Huval.

Produced, recorded, and edited the album “Creole Jam”--T-Mamou Band.

Produced and recorded the album “Scrapbook”--Martin Swinger.

Produced and recorded the album “Hey Mom”--Camey Doucet.

Produced and recorded albums for local and French artists--Alain Gatay with Trans Bayou Express Band--France and the late John Dubois.

Produced and recorded demo sessions for various artists.

Composed liturgical music for services at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Cecilia, Louisiana.

Rounder Records, Flying Fish Records, Swing Cat Records, Polydor Records--Germany, Beams Records--Japan, Swallow Records and Old Man Records

Recorded for the above-mentioned record companies.

 

Fiddle Workshops

Traveled to fiddle workshops locally and nationwide teaching Cajun fiddle and promoting Cajun music and culture--Cajun/Bluegrass Festival at Escoheag, Rhode Island; Fiddle Tunes at Port Townsend, Washington; Philadelphia Folk Festival at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Louisiana Folk Roots, Lake Fausse Pointe State Park at St. Martinville, Louisiana; Falcon Ridge Folk Festival at Hillsdale, New York; and various school programs locally as well as out-of-state.

Collaboration With Various Artists

Performed on stage/studio with Sonny Landreth (slide guitar player), Michael Doucet (Beausoleil Band), Errol Verret (accordionist), Jay Ungar and Molly Mason, Balfa Toujours, Hadley Castille, Sheryl Cormier, Calico Cats, Alain Gatay (French performer), Stefan Waggershausen (German performer), Makoto Kubota (Japanese performer), Gangster, The Traiteurs, and Filé--Cajun Dance Band.

 

Festivals/Performances

Montreal Folk Festival and Winter Festival, Montreal, Canada; Trois Riviere (Three Rivers) Festival, Canada; Festival du Voyager, Winnipeg, Canada; Cajun Festival, Dalkey Island, Ireland; Festival International des Arts Traditionnels, Quebec, Canada; Festivals Acadiens de Wedgeport, Nova Scotia, Canada; Old Songs Festival, Altamont, New York; International Jazz Festival, New Orleans, Louisiana; Greek Theater, Los Angeles, California; Concord Pavilion, Concord, California; Rainbow Festival, Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Leaf Festival, North Carolina; West Virginia State Fair, West Virginia; Cajun Crawfish Festival, Panama City Beach, Florida; Super Bowl Party and Tampa Yacht Club, Tampa, Florida; Crawfish Festival, Breaux Bridge, Louisiana; Little Rock Crawfish Festival, Little Rock, Arkansas; Memphis Crawfish Festival, Memphis, Tennessee; City Lights, Nashville, Tennessee; City Stages, Birmingham, Alabama; Panoply Festival, Huntsville, Alabama; Summer Series Festival, El Paso, Texas; Le Rendez-Vous des Cajuns, Liberty theater, Eunice, Louisiana; Cajun Heartland State Fair, Lafayette, Louisiana; Festivals Acadiens, Lafayette, Louisiana; Le Festival International de Louisiane, Lafayette, Louisiana; Rhode Island Cajun/Bluegrass Festival, Escoheag, Rhode Island; Cajun/Zydeco Festival, Moodus, Connecticut; Le Festival Interceltique, Lorient, France; Johnny D’s, Boston Massachusetts; Mechanics Hall, Worcester, Massachusetts; Mardi Gras/Northern Rhode Island Arts Council, Woonsocket, Rhode Island; Mardi Gras Ball, Washington, D.C.; Sal’s Rhythm & Blues Club, Johnston, Rhode Island; Blackstone River Theater, Cumberland, Rhode Island; Cajun & Zydeco Mardi Gras Ball/Lagniappe, Providence, Rhode Island; La Bell Epoque, New York City, New York; Great Hudson Revival, New York; Raoul’s, Portland, Maine; Old Orchard Beach Festival, Maine; Bastile DayFestival, Augusta, Maine; Foxwood Theater, Norwich, Connecticut; Silver Dollar City, Branson, Missouri.

 

Awards

Grammy Nominated Finalist--“Best Traditional Folk Music” for “Let’s Get Cajun”--The Basin Brothers Band, 1991

The Times Music Award--“Best Country/Swamp Pop Guitarist”, 1989

The Times Music Award--“Best Country Guitarist”, 1990

Cajun French Music Association--“Best Fiddle Recording” for “The Grand Anse Fiddle Song”-- recorded and performed by Al Berard, 1992

Cajun French Music Association--Nominated for “Best Fiddler”, 2003

Cajun French Music Association--Nominated for “Best Recording”--“Deux Violons”--The Basin Brothers Band, 2003

 

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS

BMI (Broadcast Music, Inc.), 1994 to present

ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers), 1990 to 1994

CFMA (Cajun French Music Association), 1992, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004

 

Teaching

DVD