Sound & Vision with Renée Reed

A collection of emotive hand me downs that just had to be combined with melody, the works of Renée Reed provide a warmth synomous with those she shares a label with. Blending a softly textured southern charm with the beauty of the French Language, her recent self-titled release is one that invokes a certain spirituality within each and every play.

An album that awaits you with its arms open, we caught up with the Keeled Scales artist for her to run us through her favourite works of art. These are her picks for Sound & Vision.

Three favourite albums:

Viking Moses – The Parts That Showed

 

I first heard Viking Moses when he played a show in Scott, Louisiana at a very small and out-of-the-way venue called Bourque’s. I was blown away by his performance and bought the album after the show. Since then it has become one of the most influential records to me. The songwriting is so original. It’s a beautiful and rather heartbreaking album with a narrative unlike anything else I’ve ever heard.

Malicorne – Almanach

 

My parents had this album on vinyl when I was very little and they would play it quite often. Malicorne is a French folk-rock band from Breton, France. It was a striking introduction to other kinds of French music around the world. Having such strong roots in the French culture in Louisiana, it fostered my love for connecting with other cultures of the Francophone world.

Canray Fontenot – Louisiana Hot Sauce, Creole Style

 

Canray Fontenot is one of my favorite Louisiana fiddlers and this album is so raw with emotion, perfectly encapsulating his iconic style. My dad got to tour with Canray when he was still alive and has since told me many wonderful stories about him as well. An amazing Creole-style fiddler, and person all around. I love playing his tunes when I get together with friends to jam.

A film that I love: Spend It All

I love every Les Blank that I’ve seen so far, but this one especially personally connects to me the most as it is all about Cajun culture. Blank’s way of directing always brings out the beauty in simplicity, allowing places and people to be seen as they are. In the case of this film that is a perfect representation of the way, these people live their lives. It also captures a very specific time in Cajun history right before a big push for modernization changed things drastically, so it’s an incredible time capsule.

A book that I love: The Tao of Pooh by Benjamin Hoff

I’m honestly not a huge reader, but I do have one book that I always come back to and that is The Tao of Pooh. I love how it’s based on the philosophy of Taoism, but pushed through the lens of Winnie the Pooh with so much depth in its simplicity.

A song that is important to me: Make Your Own Kind of Music by Case Elliot

This song never fails to inspire me when I’m in my own world creatively. It’s so simple, but so powerful because what she’s saying in the song is so important. When you’re doing your own thing, sometimes it can get lonely, but this song is such a motivation to keep following your own heart.

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