Interview with André Labonté About How He Started Out

Transcript:

André Labonté: My Uncle Odilion used to play with this.

Interviewer: You mean at family gatherings?

André Labonté: Oh yes! I had a big family.

Interviewer: There was lots of music.

André Labonté: Oh yes! I’d sit upstairs and, when they’d finished playing the accordion, I’d grab it from them and start playing it myself. Well… At least I tried to play. I loved it! So much so that I didn’t want to go to school anymore. I just wanted to play.

Interviewer: Did you say that your mother encouraged you?

André Labonté: Yes. My mother used to tell me: “You should learn to play, if you’re interested. We’ll buy you a little accordion.” That’s the little accordion I learned on.

Interviewer: Was she the one who taught you?

André Labonté: She really knew how to play. Anyway, she started showing me different notes. Three or four notes. That was enough for me to start playing at house parties. We used to have dance parties in those days.

Interviewer: In family homes?

André Labonté: Yes, big parties. As I was saying earlier, as soon as they’d finished playing, I’d grab the accordion and give it a try.

Interviewer: And did they tell you what you were doing right or wrong?

André Labonté: Yeah, that’s how we got the hang of it. Eventually, after playing like that for a while, I grew to love it. When I got home from school, I’d grab the accordion and… oh boy! You need to love it. Somebody who doesn’t love it…

Interviewer: Because you have to practice a lot when you play by ear?

André Labonté: Yes.

Interviewer: Did you study music?

André Labonté: No, I’ve always played like that.