The new season of Home Routes in Melfort is opening with a double bill on Saturday, Oct. 25.
Manitoba bilingual artist Flora Luna, along with Daniel Peloquin-Hopfner will be playing at Koffee Grounds on Main Street.
Luna’s (real name Geneviève Freynet) has toured with Home Routes before and performed in Saskatchewan before, but this will be the first time she’s done both simultaneously.
“It’s my second tour with Home Routes,” Luna said. “I did another tour in northern BC and Alberta last year, last fall. But I’m touring with Daniel Peloquin-Hopfner, who’s done pretty much all the Home Routes already.”
Luna said she is looking forward to visiting smaller places in the province. She said that the tour will be a chance to grow her knowledge of Saskatchewan.
“I’ve done some shows in Saskatchewan before, but not in a lot of those little communities. I’ve done shows in Saskatoon and Regina, but otherwise, it will be my first time in the other corners,” she said.
“I’m really looking forward to meeting all these communities everywhere.
Luna describes her music as “lush, alternative pop folk” music performed in both French and English. She comes by her music honestly through a family love of music.
“I grew up playing music in a big family of musicians,” she said. “I’ve played music my whole life, but I really started my solo project, Flora Luna, in 2022.
“I have a duo project with my brother. It’s a folk project and it’s my last name, Freynet, and we mostly toured in Manitoba with that project. In the past I’ve done many gigs in different venues. I used to live in Ottawa, so I did lots of gigs there.”
The Flora Luna project has been touring all over Canada. She also performed her first international show in France last year.
Her love for bilingual music comes from roots in the bilingual community.
“I’m from a little French town in Manitoba and it’s called Saint-Genevieve. It’s my name. I say that it’s the town that’s named after me,” she said.
“It’s a cute little town there. There’s lots of French towns in Manitoba, as there are in Saskatchewan as well. I grew up in French, but obviously we’re a minority language here, so you grew up also speaking English.”
The exploration offered by performing in two languages also intrigues her.
“Bilingualism has always been a big part of my life and that’s why I really do like exploring and writing in both of those languages. There’s different ways of thinking, right, in different languages and of exploring the different sounds and how that works with the music.”
She is also excited to tour with Peloquin Hopfner.
“He’s mostly known for touring with his project called Red Moon Road and they’ve toured extensively across Canada and Europe,” Luna said. “He’s a great, very versatile musician. He’s going to be accompanying me on the whole tour.”
The Melfort stop is one of three in the region. She’s also playing in Carrot River on Oct. 24 and in Prince Albert on Oct. 29.
“There are 15 dates. And Prince Albert is actually going to be the last concert on our tour. We should be good to go for that show. It’s going to be really tight by then, so I’m really excited,” she said.
She is also excited to stop in Melfort at Koffee Grounds.
“It should be really fun for that one too,” she said.
This is Home Routes 18th season of bringing artists to smaller communities for ‘home-based’ shows.
Koffee Grounds is at 518 Main Street, doors are at 6:30 p.m. and the show starts at 7 p.m. Tickets are $25 each and available at the door or at Northern Lights Gallery.
michael.oleksyn@paherald.sk.ca
