Francophone house concert series kicks off

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This article was published 16/04/2017 (2935 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Live music was pumping out of Denis Foidart’s basement, and the room was filled with strangers, but the St Pierre homeowner wasn’t worried. In fact, Foidart had volunteered for this: he had welcomed inside both the entertainment and the guests, the latter of whom were, upon closer inspection, a jovial group composed of toe-tapping friends and family.

Nearly 25 people gathered at Foidart’s rural residential property east of St Pierre to take in an intimate performance from Daniel Peloquin-Hopfner, a Franco-Manitoban folk musician who is perhaps best known for his work with trio Red Moon Road and duo Fire & Smoke.

The concert was organized by Chemin Chez Nous, the Francophone branch of Home Routes, a Manitoba non-profit organization founded in 2007 by longstanding members of Winnipeg’s folk music scene, with a mission to bring folk music to rural, remote, and urban living rooms across Canada. The first gig on Chemin’s southeastern Manitoba spring circuit took place at Foidart’s house on an uncharacteristically warm and sunny Wednesday evening.

In 2010, Home Routes launched Chemin to more consistently showcase central Canada’s impressive well of Francophone talent. Leonard Podolak, Chemin’s new executive and artistic director, explained that the house concerts are ticketed events advertised primarily through word of mouth, and hosted by volunteers in their own home.

“We mostly deal with individual hosts for the English routes, but with the French routes, it was more about getting connected with the community organizations, and then they spread the word,” said Podolak.

“What we’re trying to do is build on the infrastructure of folk music in this country,” said Podolak. “We’re going into rural communities where this could be one of the only outlets in town for this kind of music.”

Last Wednesday evening, as Peloquin-Hopfner brought his first set to a close and an intermission began, Foidart set out snacks and drinks for his guests, then reflected on his half-dozen years hosting house concerts.

He and his wife, Lise, moved to St Pierre from St Jean Baptiste in late 2014. After hosting his first house concert, he was “hooked,” and quickly signed up again. The couple now hosts regularly, Foidart said, as the shows align with his longstanding interest in, and involvement with, grassroots Manitoba arts events.

The Foidarts also frequently attend other Home Routes house concerts in the region, such as the ones held earlier this year in Letellier and Emerson. He explained that hosts often double as billets, offering supper, a spare room, and breakfast to the travelling troubadours.

Podolak said he was grateful for repeat hosts like the Foidarts, calling them, “the foundation of our organization. They’re people who want to create community and do something fun in town for themselves, their neighbours, and their friends.”

However, Podolak also hinted at the challenges involved in organizing grassroots musical events in rural communities. Lately, the Manitoba Chemin circuit has struggled to attract and maintain hosts, he said.

“The tour in Alberta is really strong, but the tour in Manitoba is really hard. I’ve had a really difficult time keeping hosts…It’s very fluid. We don’t really have a contract with these people; they’re volunteers.”

He hopes that the organization will continue to expand its host network, and reach concertgoers beyond the hosts’ immediate social circles.

In delivering on its mission, Chemin Chez Nous faces larger economic factors as well. Enormous promotions companies exercise considerable influence over urban venues, and deploy considerable resources in competing for talent agents’ allegiances. In a musical economy such as this, Home Routes stands out, quietly working to restore the immediacy of live music by uncoupling it from aggressive commercialism. Instead, the organization aims at a more modest target: sustainability, for itself and its artists. According to the Home Routes website, performers keep all revenue from tickets and records sold at the events.

“It’s about the art, it’s about community, it’s about intimacy,” said Podolak. Even when there are challenges, he takes comfort in the appreciation shown by local residents for the professional musical acts brought to their doorstep. He tallied up the additional expenses involved in rural residents attending a Winnipeg concert—fuel, dinner out, a hotel room—and noted how much more affordable a house concert is for rural music fans.

Podolak noted that living room concerts are also a way to fill gaps in tour schedules sometimes caused by the expansive geographical distances between major market prairie cities. In addition, a house concert offers a type of audience connection that a larger venue cannot.

“The fourth wall that normally exists between the audience and artist really isn’t there,” said Podolak. “You’re all in the living room together, and everyone’s contributing to the vibe.”

If Peloquin-Hopfner’s enthusiasm was any indication, artists, too, appreciate the warm, informal connection engendered by a living room setting. The homegrown multi-instrumentalist grew up east of Dauphin, in Ste Rose du Lac, though his mother, Rosemarie Peloquin, hailed from St Pierre. She imparted to him her love of folklore, he explained, adding that he feels at home in small towns.

“The city is a very temporary thing for me,” he said of his current Winnipeg home.

Chemin house concerts also drew out his nascent interest in occasional solo performances.

“I’ve basically made my career as an accompanist, or as part of a duo or trio ensemble,” he explained. “As a solo artist, it’s rare that I do performances at all.”

The opportunity to perform in French also appealed to him.

“I felt that it was my time to express myself in that way. It’s my first language and something that I hold very dear,” he said.

Peloquin-Hopfner got involved with Chemin Chez Nous through his pre-existing connection to Mitch Podolak, Leonard’s father and the co-founder of the Winnipeg Folk Festival. (“Everyone knows everyone,” said Peloquin-Hopfner of Manitoba’s Francophone music scene). But the friendship did not mean he could skip the audition.

“I had to perform for him to show him that I had the personality and the taste in tunes to perform folk music in peoples’ homes,” Peloquin-Hopfner recalled.

“We stand behind everything that we book,” Leonard Podolak said, describing the Manitoban artists on the circuit as “world-class.”

As the sun set on Wednesday evening, Peloquin-Hopfner seemed to have no trouble keeping his audience enthralled. His eclectic taste in folk songs had him reaching for a guitar, then a mandolin, then a banjo, occasionally adding the steady beat of a bass drum as well. After the show, he explained that, like a novelist or playwright, he envisions a “story arc” for each set, so as to draw in listeners with a coherent narrative. The next morning, he departed for house concerts in Kenora and La Broquerie.

Podolak said Chemin Chez Nous’s “Jeanne Bernardin” circuit, which includes upcoming stops in St Malo on May 6 and La Broquerie on May 7, will be in full swing by the fall, running from September through November and February through April. Both concerts will feature St Boniface singer-songwriter Andrina Turenne, of the Winnipeg quintet Chic Gamine.

However, the organization’s list of communities is not set in stone; additions are always a possibility.

“Where there’s volition, we’ll go,” said Podolak.

Those interested in requesting tickets to upcoming house concerts, or who want to learn more about hosting and the organization, can log on to www.homeroutes.ca.