Alexis Normand on Tour with Alberta's Raphaël Freynet

by SaskMusic

February 19, 2014 in Artist News

Fransaskois folk-jazz singer-songwriter Alexis Normand and Franco-Albertan rock-folk singer-songwriter Raphaël Freynet will take their double-bill tour through Quebec and Canada’s East coast this March. Ivan Burke, a Franco-Manitoban percussionist, will also accompany them to create the magical sound of three-part harmonies.

Among other accolades, Normand was nominated for a Canadian Folk Music Award and Western Canadian Music Award in 2013 for her debut album MIRADOR. Freynet’s debut album Le Monde a Voir won Francophone Album of the Year at the WCMAs in 2011. Both musicians have also recorded with producer Benoit Morier in Montreal.

“Raphaël and I met during an artist residency at the Banff Centre a few summers ago. We really liked each other’s music and through jamming, we found that we complement each other’s style. So we created a live show to share the diversity of francophone music in Western Canada.” - Alexis Normand

The live show is intimate, bilingual, family-friendly and approximately 90 minutes long. Both musicians accompany each other as they present both original and cover songs. When her fingers touch a guitar or piano, Alexis Normand delivers music that is downright seductive. Her soulful voice is hypnotic and her jazz-folk melodies in French and English recall the soft prairie wind and the enchanting glow of the living skies. An accomplished pianist and guitarist, Raphaël has developed his own brand of intoxicating indie pop-rock. His exquisite melodies and Brit-rock-tinged voice project a compelling mix of boldness and reverie.  
More than 9.5 million people in Canada speak French. Every year on March 20th there is a global celebration of French language and culture that is supported by Les semaines de la francophonie – two weeks of events surrounding the Journée Internationale de la Francophonie held from March 7th -  23rd.  Freynet and Normand’s tour is part of this year’s celebrations. They would like to thank the Centre de la Francophonie des Amériques for their support with this tour: www.francophoniedesameriques.com

TOUR DATES
Mar 6th:     Edmonton, AB         Jeffrey’s Café
Mar 7th:     Saskatoon, SK         Village Guitars
Mar 9th:     Montréal, QC         Verre Bouteille
Mar 11th:     Edmundston, NB     Le Vieux Poele Pub
Mar 12th:     Moncton, NB         Plan B
Mar 13th:     Halifax, NS         Company House
Mar 14th:     Caraquet, NB         Grains de Folie
Mar 15th:     Petit Rocher, NB     Bistro Coeur d’Artishow
Mar 16th:     Saint Quentin, NB     The Karma Cafe
Mar 18th:     Québec city, QB     Studio P

More info on tour dates: http://on.fb.me/1fHnIsV

ABOUT ALEXIS NORMAND
Fransaskoise artist Alexis Normand lives in her prairie hometown, Saskatoon SK. She is an accomplished singer-songwriter whose music features a mélange of jazz and folk. In 2009 she won Radio-Canada’s Muziklips contest. In January 2012 she won Radio-Canada Saskatchewan’s contest Fais-moi une chanson (Write me a song). In 2013 she and her debut album MIRADOR were recognized with: two nominations at the Gala Prix Trille Or for Best Francophone Album from Western Canada & Best New Francophone Artist from Western Canada; a nomination for Francophone Recording of the Year for the 2013 Western Canadian Music Awards; a nomination for Francophone Singer-Songwriter of the Year for the Canadian Folk Music Awards; and she was short-listed for the 2013 Lieutenant Government General Award: Emerging Artist. She has opened for Colin Linden, Chic Gamine and Peter Katz.  www.alexisnormand.ca

ABOUT RAPHAËL FREYNET
Originally from Manitoba, and now based in Alberta, Raphaël Freynet is earning honours after the release of his critically acclaimed debut album. Raphaël has certainly been seeing the world. In March 2010, he travelled to Mexico City to represent Alberta at the prestigious Festival de Mexico, then to Quebec and France with the Grand 8 tour. Lately he has been performing in many parts of Canada, notably at the Coup de coeur festival and the Vue sur la relève festival in Montreal, at Break Out West in the Yukon, and during a western Canadian tour in early 2012. His first album, Le Monde à Voir, was released in 2011 and awarded the WCMA for Francophone Album of the Year. He was also recently nominated for Best Album from Western Canada at the Prix Trille Or in 2013, which celebrate the francophone music industry in Ontario and Western Canada. www.raphaelfreynet.com

More Rendez-vous de la francophonie events found here: http://rvf.ca/home.php

Back