Victoria Canal's Mellow Groove Was A Perfect Nightcap At SXSW

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SXSW 2018 COVERAGE!

AUSTIN, TX- For most of our SXSW artist coverage, we’ll keep it relatively short and sweet. We have over 80 artists to cover, so cut us some slack! 😉 We’ll basically be formatting each post into two parts: (1) Why our contributor wanted to see this act and (2) what our contributor thought of the performance”. Easy peasy. If you want to learn more about the act, make sure you click through to their social media links to get in the know. You won’t be disappointed!

******************************

Why I Wanted To See Victoria Canal: . Sharing is caring! With advancements in technology, “word of mouth” can go viral and if you’re someone who possesses some serious talent, not matter what it may be, odds are you’ll get a few eyes (and possibly ears) to check you out. That’s how I stumbled up on Victoria Canal

Victoria is a young (20 years old …. I think …) Spanish-American singer/songwriter. Her 2015 debut EP, “Into the Pull”, garnered over 2 million plays on Spotify, but she didn’t creep up on my radar until a facebook friend shared this video.

This girl had some serious soul, and that’s what hooked me. I added her to my list.

What I Thought Of Victoria Canal’s Performance: I had spent the entire day enjoying some of the best that Americana had to offer at Willie Nelson’s Luck Reunion, but I decided that there’d be no better way to end the day than to kick back at a enjoy some mellow, soulful groves in a swanky cocktail lounge. Thus, I decided to head back into Austin to catch Victoria’s late night performance at Stephen F’s Bar.

Despite SXSW being known for massive crowds and unreasonable traffic, I found parking near the venue relatively easily. I entered the magnificent vestibule of the Intercontinental Hotel and walked up it’s grand staircase towards the performance venue, where I made my way to the bar and ordered a refreshing old-fashioned. My first drink of the day.

As I sipped on the drink, I noticed Victoria dressed casually in a hoody and jeans. I briefly introduced myself as the guy on the Facebook who helped her source a keyboard stand, and then left her alone to do her thing.

It was late at night, and literally the last performance of the day. The venue’s patrons who were in the cocktail lounge were comfortably lounging in its plush seats. There were a definitely those, like me, who were there for the music, but there was also a good number of attendees who were there to relax after what was probably a busy day of exploring all that SXSW had to offer.

But after Victoria meekly introduced herself, and began to sing, everyone’s attention focused on her and her soulfully crystalline voice. For me there is something pure in the quality of her tone. She’s a young woman, and her voice sounded pristine. A voice that was, while definitely influenced by other soulful singers, unswayed by modern affectations of pop music. Her voice, and the casually comfortable mood that she was able conjure with that voice, was the perfect nightcap after a long day of festivaling.

Victoria is constantly working on new music, like this video she dropped a few months ago:

I think– if you love soul and R&B music– it’d behoove you to keep an eye on what this one has to offer.