Viento South ready to blow Brandon away
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 13/02/2025 (268 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
A new five-member Manitoba musical group called Viento South is presenting a free concert in Brandon this Saturday, featuring Latin folk music with Canadian, Ukrainian and Cuban influences, says lead singer Paulina Gonzales.
“It’s a great way to celebrate multiculturalism in Canada, and the songs are a combination of upbeat music that will make you feel like you’re wanting to dance, and music that is very relaxing,” said Gonzales.
The concert is scheduled for 2 p.m. Saturday at the Lorne Watson Recital Hall on the Brandon University campus.
Lead singer Paulina Gonzales (left) and guitarist Lucho Hermida are part of the five-member Manitoba musical group called Viento South. They will be performing at a free concert in Brandon this Saturday at 2 p.m. in the Lorne Watson Recital Hall on the Brandon University campus. The concert features Latin folk music with Canadian, Ukrainian and Cuban influences. (Submitted)
Gonzales is originally from the northern Mexican state of Sonora and has been living in Winnipeg since 2017. She described herself as a professional singer.
About a year ago, she paired up with a guitarist and composer from Colombia and together they found success playing events and venues in and around Manitoba’s capital city.
“And then we decided to invite more musicians,” Gonzales said.
“So, now we have a fiddle player from Gimli, on drums is a woman who was raised in Canada with Ukrainian and Cuban influences, and our bass player is from Colombia as well.”
For a group that has only been playing together a few months, Gonzales said they all “bonded pretty quickly, and everyone has been adding their ideas and positive attitude.”
This Saturday’s concert in Brandon will be the second on the group’s Travelling Songs Concert Series.
Last weekend, they performed in the gallery space at Winnipeg Art Gallery-Qaumajuq to a “full house.”
A grant from the Manitoba Arts Council has allowed the musicians to travel, book concert venues and “start making a name” for themselves.
“We created the band name Viento South because it is a combination of Mexico and Canada,” Gonzales said.
“Viento is a Spanish word for wind. And the reason we chose viento is because … just like the wind travels all the way from the south up here to Canada, so did we.”
There are deeper meanings to the songs the group will play, added Gonzales. The concert will feature about 16 selections that she said are metaphors for immigrants’ journeys, and their vision that Latin American, Canadian and global influences can “coexist harmoniously in multicultural Canada.”
“Coming to our concert will give you a break from the negativity happening in the world right now,” Gonzales said.
“We want to showcase our culture, and how immigration is an opportunity to start from scratch, to start fresh and to celebrate Canada for being a great host.”
» mmcdougall@brandonsun.com
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