Victoria Cardona: Hardest-Working Musician in Florida?
We encountered looper Victoria Cardona at Orange Blossom Jamboree 10 back in 2019. At the time, we wrote:
I was enjoying Mind Medicine, but something was telling me to go find out about Victoria Cardona at the Zombie Stage. Best Decision of OBJ 10 for me. Cardona is a looper from the east coast of Florida, and I’ve never seen a more engaging looper (and I’m thinking about Keller and Legacy and [fill in the blank]). She plays guitar and has a magnificent voice. I arrived as she was playing “Oh! Darling” in ’50s doo-wop style. She had already played a marvelous version of “The Land Down Under” unlike any you have heard. She shifted to Spanish for a lovely song. She was employing two microphones. The first was for her lead vocals; the second created an awesome chorus effect. You could have heard a pin drop.
Next, she regaled us with a tale about her grandfather in Cuba. The government demanded (and I hope I have the story straight) his cane fields, and he said no. When they insisted, he burned them down, for which he was jailed. Once released, the family came to America. The chorus of the song was: “How sad for the sugar, But how sweet its taste.” WOW! Then she blistered a Latin tune, and her playing certainly evoked Santana, and then that somehow worked its way through a variety of songs including “Volare” and “Bamboleo.” Standing ovation at the end. You bet I was standing. BRAVA!
Good fortune would have it that I ran across her name on the lineup for this year’s edition of the Jerry Garcia Birthday Bash at Guanabanas Island Restaurant & Bar in Jupiter on July 31, 2022. So, first thing. If you are planning on attending that event, DO NOT MISS CARDONA’S SET. Period. The end.
Then I glanced at her upcoming calendar. WOW! It’s hard to imagine there is any musician in Florida working harder (i.e., more often) than she does. She plays at more than a dozen locations up and down the east coast of Florida, centered around Jupiter and her home of West Palm Beach.
You owe it to yourself to check her out. Just be prepared to be blown away!
VICTORIA CARDONA
06/23 Maxi’s Lineup | Jupiter FL
06/24 Tidehouse Waterfront Restaurant | Stuart FL
06/25 Private event
06/29 E.R. Bradley’s Saloon | West Palm Beach FL
06/30 Taylor Beach House | Home Sound FL
07/01 Guanabanas Island Restaurant & Bar | Jupiter FL
07/03 Butcher Shop Beer Garden | West Palm Beach FL
07/05 Blue Point Bar & Grill | Tequesta FL
07/06 Taylor Farmhouse Cafe | Jupiter FL
07/07 Taylor Beach House | Home Sound FL
07/09 Brewhouse Gallery | Lake Park FL
07/10 Butcher Shop Beer Garden | West Palm Beach FL
07/13 E.R. Bradley’s Saloon | West Palm Beach FL
07/14 Taylor Beach House | Home Sound FL
07/16 Townie’s Tavern | Palm City FL
07/17 Butcher Shop Beer Garden | West Palm Beach FL
07/20 Taylor Farmhouse Cafe | Jupiter FL
07/21 Taylor Beach House | Home Sound FL
07/23 Blue Point Bar & Grill | Tequesta FL
07/24 Butcher Shop Beer Garden | West Palm Beach FL
07/27 E.R. Bradley’s Saloon | West Palm Beach FL
07/28 Taylor Beach House | Home Sound FL
07/29 Village Music | Wellington FL
07/30 Hopportunities | Delray Beach FL
07/31 Jerry Garcia Birthday Bash | Guanabanas Island Restaurant & Bar | Jupiter FL
08/04 Maxi’s Lineup | Jupiter FL
08/05 Tidehouse Waterfront Restaurant | Stuart FL
08/06 Spread Heads Celebration | Terra Fermata | Stuart FL
VICTORIA CARDONA
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