Canas

Nick Cañas

Back in the day, reaching the masses with one’s music required relocating to a metropolis, pounding the pavement with demo tape in hand, playing every dive bar imaginable, and more often than not committing oneself to a life of poverty with no guarantee of ever finding that elusive big break.

For a kid growing in the furthest rural outreaches, like Nick Cañas (who hails from deep, South Texas) that path to recognition was often insurmountable.

Thankfully, times change.

Nick is a killer bassist and guitar player. While still in high school he was recognized statewide for his guitar playing. Whether in his solo project Sanac, or his main band project, Nautilus vs. Pangolin, his music is as equally progressive and boundary pushing as it is melodically rich and engaging. Through social media, content creation and intentional connections with the companies whose products he uses, it’s allowed him to reach an audience well beyond his rural Texas home.

While the internet and the global lockdown that forced musicians and other artists online may have opened doors for players and taken the power out of the hands those holding the purse strings, don’t for a second think that that has made it easier for people to stand out from the crowd.

If anything, it’s even harder.

Everybody has chops and with so many people vying for the eyes and ears of viewers who will click to the next page unless they’re caught in mere seconds, grabbing an ever more fickle audience is no easy feat.

But Nick has done it. Not only does he have the chops, but his knowledge and personality come through both in his playing and his presentation. He has a natural inquisitiveness, is not afraid to push boundaries to find the sound he’s looking for, and he has the business savvy to take care of those essential pieces too. Listen between the lines of our conversation and he gives a pretty solid game plan that outlines what it takes to be successful as a young musician these days.

For more about Nick, follow these links: Facebook, YouTube, Instagram

Here’s our conversation. I hope you enjoy.