We recently had the chance to connect with Astrid Pazmino and have shared our conversation below.
Astrid, so good to connect and we’re excited to share your story and insights with our audience. There’s a ton to learn from your story, but let’s start with a warm up before we get into the heart of the interview. What makes you lose track of time—and find yourself again?
In this world that is riddled with fake food, people, events and perceptions of reality, I find a couple of things that bring me back to reality and myself again and that would be going to my church at Potential Church. Even though no one claims to be perfect, most attendees are happy and so eager to be better people and truly want to help each other achieve it. I really like going there on Sundays as it gives me respite from all of my troubles and of the pressures I am feeling plus I get to learn so much about myself, human nature and of course the teachings of Christ. It helps my spirit grow and wrestle with many uncomfortable perceptions I may have about life and forces me to think and discuss with my husband, Daniel Morgenthaler about what we think and how we would handle certain themes being discussed! Aside from church and music, there’s my ocean…my zen and one of my truest joys!! Living close to the beach is why I moved to South Florida and why I love being here! Its beauty, tranquility and even its fierceness, brings me closer to God and of course settles my tumultuous soul. swimming is not only a great exercise physically but also a great way to settle my mind and push my thoughts away from the noise of the world! I wrote a song called ECHOES that captures my love affair with the ocean and the Zen it brings me!
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I am a New Yorker at heart but truly love living in this gorgeous climate in South Florida even though the winter has its beauty too but something funny and amazing happens when you’re on the beach in mid -February here, you realize how lucky we are to live and work in paradise! I am a full- time musician who founded my own all female band called The Bango Bango’s around 2016 and are still going strong! We lost some core members in 2020 due to the pandemic but we quickly recovered a new lineup and have forged ahead stronger and more determined to succeed. We are a tribute to Women in Rock even though our name started out as a nod to The Bangles and the Go-Go’s! Soon we discovered a mutual love for so many amazing women in rock that we opened up our setlist to include a myriad of iconic female rock artists into our repertoire such as Tina Turner, Grace Slick, Janis Joplin, Stevie Nicks, Heart, Linda Rondstat, Joan Jett, The Runaways, Vixen, Blondie, Pat Benatar, Lita Ford, Kim Wilde, B-52’s,Scandal Alanis Morisette, The Cranberries, Garbage, Republica, Melissa Etheridge, Bonnie Raitt, Amy Winehouse, Elle King, Adele, Alice Merton, Avril Lavigne and so many more amazing artists! The Bango Bango’s is truly a labor of love and hard work in order to showcase women’s rock voices in South Florida and also give little girls a great role model of how to work as a team and how to push yourself past exhaustion and make thing s happen in a world full of naysayers!
Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. What’s a moment that really shaped how you see the world?
My world was mostly about music but I also love languages and different cultures and cuisine but it wasn’t until I saw the band KISS that my soul knew its purpose! The energy they emitted at their concert, the lights, the incredible costumes, the punchy rock music and of course their adoring fans made the entire concert experience memorable and life changing for me at least! I decided to give up my pursuit of a career in translation and decided to continue my love for music as a bona fide career although in hindsight maybe I should have stayed the course as an interpreter for the United Nations and would be making way more money now for sure but onward!
When did you stop hiding your pain and start using it as power?
My childhood was wrought with much emotional and physical abuse and pain but it wasn’t until I started songwriting and channeling my strife into my music that the catharsis was achieved and my soul had a tiny bit of respite from the angst and torture my childhood reminded me of! My mother was a loving but volatile person but also a product of abuse herself so I understand now why she was the person she became to be and thankfully music and my faith was my escape from it all!
Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? What would your closest friends say really matters to you?
I believe that my closest friends would know that my love for faith and my family is very dear to my heart as well my love for peace and psychological harmony but also how much I champion female empowerment in all facets of life! I find that in my experiences being a woman has been very challenging and full of so much fear and uncertainty because I am not as powerful as a man physically. I now have to live that fear with my own daughter knowing that she has to navigate this dangerous world plus being an autistic person she has another challenge to hurdle past but hopefully my love and upbringing has given her a strong headstart in handling herself. My band is another way that I bring my passion of music and female empowerment together to soothe not just my soul but to many others out there in the world! After every show, we get so many people telling us how much joy we bring them and that makes all the hard work and stress worth it for sure!
Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
I hope people will tell the story of an abused kid who pushed past all her pain and turned into a manifesto of strength, resilience and perserverance no matter the adversity nor naysayers! A deeply loving and committed woman to her family, friends and of course her passion of music, faith in God as well as faith in herself and what she wanted to accomplish with all the God given talents given, even though in this corrupted and bleak world made it very difficult to succeed in her own terms but she kept on going and felt happy just pursuing even if the end goal was never achieved!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://TheBangobangos.com
- Instagram: @AstridVoxx or @thebangobangos
- Linkedin: @AstridVoxx
- Facebook: ebook.com/AstridPazmino
- Youtube: @Thebangobangos
Image Credits
Photos by Daniel Morgenthaler
