ICYMI: #WomanCrushWednesday IG Live featuring The Bango Bango's
BY LAURA HARPER/WWR Staff Writer
When you assemble a group of talented, fun, charismatic women to make music together you just might get something incredible, much like the band The Bango Bango’s.
Based in Florida, The Bango Bango’s is an all-female cover band whose name is derived from two of their biggest female musical inspirations, The Bangles and The Go-Go’s. The music they cover spans multiple decades, from the 60s to present day, so their party rock sound offers a little bit of something for all audiences to enjoy.
The idea for the band was contrived after The Bango Bango’s band member, Alexi, attended a Go-Go’s concert and raved about her experience to her mother, Astrid Voxx. Astrid, who had dreamed of starting a girl band since high school, decided to run with the idea, and The Bango Bango’s was born.
Today, The Bango Bango’s consists of six female multi-instrumentalists: Astrid, Alexi, Lana, Lenore, Paula, and Carla. While each woman has her own role to play in the band, their various skills as musicians allow them to adapt as needed should a member be unable to make it to rehearsals or performances.
While they find most audiences to be accepting of and excited by their performances, they have encountered quite a bit of sexism as an all-female act in an industry largely dominated by bands consisting mostly of male instrumentalists.
“You see five guys in a band and it’s accepted, but multiple girls in a band is seen as bizarre,” Astrid said.
Despite the challenges caused by this distinction, however, The Bango Bango’s are still dedicated to continuing to pursue their passions and entertain their fans. In fact, even the band’s tri-colored logo strives to display their dedication to female empowerment; the colors are green to represent Astrid’s eyes, yellow to represent Alexi’s favorite color, and pink to represent women as a whole.
All members of The Bango Bango’s seem to agree that being on stage is the one thing that really drives them, as it provides them with a sense of power and the ability to showcase their various talents. This is especially true for Alexi, who was diagnosed with autism and uses music as a way to embrace herself.
“I don’t feel timid and shy on stage, I feel like a superhero,” Alexi said. “It’s too good to explain. Music has taught me to embrace my weirdness.”
Plus, The Bango Bango’s like to use their live performances to make a difference in the lives of others. Each month, they try to coordinate a new benefit in which the proceeds are donated to different local charities, like food banks and animal shelters.
“We may not be the most popular band, but at least we made our mark,” Astrid said.
For more on The Bango Bango’s, you can check out the entire interview on Instagram @OfficialWomenWhoRock.