Pablo Antonio Y La Firma has been one of the few groups from the Washington DC, Maryland, and Virginia area that we have had the opportunity to speak with, which is why we are thrilled to have the chance to do so.
We got in touch with its founder and vocalist, Pablo Antonio, who shared some fascinating details about the group that bears his name and his artistic career in the capital of the United States.
Pablo’s Early Days in Music
Pablo recalls that he was a big fan of music from a very young age, to the point where he used any object as an instrument to make sounds and sing in his native El Salvador. When he arrived in the United States in 1981 at the age of nine, his family was already well-established there, and his uncles had a band that invited him to sing with them from time to time.
His passion for music kept growing everyday until eventually he began joining various musicians and experimenting with different genres. At the same time, he became an adult and began studying literature at George Mason University in Fairfax, a period in which his professional curiosity about music continued to grow. He do not have a strong academic preparation in that field, except for a few voice and piano classes—as he was not as interested in studying music as he was in practicing it.
Then, in 1998, Pablo and some friends in the industry came up with the idea of creating a group, which they named Pablo Antonio Y La Firma. Today, he is the sole founder of the orchestra and one of its three lead vocalists.
Professional Path Before Pablo Antonio Y La Firma
To earn the privilege of directing his own project, he had to play in other groups that gave him the experience necessary to lead his own. One of them, as previously mentioned, was Grupo Explosión—his uncles’ band. However, it was not long before a teenage Pablo sought out other opportunities such as La Superbanda Unión, Grupo Cobra, and Telvis Y Su Grupo Fuego, the latter being the project he stayed the longest.
After meeting so many musicians throughout his career up to that point, he reached out to several of them to found Pablo Antonio Y La Firma.
The Official Beginning of Pablo Antonio Y La Firma
Going back to 1998, Pablo Antonio and a good portion of the co-founders were still part of Telvis Y Su Grupo Fuego, but they wanted to create something different that offered more creative freedom. The musicians felt stuck playing the same venues and doing the same routine, eventually growing bored of doing the exact same events and playing the same style of music.
This led Pablo, percussionist Dominic Patrick Noel, and bassist Hermes Argueta to launch this new project. The following year, in 1999, they began performing live.
The Orchestra’s Evolution to the Present Day
Pablo maintains that from 1999 to today, the orchestra’s sound has evolved significantly. They have increased the number of musicians and incorporated other genres alongside merengue to reflect the area they lived in. Today, they also perform cumbia, salsa, and a bit of bachata.
Importantly, Pablo Antonio Y La Firma does not use backing tracks, as Pablo views them as a form of deception toward the audience, leaving people unsure if a live band actually sounds that good or if a track is doing the heavy lifting. “If a client is paying for something, that is exactly what I want to provide—everything sounding original and authentic” Pablo stated.
Finally, its former manager for more than 10 years was Brendaliz Cintrón, who was reponsible for the connections and performances they have made and its current musical director is Jhonny Ayquipa.
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