The Point.

One Liner: Funky world grooves from local dudes
Wikipedia Genre: No Wikipedia, but indie world groove sweetasticness
Home: Austin!

Poster Position: Bottom Quarter - Line 22
Day: Sunday
Weekend Two Only.

Beatbox Stage at 1:45.

Thoughts:  I wonder if a band can head off a copyright claim by just adding "the" to the start of their name?  Weird that there are so many bands on the poster who do that - why go with The Point instead of just Point?  Friday gets The Favors, and Saturday gets The Strokes, The Heavy Heavy, and The Backseat Lovers.  Sunday gets these guys, The Dare, and The Bends.  Why not just the item?  Inquiring minds want to KNOW!

These guys a pretty great though.  The easy comparison is Khruangbin, but that is also wrong because they do so much more than just that Afro-funk jam.  Kind of a world-surfing jam of guitar and funk - and then somewhere in the middle I hit on a half-rap/half-funky-shit album that freaking bangs.  But the main thrust of this is that sort of genre-blending groove where the guitars could be Mexican, Moroccan, or Californian.

Austin natives, Joe Roddy and Jack Montesinos started the band when they were still in high school.  The met in jazz band at Lamar Middle School - go Scotties! - which is pretty dope.  The Chronicle called them "homegrown prodigy rockers," and Roddy was on stage with a trumpet when he was only 12 years old.  They claim to have named the band after a Harry Nilsson soundtrack for a cartoon named The Point.  Which, sure?  Roddy's dad is a rockabilly artist, but not one I am familiar with.

4 albums.  2020's Ihop seems to have been forgotten, and maybe for good reason.  Much more of a straight-forward, lo-fi rock album without any of the cool that is grabbing my ear in their later tunes.  Only one tune cracks 10k streams.  But 2021's Phonkadelic?  Also criminally under-streamed, but silly and good times for me.  Like they borrowed DJ Screw's laptop and went to town without considering their normal instruments or path.  "Frio River Anthem" reps the Frio fo real!  Not really, but I like that they named it that.  The horns in "Julios" are dope, and "This Is It" sounds like a slow-mo party.  Silly, yes, but also fun to me.

Its the next two albums where they seem to find their stride and their sound and start making the good stuff.  2022's BERTO'S BANQUET and 2024's Maldito Animal have the goods.  Top streamer overall is from that most recent disc - "Mrs. Kind Eyes."  176k streams.

A little reggae, a little groovy rock and roll.  The song that they apparently open their concerts with is called "Maquina Pura," and has 38k streams.  Not finding an easy YouTube of just that song, so here is a live version from recently at Howler Brothers.  The first song is the one I am talking about.

I mean, how can you watch that and not be entertained?  I feel like all three of those dudes are freaking on point. (see what I did there?  DAD JOKE, BITCHES!).  That whole jam session of four songs is super tasty.  I'd love to see this in person.  Weekend two onllllyyyyyyy!!!  WHYYYYYYYYY!!!!  I'll just have to find them at a little club or something then...