Austin's The Point are releasing a deluxe edition of their album Maldito Animal on Friday, while wrapping up a summer tour alongside a slew of big names across the musical spectrum.
On the album, which contains two new songs, Jack Montesinos and Joe Roddy pay tribute to the diverse, talented and wildly entertaining world music scene that helped raise them. Lifelong Austinites with deep family ties to the city’s music community, the pair met as junior high students with a shared love of funky blues riffs and Hammond B-3 organs. Their connection quickly morphed into a series of musical collaborations that continue to this day.
In 2023, The Point added French drummer and onetime Austin cab driver, Nico Leophonte, who helped introduce the band to Algerian and West African music that became a signature style on Maldito Animal.
This new collection of songs is a globe-trotting affair that starts listeners off with a trip to the Horn of Africa for a cover of a classic Ethiopian funk song, “Wede Harer Guzo,” and ends with a stop in the Andes for a bottle of chicha and the boozy cumbia, ”Cumbia de Medianoche.” Throw in tracks pulling from Caribbean dancehall and North African nomadic musical traditions, and you begin to get a sense of just how expansive the project is.
What makes it even more impressive is their ability to tie all these disparate sounds together with a garage jam band sensibility that perfectly captures the collaborative, communal spirit of the Austin music scene.
The band is KUTX's Artist of the Month. They share their thoughts on the new album, growing up in the Austin music scene and earning a spot at this year's Austin City Limits Music Festival.
This Q&A has been lightly edited.
KUTX: You got an early start performing in front of crowds here in Austin. How did that happen, and what was it like being kids playing alongside adults?
The Point: Because we were both playing our instruments at early ages, I think it was inevitable that we’d gravitate toward playing for live crowds. Playing alongside more experienced players is always cool cause you learn from them, picking up on new things that you want to try yourself. It pushes you to be better.
When did you start playing together, and how did you decide to record your own music?
We started playing music together in junior high, jamming before and after school. It wasn’t until high school that we decided to try and “record” anything. We have always been big fans of hip-hop, so at first we just made beats. We were big on finding weird samples and making some drum loops, then we’d throw a guitar or a trumpet on it. They sounded really bad at first.
How do you think growing up in Austin has shaped your approach to making music?
Austin has a very unique and special relationship with music. In the '70s, places like Antones and Armadillo HQ were key in establishing the “Austin Sound," where blues, gospel, tejano, country and zydeco influences created spaces together, loved by everyone in the city. Growing up around these influences and going to live shows at a young age have greatly influenced not just our playing, but our lives.
World music may not be the first thing that comes to mind when people think about the Austin music scene, but your latest album, Maldito Animal, pulls from musical traditions from all over the world. How do you learn about all these different styles of music, and how do you go about finding that common thread that connects them?
The three of us have different influences that we bring to the table when we jam on something. I think during the COVID lockdowns, we had lots of time to listen to different grooves and styles. When we got together, we had lots of fun exploring what it sounded like when they were combined.
Can you share five songs that inspired Maldito Animal?
You’ve hit some big professional milestones this year, with a spot at this year’s ACL Fest and a tour supporting the legendary Tuareg guitarist and singer Mdou Moctar. What has that experience been like?
It is an honor to share the stage with these fantastic musicians. It has been an amazing experience getting to meet and share knowledge with so many talented people. We look forward to the road ahead!
What’s next for The Point?
Coming up, we are playing the ACL Fest Night Show at The Continental Club on Oct. 10, which’ll be a fun one to come check out. We are currently in the process of recording a new album for next year, so stay tuned!
Catch The Point live
- Friday, Oct. 3 — The Aztec Theatre in San Antonio with La Lom
- Friday, Oct. 10 — The Continental Club in Austin as part of ACL Nights
- Sunday, Oct. 12 at 1:45 p.m. — ACL Fest
