INTERVIEW with Jack Montesinos of THE POINT.!
whose Insect Records/Fatbeats cassette "Phonkadelic" and all their earlier releases are BRILLIANT!
With a sound that falls somewhere between Hip-Hop, Jazz, Blues, Rock, and Pop, Austin's duo The Point. is making individual music that is pleasing to all who listen. The cohesion between Jack Montesinos and Joe Roddy has grown into consistency on their latest Insect Records release "Phonkadelic." The years of EPs, singles, and other Bandcamp releases (all recommended) find their culmination on this cassette of tight songs. Jack Montesinos took time from his busy schedule as a student at TCU and Point writer/singer/instrumentalist to take us inside their history, process, and future.
T-BONES RECORDS: How long have the two of you been playing together? The best songs feel like they benefit from the years of unspoken communication.
JACK MONTESINOS: Joe and I have been playing together since the end of 6th grade. We started with jazz jams (me on upright bass and Joe on piano). My little brother played with us on drums for a bit, and we’ve had a few regular drummers back us up.
T-BONES: When you started - I am guessing it was louder and punky (that fantastic Goggles EP where we really get to hear The Point tear it up). Now you found this very mellow combination of Texas Soul and even a little East Side Story. What did you see as the genesis of this?
JACK: We have always played different stuff. We used to jam on jazz, then I moved to drums and Joe on guitar, doing more Link Wray/Sonics style garage rock. Our “eureka moment” as far as the mellow stuff was when we heard Brenton Wood’s low rider soul stuff. Also, Durand Jones’ revival of soul has been inspirational. We take huge inspiration from the Beatles and Country Music too.
T-BONES: When the two of you write is it both each of you coming in with ideas and then having the good sense to just jam to meet in the middle?
JACK: Usually when we write, one of us will bring in an idea and the other will expand upon the idea/ make it better. We record some stuff separately too.
T-BONES: I imagine from the range you display on your recordings that the live band takes on a few different incarnations. What is the current setup and how did that influence “Phonkadelic?”
JACK: During quarantine it’s just been us recording in our bedrooms." Phonkadelic" was me on guitar, electric bass, and I mixed the album as well as picked samples and cut them up. Joe produced the beats with my rough drafts and played trumpet and organ too. We took huge influence from UGK’s “Super Tight” album which used live musicians to make Dirty South beats.
T-BONES: About “Phonkadelic” would you say that it is more sharply focused than your others? Did you go into making it with a goal?
JACK: "Phonkadelic" was definitely more focused just because we were super into Texas music history while making it. Other projects seemed more like compilations while this one has a game plan from the get-go.
T-BONES: There are a lot of horns and throwbacks to the sixties in your music - what influences are each of you bringing to the table?
JACK: Joe is bringing a lot more influences from movie soundtracks and Electronic music, along with Jazz Fusion stuff. I bring more influences from Soul and Hip-Hop, even a lot of Blues with my guitar. The horns are just very Southern sounding.
T-BONES: How did you get hooked up with Insect Records?
JACK: Insect Records was started by Ben Webster a/k/a Butcher Bear. He started giving us beat shows for SXSW and other D.I.Y. events around town. He finally gave us an opportunity to put something unique out that no one else in Austin is doing
T-BONES: How is it to be this band that draws all this music and these musical antecedents together in Austin?
JACK: To be honest, I feel like Austin is really bland when it comes to the music people give a chance to. There’s not enough spotlight going to the underground here, and more people feeding into the same old thing. Our musical taste comes from our parents, not the town. I have been playing in Blues and Roots Rock bands here since I was 11, but Austin is not what it was in the 70s/80s/90s (before I was even born). Joe’s dad, Ted Roddy is a well-known Country and Blues guy here. He was pretty big in the 80s. Rev Horton Heat got his start with his band.
T-BONES: When you are recording is it there a starting point with a 4-track style passing the track back and forth and adding to it? Kind of a first draft to see how much “weight” the song can hold before it toppled over?
JACK: We usually start the song from scratch and finish it there. It’s all done with a cassette tape recorder, Roland samplers, and GarageBand. Nothing fancy or complex.
T-BONES: When you making “Phonkadelic” what were you guys listening to? It has a tight sound and a definite bounce so far.
JACK: For what we were listening to during the process of this album, for me it was a lot of UGK, Miles Davis, and miscellaneous Soul stuff. Joe is probably the same while adding Ambient music.
T-BONES: What is next for you? Maybe some online shows? Small shows? A special live EP?
JACK: Next, we are going to central California for a month this summer to record an album on a farm!!! Might work on a vinyl release
Big thanks to Jack Montesinos for taking the time to enlighten us as to The Point. Also, thanks to Joe Roddy, Ben Webster at Insect Records, and Fatbeats distribution.
We also recommend “IHOP” especially “Can’t Replace”
As well as “You’re Just A Dream,” with the awesome 1-2 punch “Baby Blue” and “Follow Me.”
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