THE POYNT—Astoria, NY
I’m heading down to Norfolk, Va. to perform at this year’s East Coast Music Conference this weekend, so I decided to check out some of the other bands performing at the conference, and I noticed a rock band from one of my favorite neighborhoods in Queens…Astoria! Not only because I lived there for a couple of years, but because that neighborhood has some amazing food! Anyway, I’m talking about the band, The Poynt! After seeing that they were from Astoria, I had to check them out because I’ve heard some great bands come from Astoria like Eve to Adam and Behind The Bullet. The Poynt did not let me down! They were an alternative Indie rock band that brought back the flavors of ‘90s Alt-Rock. I listened to a few songs off of their latest CD, Alpha Queue. Yeah, I get it! And the songs that stood out for me were “This Dying World”, “Back Home”, “Open Your Mouth” and my favorite track, “Not Quite Jesus.”
According to their bio, the formation of The Poynt began in the ‘90s when a young Eduardo Alarcon began playing guitar at the ripe age of 11, where he started demoing guitar ideas on an old karaoke machine. After numerous attempts playing in local bands throughout the ‘90s and early 2000s, Eduardo made a phone call in August of 2009 to an old friend and bandmate Richie Beretta. Beretta, an up-and-coming producer at that time, had just opened up a music studio and was thrilled to work with a new artist. The only issue was that Eduardo only had ideas and no band to bring them to life. Throughout the course of 2010 to 2012, Eduardo found members from his hometown area and together they formed The Poynt. Each member possessed a unique, diverse musical background, ranging from the classical music masters to the rock music masters. Joining Eduardo in The Poynt are guitarist Adhnan Sulaiman, bassist Anthony Nicholas, and drummer Dominick Vasaturo.
In January 2015, The Poynt released their debut CD, This is American Royalty. Each track on this CD captured the essence of what The Poynt set out to create: genuine and memorable music. After a year and half of supporting This is American Royalty, The Poynt returned to the studio in early 2016, to record the first of two EPs. The first, Alpha Queue, was released in March 2017 along with the first single “Not Quite Jesus.” Alpha Queue II will be released soon! The Poynt will be performing this weekend in Norfolk, Va. at the East Coast Music Conference. For more info on The Poynt or to find out where they’ll be performing next, locally, visit ThePoynt.nyc.
NORTH JERSEY NOTES UPDATES:
My brothers from Brand of Julez, who are currently on tour with Texas Hippie Coalition, kicked off the tour by releasing the official music video for their song “Falling Up,” which they filmed while on tour in Lynchburg, Va. “Falling Up” is off of the band’s debut CD, Forward. The song kicks ass! I mentioned to singer Julez Zamora that his vocals reminded me of Michael Sweet from Stryper on this song, and he laughed at me and said he’d never heard that before. Well, during the verses in “Falling Up,” he kind of does! For more on Brand of Julez, visit Facebook.com/BrandofJulez.
My brother, Brian Brenizer, and his band Among Us finally released their extremely long-awaited new CD, The Fall, a couple of weeks ago. This CD marks the official return of the band onto the Jersey music scene, and these songs kicks some ass! There are some tasty riffs on songs like “Bury My Heart” and “Dear Hate.” I got to share the stage with Among Us a couple of months ago, and these guys are the ready to rock! Catch them live with Saving Abel up at the Stanhope House in Stanhope, NJ on May 11. For more on Among Us, visit Facebook.com/AmongUsNJ.
And finally, just a reminder that next weekend is the big Eleventh Annual Jersey Shore Music Festival in Seaside Heights, NJ, a three-day “free admission” music festival! The annual event hosts local favorites like my band, Rahway, Out Of Bounds, Stillphase, Inversion Circus, Know Your Enemy, Mind Riot, Aurin, Revel 9, Police Navidad, Long Gone Day, and Broken Past along with many visiting bands from outside of Jersey for an eclectic weekend of live music! The Jersey Shore Festival has established itself as the premier emerging artist festival on the east coast. This is a great opportunity to see some of the bands you’ve always wanted to see for free! My band as well as some of my favorites will be performing on Saturday, May 19 at EJ’s Tap House. For more info on the Jersey Shore Music Festival, visit JerseyShoreFest.com.
That’s all for now! If your band is from North Jersey, and you want some exposure, send your press kits to Arts Weekly, c/o Tim Louie P.O. Box 1140, Little Falls, NJ 07424, or you can email me at tim@theaquarian.com, where you can also let me know where you’re performing next!
Just remember…We’re all in the same boat, so every little bit of exposure counts!
Tim Louie is the Author of S**t Happens.
NJN Concert Calendar:
5/10—Quality Living/Ruby Bones/LKFFCT/Delicate Flowers/Night on the Sun—Debonair Music Hall, Teaneck, NJ
5/10—Texas Hippie Coalition/Kobra and the Lotus/Brand of Julez/Granny 4 Barrel/Dead City Crown/One Day Waiting/Erciyes Fragment—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
5/11—Some Guys and a Broad/Floyd Pink/Dead on the Tracks—Debonair Music Hall, Teaneck, NJ
5/11—Among Us/Corevalay/Fall To Rise/Triple Addiction/War For the Crown/Saving Abel—The Stanhope House, Stanhope, NJ
5/12—Delta Falling/Red Hymns/Comb the Desert/Hunter Alive— De Cicco’s Tavern, Raritan, NJ
5/12—Out of Bounds CD Release Party/Metal Life Crisis/Don Jamieson—The Brighton Bar, Long Branch, NJ
5/12—The Bunny The Bear/It Lies Within/Hold On Hollywood/Dead Noise/One Time Without—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
5/12—Blud Red Roses—Court Tavern, New Brunswick, NJ
5/16—The Holy Smokes/Partly Sunny/James’s Big Band Classic—Debonair Music Hall, Teaneck, NJ
5/16—When Thieves Are About/Serious Matters/Right On, Kid/The Angry Pirates/Violent Island—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
5/18—Minister of Metal Presents Panzie*/Lower The Veil/Memphis Crawl/Symetria/Scars of Envy—The Brighton Bar, Long Branch, NJ
5/18—Chevonne and the Fuzz/Strive/Jack Names the Planets/The Cause and The Cure—Debonair Music Hall, Teaneck, NJ
5/19—Jersey Shore Music Festival featuring Rahway/Flatleaver/Out of Bounds/Stillphase/Inversion Circus/Know Your Enemy/Mind Riot/Aurin/Revel 9/Police Navidad—EJ’s Tap House, Seaside Heights, NJ
5/19—Billy Monroe and the Soul Survivors/Jaded Past/Balkun Brothers—Debonair Music Hall, Teaneck, NJ
5/20—Nonpoint/Butcher Babies/Cane Hill/Sumo Cyco/Another Days Armor/Blud Red Roses—Starland Ballroom, Sayreville, NJ
5/25—Helmet/Prong—Debonair Music Hall, Teaneck, NJ
5/25—Ghost of a Gentlemen/Life Slides Down/See Plus/The Lousekateers/Broth—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
5/25—Mikell’s Plot—V.F.W., Kenilworth, NJ
5/26—Tilted—Stone Pony, Asbury Park, NJ
6/3—Behind the Bullet—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
