Interview — Point Out

Skratch Magazine

Point Out is melodic puck rock band trying to make it in what they refer to as “the town of the living dead.” Manu (lead vocals), Albe (bass/backing vocals), Sergio (drums) and Simone (guitar) Marco (guitar) hail from Montecatini Terme and Pistoia, Italy where punk gigs are hard to book. But they are still at it and after 5 years and a few line up changes, sounding better than ever. Check out what they had to say to Skratch Magazine.

Skratch: Describe your sound:

Manu: Like the sound of a cracking glass!
Albe: Well my sound is a mix of high and dark notes, I like play fast and loud!
Sergio: A powerful mix of punk, metal, hard rock and much more

Skratch: How did you become interested in music?

Manu: I've been always interested in Music since I was young. When I discovered Green Day I felt in love with punk rock and from there everything begun.
Albe: I started to love music since 1994 listening the Green Day's album “Dookie”, then I continued with other groups as: Bad Religion, Nirvana, Sepultura, Metallica, Rancid and many more
Sergio: Listening at 5 years Duran Duran, Michael Jackson and Scorpions with my older sister.
Simone: When I was child I played an ancient electric piano, it was property of my big sister, then I try to play guitar, first classic and then electric. My family always tried to bring me off the world of music. They said it was full of drugs and alcohol!! They were right! Hehehe.
Marco: At 9 years old my father took me to a music school. There I learned to play trumpet. After some year I left the trumpet for the guitar, because it interested me more. I think that has been a good choice. I love guitar.

Skratch: What is your song writing process like?

Manu: Sometimes I write down lyrics and then I think about the melodic line. When we meet at the studio everyone gives his idea and we put everything all together.
Albe: I write a text then I try to find a good riff to bind together, then with the band we decide all. We change something and we complete the song together.
Sergio: Well, usually I follow the guitar or bass riff already written and just put something cool on it for me and for who are listening
Simone: Improvising together, I think it's the better way to find a good sound and to keep unite the band.
Marco: I write a riff, a chord progression or a small part of guitar, then they will be elaborated that with the band or alone. Or improvising in studio.

Skratch: What artists or musicians inspire you?

Manu: There have been lots of artists that inspired me during the years. I listen to so many artists, bands and different kinds of music and so it would take so long to tell everything. At the beginnin' I used to listen only Punk Rock music. Nowadays I listen Rockabilly, Rhythm & Blues and much more...
Albe: I started to play bass listening Mike Dirnt from Green Day.
Sergio: No one in particular. I have so many idol.
Simone: Well, Joy Division is the band that made me want to play music.
Marco: I grew up with Led Zeppelin, I started to play guitar listening Jimmy Page, one of my favorite guitar hero. Then a lot of blues, preferring Hendrix and SR Vaughan. Lately I found two other guitar player that give me tons of emotions: Mike Mcready of Pearl Jam and the great Joe Strummer

Skratch: Where do you take musical inspiration from? Your environment? People? Explain.

Manu: Everyday life, thoughts, insomnia...all of the above.
Albe: I catch the inspiration everywhere I am but I can write better when I have a travel and I'm among the people, I try to invent some stories about the people I see and in the end I adjust all the words.
Sergio: Well I don’t really know. Every moment of every single day for sure.
Simone: I take inspiration from the shit I have to eat everyday
Marco: The place you live and the people you know is surely a way of inspiration, but I think that our mood in the moment you play is the better thing to find inspiration.

Skratch: What is your musical background?

Manu: Rockabilly, rhythm & blues, punk rock, rock 'n' roll, swing, gospel.
Albe: I listen to punk rock, hardcore punk, trash and death metal and grunge.
Sergio: I can start from Green Day and finish with Slipknot, passing thru Ramones, Metallica, Nirvana, Helloween, System of a Down, Misfits. Everything but rock.
Simone: I listen to some gothic post-punk new wave.
Marco: I think blues is fundamental in my way of play, I play some blues chords and scale!

Skratch: Tell us about how you got started as a band:

Manu: The love for music for sure and I think living in such a boring place have been the main factors. Here there's not much to do. So either you get used to do something that you hate or you try to do something you loved in a place that you hate.
Albe: I always wanted to play in a band so since I was 15. I searched for some members to make a band but there aren't so many musicians here, on the punk side. So I had to wait some years until I found Manu and we decided to make the band!
Sergio: We are all already friends with the same passion. One boring day we said, “What are we going to do today? Why we don’t start a band?” That’s it.
Simone: I answered an advertisement, the songs were ok!
Marco: I answer an internet advertisement, the band was searching for a guitar player and I was searching for a band! We quickly found the right vibration on the band and outside too so that's it!

Skratch: What is the most rewarding part of playing in a band?

Manu: Staying on stage. It's the most rewarding thing.
Albe: I think when I'm on stage and I see people mosh and enjoying our songs.
Sergio: When people have fun at your concert. And maybe when someone gives me a beer after the show
Simone: Playing in a band and succeed at interacting with the other members, like gears in a clock that never fails!
Marco: Well, recording albums is really good, but I prefer playing gigs. People enjoying the show at your feet is the most beautiful thing you can have!!

Skratch: What challenges have you faced as musicians?

Manu: Living in a place like this playing Punk Rock is very difficult. And our jobs that don't permit us to play when ever we want.
Albe: Every time I'm on stage I can do the best “exam” of my life, I can't fail and it's a good challenge :)
Sergio: Trying to convince myself to be a musician.
Simone: The biggest challenge is work, we all work in different kinds of timetable, we try to see each other as much as possible but it's difficult sometimes.
Marco: I live in a city where is really difficult to find places where have a gig, it's different from USA or England. If you wanna play you must work hard to find something. I think it's the most difficult challenge we are facing now.

Skratch: What would you say is your best song to date? Why?

Manu: “Anthem for You.” That's it.
Albe: I think “No Reaction” 'cause I think girls like the melodramatic words of the song, and I like them too!
Sergio: I don’t know maybe all of them. Ahah!
Simone: I like to play “Anthem for You” I think it's the better song for a date!
Marco: I can’t determinate it 'cause I'm in the band for too short time! Maybe I might say "No Tolerance" 'cause it's an energetic song but I also like "Anthem for You." It is simple but nice!

Skratch: Do you remember the first album you ever bought? What was it?

Manu: Dookie/Green Day.
Albe: I think it was Nevermind by Nirvana. Then I bought some other bands like, Green Day, Offspring, Metallica and more!
Sergio: Sure the mc of Bad by Michael Jackson. The first CD was Dookie by Green Day.
Simone: It was Flat Field” of Bauhaus.
Marco: I Think was Bleach or Nevermind.

Skratch: Where do you see your band in five years?

Manu: On the moon! They will send us there to take us from the stage!
Albe: Well I'd want to play some gigs
Sergio: Can I answer after 5 years??
Simone: I think in Jail or sanitarium!!! Seriously I think we can make some good albums!
Marco: Playing gigs around, having fun!!!

Skratch: Would you say your goals as a band are long term, or short term? What do you ultimately hope to achieve? Explain:

Manu: I'm planning to conquer the world...nothing more.
Albe: We wanna play! We wanna make an album, have gigs. I don't know what our goal but is but I think that it's only a goal and since i was a boy a never stop to walk!
Sergio: As a band we try to have short goals day by day. My personal objective is live and die like a musician
Simone: I'd like to work on the new album
Marco: I think long term, a project that give us some interesting feelings. I'd like to record some albums and of course have tons of gigs!

Skratch: How has your band evolved since when you first formed?

Manu: We are just much more older, very handsome and elegant. lol
Albe: We had some line up changes, so we had a change of sounds too, every time we evolved the sound mixing our music tastes, we can mix a metal drummer with a melodic voice and punk music
Sergio: We started as a punk cover band. Then we feel the necessity to play something from our hands. So we start to write songs. And sometimes as cover now we revisit some old 50 60’s classic song in modern rock ways
Simone: There was some line up changes, so the next album could be unpredictable
Marco: I don't know. Before I was not there..

Skratch: What would you say is your band's motto? Explain.

Manu: We don't have a motto...or if we had one it would sound like a fart!! :)
Albe: hehe i don't think we have a motto!
Sergio: Play music is our lives. Don’t leave us to die
Marco: "Fuck off the technique, all I want is the soul of who play music" is a citation of G.L.Ferretti, but I think it should be the motto of every punk band.

Skratch: What shows/album releases/plans do you currently have set up? Tell us about them.

Manu: We published an EP and then we would like to publish our first album!
Albe: We played some gigs in Italy. Unfortunately, Italy for music is like a desert for a plant, poor. Italians loves tribute and cover bands and don't like new bands, so is difficult to find gigs. Actually we are recording the songs for our first album, it could be named as “Stories of Nobodies” is totally auto product, at today we recorded an EP.
Sergio: We’re finishing new song and fix up some old song and planning shows

Skratch: What sets your stage show a part from all the other bands making the rounds at venues?

Manu: Me.
Albe: I think our songs are the difference between the others band, we move around them, trying to involve the people!
Sergio: My dream is to set the stage in a graveyard ahha

Skratch: Anything else you think we should know about the band?

Manu: The sixth element.
Albe: Ahahaha I think you know too many things!!!!!
Sergio: Oh yes .the drummer always needs beer.
Simone: Don't go for a walk with Point Out, you could be walk for hours!!!!
For more on Point Out you can visit www.myspace.com/pointout69.

» BACK TO TOP

Interview Archives