David Sinopoli, cofounder of III Points and partner in local venues like Club Space and Factory Town, has embedded himself deep in Miami's music roots and launched III Points with a goal not only to bring talent from outside Miami but to give the players in the Miami music scene more opportunities in their city.
"Over the ten years at III Points, we have booked 885 slots for our homegrown city's talent," Sinopoli tells New Times. "We pride ourselves on the festival feeling like it is truly Miami, and one major way we have been able to achieve that is through the commitment to keep the lineup of more than 50 percent Miami artists every year."
Since 2018, local bands and producers have been invited each year to apply for a chance to perform at the III Points Open House event. The open house is usually split into two consecutive evenings of performances/auditions at Floyd and the Ground, where attendees can discover new talent or support their friends. After the event, a select handful of winners get the opportunity to play at the festival.
Miami is known for its lack of music venues, giving locals a harder time to get their music in front of crowds. As an ode to the iconic shuttered venue, Grand Central, III Points is collaborating with Poplife to curate a stage that will present live acts, most from Miami, including Deaf Poets, Jaialai, Mold!, and Las Nubes.
Similarly, III Points is collaborating with Miami Community Radio to put together an interdisciplinary lineup of Miami talent performing original music at the festival.
Ahead of this year's festival, New Times checked in with some Miami talent scheduled to take the stage.
Allan Gallego
Born in Colombia and based in Miami, DJ and producer Allan Gallego has established his techno sound across the Magic City at venues such as Club Space and the now-shuttered Treehouse. Last year, Gallego cofounded Future_Arkive, a Miami-based label focused on techno releases. "III Points truly captures the essence of Miami's vibrant music and art culture. It stands as a testament to the city's boundless creative spirit, offering local artists like me a crucial platform to share our unique musical interpretations," Gallego shares. This will be Gallego's debut at the festival, where he will perform a live, fully analog set alongside Elias Garcia at the Sequence stage. "Our setup is a fusion of drum machines and modular synthesizers, promising an immersive and experimental techno voyage enriched by hypnotic and sci-fi-inspired soundscapes."
Donzii
Donzii has been on the III Points lineup since 2018, thanks to its otherworldly theatrical performances. Founded by couple Jenna Balfe and Dennis Fuller, the band has charmed many across Miami with its dancey postpunk hits. If you've been to a Donzii show, you'll know that each performance — usually including costumes, props, and dancers — is unique, and the band always pulls out all the stops at III Points. "For us, the festival has served as an anchor point, a time and place where we level up with ourselves as a project and see where we are at," Balfe says. "Each year brings its own challenges and hurdles, but with the love of David Sinopli and the III Points team, we always end up putting on the best show, making new connections, and gaining more momentum. Once again, this year will bring some new music and fresh magic for your eyes."
The Farm Boys
For a festival that leans towards the electronic realm, III Points has consistently included great talent in the rock genre, especially from Miami locals. The Farm Boys will bring their swampy, jam-band blues rock to III Points for the first time. The band is a collective of musicians representing La Finka, a creative organization that often throws events combining music, art, dance, and community. "We are thrilled to be performing at III Points, especially as it celebrates its tenth anniversary," says the Farm Boys' frontman, Roly Benitez. "We're excited to represent one of the local bands featured in the festival, dedicated to keeping rock music alive and thriving."
Le Poodle
Named "Best Pop Act" by New Times in 2022, Natalie Foucauld, under her moniker Le Poodle, will bring her moody indie-pop to the Grand Central stage this year. Foucald's first III Points experience was in 2014 when she was still new to the Miami music scene. After seeing the stacked lineup, Foucauld went alone to the fest, made some friends, and found inspiration. "III Points and the local Miami scene were so inspiring to me and created an environment where I pushed myself. I wanted to be on the big stage one day, and the following year, I taught myself to sing and play guitar and started writing and producing music," she shares. "I tried out for my first Open House in 2018 and was not invited to play at the festival. Although I was hard on myself, I used the feeling of defeat as fuel to step up my performance and skills. In 2019, I played the Open House again and succeeded in landing a slot in the festival. Last year, I was able to perform at my favorite stage, which is Sector III. I am really excited to have a full-circle moment with the Grand Central stage this year."
Palomino Blond
Palomino Blond's hypnotic and dark '90s alternative sound and DIY antics are why New Times chose the band as "Best Rock Band" this year. "I went to III Points for the first time when they booked my old college band on a small stage the year Gorillaz played [in 2017]," Palomino Blond lead vocalist and guitarist Carli Acosta says. "I heard of Yves Tumor there for the first time, and it scared and amazed me. Literally one of my favorite bands now. I always found the festival really eclectic, and I always discovered something new there. That's really special to me — it's got such its own style and vibe. Every music festival always has something for everyone; that's the nature of a festival. But with III Points, they nail the dark, fringe sounds that I feel like not every festival can do. This will be the band's third time playing the festival, and Acosta has great memories from previous years. "Every year's been a really huge, crazy experience for our band. The first year we played, our stage was right across from the main stage, and we started playing the moment Thundercat stopped. The sea of heads that turned around to take in our set was surreal. Then we finished, and Wu-Tang Clan started their set immediately across the way at the main stage."
Soft Cricket
Soft Cricket is the solo project of Nouredine Garami, accompanied by a full live band on stage and in the studio. Garami's songwriting brings a fresh mix of psych and desert soft rock to Miami. Usually inspired by bands like Steely Dan, Ultimate Spinach, and Drugdealer, Garami has been tapping into his roots and finding deeper inspirations in Algerian culture and music. Having released his debut self-titled album in 2021, Garami is excited to check another musical milestone off his list with the band's debut performance at III Points. "I've been going to III Points for years, so it's really exciting for me that I finally get to play it. We auditioned at the open house and received a lot of support from the crowd, so we're glad we were chosen to play at the festival," he says. "This city is tough for artists and musicians, so we appreciate III Points for giving us this opportunity."
Troy Kurtz
Troy Kurtz established his name in Miami's bustling electronic club circuit in the late 2000s. He was also a founding member of popular creative collectives Overthrow and Slap & Tickle, with residencies at defunct venues like Electric Pickle and Bardot. These days, he's running his label Pulp Trax and spinning records at Miami Sound Bar, Jolene, and Club Space. "It's no secret that Miami has been on a meteoric rise over the last few years. III Points has been there from the beginning and has blossomed into one of the best festivals in the U.S. since its inception a decade ago. The level of homegrown talent on the bill spread across all the different stages of the festival makes this a really important launchpad for a bunch of local bands and DJs," Kurtz says. This year, Kurtz is excited to check out Despacio and Danny Daze's "Blue" installation, featuring experiences of kaleidoscopic colors and sound.III Points 2023. Friday, October 20, and Saturday, October 21, at Mana Wynwood, 2217 NW Fifth Ave., Miami; iiipoints.com. Tickets cost $169 to $599 iiipoints.frontgatetickets.com.
