Today we’d like to introduce you to Nico Léophonte.
Nico , we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I am a drummer, producer. I moved to Austin in 1998. I didn’t know anyone, didn’t speak English, I just wanted to play music with the real deal. I started hanging out and got my first gigs, I went up the ladder little by little. I got better opportunities as I kept my faith. I ended up being part of the Antone’s Band with people like Tommy Shannon from Double Trouble, Derek O’Brien and many legendary players. It lead to me playing with the great Bo Diddley, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, and many other very influential musicians in Texas. In 2011 I opened a recording studio named Alnico Studio. I have been producing bands since then. The studio was nominated Best Recording Studio in 2025 by the Austin Music Awards. In 2022 I recorded a young band called The Point. 6 months after the recording I ended up playing with them. Since then we became one of the leading bands in Austin. In 2025 we were nominated for Best band, best World music, best guitar player. In 2026 I was nominated for best drummer, the band won best World music band. We have since been picked up by one of the biggest booking agency in the nation named High Road touring. We are booked on all the major festivals in the nation and just played our first ACL festival show this year. We closed the year as the band playing NYE show at Auditorium Shores for the city of Austin. We’ll be releasing our new record in the coming months on a major label.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
No pain, no gain! It has been a long and sometimes difficult journey but my passion for my art is a fire that will never leave me.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am a drummer, producer. I engineer and produce bands at my studio Alnico Studio. Some of my clients are Adrian Quesada (Black Pumas), Hermanos Guitieres, Greyhounds, The Point, Charley Crockett… the list goes on
We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
Luck is an other word for the power of manifesting your destiny. Invariably what seemed to be bad luck at times turned out to be the best that could have happened at the best time to redirect me on my true path. Rejection is redirection!
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @alnico.studio
