'Come Original': 311 Reflect on 35 Years of Music and Human Connection

Newsweek

2 days ago

For 35 years, genre-breaking jam band 311 have forged their own path. The Nebraska natives have always "come original" with their fluid approach to music, drawing inspiration from an array of genres to forge their distinct sound.
In 1995, 311 released their third, self-titled album, lovingly referred to as "The Blue Album," which included breakout hits "All Mixed Up" and "Down," produced by legendary producer and engineer Ron Saint Germain. Thirty years later, fans count the Blue Album as one of the band's seminal works.
Newsweek sat with the iconic band during a show at the Graceland Soundstage in Memphis, Tennessee, to reflect on their smash album, connecting with their fans, and how they continue to tour after 35 years on the road together.
The members of rock band 311 from left to right, Aaron "P-Nut" Wills, Tim Mahoney, Nick Hexum, Chad Sexton, Doug "SA" Martinez.
The members of rock band 311 from left to right, Aaron "P-Nut" Wills, Tim Mahoney, Nick Hexum, Chad Sexton, Doug "SA" Martinez.
Big Picture Media/Brian Bowen Smith
Building Up and Breaking Through
Comprised of vocalist and guitarist Nick Hexum, vocalist Doug "SA" Martinez, drummer Chad Sexton, lead guitarist Tim Mahoney, and bassist Aaron "P-Nut" Wills, the band has endeared themselves to millions of fans since their genesis in 1988s. Their rigorous touring schedule has taken them across the world, and even to the high seas with their Caribbean Festival Cruise.
Following their debut album Music in 1993, the band took to the road to tour and hone their performance skills.
"On our second album, Grassroots, we just lived on the road," said Hexum.
"We didn't even have a home. We put our stuff in storage, and we just lived on the road and did hundreds of shows, and we just said we're gonna stay out on the road. And so that's where we put in that magical 10,000 hours."
When crafting their breakthrough third album, the self-titled 311, the band found the tipping point and began to shine through.
"I think there's just no substitute for the history that we have together and as one of the longest running original lineup bands out there, we just know that there's some magic that we kind of stumbled onto, so we try and take really good care of it," lead vocalist Hexum said, reflecting on how 311 captured its magic.
"Thinking back about our breakthrough record, on the Blue Album, a lot of people had been saying you guys are incredible live, but you haven't captured that yet on an album. So that was part of the Blue Album process, like we're going to get in the room and rock together a bunch of times until we really capture that energy."
Guitarist Mahoney added, "The momentum kind of came into focus there. The previous record was pretty eclectic. By the time the Blue record hit, it just kind of was more stripped down and focused."
The Graceland crowd sings along with 311 and lead vocalist Nick Hexum.
The Graceland crowd sings along with 311 and lead vocalist Nick Hexum.
William Wittmann/311
It Comes Down to Connection
Channeling the live energy in the studio was key for the band and was one of the major reasons why the album resonates with fans worldwide, "SA" Martinez said.
"I think just the energy that the record had," he explained. "For example, when we played 'Down' like the first time, that had such a reaction, and it wasn't even a single, right? It hadn't broken us through yet, but once we played it the first time, it was like it was mayhem. So, there's something about the energy of and the build that we had been constructing up to that point. Just this relentless touring, this word-of-mouth thing happening."
Those early days on the road were integral to not only building their fan base, but it also helped to cement the lasting brotherhood that has made them one of the longest original member touring bands. How did they build that bond?
Gaming, of course.
"Lots of 007 GoldenEye, you gotta compete with these people a little bit," bassist "P-Nut" Wills reflected. "That's when the marriage began and we were having a lot of fun in those like, you know, whatever the salad days of getting success, understanding who we were, for the first time, having an audience support it really in a completely open-minded way."
Over three decades, the band has built a devoted fan base buoyed by the group's consistent tour schedule. For Hexum and the group, live music hearkens back to the primal need for community.
"I think that concerts are such an essential part of the human experience. Like music has probably existed for like, 100,000 years," the vocalist said.
"In first 50,000 years, it was like rhythmic and drums, and then the melody came in 50,000 years ago…The recorded part has only existed for a tiny, less than half a percent of musical history. So, it's like it's a bonding thing that's in us to enjoy music together. And when you're at a concert, it's just a communal thing of one person making music and other people dancing to it. And it's just like a bonding thing."
That bond has permeated their fan base as well, forming what may be one of the most dedicated followings in the music industry, which drummer Sexton said stems from the group's love of life.
"It's more of like a party atmosphere and celebrating life. I think that's contagious," he said. "It's hard to explain if you're not there, but it's a really cool community, and I think it was built…from our music and the message in the music and now people get it and they keep coming back and having a blast."
"I think that's the thing that the audience really understands and takes away. When they see us play. They can see that we're them and they're us, if they would have picked up instruments, and ran into people that could help them channel their demons and challenge their sensibilities, and it could be in a similar position just with the turn of the dice. It's just passion and love and authenticity that kind of makes it all work," Wills added.
Hexum shared a similar sentiment. "When people come to our shows, they feel like they're getting into some kind of a family, that community. They just feel it," he explained. "People say to us, like, 'I don't really have a religion, but part of this community provides that for me,' so it's, it's a really cool thing to be part of."
While the band has played stages from the shores to the seas, some venues still hold an extra meaning from the group, with Hexum saying, "I am particularly excited to be at Graceland, just because my very first love was that early my dad's stack of 45 from the 50s that was like Buddy Holly and Elvis and I used to put on little pretend concerts and as a little kid. So, Elvis was just a really important thing to me."
Bespoke Beats
As the group embarks on their Unity Tour this summer, they're prepared to offer the fans a bespoke experience, tailoring the set list to the city at every stop.
"We kind of, after doing it so long, know, the different vibes of different cities and which ones have more new to the 311, or more of a lot of hardcore people, so we custom make the set list each night and then we also have kind of a meet and greet where certain fans will come and meet us, like it right before the show," Hexum added.
"And that really, for me, gives me a lot of energy because they're so excited. And then it brings you into like, 'Oh yeah, this is something that people have really been looking forward to.' And it just gives you a natural caffeine buzz from meeting the fans right before the show."
Crafting that set list can be as daunting as it is fulfilling for the group, with Wills noting the delicate balancing act of juggling the variety of genres. "You got to touch all the corners—the jam aspect, the rock, the reggae and the funk, the experimental, the whatever you know, mash up, of all of it. If and when that happens, that's a damn good set list. There's no such thing as perfection, I guess. But we're trying."
311's Nick Hexum playing guitar at Graceland.
311's Nick Hexum playing guitar at Graceland.
William Wittmann /311
Third Time's the Charm
Being in tune with the fans is a driving force of what makes the group so beloved by their fans. "We just have such a broad catalog that, you know, finding different ones that connect. We want to make sure there's some surprises. And there are songs that were never a single that are like fan favorites," Hexum explained.
"You take a song like 'Applied Science,' which is the one where Chad does the drum solo, and then we bring out the big drums and do a drum line that was never a single at all, but it's such an important part of our show, it's like a fan hit. So there's that. And then just knowing that a song like 'Amber' was the song that so many people maybe had as their wedding song, and just a very important part of people's lives. So we know that it's not only about our enjoyment, it's about thinking of what these songs mean to other people."
What would the band tell themselves from 30 years ago?
Hexum says the third time's the charm, musing, "What a magical time to see. You know, our dreams [were] just coming true. What I do remember is that we were really bad at picking singles, because our whenever we had a successful song, it was our third single, it was like, 'OK, we'll just put one more out,' before we give up on this album, and few different times that turned out to be the successful one, like with 'Down' or 'Beautiful Disaster' or 'Amber.' Those were all third singles, and like, three of our biggest songs. So maybe if we could talk to ourselves—'pick the third single.'"