Thursday, November 6, 1997
Saturday, November 1, 1997
Hexum's Computer Recording (Maximum Guitar)
A lot of bands complain about how difficult it is to write songs on the road, but Nick Hexum has remedied this situation by assembling a portable studio that makes it easy for him to capture his creative ideas. The entire system fits into a small rack that can be wheeled backstage, into a hotel room, or onto the bus.
The core of the system is a Macintosh Powerbook computer loaded with Opcode's Studio Vision sequencing/hard disk recording software. The computer has three gigabytes of internal storage, and Hexum has connected a two gigabyte drive and a CD-ROM burner to the computer for additional storage. Sound sources include an Akai S3000 sampler, and Roland JV-1080 and Waldorf Pulse synth modules. Hexum controls the sound sources either with a Roland PC-160 keyboard controller or with his guitar synth setup. Hexum also uses Steinberg's ReCycle program which changes the temp of the drum loops without changing the pitch.
"The JV-1080 had thousands of patches, including every hip-hop drum sound you could imagine, drum loops and scratch sounds," says Hexum. "I have this sound card for the JV that features a bunch of bass and drum samples done by Abe Laboriel Sr. and Jr. Sometimes I'll extract beats straight from a CD and put it on the hard drive. I also have loads of sampling CDs."
For guitar parts, Hexum plugs his guitar into a Korg Pandora and records direct to hard disk. "I can play anything and get a really good-sounding demo," he comments. "First, I'll sequence everything in MIDI and then I'll record my guitar. Once it's all exactly where I want I’ll record it on the hard drive or burn it on a CD. This system lets me do everything except lay down vocals and live drums. I also use Studio Vision to make continuous dance mixes. I'll have a 30-minute sequence that has seven songs in it, and I'll fade in from one song to the next. I can also make my own custom compilations by extracting songs that I like from CDs and burning them onto a separate CD.
"Now I have something to do while I'm waiting for the show," says Hexum. "It helps me keep the songwriting going. Before I just had a guitar and a tape recorder. Now I can make demos that sound good."
The core of the system is a Macintosh Powerbook computer loaded with Opcode's Studio Vision sequencing/hard disk recording software. The computer has three gigabytes of internal storage, and Hexum has connected a two gigabyte drive and a CD-ROM burner to the computer for additional storage. Sound sources include an Akai S3000 sampler, and Roland JV-1080 and Waldorf Pulse synth modules. Hexum controls the sound sources either with a Roland PC-160 keyboard controller or with his guitar synth setup. Hexum also uses Steinberg's ReCycle program which changes the temp of the drum loops without changing the pitch.
"The JV-1080 had thousands of patches, including every hip-hop drum sound you could imagine, drum loops and scratch sounds," says Hexum. "I have this sound card for the JV that features a bunch of bass and drum samples done by Abe Laboriel Sr. and Jr. Sometimes I'll extract beats straight from a CD and put it on the hard drive. I also have loads of sampling CDs."
For guitar parts, Hexum plugs his guitar into a Korg Pandora and records direct to hard disk. "I can play anything and get a really good-sounding demo," he comments. "First, I'll sequence everything in MIDI and then I'll record my guitar. Once it's all exactly where I want I’ll record it on the hard drive or burn it on a CD. This system lets me do everything except lay down vocals and live drums. I also use Studio Vision to make continuous dance mixes. I'll have a 30-minute sequence that has seven songs in it, and I'll fade in from one song to the next. I can also make my own custom compilations by extracting songs that I like from CDs and burning them onto a separate CD.
"Now I have something to do while I'm waiting for the show," says Hexum. "It helps me keep the songwriting going. Before I just had a guitar and a tape recorder. Now I can make demos that sound good."
Radio Days (Maximum Guitar)
Critics have ripped their new album, Transistor, to shreds, but the fans still love 311's homebrew mix of dub, rap, reggae, and rock. Maximum Guitar goes on the road with guitarists Nick Hexum and Tim Mahoney to see how they recreate their phat, funky sounds on stage.
Only a few hours before 311 is scheduled to perform at Colorado's famed Red Rocks Amphitheater, the skies darken and rain begins to fall. But even thought weather conditions are dismal, an ever-growing crowd of fans gather in eager anticipation of the nights show. Most of the audience is decked out in bright orange ponchos that they've purchased at the venues concession stands, endowing the seating area with an oddly festive hue. A pair of girls who are braving the elements laugh as their clothes become soaked, never showing any signs of dismay, even as they attempt in vain to light a soggy cigarette.
Backstage, 311 guitarists Nick Hexum and Tim Mahoney relax and trade licks. In tribute to bands who have previously graced the stage that 311 is about to appear upon, Mahoney plays the intro to U2's "Sunday, Bloody Sunday." Hexum answers back with one of his favorite licks, the beginning chord progression of the Clash’s "Should I Stay or Should I Go?" They don't, however, play any Grateful Dead licks, even though Mahoney is an avowed Jerry Garcia fanatic.
A few minutes later, one of the crew members walks into the dressing room holding a Denver newspaper and shows the band an article. "Check this out," he says. "It says here that, 'half the tickets for the Denver Lollapalooza show are still available, even though it's only a few days away. However, tickets for 311's concert at Red Rocks were sold out five months before the event.'" This is encouraging news, but the band only needs to look outside at the seating area for confirmation that they've acquired and extremely dedicated following.
Perhaps more surprising is the paper's positive report about the band, who have recently received nothing but harsh words from the press. Magazines like Rolling Stone and Entertainment Weekly gave 311's new album, Transistor (Capricorn), extremely disparaging reviews, which would lead the uninitiated to assume that the record was a complete failure. But nothing could be further from the truth, as the album sold 130,000 copies in its first week.
Transistor is an ambitious effort that combines hard rock, rap, funk, jazz, and trip-hop influences with strong, memorable melodies and an ample dose of dub-inspired production techniques. The result is a style of music unlike anything else out there. Transistor is not a dub album in the pure sense of the word, but a fascinating update of the genre that is sure to make dub more accessible to a mainstream American audience. In a way, 311 have done for dub what the Police did for reggae 20 years ago.
Meticulously-produced albums aren't currently in fashion, however, which, may be one reason for the harsh reviews. The band holed up in the studio for more than two months making Transistor, whereas nowadays most bands are in and out of the studio within two weeks. But with its lush ambiance, trippy echo effects and huge vocal harmonies, Transistor sounds like the kind of record that most bands would take two years to complete. The album boasts 21 songs and over 70 minutes of material. Surprisingly, Hexum reveals that a lot of good songs didn't make the final cut.
But even more amazing is the fact that Hexum, who wrote about half of Transistor's songs, is already working on music for the next album. He's put together a portable computer-based recording studio that he's taking on the road so he can write songs and record demos in his hotel room, on the bus, or backstage. He also plans on incorporating the rig, which features a sampler and a few synthesizer modules, into his stage setup so he can duplicate many of the sounds heard on Transistor.
Unlike most of their alternative rock contemporaries, Mahoney and Hexum are unapologetic about 311's pursuit of musical chops. In fact the band's performance later that night features brief solo segments from both drummer Chad Sexton and bassist P-Nut, something that most critics consider passe. But the smiles that grace the faces of a few thousand cold, wet but satisfied fans as they file out of the venue after the performance show that maybe it’s the critics' sour attitudes that are out of fashion.
Maximum Guitar: Transistor is quite an ambitious and well-produced record. How are you going about recreating the record's sounds and effects on stage?
Nick Hexum: Scotch Ralston, who produced the record, also mixes our live sound, so he knows where the delays are supposed to go. He's responsible for creating many of the dub effects. Tim also uses his own analog effects for some stuff. I've got my guitar synth going. I'm only using it on one song now, but I'll be phasing it in more and more. The guitar synth has tons of internal sounds, but I've got this other rack that has different synth modules and a sampler, so I can MIDI it up and trigger samples from the album, scratch sounds or whatever. Every day I'm trying to phase that in a little more.
Tim Mahoney: I have a guitar synth, too, but I used it on two songs that didn't make the record. I really got into analog effects like the Electro-Harmonix Memory Man delay, analog choruses and phasers. There's a lot more effects and tones than on the last record. I was excited to do that. The last record was more stripped down. On this one we both wanted to get cooler tones.
MG: There are a lot of keyboard sounds on the record. Were they actual keyboards or did you use the guitar synth?
Hexum: I have a real Clavinet, and I used a Roland JV-1080 a lot. There were also samples from a wide variety of sources that I stored in my Akai S3000 sampler. Before we started recording the album, I would record guitar parts or a vocoder part on the hard drive on my computer. When we got into the studio I would make a full version of the song using just samples and a drum machine, mostly electronic stuff, and maybe a few live instruments that were recorded straight onto the hard drive. We'd put all my songs down on tape first so we at least had it sounding as good as my pre-production demo. Then we would go back and redo a lot of the guitar parts, although sometimes we'd keep the old ones if they had a nice sound to them. We already had a good sketch of my songs down on tape. Other songs we'd start from scratch. I'm the only one who's into the synth world.
MG: Listening to the revord you can't tell that those songs started off primarily as a synth demo.
Hexum: We tried to make it sound as organic as possible. We also decided not to be purists. We weren't worried about using sounds that we wouldn't be able to pull off live. On stage we skip that sound and let it take on a more raw form.
MG: Transistor is a production-oriented record, in the classic sense, where the record stands apart from the live show. What effect did recording this album have on how you approach your live show?
Hexum: I always try to make sure that the song sounds good when it's played just on guitar. Once I'm comfortable with that I'll phase in the guitar synths and delays. Chad is also starting to use his d-drum a lot and triggering samples. By our next album, I imagine we'll be more fluid with that stuff. Then we'll work on triggering stuff in a live setting during pre-production rehearsals, rather than trying to add it after the fact.
Mahoney: For live performances, I've tried to keep a lot of the same sounds. There are a couple that I'm still trying to dial in. The song "Prisoner" has a lot of different tones in it. There's one tone that I lost that had an octave-up effect and a T-Wah. It's a matter of finding those sounds again and programming them into my MIDI board. On our first two records I did a lot of switching between clean and distortion. On a lot of our new songs there's a lot more than guitar tone. It took a little while to warm up to get all the switches down after being in the studio.
MG: There are some lush reverb sounds on the record. Was it recorded that way or was it added in mixing?
Mahoney: Both of us recorded all of our effects on tape.
Hexum: For guitars, at least. On vocals they were added after they were recorded.
Mahoney: We worked to make sure all of the tones were the way we wanted them. Once you record a phase shifter you can't change it.
MG: The phasing is very thick and distinct, like on those old dub records from the Seventies. What kind of phase shifter did you use?
Mahoney: I used a reissue Small Stone, one of those Russian ones. I also used an MXR Phase 100.
Hexum: I used my Rocktron Replifex a lot. I have a Boss SE-70 that I use on stage to re-create the sounds on our older records, like the T-Wah. The Rocktron stuff is really advanced. One of the key effects on the vocals was an old Roland Space Echo, which is a tape echo. The Memory Man has a distinct sound, too.
Mahoney: I have three Memory Mans that I travel with so I can have each set at different times -- a fast one, a slow one and one that I adjust. The delay times aren't always right on there, but I guess that's the nature of dub. Those and the Small Stone really made the record for me. Analog delay seems to have a mind of its own. Sometimes when you hit it, it sounds different than it did before.
Hexum: Some company has got to figure out that there's a demand for being able to control that analog sound with MIDI and saving your settings without having to twiddle the knobs each time. I have a Waldorf Pulse in my synth rack, which is a true analog synth, but you can recall all of the parameters with MIDI. I'd immediately snap up an analog delay or tape delay that would let you do that.
Mahoney: It's difficult to travel with Echoplexes. The maintenance is too much. Even so, we're having trouble getting Scotch into the MIDI controllable world.
MG: It must have been difficult getting the echo times lined up in the studio.
Hexum: You have to listen to the echo with a click track. You put it down on tape, so once it's down, it's down. You don't run the effects live. When we do dub, we put the effects down on another track. That way we don't have to worry about any variables when we’re mixing.
MG: What would you recommend to someone who wants to art making their own dub mixes?
Hexum: I usually start with a track where it's just a standard reggae bass line and a drum loops sampled from the Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare sampling CD. Then I'll add a couple of tracks of offbeat keyboard and guitar. To do dub, all you need to do is phase those things in and out and put different effects on them. It's basically a straight song all the way through, but the character of the song comes when you mix it and you take instruments in and out and add effects. Learning how to do that is crucial. You've got to be familiar with King Tubby, so you should go out and get all the Blood and Fire label reissue stuff.
MG: What you're doing with dub is not traditional, though. You've taken it in a new direction.
Hexum: We're using turntable scratching and making it a little more trip-hop sounding, like on "Light Years." It's cool because SA (Martinez, vocalist) is becoming an instrumentalist now. He's got his scratching to a level where it really adds something, and he has something to do when we play instrumental jams.
MG: There are a lot of cool wah tones on the record. Was that mainly an envelope follower?
Hexum: Most of it is a Boss T-Wah.
Mahoney: I used a wah pedal on "The Continuous Life," but I don't use it that often.
Hexum: I don't use it at all.
Mahoney: We use T-Wahs, mostly.
Hexum: The Boss T-Wah and Octaver are the signature of the 311 sound.
Mahoney: I hope they don't stop making those octave pedals. The T-Wahs are discontinued and they're hard to find. I'm using a Boss FT-2 Dynamic Filter now, because I lost my T-Wah in a fire. That one was the best. The T-Wah in the SE-70 is pretty good, too. We've got a couple of envelope followers right now, but it's always good to get more.
MG: Nick, you seem to prefer Les Pauls and hollowbody Gibsons.
Hexum: I've always played Les Pauls because Mick Jones was my first guitar hero. In our first band, the Eds, Tim and I both played Les Pauls. Paul Reed Smith is probably the top guitar maker out there but the hollowbody thing for me is really big, and PRS doesn't make a hollowbody.
Mahoney: I know that PRS is making hollowbodies now, but I haven't played one yet. Up until recently I had the PRS Standards, which have mahogany bodies. Then I got a Santana model, which has a maple top. I recorded all of Transistor with the Santana model. But it's set up differently than the Standard--the toggle switches are different and the scale length is not the same. I wanted to get a new guitar, so I got two Customs with maple tops. They did them custom for me and put a bird of prey inlay on them. I still love the warmth of the all-mahogany ones. I also love the sound of hollowbodies. There are a couple of songs where I could use it, but I tend to use the same guitar through the whole set. The Paul Reed Smith is really good for doing nice clean tones and the heavy metal distortion.
MG: You've been in a battle with music critics for awhile now. The reviews on this album in particular have been really brutal.
Hexum: Critics don't feel like they had a part in supporting our band, so they feel like they've got to say that we suck because they never covered us. Now they have to cover us, so they pan us. Bad reviews really don't affect us much. That's been a long-standing realization with us. Critics only have an effect on a very small amount of the actual record buyers. Sure, when there's a mean-spirited attack it pisses me off, and it stings when you read it. But I save them all so I can laugh over their grave one day. What are most of these people's qualifications? Are they at least a one-time fan of the band so they have some legitimate interest in listening to the album, or are they just forced to because it was an assignment? Are they a musician? Why is one critic's opinion more important than anyone else's? I guess I wouldn't be saying this if they liked us more, but you have to move on.
Mahoney: We'd like everyone to praise us, but we’d rather see a sticker with our logo on someone's skateboard than a ton of good press. We've been playing for a while and have a lot of core fans who don't care what anyone else things. They just want to come listen to the music.
Hexum: There are plenty of critical darlings who can't fill Red Rocks. I'd rather be hated by critics and loved by fans.
MG: Your songs generally have a very positive message, which isn't exactly in fashion right now.
Hexum: When I get a letter from a fan that says, "I just went through a hard time in my life, and your record is something that pulled me through," that to me is a purpose that transcends entertainment. It's connecting with someone on a deep level. The lyrics are not 100 percent "be happy," but when I write a song about a problem there will invariably be a solution or a positive outcome. I guess that's because we're healthy people. We try to be positive and maintain a good attitude. I would really hate it if my influence was not constructive.
MG: Do you feel that coming form Omaha, Nebraska, had an influence had an influence on you?
Hexum: We expected to have to work hard. People in the Midwest don't expect to take the easy route. We feel that if you work hard you will have a good life. That work ethic influenced us to stick with it, no matter what problems came our way. Musically speaking, all of our influences are from Jamaica, New York, L.A., or England. I can't think of any band that I'd listen to that’s from the Midwest. But attitude-wise our background has been a huge influence.
MG: What are some of your biggest musical influences?
Hexum: The Clash and Bob Marley are some of the biggest ones. I also like the great jazz songwriters like Cole Porter, Johnny Mercer, and George Gershwin. On this last album I only did one rap. I'm really getting back into making classic melodies and writing songs that are more timeless. That's the result of me listening to more melodic stuff.
Mahoney: We all have a lot of the same influences, like the Bad Brains and Bob Marley. We like bands that mix up a lot of different styles, like Urban Dance Squad and Jane's Addiction. I like lot of the older guitar players like Jerry Garcia, Carlos Santana, John McLaughlin and Jimi Hendrix, and jazz players like John Scofield. To me, jazz players are the ultimate. We also listen to a lot of modern music.
Hexum: I make a lot of my own trip-hop compilations. There's some really great stuff out there, but there's also a lot of crap. I got through the CDs, extract whatever songs I like onto my hard drive and burn a CD that's my own "best of" compilation. A lot of trip-hop is on compilation records because many of these acts aren't signed. It's just one guy with a computer. But some of it is really creative and cool. There are artists who put together full-length albums that are great. Tricky's first album was a masterpiece. Portishead is great, and so are both Massive Attack albums. I also like the Chemical Brothers quite a bit.
Mahoney: We're both really into Ernest Ranglin.
Hexum: I couldn't believe it when I first heard that album. It's an instrumental album with really great jazz-level players but doing reggae. I love that hollowbody tone that he has. It's classic reggae grooves but with technically skilled players.
Mahoney: It's like rasta Wes Montgomery.
MG: You put quite a bit of material on the new album, but are there any other directions that you want to explore?
Hexum: There was one acid jazz and one old-school, straight funk instrumental that didn't make the record. I wanted to put them on there but I got outvoted. We're going to keep expanding, speaking more through melodies than words.
Only a few hours before 311 is scheduled to perform at Colorado's famed Red Rocks Amphitheater, the skies darken and rain begins to fall. But even thought weather conditions are dismal, an ever-growing crowd of fans gather in eager anticipation of the nights show. Most of the audience is decked out in bright orange ponchos that they've purchased at the venues concession stands, endowing the seating area with an oddly festive hue. A pair of girls who are braving the elements laugh as their clothes become soaked, never showing any signs of dismay, even as they attempt in vain to light a soggy cigarette.
Backstage, 311 guitarists Nick Hexum and Tim Mahoney relax and trade licks. In tribute to bands who have previously graced the stage that 311 is about to appear upon, Mahoney plays the intro to U2's "Sunday, Bloody Sunday." Hexum answers back with one of his favorite licks, the beginning chord progression of the Clash’s "Should I Stay or Should I Go?" They don't, however, play any Grateful Dead licks, even though Mahoney is an avowed Jerry Garcia fanatic.
A few minutes later, one of the crew members walks into the dressing room holding a Denver newspaper and shows the band an article. "Check this out," he says. "It says here that, 'half the tickets for the Denver Lollapalooza show are still available, even though it's only a few days away. However, tickets for 311's concert at Red Rocks were sold out five months before the event.'" This is encouraging news, but the band only needs to look outside at the seating area for confirmation that they've acquired and extremely dedicated following.
Perhaps more surprising is the paper's positive report about the band, who have recently received nothing but harsh words from the press. Magazines like Rolling Stone and Entertainment Weekly gave 311's new album, Transistor (Capricorn), extremely disparaging reviews, which would lead the uninitiated to assume that the record was a complete failure. But nothing could be further from the truth, as the album sold 130,000 copies in its first week.
Transistor is an ambitious effort that combines hard rock, rap, funk, jazz, and trip-hop influences with strong, memorable melodies and an ample dose of dub-inspired production techniques. The result is a style of music unlike anything else out there. Transistor is not a dub album in the pure sense of the word, but a fascinating update of the genre that is sure to make dub more accessible to a mainstream American audience. In a way, 311 have done for dub what the Police did for reggae 20 years ago.
Meticulously-produced albums aren't currently in fashion, however, which, may be one reason for the harsh reviews. The band holed up in the studio for more than two months making Transistor, whereas nowadays most bands are in and out of the studio within two weeks. But with its lush ambiance, trippy echo effects and huge vocal harmonies, Transistor sounds like the kind of record that most bands would take two years to complete. The album boasts 21 songs and over 70 minutes of material. Surprisingly, Hexum reveals that a lot of good songs didn't make the final cut.
But even more amazing is the fact that Hexum, who wrote about half of Transistor's songs, is already working on music for the next album. He's put together a portable computer-based recording studio that he's taking on the road so he can write songs and record demos in his hotel room, on the bus, or backstage. He also plans on incorporating the rig, which features a sampler and a few synthesizer modules, into his stage setup so he can duplicate many of the sounds heard on Transistor.
Unlike most of their alternative rock contemporaries, Mahoney and Hexum are unapologetic about 311's pursuit of musical chops. In fact the band's performance later that night features brief solo segments from both drummer Chad Sexton and bassist P-Nut, something that most critics consider passe. But the smiles that grace the faces of a few thousand cold, wet but satisfied fans as they file out of the venue after the performance show that maybe it’s the critics' sour attitudes that are out of fashion.
Maximum Guitar: Transistor is quite an ambitious and well-produced record. How are you going about recreating the record's sounds and effects on stage?
Nick Hexum: Scotch Ralston, who produced the record, also mixes our live sound, so he knows where the delays are supposed to go. He's responsible for creating many of the dub effects. Tim also uses his own analog effects for some stuff. I've got my guitar synth going. I'm only using it on one song now, but I'll be phasing it in more and more. The guitar synth has tons of internal sounds, but I've got this other rack that has different synth modules and a sampler, so I can MIDI it up and trigger samples from the album, scratch sounds or whatever. Every day I'm trying to phase that in a little more.
Tim Mahoney: I have a guitar synth, too, but I used it on two songs that didn't make the record. I really got into analog effects like the Electro-Harmonix Memory Man delay, analog choruses and phasers. There's a lot more effects and tones than on the last record. I was excited to do that. The last record was more stripped down. On this one we both wanted to get cooler tones.
MG: There are a lot of keyboard sounds on the record. Were they actual keyboards or did you use the guitar synth?
Hexum: I have a real Clavinet, and I used a Roland JV-1080 a lot. There were also samples from a wide variety of sources that I stored in my Akai S3000 sampler. Before we started recording the album, I would record guitar parts or a vocoder part on the hard drive on my computer. When we got into the studio I would make a full version of the song using just samples and a drum machine, mostly electronic stuff, and maybe a few live instruments that were recorded straight onto the hard drive. We'd put all my songs down on tape first so we at least had it sounding as good as my pre-production demo. Then we would go back and redo a lot of the guitar parts, although sometimes we'd keep the old ones if they had a nice sound to them. We already had a good sketch of my songs down on tape. Other songs we'd start from scratch. I'm the only one who's into the synth world.
MG: Listening to the revord you can't tell that those songs started off primarily as a synth demo.
Hexum: We tried to make it sound as organic as possible. We also decided not to be purists. We weren't worried about using sounds that we wouldn't be able to pull off live. On stage we skip that sound and let it take on a more raw form.
MG: Transistor is a production-oriented record, in the classic sense, where the record stands apart from the live show. What effect did recording this album have on how you approach your live show?
Hexum: I always try to make sure that the song sounds good when it's played just on guitar. Once I'm comfortable with that I'll phase in the guitar synths and delays. Chad is also starting to use his d-drum a lot and triggering samples. By our next album, I imagine we'll be more fluid with that stuff. Then we'll work on triggering stuff in a live setting during pre-production rehearsals, rather than trying to add it after the fact.
Mahoney: For live performances, I've tried to keep a lot of the same sounds. There are a couple that I'm still trying to dial in. The song "Prisoner" has a lot of different tones in it. There's one tone that I lost that had an octave-up effect and a T-Wah. It's a matter of finding those sounds again and programming them into my MIDI board. On our first two records I did a lot of switching between clean and distortion. On a lot of our new songs there's a lot more than guitar tone. It took a little while to warm up to get all the switches down after being in the studio.
MG: There are some lush reverb sounds on the record. Was it recorded that way or was it added in mixing?
Mahoney: Both of us recorded all of our effects on tape.
Hexum: For guitars, at least. On vocals they were added after they were recorded.
Mahoney: We worked to make sure all of the tones were the way we wanted them. Once you record a phase shifter you can't change it.
MG: The phasing is very thick and distinct, like on those old dub records from the Seventies. What kind of phase shifter did you use?
Mahoney: I used a reissue Small Stone, one of those Russian ones. I also used an MXR Phase 100.
Hexum: I used my Rocktron Replifex a lot. I have a Boss SE-70 that I use on stage to re-create the sounds on our older records, like the T-Wah. The Rocktron stuff is really advanced. One of the key effects on the vocals was an old Roland Space Echo, which is a tape echo. The Memory Man has a distinct sound, too.
Mahoney: I have three Memory Mans that I travel with so I can have each set at different times -- a fast one, a slow one and one that I adjust. The delay times aren't always right on there, but I guess that's the nature of dub. Those and the Small Stone really made the record for me. Analog delay seems to have a mind of its own. Sometimes when you hit it, it sounds different than it did before.
Hexum: Some company has got to figure out that there's a demand for being able to control that analog sound with MIDI and saving your settings without having to twiddle the knobs each time. I have a Waldorf Pulse in my synth rack, which is a true analog synth, but you can recall all of the parameters with MIDI. I'd immediately snap up an analog delay or tape delay that would let you do that.
Mahoney: It's difficult to travel with Echoplexes. The maintenance is too much. Even so, we're having trouble getting Scotch into the MIDI controllable world.
MG: It must have been difficult getting the echo times lined up in the studio.
Hexum: You have to listen to the echo with a click track. You put it down on tape, so once it's down, it's down. You don't run the effects live. When we do dub, we put the effects down on another track. That way we don't have to worry about any variables when we’re mixing.
MG: What would you recommend to someone who wants to art making their own dub mixes?
Hexum: I usually start with a track where it's just a standard reggae bass line and a drum loops sampled from the Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare sampling CD. Then I'll add a couple of tracks of offbeat keyboard and guitar. To do dub, all you need to do is phase those things in and out and put different effects on them. It's basically a straight song all the way through, but the character of the song comes when you mix it and you take instruments in and out and add effects. Learning how to do that is crucial. You've got to be familiar with King Tubby, so you should go out and get all the Blood and Fire label reissue stuff.
MG: What you're doing with dub is not traditional, though. You've taken it in a new direction.
Hexum: We're using turntable scratching and making it a little more trip-hop sounding, like on "Light Years." It's cool because SA (Martinez, vocalist) is becoming an instrumentalist now. He's got his scratching to a level where it really adds something, and he has something to do when we play instrumental jams.
MG: There are a lot of cool wah tones on the record. Was that mainly an envelope follower?
Hexum: Most of it is a Boss T-Wah.
Mahoney: I used a wah pedal on "The Continuous Life," but I don't use it that often.
Hexum: I don't use it at all.
Mahoney: We use T-Wahs, mostly.
Hexum: The Boss T-Wah and Octaver are the signature of the 311 sound.
Mahoney: I hope they don't stop making those octave pedals. The T-Wahs are discontinued and they're hard to find. I'm using a Boss FT-2 Dynamic Filter now, because I lost my T-Wah in a fire. That one was the best. The T-Wah in the SE-70 is pretty good, too. We've got a couple of envelope followers right now, but it's always good to get more.
MG: Nick, you seem to prefer Les Pauls and hollowbody Gibsons.
Hexum: I've always played Les Pauls because Mick Jones was my first guitar hero. In our first band, the Eds, Tim and I both played Les Pauls. Paul Reed Smith is probably the top guitar maker out there but the hollowbody thing for me is really big, and PRS doesn't make a hollowbody.
Mahoney: I know that PRS is making hollowbodies now, but I haven't played one yet. Up until recently I had the PRS Standards, which have mahogany bodies. Then I got a Santana model, which has a maple top. I recorded all of Transistor with the Santana model. But it's set up differently than the Standard--the toggle switches are different and the scale length is not the same. I wanted to get a new guitar, so I got two Customs with maple tops. They did them custom for me and put a bird of prey inlay on them. I still love the warmth of the all-mahogany ones. I also love the sound of hollowbodies. There are a couple of songs where I could use it, but I tend to use the same guitar through the whole set. The Paul Reed Smith is really good for doing nice clean tones and the heavy metal distortion.
MG: You've been in a battle with music critics for awhile now. The reviews on this album in particular have been really brutal.
Hexum: Critics don't feel like they had a part in supporting our band, so they feel like they've got to say that we suck because they never covered us. Now they have to cover us, so they pan us. Bad reviews really don't affect us much. That's been a long-standing realization with us. Critics only have an effect on a very small amount of the actual record buyers. Sure, when there's a mean-spirited attack it pisses me off, and it stings when you read it. But I save them all so I can laugh over their grave one day. What are most of these people's qualifications? Are they at least a one-time fan of the band so they have some legitimate interest in listening to the album, or are they just forced to because it was an assignment? Are they a musician? Why is one critic's opinion more important than anyone else's? I guess I wouldn't be saying this if they liked us more, but you have to move on.
Mahoney: We'd like everyone to praise us, but we’d rather see a sticker with our logo on someone's skateboard than a ton of good press. We've been playing for a while and have a lot of core fans who don't care what anyone else things. They just want to come listen to the music.
Hexum: There are plenty of critical darlings who can't fill Red Rocks. I'd rather be hated by critics and loved by fans.
MG: Your songs generally have a very positive message, which isn't exactly in fashion right now.
Hexum: When I get a letter from a fan that says, "I just went through a hard time in my life, and your record is something that pulled me through," that to me is a purpose that transcends entertainment. It's connecting with someone on a deep level. The lyrics are not 100 percent "be happy," but when I write a song about a problem there will invariably be a solution or a positive outcome. I guess that's because we're healthy people. We try to be positive and maintain a good attitude. I would really hate it if my influence was not constructive.
MG: Do you feel that coming form Omaha, Nebraska, had an influence had an influence on you?
Hexum: We expected to have to work hard. People in the Midwest don't expect to take the easy route. We feel that if you work hard you will have a good life. That work ethic influenced us to stick with it, no matter what problems came our way. Musically speaking, all of our influences are from Jamaica, New York, L.A., or England. I can't think of any band that I'd listen to that’s from the Midwest. But attitude-wise our background has been a huge influence.
MG: What are some of your biggest musical influences?
Hexum: The Clash and Bob Marley are some of the biggest ones. I also like the great jazz songwriters like Cole Porter, Johnny Mercer, and George Gershwin. On this last album I only did one rap. I'm really getting back into making classic melodies and writing songs that are more timeless. That's the result of me listening to more melodic stuff.
Mahoney: We all have a lot of the same influences, like the Bad Brains and Bob Marley. We like bands that mix up a lot of different styles, like Urban Dance Squad and Jane's Addiction. I like lot of the older guitar players like Jerry Garcia, Carlos Santana, John McLaughlin and Jimi Hendrix, and jazz players like John Scofield. To me, jazz players are the ultimate. We also listen to a lot of modern music.
Hexum: I make a lot of my own trip-hop compilations. There's some really great stuff out there, but there's also a lot of crap. I got through the CDs, extract whatever songs I like onto my hard drive and burn a CD that's my own "best of" compilation. A lot of trip-hop is on compilation records because many of these acts aren't signed. It's just one guy with a computer. But some of it is really creative and cool. There are artists who put together full-length albums that are great. Tricky's first album was a masterpiece. Portishead is great, and so are both Massive Attack albums. I also like the Chemical Brothers quite a bit.
Mahoney: We're both really into Ernest Ranglin.
Hexum: I couldn't believe it when I first heard that album. It's an instrumental album with really great jazz-level players but doing reggae. I love that hollowbody tone that he has. It's classic reggae grooves but with technically skilled players.
Mahoney: It's like rasta Wes Montgomery.
MG: You put quite a bit of material on the new album, but are there any other directions that you want to explore?
Hexum: There was one acid jazz and one old-school, straight funk instrumental that didn't make the record. I wanted to put them on there but I got outvoted. We're going to keep expanding, speaking more through melodies than words.
Saturday, October 25, 1997
311 Says "No Thanks" To Puffy, Put Europe On Hold (MTV)
October 2 [14:00 EDT] -- There are at least a few artists out there that Puff Daddy hasn't worked with, but it's not for lack of trying.
Our colleagues at the MTV Radio Network report that 311 frontman Nick Hexum says he was approached to work with the hip-hop titan on a remix of "All About The Benjamins."
MTV Radio says that Hexum posted a message in the "311 Fans" folder in America Online saying that Puffy wanted Hexum to add a rap to the rock remix of the track (which features head Foo Fighter Dave Grohl and ex-Replacements bassist Tommy Stinson).
In the post, Hexum writes, "We said we would only be involved if we could sing our own verse about 'it ain't about the benjamins, it's about the friends I'm in.' Or perhaps, 'to some sad people, it's all about the benjamins.'"
Apparently Hexum's suggestion didn't fly, as Hexum does not turn up on the track.
Hexum and his 311 bandmates won't turn up in Europe in the near future either. The band had to shelve six dates in Europe to give guitarist Tim Mahoney two weeks to recuperate form a hernia operation. The procedure took place earlier this week, and the band's upcoming U.S. tour (and their stop at the MTV Sports and Music Festival in Austin, Texas) will not be affected.
The group will be on the road in the U.S. through the end of the year, and then heads off to Australia for the Warped tour, but hopes to reschedule the European dates sometime in 1998.
311 "LIVE" Record Complations (MTV)
As Omaha, Nebraska's other rock darlings, 311, continue to write and rehearse material for its next studio album, the band will release a new concert album, "311 Live," on November 3 to help tide fans over until then.
Utilizing the slogan of "Get your 311 on 11-3," the new live record collects 14 tracks captured at various venues during last year's "Transistor" tour, including "Down," "Feels So Good" and "Beautiful Disaster." The band has also tapped renowned New York poster artist Ward Sutton to provide cover art for "311 Live."
311 has also just issued another album, "Omaha Sessions," which collects nine tracks from the band's three indie records, which is available only through the group's fan newsletter and its website at www.311music.com.
311 plans to release a new studio album in September 1999.
Utilizing the slogan of "Get your 311 on 11-3," the new live record collects 14 tracks captured at various venues during last year's "Transistor" tour, including "Down," "Feels So Good" and "Beautiful Disaster." The band has also tapped renowned New York poster artist Ward Sutton to provide cover art for "311 Live."
311 has also just issued another album, "Omaha Sessions," which collects nine tracks from the band's three indie records, which is available only through the group's fan newsletter and its website at www.311music.com.
311 plans to release a new studio album in September 1999.
Friday, October 24, 1997
No Puff (Omaha World Herald, 1997)
Puff Daddy is the hottest name in hip-hop music, but that hasn't persuaded 311 to collaborate with him on a recording project. "We called him back and said, 'You've got to be kidding,'" Hexum said Saturday night in Bonner Springs, Kan., where the band performed. "We turned him down flat."
Puff Daddy, also known as Sean "Puffy" Combs, wants 311 vocalists Nick Hexum and Doug "SA" Martinez to lend their rapping skills to a remake of Combs' song, "It's All About The Benjamins." During and interview at Sandstone Amphitheater, Hexum said Puff Daddy "wants to make money off us." "I'm sure he watches the charts," said the lead vocalist and songwriter for the /former/ Omaha band. 311's new CD, "Transistor," hit Billboard's top albums chart last month at No. 4.
"The Benjamins" refers to $100 bills, which bear Benjamin Franklin's image. The lyrics are about money being the only reason to pursure a career in music. There still is a faint chance of a deal -- if Hexum and Martinez are allowed to rap lyrics with a message different from those of other artists appearing on "It's All About The Benjamins." They include the late Notorius B.I.G., Lil' Kim and the L.O.X. "he wants to have a point of view that's opposite,m but I don't think we'll end up doing it," Hexum said, still sounding skeptical. "He's not one of my favorite artists. He uses old hooks ... and he doesen't play an instrument."
The two artists are just too different in their attitudes, and as proof Hexum cited lyrics from one of his own songs from "Transistor." "Starshines" begins with the lines: "I am a music lover and somehow I get piad/ This song would still exist if no money was made. That's the difference/ I summed it up in a sentence." Hexum also said he and Martinez don't agree with the message of "No Way Out," a song on Puff Daddy's current album. On Monday, a spokesman for Bad Boy Management of New York City confirmed that ex-Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters already has contributed guitar and drum work on the new "It's All About The Benjamins," which, the spokesman said, will be released soon.
311 had a successful weekend run in the Midlands. The band played to more than 30,000 fans over three nights: in St. Louis, 10,000 were in attendance, Friday at Riverport Amphitheater; Kansas City, 13,000 Saturday at Sandstone; and Council Bluffs, 7,800 at Westfair Amphitheatre. The nights were cool at Westfair and Sandstone, but fans were especially warm to the band when it played it's older material. Most of the new songs -- including "Transistor," "Prisoner" and "Stealing Happy Hours" -- generated enthusiastic response as well.
Hexum said promoting the latest release is somewhat challenging because "there are no radio songs on it." "With this record, we just wanted a record (so that) our fans could say we changed it up." he said, "We want them to respect us." And whatever happened to the band's anti-KKK song, whose working title was (note: this was not printed in the paper, rather listed as Expletive) "Fuck The KKK?" Well, it's on "Transistor" but now it's called "Electricity." The song doesen't mention the Ku Klux Klan. A year ago, a report surfaces associating the name 311 with the white-supremacist organization. (The band's name actually comes from a police code for indecent exposure.)
Hexum said 311 drummer Chad Sexton and producer Scotch Ralson questioned him about naming the KKK in such a way in the song's title. "I let it brew for a while," Hexum said. In the end he decided that "to have a song and put their name in front of a million people would have been giving them juice." "I was going to come out and say I hate the KKK, but that would have been negative going up against negativity," Hexum explained. The album's title, as well as the title and lyrics of "Electricity," refer to the unifying forces of nature, according to Hexum.
* A footnote ... After coresponding with Tony Moton from the World Herald, the stated total of 7,800 occupants at the Westfair show was in fact correct, and the Iowa State Daily had misstated this information Much thanks to Tony for this information.
311 - It's One Hot Number (Omaha World Herald, 1997)
"What's in a name?" Ask Nick Hexum, and the lead vocalist and songwriter for 311 will give you a straight answer, which wasn't always the case.
"We used to tell people that three minutes and 11 seconds was the perfect length for a song," Hexum said. "We used to say it meant three plus one plus one, which was true."
"And P-Nut said it was the total every time he ate at Taco Bell."
As 311 became more popular, questions about the monkier rivaled the riddle of the Sphinx. Hexum and his mates - Omaha natives Chad Sexton, Tim Mahoney, Aaron "Pnut" Wills and Doug "SA" Martinez - rarely divulged that P-Nut came up with the name and that it refers to the code for a police call for indecent exposure.
The band was known as the Fish Hippos until the spring of 1990, when Hexum said he wanted a change.
"I wasn't going to be in a band with that name. I just wanted a boring name," Hexum said.
The band has been anything but boring - 311 has moved from being an obscure buzz band from Nebraska to being an industry buzz-word. It's synonymous with an all-frills, party-hardy musical approach. To legions of fans cast to cast, 311 is No. 1.
"They're huge," said Diana D'Amato, a music programmer at the influential rock giant KROQ-FM in Los Angeles. "They are a great sounding, fun band. And it's not only their style, it's their look."
Now in their mid-20's, the boys who left Omaha, guitar cases filled with hopes and funky riffs, are now men basking in the warmth of Hollywood stardom.
Five years after moving into a cramped, three-bedroom house in Van Nuys, Calif., 311 has sold enough CD's to pay the bills and then some. The band's latest recording, the self-titled "311", has been certified double platinum (2 million units sold), and it's home video, "Enlarged to Show Detail," has been a fixture on the Top 10 sales chart.
"In the entertainment industry, there is a potential to make a lot of money and potential to struggle," Martinez said. "It's a gamble and we took a gamble."
Hexum, Martinez, Sexton and Mahoney live within a mile of each other in the hills of Laurel Canyon, not far from P-Nut's digss in West Hollywood, off the Sunset Strip.
"We were a family when we lived together," said Martinez, who lives in a rustic, 1920's duplex filled with antique furnishings and contemporary artwork. "Things will never be the same, but it's nice that we have different places."
Last fall, Hexum became the group's first homeowner when he purchased a tri-level Spanish villa with a million-dollar view.
"Rent's a waste of money and I want something solid," Hexum said, relaxing on a couch in his modest, but tastefully decorated living room while his 4-month-old puppies, a miniature Pinscher and a Doberman, played cat and mouse.
"I'll always have this place. I'm going to pay it off as quick as I can just so that I know, if all else fails, if I lose my vocal chords and my hands, I'll have this house and my dogs."
Don't mistake Hexum backupplan as a sign of waning confidence. The outspoken leader never has doubted his band's ability to take its act beyond the bars and clubs of Omaha. From the start, 311's brew of funk, rap reggae and alt-rock was infectious.
"I always felt: 'Why not me?'" Hexum said. "I've always thought that you can really control your destiny. I think the truly talented, gifted, hard-working people will always get their comeuppance at some level. I can't say what I thought my exact degree of success would have been, but I always batted for the stands.
On the streets, on the airwaves, in the clubs, in record stores, and in at least one of Los Angeles' two National Basketball Association locker rooms, 311 ranks high among the city's most recognizable bandss.
While standing in line for admission into December's Metallica and Korn concert in Los Angeles, Martinez was besieged by female admirers. One young woman told him she caught a water bottle he had thrown to her during a show.
"I think that it's funny that people know me and 311," Martinez said. "I never take those things seriously because I know there are other bands who are bigger than us."
Not many, says former University of Nebraska-Lincoln basketball player Eric Piatkowski. A third-year player with the Los Angeles Clippers, Piatkowski raved about 311 before a recent game.
"I like the lead singer Nick, and I like the bass," Piatkowski said. "All their songs have really good bass."
An all-time favorite of Piatkowski's is the CD "311".
"The CD had a place in my car's changer for a few months. The CDs I have don't usually get that.
Ari Green, a skateboarder taking a break at a storefront along Los Angeles' Melrose Avenue, was quick to give his opinion of 311 one lazy afternoon.
"I don't like them."
Any particular reason?
They're too popular," Green said. matter-of-factly. "They're not like other bands, when you hear one of their songs on the radio all the time. You hear *all* of their songs *all* of the time. I guess they've got a lot of good songs."
Two songs in particular, "Down" and "All Mixed Up," helped make 311 a mainstream force last year after receiving substantial airplay on MTV and on rock and pop radio stations.
"I think 'All Mixed Up' is funky and happenin,'" said Susan Guralnik, a sales clerk at the Tower Records Store on Sunset Boulevard in West Hollywood. "To me, their music is the black rap scene meeting the contemporary white rock scene. It makes me feel happy and optimistic instead of depressed.
At the Guitar Center, a West Hollywood music store frequented by rock heavies and once Hexum's place of employment, receptionest Jerry Martinez said 311's music is "my kind of music. They're great. Their music is awesome. They're talented musicians," he said. "I've seen them at clubs and their music is groovy. You have a good time and you forget about stuff. They're not boring."
Even the band's name stopped being boring last year when it caused a controversy in Omaha. It became rumored that the band's name was associated with the Klu Klux Klan because three times the 11th letter of the alphabet spells KKK. The rumor floated around for a couple of years until some students at Westside High School complained to school officials. Although the band's members said publicly they had no association with white supremacists, Westside banned 311 T-shirts at the school.
The KKK controversy had a paradoxical impact on 311's notoriety. Major publications such as Rolling Stone and Spin magazine and USA Today suddenly became interested in following the band's career. Ditto for MTV.
"In less than a week, it was everywhere," band member Doug Martinez said. "It gave the media a spot to work from...but it says something else about the sensational aspect of the low-brow journalism of certain media. Do people not have anything better to do with their time? What makes me mad is that some people are going to belive that (KKK rumor)."
311 plans to make a final statement regarding the rumor. The band has written 29 songs for its fourth CD on the Capricorn-Mercury label and one song's title uses an obscenity when mentioning the KKK.
During a private practice last month at the Cole Rehearsal Studio in Hollywood, 311 previewed the anti-KKK song - a driving, smoldering guitar-rock piece - and two others, "No Control" and "To the Future." Although the band smoothly charged through each piece, there was an unmistakable feeling of pressure associated with creating new music.
"We're just starting to feel the pressure," said Adam Raspler, 311's manager. "Right now, we have to plan the (next) tour and we need set-up time. We can't have the timing fall apart, and they realize that. But we try not to push them too hard to perform because they are not going to accomplish anything if you do."
The band plans to begin recording March 11 -- that is, 3-11.
"Musically we are going to be tight and we are going to sound good," predicted drummer Sexton.
Hexum has plans for that sound.
"I would like to make our music more listenable. I want us to develop," he said.
"Music," 311's major label debut from 1992, proved the band was capable of going in multiple music directions. On its next albums, "Grassroots" and "311," the group has shown a willingness to cut back on harder rap influences in favor of more melodic grooves.
"I think there might be more of a jazz influence on this album," Hexum said. "There's a lot of jazziness on 'Grassroots,' and people have been encouraging me to develop that."
The new record will be produced by the band's longtime sound engineer, Scott Ralston, who has worked with Gene Simmons of "Kiss" and Rick James of "Super Freak" fame. Sexton said the band feels comfortable with Ralston's direction, even though he will be the third producer the band has had in four albums.
"A band that's been around for so long, they know exactly what they are doing," KROQ's Ms. D'Amato said. "They have a completely organic following."
Even during its Omaha days, 311 built a fan base that seemed to appreciate the band's lack of predictability, although some in the local music community didn't under stand what 311 was trying to accomplish by being so unorthodox.
"I was real determined not to blend in," Hexum said. "I didn't want to be in a band no one paid attention to, but some people in Omaha wouldn't understand that. We had to create a vibe and excitement level."
As an eighth-grader, Hexum had his first experience with a little too much vibe and excitement at the old Arbor Heights Junior High School. At a talent show, he fronted a band that played the song, "Kansas City," folowed by a tribute to Clash, a new-wave punk band.
During what was supposed to be an encore, Hexum said, the school's music teacher became offended, rushed to the stage and pulled the plug on the amplifiers. The offending song was the Clash's "Should I Stay or Should I Go Straight to Hell?"
Years later, Hexum's question was whether he should stay in Omaha or go straight to Los Angeles. Having spent time in the West Coast city twice, Hexum was determined to make the third move his last in late 1991 after 311 starting attracting major label interest.
"People in Omaha knew that we were, at least, noteworthy but that wasn't going to get us anywhere because there were no big labels there," Hexum said. "But we were definitely shaped by the Omaha vibe. We definitely have a Midwestern sensibility to us."
And 311 calls Nebraska its home at every oppurtunity.
Band members often wear Omaha or UNL athletic gear during concerts. At Christmas, the Cornhusker athletic department sent the band a card and a box full of sweatshirts and a Tommie Frazier jersey, which Martinez won in a game of rock-scissors-paper.
"I'm always going to be a Nebraska fan," Martinez said. "In my opinion, no other sprt can touch Nebraska football.
Spoken like a true Nebraskan with an eye on being No. 1.
"We used to tell people that three minutes and 11 seconds was the perfect length for a song," Hexum said. "We used to say it meant three plus one plus one, which was true."
"And P-Nut said it was the total every time he ate at Taco Bell."
As 311 became more popular, questions about the monkier rivaled the riddle of the Sphinx. Hexum and his mates - Omaha natives Chad Sexton, Tim Mahoney, Aaron "Pnut" Wills and Doug "SA" Martinez - rarely divulged that P-Nut came up with the name and that it refers to the code for a police call for indecent exposure.
The band was known as the Fish Hippos until the spring of 1990, when Hexum said he wanted a change.
"I wasn't going to be in a band with that name. I just wanted a boring name," Hexum said.
The band has been anything but boring - 311 has moved from being an obscure buzz band from Nebraska to being an industry buzz-word. It's synonymous with an all-frills, party-hardy musical approach. To legions of fans cast to cast, 311 is No. 1.
"They're huge," said Diana D'Amato, a music programmer at the influential rock giant KROQ-FM in Los Angeles. "They are a great sounding, fun band. And it's not only their style, it's their look."
Now in their mid-20's, the boys who left Omaha, guitar cases filled with hopes and funky riffs, are now men basking in the warmth of Hollywood stardom.
Five years after moving into a cramped, three-bedroom house in Van Nuys, Calif., 311 has sold enough CD's to pay the bills and then some. The band's latest recording, the self-titled "311", has been certified double platinum (2 million units sold), and it's home video, "Enlarged to Show Detail," has been a fixture on the Top 10 sales chart.
"In the entertainment industry, there is a potential to make a lot of money and potential to struggle," Martinez said. "It's a gamble and we took a gamble."
Hexum, Martinez, Sexton and Mahoney live within a mile of each other in the hills of Laurel Canyon, not far from P-Nut's digss in West Hollywood, off the Sunset Strip.
"We were a family when we lived together," said Martinez, who lives in a rustic, 1920's duplex filled with antique furnishings and contemporary artwork. "Things will never be the same, but it's nice that we have different places."
Last fall, Hexum became the group's first homeowner when he purchased a tri-level Spanish villa with a million-dollar view.
"Rent's a waste of money and I want something solid," Hexum said, relaxing on a couch in his modest, but tastefully decorated living room while his 4-month-old puppies, a miniature Pinscher and a Doberman, played cat and mouse.
"I'll always have this place. I'm going to pay it off as quick as I can just so that I know, if all else fails, if I lose my vocal chords and my hands, I'll have this house and my dogs."
Don't mistake Hexum backupplan as a sign of waning confidence. The outspoken leader never has doubted his band's ability to take its act beyond the bars and clubs of Omaha. From the start, 311's brew of funk, rap reggae and alt-rock was infectious.
"I always felt: 'Why not me?'" Hexum said. "I've always thought that you can really control your destiny. I think the truly talented, gifted, hard-working people will always get their comeuppance at some level. I can't say what I thought my exact degree of success would have been, but I always batted for the stands.
On the streets, on the airwaves, in the clubs, in record stores, and in at least one of Los Angeles' two National Basketball Association locker rooms, 311 ranks high among the city's most recognizable bandss.
While standing in line for admission into December's Metallica and Korn concert in Los Angeles, Martinez was besieged by female admirers. One young woman told him she caught a water bottle he had thrown to her during a show.
"I think that it's funny that people know me and 311," Martinez said. "I never take those things seriously because I know there are other bands who are bigger than us."
Not many, says former University of Nebraska-Lincoln basketball player Eric Piatkowski. A third-year player with the Los Angeles Clippers, Piatkowski raved about 311 before a recent game.
"I like the lead singer Nick, and I like the bass," Piatkowski said. "All their songs have really good bass."
An all-time favorite of Piatkowski's is the CD "311".
"The CD had a place in my car's changer for a few months. The CDs I have don't usually get that.
Ari Green, a skateboarder taking a break at a storefront along Los Angeles' Melrose Avenue, was quick to give his opinion of 311 one lazy afternoon.
"I don't like them."
Any particular reason?
They're too popular," Green said. matter-of-factly. "They're not like other bands, when you hear one of their songs on the radio all the time. You hear *all* of their songs *all* of the time. I guess they've got a lot of good songs."
Two songs in particular, "Down" and "All Mixed Up," helped make 311 a mainstream force last year after receiving substantial airplay on MTV and on rock and pop radio stations.
"I think 'All Mixed Up' is funky and happenin,'" said Susan Guralnik, a sales clerk at the Tower Records Store on Sunset Boulevard in West Hollywood. "To me, their music is the black rap scene meeting the contemporary white rock scene. It makes me feel happy and optimistic instead of depressed.
At the Guitar Center, a West Hollywood music store frequented by rock heavies and once Hexum's place of employment, receptionest Jerry Martinez said 311's music is "my kind of music. They're great. Their music is awesome. They're talented musicians," he said. "I've seen them at clubs and their music is groovy. You have a good time and you forget about stuff. They're not boring."
Even the band's name stopped being boring last year when it caused a controversy in Omaha. It became rumored that the band's name was associated with the Klu Klux Klan because three times the 11th letter of the alphabet spells KKK. The rumor floated around for a couple of years until some students at Westside High School complained to school officials. Although the band's members said publicly they had no association with white supremacists, Westside banned 311 T-shirts at the school.
The KKK controversy had a paradoxical impact on 311's notoriety. Major publications such as Rolling Stone and Spin magazine and USA Today suddenly became interested in following the band's career. Ditto for MTV.
"In less than a week, it was everywhere," band member Doug Martinez said. "It gave the media a spot to work from...but it says something else about the sensational aspect of the low-brow journalism of certain media. Do people not have anything better to do with their time? What makes me mad is that some people are going to belive that (KKK rumor)."
311 plans to make a final statement regarding the rumor. The band has written 29 songs for its fourth CD on the Capricorn-Mercury label and one song's title uses an obscenity when mentioning the KKK.
During a private practice last month at the Cole Rehearsal Studio in Hollywood, 311 previewed the anti-KKK song - a driving, smoldering guitar-rock piece - and two others, "No Control" and "To the Future." Although the band smoothly charged through each piece, there was an unmistakable feeling of pressure associated with creating new music.
"We're just starting to feel the pressure," said Adam Raspler, 311's manager. "Right now, we have to plan the (next) tour and we need set-up time. We can't have the timing fall apart, and they realize that. But we try not to push them too hard to perform because they are not going to accomplish anything if you do."
The band plans to begin recording March 11 -- that is, 3-11.
"Musically we are going to be tight and we are going to sound good," predicted drummer Sexton.
Hexum has plans for that sound.
"I would like to make our music more listenable. I want us to develop," he said.
"Music," 311's major label debut from 1992, proved the band was capable of going in multiple music directions. On its next albums, "Grassroots" and "311," the group has shown a willingness to cut back on harder rap influences in favor of more melodic grooves.
"I think there might be more of a jazz influence on this album," Hexum said. "There's a lot of jazziness on 'Grassroots,' and people have been encouraging me to develop that."
The new record will be produced by the band's longtime sound engineer, Scott Ralston, who has worked with Gene Simmons of "Kiss" and Rick James of "Super Freak" fame. Sexton said the band feels comfortable with Ralston's direction, even though he will be the third producer the band has had in four albums.
"A band that's been around for so long, they know exactly what they are doing," KROQ's Ms. D'Amato said. "They have a completely organic following."
Even during its Omaha days, 311 built a fan base that seemed to appreciate the band's lack of predictability, although some in the local music community didn't under stand what 311 was trying to accomplish by being so unorthodox.
"I was real determined not to blend in," Hexum said. "I didn't want to be in a band no one paid attention to, but some people in Omaha wouldn't understand that. We had to create a vibe and excitement level."
As an eighth-grader, Hexum had his first experience with a little too much vibe and excitement at the old Arbor Heights Junior High School. At a talent show, he fronted a band that played the song, "Kansas City," folowed by a tribute to Clash, a new-wave punk band.
During what was supposed to be an encore, Hexum said, the school's music teacher became offended, rushed to the stage and pulled the plug on the amplifiers. The offending song was the Clash's "Should I Stay or Should I Go Straight to Hell?"
Years later, Hexum's question was whether he should stay in Omaha or go straight to Los Angeles. Having spent time in the West Coast city twice, Hexum was determined to make the third move his last in late 1991 after 311 starting attracting major label interest.
"People in Omaha knew that we were, at least, noteworthy but that wasn't going to get us anywhere because there were no big labels there," Hexum said. "But we were definitely shaped by the Omaha vibe. We definitely have a Midwestern sensibility to us."
And 311 calls Nebraska its home at every oppurtunity.
Band members often wear Omaha or UNL athletic gear during concerts. At Christmas, the Cornhusker athletic department sent the band a card and a box full of sweatshirts and a Tommie Frazier jersey, which Martinez won in a game of rock-scissors-paper.
"I'm always going to be a Nebraska fan," Martinez said. "In my opinion, no other sprt can touch Nebraska football.
Spoken like a true Nebraskan with an eye on being No. 1.
311 (Album Network, 1997)
Although 311 have become both mainstream and commercial in their appeal, they've managed to maintain, with the utmost care, the integrity and power of their message. Even though they operate in the "commercial" arena of the alternative movement, that doesn't mean they should be taken less seriously. Hailing from the Midwest, the five guys of 311 are as close as we get in America to a "voice of the people." Whether or not you like their music, you should listen up, for 311's attitude runs the full gamut of their sound. It's about noise, volume, speed and the sheer intensity of the music. It can make you want to jump around and act stupid, or it can make you think and want to change your life. Hopefully, you'll want to do a little of both. On the eve of their departure for a European tour, 311 leader and resident guru Nicholas Hexum and I sat down, in his new home high atop the Hollywood Hills, for a very candid conversation about the struggles and frustrations of the last year, dancehall reggae, their longform video and the new album, "Transistor."
311 HAS ALWAYS BEEN VERY ACTIVE, YET THE BAND HAS BEEN OFF THE ROAD FOR ALMOST NINE MONTHS. WHAT'S BEEN GOING ON WITH 311?
"So much has happened in the last year. But, at the same time, it really doesn't seem like we took any time off either. The popularity of our last album, '311,' was amazing. The song 'Down' went to #1 on MTV as well as at Alternative Radio. We then received quite a big surprise being voted the top song in KROQ's 'Best Of' year-end countdown. In addition, the album has sold several million copies. There is a lot of hard work and dedication on all our parts - the band and everyone associated with us - that has helped to achieve the success that we have. Overall, we feel very fortunate to have all these fantastic things happen to us. "Some people are doctors or lawyers. We are musicians. Our only job is to constantly and consistently push our own level of creativity to the limit. Making music that will be enjoyed for years to come is our biggest priority. If we rest on our past successes, then we really aren't doing anything new; the end result is that the music, the artists and ultimately the fan suffers. 311 is about creativity. We constantly push ourselves past where we have been so that new doors of sight and sound can be experienced."
ALTHOUGH THERE WAS SOME SUPPORT, FOR THE MOST PART RADIO WASN'T "DOWN" WITH 311 UNTIL ALMOST A YEAR, AND THREE SINGLES, AFTER THE ALBUM WAS RELEASED. DID THIS TYPE OF DELAY IN THE RECOGNITION AND EXPOSURE OF THE MUSIC FRUSTRATE THE BAND?
"It is really only about the music. The album might have been close to a year old at the time radio *discovered* the song 'Down,' but the important thing is the song received the attention of radio. This helped to open the door for some of the other material on the album. Ultimately, the biggest benefit came in the re-examining of the songs on our other two albums as well.
"When 'Music,' our first album, was released, the whole music vibe was caught on the Seattle grunge sound. Therefore, a rock/rap hybrid probably would not be very well embraced. But nothing ever stays the same for too long. If we kept true to ourselves and our musical goals, we believed we eventually would get our day in the sun."
THERE IS A STARK CONTRAST BETWEEN THE LAST ALBUM AND "TRANSISTOR." WHY SHIFT TO MORE OF A DANCEHALL REGGAE SOUND?
"Reggae and dancehall music have always been such a love of ours that we felt compelled to play it, as well as try and bring some much needed attention to the whole genre. It satisfies the whole band because of the intense rhythms of rap music and also the melodies that reggae music provides. Our style for this record is a combination of the two. Each song is so completely different and unique, though, no one descriptive term can accurately describe the whole album. There are some rock songs, others that combine hip-hop beats with dancehall vocals and a 60s-style surf guitar sound into what has become a unique 311 formula. Simply stated, 'Transistor' is a quasi-musical cocktail of funk, rock, rap, and reggae with a few other spices thrown in. As a result, the music can be enjoyed by almost everyone.
"Personally, I have been listening to more singers than rappers. On the last album, I had a rap on almost every song, whereas for 'Transistor,' I have only two raps on the entire album. The vocal styles of SA [Martinez] and myself are very complementary. Where he is more of a hardcore rapper, I tend to reflect the styles of jazz/reggae crooners. The rap and hip-hop feel will always be a part of the music we do, but for this record, we wanted to concentrate more on melodies. It is essential to the longevity of the song. If there is no melody, the song will eventually become dated, fitting only that musical climate when it was written. But if it has a melody, which defines the essence of what dancehall reggae is all about, the song should have lasting appeal. Overall, we would like to think of our music as potential standards, rather than something simply destined for a mosh pit!
"During the recording of our last album, '311,' we created some pretty tasty rock riffs and then combined them with vocal raps. A very simplistic approach compared to the recording of 'Transistor,' where the lyrics were composed simultaneously with the music. Each song is written with a specific melody in mind, leaving room for improvisation in order to add some extra texture to the music. Without it, there is no sense in continuing with that project. In short, slapping two things together doesn't accurately portray the picture the song is trying to create, as well as having a complete vision and then seeing it through to its completion."
TOO FEW MUSICIANS UNDERSTAND HOW TO LISTEN IN IMPROVISATIONAL SITUATIONS - DO YOU FEEL THAT IT'S A MATTER OF LEAVING YOUR EGO AT THE DOOR?
"Improvisation starts with a unique riff that hasn't been used by anyone else. If it is adding to the overall groove of the song, then we will stick with it and just let everything else flow. But if there are five guitarists shredding at the same time, the music wouldn't sound right. People need to know when to sit back and when to take center stage. In our case, this album reflects a lot more of SA's vocal stylings as well as adding the new element of turntables as a viable instrument into the musical mix. By doing so, we can explore on a wider musical scale without having to rely solely on the vocals. "As time moves on, I can see us getting into the instrumental side of music. Our improvisations are the combination of punk rock that really doesn't embrace the solo, with instrumental music to create a blend that is a more mature, cerebral way of expression. Pop bands always use vocals in their songs, whereas more developed bands, like Led Zeppelin and the Grateful Dead, tend to regularly use long instrumentals throughout their music. The aim is to take the listener on a trip purely for the music and without any lyrics."
AT THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR, 311 RELEASED THE "ENLARGED TO SHOW DETAIL" LONGFORM VIDEO AND CD. WHY DID THE BAND INTENTIONALLY DOWNPLAY THE NEW MUSIC COVERED IN THAT PACKAGE?
"It was really designed for our hardcore fans - a little taste to satisfy their desire for more music until the new album was released. But the project was not, nor was it ever intended to be, considered our new album. Similar to 'Transistor,' there were several songs that unfortunately didn't make the final cut. The same is true for the video package. The songs contained on the special CD were all B-side material from previous albums. Even though these songs were the 'left-overs,' we still felt they were creatively important. The video contains some live footage as well as the mayhem that happens behind the scenes. For the most part though, we were concerned with oversaturation."
WITH SUCCESS USUALLY COMES SOME SORT OF CHANGE. IN THE PAST, 311 HAS HAD SOME PRETTY BIG-NAME PRODUCERS WORKING ON THE ALBUM, YET ON THE NEW ALBUM, YOU CHOSE TO USE YOUR OWN SOUNDMAN AS THE PRODUCER. BY MAKING SUCH A RADICAL DECISION, HAS 311 BECOME THE MASTER OF ITS OWN DESTINY?
"We are completely left on our own to make our musical vision come true. It is for that reason we chose Scott 'Scotch' Ralston, our soundman, to produce the record. He is very much like us - he is from the Midwest and in his mid 20s. We have worked with outside producers before, but for this record we wanted to keep it all in the family. We wanted to test our own level of self-reliance. As a natural part of life, disagreements occasionally do happen. Some take votes in order to solve these problems others simply make rash decisions, but for us, rock, paper and scissors play a serious role in the decision making process of 311. But, after everything is all said and done, we feel we made the right decision."
311 Fills The Mark With Wild Energy (Quad-City Times, 1997)
311 FILLS THE MARK WITH WILD ENERGY:
(Intensity Was High From Start To Finish)
(Intensity Was High From Start To Finish)
Energy.
311 guitarist Tim Mahoney said before the show that he hoped the group would have plenty of it to share with the almost 6,000 fans who showed up Friday night at The Mark of the Quad-Cities in Moline.
"We just try to make it like a party atmosphere for everybody," he said "so everyone has a good time and can share good vibes and enjoy a night of music."
From start to finish, the concert featuring opening acts Sugar Ray and Incubus kept the intensity level high and the predominantly young crowd energetic and into it.
Incubus, a five-man crew from southern California, got the crowd jumping early with selections from their two major releases, "Enjoy Incubus" and "S.C.I.E.N.C.E.," during a 30-minute set and kept the event staff busy catching fans being passed to the front of the crowd.
Sugar Ray kept it rolling, getting the crowd involved by bringing a few fans up on stage and teasing them with a quick rendition of The Who's and Twisted Sister's "We're Not Gonna Take It."
As you might expect, lead singer Mark McGrath told the crowd they were the best the band had seen on tour, despite having to put some overzealous moshers in check midway through a song.
"That's not what we're here for," he said, stopping the music and singling out rowdy fans in the makeshift mosh pit.
For the most part, though, the liveliness was welcomed.
"I appreciate the energy," he later told the crowd. "I really do."
The group from San Diego played a variety of songs during their 45-minute set, highlighted by their new single "R.P.M." and capped off by their smash hit "Fly" from their platinum-selling album "Floored"
The main event, 311 emerged from behind a shroud draped with stars and managed an inspired performance despite played their fifth show in as many nights over a span of some 1,300 miles.
As promised, 311 delivered a sampling of all four of their albums, from the breakthrough singles "All Mixed up" and "Down" from their self-titled 1995 album to current single "Prisoner," "Beautiful Disaster" and and "Galaxy" from this year's "Transistor," as well as classics such as "Lucky."
In all 311 hit the crowd with more than 20 songs in just less than two hours, which was more than enough to satisfy the young entourage of followers.
And as 311, Sugar Ray, Incubus and a 30-member crew loaded up the 18-wheelers, hopped in the 45-foot tour buses and headed to the Roy Wilkens Auditorium in St. Paul, Minn., for another show tonight, they took some, but not all of their energy with them.
The rest they left for the Quad-City fans to enjoy.
Sunday, October 12, 1997
311, Sugar Ray Tour Dates (Rolling Stone)
Both 311 and Sugar Ray have been spending a lot of time playing to sell-out crowds in the last few months, and now they are going to do it all a little more -- but this time they're doing it together.| Starting Oct. 28, 311 will launch their fall U.S. tour in Phoenix, and two days later, Sugar Ray joins the Omaha, Neb.-based pop band to open the rest of the tour, which goes through Dec. 7. From there, 311 will link up the Mighty Mighty Bosstones and head Down Under for the Vans Warped Tour as it makes its first trip to Australia. Although no dates have been confirmed for that tour, a spokeswoman for 311 says that it will take place some time in January.
In related news, yesterday JAMTV announced that 311 had canceled six dates of a small European tour because guitarist Tim Mahoney has to undergo a hernia operation this week. The band's publicist, Carol Burnham, said the band hopes to make up those dates in the future, "but due to their heavy touring schedule, it may not be for some time." (Ari Bendersky)
Here's where you can catch 311 & Sugar Ray
•Oct. 28 - Desert Sky Pavilion, Phoenix (Fishbone opens)
•Oct. 29 - Aladdin Theater, Las Vegas (Speadhead opens)
•Oct. 30 - Santa Barbara Bowl, Santa Barbara
•Oct. 31 - The Greek Theater, Berkeley, Calif.
•Nov. 1 - Arco Sports Complex, Sacramento, Calif.
•Nov. 4 - Salem Armory, Salem, Ore.
•Nov. 5 - Seattle Center, Seattle
•Nov. 7 - Adams Field House, Missoula, Mont.
•Nov. 8 - Bank of America Center, Boise, Idaho
•Nov. 10 - McNichols Arena, Denver
•Nov. 11 - Kansas Coliseum, Wichita, Kan.
•Nov. 12 - Hearns Center, Columbia, Mo.
•Nov. 13 - Assembly Hall, Champaign, Ill.
•Nov. 14 - Mark of the Quad Cities, Moline, Ill.
•Nov. 15 - Roy Wilkens Auditorium, St. Paul, Minn.
•Nov. 17 - SIU Arena, Carbondale, Ill.
•Nov. 18 - Pepsi Coliseum, Indianapolis
•Nov. 20 - Recreation Hall, University Park, Pa.
•Nov. 21 & 22 - Roseland Ballroom, New York
•Nov. 25 - Metropolis, Montreal
•Nov. 26 - The Warehouse, Toronto
•Dec. 6 - Bayou Place Theatre, Houston, Texas
•Dec. 7 - Freeman Coliseum, San Antonio, Texas
In related news, yesterday JAMTV announced that 311 had canceled six dates of a small European tour because guitarist Tim Mahoney has to undergo a hernia operation this week. The band's publicist, Carol Burnham, said the band hopes to make up those dates in the future, "but due to their heavy touring schedule, it may not be for some time." (Ari Bendersky)
Here's where you can catch 311 & Sugar Ray
•Oct. 28 - Desert Sky Pavilion, Phoenix (Fishbone opens)
•Oct. 29 - Aladdin Theater, Las Vegas (Speadhead opens)
•Oct. 30 - Santa Barbara Bowl, Santa Barbara
•Oct. 31 - The Greek Theater, Berkeley, Calif.
•Nov. 1 - Arco Sports Complex, Sacramento, Calif.
•Nov. 4 - Salem Armory, Salem, Ore.
•Nov. 5 - Seattle Center, Seattle
•Nov. 7 - Adams Field House, Missoula, Mont.
•Nov. 8 - Bank of America Center, Boise, Idaho
•Nov. 10 - McNichols Arena, Denver
•Nov. 11 - Kansas Coliseum, Wichita, Kan.
•Nov. 12 - Hearns Center, Columbia, Mo.
•Nov. 13 - Assembly Hall, Champaign, Ill.
•Nov. 14 - Mark of the Quad Cities, Moline, Ill.
•Nov. 15 - Roy Wilkens Auditorium, St. Paul, Minn.
•Nov. 17 - SIU Arena, Carbondale, Ill.
•Nov. 18 - Pepsi Coliseum, Indianapolis
•Nov. 20 - Recreation Hall, University Park, Pa.
•Nov. 21 & 22 - Roseland Ballroom, New York
•Nov. 25 - Metropolis, Montreal
•Nov. 26 - The Warehouse, Toronto
•Dec. 6 - Bayou Place Theatre, Houston, Texas
•Dec. 7 - Freeman Coliseum, San Antonio, Texas
Thursday, October 2, 1997
Tuesday, September 9, 1997
Friday, September 5, 1997
Thursday, September 4, 1997
311 - One of the Best (Observer-Reporter)
When I opened up the O-R on Friday, I was pleased to see a review of Wednesday's 311 concert. My happiness soon faded as I read the article.
First, what does fashion sense of the concertgoers have to do with anything? And while we're talking fashion, Nick Hexum did not come out bare-chested. He came out in a green shirt.
Jeff Yoders then goes on to say that 311 and De La Soul put on strong shows, but then by the end of the review, says just the opposite. Niw I have been to many concerts with more mellow music than 311, and have seen worse mosh pits than Wednesday's.
311 did not play a few of their hits, they played all of them, including "All Mixed Up," "Don't Stay Home," "Homebrew," and "Do You Right." Yoders said that 311's set dragged in the middle, but was regained when they played "Transistor." If I remember correctly, "Transistor" was the third song they played.
In his final paragraphs, he makes reference to the bands trying to act like rebels. Who are they "rebelling" against? 311 advocates the legalization of marajuana. So does Jani Lane of Warrant. (I also attended an Alice Cooper concert. How's that for being a sheep?) Yoders didn't make a point of saying Warrant were trying to act like rebels against something.
Yoder was right about something, kids would be moshing if 311 played Frank Sinatra songs, because if 311 was playing them, you can guarantee that they would rock. His comments about "alternative" albums that aren't really alternative and sell 20 million copies is irrelevant. First, everyone knows that. It all ended with Nirvana. Second, I don't think all five of the 311 albums sold a combined total of 20 million copies.
"Audiences for this type of show are made up of sheep totally devoid of indiviuality." What does this mean? What is "this type of show?" Wasn't he there? I may be dreaming, but I saw a huge variety of people from hippies to real punks, from parents to little kids. I don't know how old Yoders is, but I am 16 years old. You cannot look at someone and decide that they are a drone who will follow anyone and be just a 311 toady. Just because two kids look the same, obviously doesn't mean they ARE the same.
"311 has obviously been listening to record company's orders and placed ticket sells over quality for it's live show." I couldn't disagree more. Bassist P-Nut was interviewed and said that 311 wanted to keep their ticket prices down for this tour. They can't help that Ticketmaster slaps on a $4 service charge on the $20 ticket price. I highly doubt that 311 are concerned with ticket sales. I have been to a lot of concerts, which reflect my variety of musical tastes. 311 was the most energetic, and one of the best concerts I have attended. There was no downtime, because 311 doesn't have slow songs. Just because they don't have giant lemons like U2 doesn't mean the quality of their live show has been comprised in any way. 311 left the stage with as much energy as they came on with.
Nick Hexum didn't say that people were throwing cheese at him, he said people were throwing shoes at him. Why does Yoders think that he's been pushing cheese at us?
First, what does fashion sense of the concertgoers have to do with anything? And while we're talking fashion, Nick Hexum did not come out bare-chested. He came out in a green shirt.
Jeff Yoders then goes on to say that 311 and De La Soul put on strong shows, but then by the end of the review, says just the opposite. Niw I have been to many concerts with more mellow music than 311, and have seen worse mosh pits than Wednesday's.
311 did not play a few of their hits, they played all of them, including "All Mixed Up," "Don't Stay Home," "Homebrew," and "Do You Right." Yoders said that 311's set dragged in the middle, but was regained when they played "Transistor." If I remember correctly, "Transistor" was the third song they played.
In his final paragraphs, he makes reference to the bands trying to act like rebels. Who are they "rebelling" against? 311 advocates the legalization of marajuana. So does Jani Lane of Warrant. (I also attended an Alice Cooper concert. How's that for being a sheep?) Yoders didn't make a point of saying Warrant were trying to act like rebels against something.
Yoder was right about something, kids would be moshing if 311 played Frank Sinatra songs, because if 311 was playing them, you can guarantee that they would rock. His comments about "alternative" albums that aren't really alternative and sell 20 million copies is irrelevant. First, everyone knows that. It all ended with Nirvana. Second, I don't think all five of the 311 albums sold a combined total of 20 million copies.
"Audiences for this type of show are made up of sheep totally devoid of indiviuality." What does this mean? What is "this type of show?" Wasn't he there? I may be dreaming, but I saw a huge variety of people from hippies to real punks, from parents to little kids. I don't know how old Yoders is, but I am 16 years old. You cannot look at someone and decide that they are a drone who will follow anyone and be just a 311 toady. Just because two kids look the same, obviously doesn't mean they ARE the same.
"311 has obviously been listening to record company's orders and placed ticket sells over quality for it's live show." I couldn't disagree more. Bassist P-Nut was interviewed and said that 311 wanted to keep their ticket prices down for this tour. They can't help that Ticketmaster slaps on a $4 service charge on the $20 ticket price. I highly doubt that 311 are concerned with ticket sales. I have been to a lot of concerts, which reflect my variety of musical tastes. 311 was the most energetic, and one of the best concerts I have attended. There was no downtime, because 311 doesn't have slow songs. Just because they don't have giant lemons like U2 doesn't mean the quality of their live show has been comprised in any way. 311 left the stage with as much energy as they came on with.
Nick Hexum didn't say that people were throwing cheese at him, he said people were throwing shoes at him. Why does Yoders think that he's been pushing cheese at us?
Thursday, August 28, 1997
Variety provides plenty of spice at concert by 311 (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
It's a tribute to just how trendy the hybridazation of pop has become that a band like 311 can draw on as many as four or five genres at once and comes away sounding exactly the way you expect a commercial alternative rock band to sound in an age of one world, one music, one record collection.
They hit the stage rapping to heavy guitars last night at the Coca-Cola Star Lake Ampitheatre, treating the crowd of 9,849 to a block of "Hive", "Freak Out", and "Misdirected Hostility".
It was all Red Hot Chili Peppers without an actual tune to hang a groove on until they dipped into their title track from their latest effort, "Transistor." It's got an odd beat that you can't really dance to (at least, not at first), but the song is a well-deserved hit boasting some of the band's most accessible hooks, from the opening riff to the slow reggae ending.
It's hard to imagine Nick Hexum, a white guy, pick up and Jamacian accent from parents and friends growing up in suburban Nebraska. Still, it was pretty effective for putting the newer, more reggae-inspired material over. He credits the Clash with having turning him to reggae as a child, and it showed on the two most intriguing cuts they played from the new album, "Light Years" and "Prisoner."
"All Mixed Up", a standout from the band's self-titled breakthrough, built from a Red Hot Chili Peppers funk-guitar groove to a lazy feel-good chorus as a disco ball dropped from the ceiling and splashed the crowd with streams of light. A heavier hit from their last album, "Down," drew the biggest response of the evening.
The set was a mix of hip-hop, metal, disco, funk, and arena rock (on the frum solo anyway). There was even a point at which the guitarist, Timothy J. Mahoney, appeared to be channeling Jerry Gacria. There wasn't a whole lotta soloing going on, though Mahoney and Hexum did combine for a cool-twin guitar lead on another reggae-cut from the new one, "Beautiful Disaster."
Hexum didn't really have much to say, but when he talked, he knew just how to whip the crowd into a frenzy, inviting them all to jump up to the beat together.
De La Soul, appearently one of the few acts in rap to care if you understand more than a handful of words at a concert, opened the show with a set that took the 311 crowd on a pyschedelic trip from the trio's 1989 Top 40 single, "Me, Myself, and I" to their latest album, "Stakes is High."
At times they sang, but mostly they rapped about ego trips, celluar phones, and vibrations.
They hit the stage rapping to heavy guitars last night at the Coca-Cola Star Lake Ampitheatre, treating the crowd of 9,849 to a block of "Hive", "Freak Out", and "Misdirected Hostility".
It was all Red Hot Chili Peppers without an actual tune to hang a groove on until they dipped into their title track from their latest effort, "Transistor." It's got an odd beat that you can't really dance to (at least, not at first), but the song is a well-deserved hit boasting some of the band's most accessible hooks, from the opening riff to the slow reggae ending.
It's hard to imagine Nick Hexum, a white guy, pick up and Jamacian accent from parents and friends growing up in suburban Nebraska. Still, it was pretty effective for putting the newer, more reggae-inspired material over. He credits the Clash with having turning him to reggae as a child, and it showed on the two most intriguing cuts they played from the new album, "Light Years" and "Prisoner."
"All Mixed Up", a standout from the band's self-titled breakthrough, built from a Red Hot Chili Peppers funk-guitar groove to a lazy feel-good chorus as a disco ball dropped from the ceiling and splashed the crowd with streams of light. A heavier hit from their last album, "Down," drew the biggest response of the evening.
The set was a mix of hip-hop, metal, disco, funk, and arena rock (on the frum solo anyway). There was even a point at which the guitarist, Timothy J. Mahoney, appeared to be channeling Jerry Gacria. There wasn't a whole lotta soloing going on, though Mahoney and Hexum did combine for a cool-twin guitar lead on another reggae-cut from the new one, "Beautiful Disaster."
Hexum didn't really have much to say, but when he talked, he knew just how to whip the crowd into a frenzy, inviting them all to jump up to the beat together.
De La Soul, appearently one of the few acts in rap to care if you understand more than a handful of words at a concert, opened the show with a set that took the 311 crowd on a pyschedelic trip from the trio's 1989 Top 40 single, "Me, Myself, and I" to their latest album, "Stakes is High."
At times they sang, but mostly they rapped about ego trips, celluar phones, and vibrations.
Friday, August 22, 1997
Rock Band 311 Now Deals in Big Numbers (Star News)
Want to make a record with 311? Get ready to work.
Platinum-selling quintet likes to do things big. Like cut 30 songs this spring for it's new disk, Transistor. The band considered even more tracks before holding itself to 21, about double the number of songs on the average rock album, and clocking in at 65 minutes.
"We didn't want it to be too long." cracked guitarist Tim Mahoney. "We didn't want the listener to be taxed or feel like they're embarking on a mission."
No fear. Chances are fans will take all the songs they can get.
Recent times have been good for 311: After toiling on a grass roots circuit for five years, the Nebraska-bred band broke through with two sinewy radio singles, Down and All Mixed Up, pushing it's self-titled album to triple-platinum status. High-profile slots on skate and surf Warped Tour and the earth-rock H.O.R.D.E. tours fermented the brew. Now the band - including vocalist Nick Hexum, drummer Chad Sexton, bassist P-Nut, and vocalist-scratcher SA Martinezis - is headlining a tour all on it's own.
Mr. Mahoney said the long, grinding road helped ease a lot of the pressure that accompanies the follow-up to a winner like 311.
"We've developed over the years in a way that so long as we're writing and creating music that's important to us, our fans tend to follow us." He said. "If there was any pressure, it was pressure on ourselves to make a good record. There was no pressure from the recording company to have another Down."
Mr. Mahoney also knows the dangers that lie in rising to the top in the 90's, when information overload can kill a band as quickly as it propels it.
"Nowadays, there's so much more to being a band, with all the big media. You can see bands much more easily, and the focus isn't always 100 percent on the music," he said. "Part of rock 'n' roll is all the stuff that goes with it, but the foundation is music. If you don't have good music, and can't perform live, it's gonna sink."
So Mr. Mahoney flinches at letters from fans who toss up the requisite, knee-jerk "selling out" gibes.
"When people say that, it has nothing to do with the music," he said. "I can understand why they're saying that, but at the same time, we never been about glamour or being a big fancy rock band. As far as role models, we look at bands like Grateful Dead, playing 30 years in from of 20,000 people a night. That's a great thing to shoot for."
Anyhow, it's not like there aren't any benefits to scoring pole position in the rock race.
"It seemed like a natural step to have more mainstream sucess, and it got our foot in the door to radio and MTV," said Mr. Mahoney, "It allowed us to release Transistor as our first single, which is kinda weird for radio programming, with reggae on there at the end and all. If we hadn't had sucess, the radio may not have played a song like this."
Platinum-selling quintet likes to do things big. Like cut 30 songs this spring for it's new disk, Transistor. The band considered even more tracks before holding itself to 21, about double the number of songs on the average rock album, and clocking in at 65 minutes.
"We didn't want it to be too long." cracked guitarist Tim Mahoney. "We didn't want the listener to be taxed or feel like they're embarking on a mission."
No fear. Chances are fans will take all the songs they can get.
Recent times have been good for 311: After toiling on a grass roots circuit for five years, the Nebraska-bred band broke through with two sinewy radio singles, Down and All Mixed Up, pushing it's self-titled album to triple-platinum status. High-profile slots on skate and surf Warped Tour and the earth-rock H.O.R.D.E. tours fermented the brew. Now the band - including vocalist Nick Hexum, drummer Chad Sexton, bassist P-Nut, and vocalist-scratcher SA Martinezis - is headlining a tour all on it's own.
Mr. Mahoney said the long, grinding road helped ease a lot of the pressure that accompanies the follow-up to a winner like 311.
"We've developed over the years in a way that so long as we're writing and creating music that's important to us, our fans tend to follow us." He said. "If there was any pressure, it was pressure on ourselves to make a good record. There was no pressure from the recording company to have another Down."
Mr. Mahoney also knows the dangers that lie in rising to the top in the 90's, when information overload can kill a band as quickly as it propels it.
"Nowadays, there's so much more to being a band, with all the big media. You can see bands much more easily, and the focus isn't always 100 percent on the music," he said. "Part of rock 'n' roll is all the stuff that goes with it, but the foundation is music. If you don't have good music, and can't perform live, it's gonna sink."
So Mr. Mahoney flinches at letters from fans who toss up the requisite, knee-jerk "selling out" gibes.
"When people say that, it has nothing to do with the music," he said. "I can understand why they're saying that, but at the same time, we never been about glamour or being a big fancy rock band. As far as role models, we look at bands like Grateful Dead, playing 30 years in from of 20,000 people a night. That's a great thing to shoot for."
Anyhow, it's not like there aren't any benefits to scoring pole position in the rock race.
"It seemed like a natural step to have more mainstream sucess, and it got our foot in the door to radio and MTV," said Mr. Mahoney, "It allowed us to release Transistor as our first single, which is kinda weird for radio programming, with reggae on there at the end and all. If we hadn't had sucess, the radio may not have played a song like this."
Sunday, August 17, 1997
Thursday, August 14, 1997
Friday, August 1, 1997
Thursday, June 12, 1997
Radio Heads (Rolling Stone)
A makeshift sign near the entrance to the control room of studio "B" at L.A.'s NRG Studios read "Work-Free Drug Zone" this past spring. But judging by the slamming grooves booming from the room's massive speakers, someone was obviously hard at work there.
Those someones were the five members of 311 -- vocalists Nick Hexum and S.A. Martinez, guitarist Tim Mahoney, bassist P-Nut and drummer Chad Sexton -- and their trusty, longtime sound engineer, Scott Ralston, who now also serves as co-producer.
The six made 311's fourth album, Transistor, over the course of three months, recording a whopping thirty-five tunes, twenty-one of which appear on the record. Transistor, which will hit stores August 5, clocks in at seventy-four minutes -- the most that can be squeezed onto a single compact disc (it will also be a single cassette and a two-record set). "It had been two years since we recorded," noted P-Nut, explaining that the excitement of being back in the studio led to the wealth of new material.
"Making Transistor was more of a mission than our past records," said Sexton, on the band's last day at the San Fernando Valley studio. "We've been in tunnelvision, working everyday. It's been a lot of work, but we were prepared. We did more than thirty songs in the time allotted to do fourteen songs, so it was work."
The theme of Transistor, as expressed on songs like "Electricity," "Galaxy," "No Control" and the title track, is that we're all connected by common forces, many of them beyond our comprehension.
"The basis of all of our thoughts," says Hexum, "and all of our actions comes down to the exchange of electrical charge. So we're basically saying that we're all transistors of the same force."
Though 311's first two rock-funk-hip-hop-reggae albums were little more than blips on the music industry's radar, the band's self-titled 1995 release sold nearly 3 million copies, powered by frequent radio and MTV play for "Down" and "All Mixed Up." That success paved the way for Transistor, allowing the band, which formed in Omaha, Neb., in 1990, to finally record the album they wanted to make.
"When a band has success like we did with our last album, they've earned the right to call their own shots on their next record," says Hexum. "With some bands, that would be a death sentence, because they'd get self-indulgent ... not having anyone to keep them straight. But I think we have that effect on each other."
The most obvious difference between "Transistor" and the band's previous work is the extensive reggae influence, which S.A. chalks up to their time spent touring Europe last year, when "all we listened to was dub reggae!"
311 kicks off what will be nearly two years of touring the day of their album's release, in San Diego. Days before, they'll warm up by headlining the two-day Melee Festival in Hawaii, where the band's laid-back lifestyle will certainly fit right in.
"We smoked a lot of herb making this record," Sexton says. "I know I just went crazy ... I don't know why."
Chalk it up to the sign.
Those someones were the five members of 311 -- vocalists Nick Hexum and S.A. Martinez, guitarist Tim Mahoney, bassist P-Nut and drummer Chad Sexton -- and their trusty, longtime sound engineer, Scott Ralston, who now also serves as co-producer.
The six made 311's fourth album, Transistor, over the course of three months, recording a whopping thirty-five tunes, twenty-one of which appear on the record. Transistor, which will hit stores August 5, clocks in at seventy-four minutes -- the most that can be squeezed onto a single compact disc (it will also be a single cassette and a two-record set). "It had been two years since we recorded," noted P-Nut, explaining that the excitement of being back in the studio led to the wealth of new material.
"Making Transistor was more of a mission than our past records," said Sexton, on the band's last day at the San Fernando Valley studio. "We've been in tunnelvision, working everyday. It's been a lot of work, but we were prepared. We did more than thirty songs in the time allotted to do fourteen songs, so it was work."
The theme of Transistor, as expressed on songs like "Electricity," "Galaxy," "No Control" and the title track, is that we're all connected by common forces, many of them beyond our comprehension.
"The basis of all of our thoughts," says Hexum, "and all of our actions comes down to the exchange of electrical charge. So we're basically saying that we're all transistors of the same force."
Though 311's first two rock-funk-hip-hop-reggae albums were little more than blips on the music industry's radar, the band's self-titled 1995 release sold nearly 3 million copies, powered by frequent radio and MTV play for "Down" and "All Mixed Up." That success paved the way for Transistor, allowing the band, which formed in Omaha, Neb., in 1990, to finally record the album they wanted to make.
"When a band has success like we did with our last album, they've earned the right to call their own shots on their next record," says Hexum. "With some bands, that would be a death sentence, because they'd get self-indulgent ... not having anyone to keep them straight. But I think we have that effect on each other."
The most obvious difference between "Transistor" and the band's previous work is the extensive reggae influence, which S.A. chalks up to their time spent touring Europe last year, when "all we listened to was dub reggae!"
311 kicks off what will be nearly two years of touring the day of their album's release, in San Diego. Days before, they'll warm up by headlining the two-day Melee Festival in Hawaii, where the band's laid-back lifestyle will certainly fit right in.
"We smoked a lot of herb making this record," Sexton says. "I know I just went crazy ... I don't know why."
Chalk it up to the sign.
Friday, January 24, 1997
Artist of the Month (Guitar World, 1997)
Artists Of The Month: P-Nut Of 311
Beak (B)- What's the funniest joke you ever heard?
P-nut: Oh God. I couldn't repeat it, just because my memory's
horrible, but it definitely came from my father. He's one of the
funniest guys I ever met.
B: What's your favorite color?
P: Purple. It's actually the contrast between purple and green.
That's my favorite color. I actually have two.
B: Boxers or briefs?
P: Briefs!
B: If you were stranded on an island, what three things would you
want to have?
P: Um, my truck...um, my girlfriend and my stereo, of course. With a
CD collection, real important thing.
B: What was your favorite cartoon as a kid?
P: Favorite cartoon as a kid... I hate to say it 'cause it's such an
easy answer, but it was Bugs Bunny. Such a classic y'know? Can't go
wrong with it either.
B: What's your favorite kind of weather?
P: My favorite kind of weather is San Francisco weather. I guarantee
that. I love it here. I like the way it rains, I like the way it's
cold. It's too hot in L.A. I'm gonna move north, definitely.
B: Do you have any pets?
P: Yeah, I have a year old South American iguana. That is the
coolest creature I have ever lived with.
B: What is it's name?
P: Her name is Orbit, and she's gonna get five feet long...
B: Wow!
P: And I'm gonna make sure she does it/
B: Do you ever get a jingle stuck in your head?
P: Oh God...
B: If so, like, which one?
P: Man, I've been gettin', and I don't, I don't hate to say it, but it is kind of, it is kind of, whatever, but I always get the No Doubt, the new No Doubt song, God, it's so, it's so catchy that it just stays with me.
B: What's your favorite name?
P: Um... Between my two names? Or my...
B: Any name...
P: My favorite name all together...
B: In the world.
P: Hmm...
B: What's the coolest name you've ever heard?
P: Um, Archibald... is a good name.
B: Can we have Chad's phone number?
P: No.
B: Ok.
P: No, sorry.
B: Ok.
P: I would if I could!
B: That's ok.
P: He'd get mad
Beak (B)- What's the funniest joke you ever heard?
P-nut: Oh God. I couldn't repeat it, just because my memory's
horrible, but it definitely came from my father. He's one of the
funniest guys I ever met.
B: What's your favorite color?
P: Purple. It's actually the contrast between purple and green.
That's my favorite color. I actually have two.
B: Boxers or briefs?
P: Briefs!
B: If you were stranded on an island, what three things would you
want to have?
P: Um, my truck...um, my girlfriend and my stereo, of course. With a
CD collection, real important thing.
B: What was your favorite cartoon as a kid?
P: Favorite cartoon as a kid... I hate to say it 'cause it's such an
easy answer, but it was Bugs Bunny. Such a classic y'know? Can't go
wrong with it either.
B: What's your favorite kind of weather?
P: My favorite kind of weather is San Francisco weather. I guarantee
that. I love it here. I like the way it rains, I like the way it's
cold. It's too hot in L.A. I'm gonna move north, definitely.
B: Do you have any pets?
P: Yeah, I have a year old South American iguana. That is the
coolest creature I have ever lived with.
B: What is it's name?
P: Her name is Orbit, and she's gonna get five feet long...
B: Wow!
P: And I'm gonna make sure she does it/
B: Do you ever get a jingle stuck in your head?
P: Oh God...
B: If so, like, which one?
P: Man, I've been gettin', and I don't, I don't hate to say it, but it is kind of, it is kind of, whatever, but I always get the No Doubt, the new No Doubt song, God, it's so, it's so catchy that it just stays with me.
B: What's your favorite name?
P: Um... Between my two names? Or my...
B: Any name...
P: My favorite name all together...
B: In the world.
P: Hmm...
B: What's the coolest name you've ever heard?
P: Um, Archibald... is a good name.
B: Can we have Chad's phone number?
P: No.
B: Ok.
P: No, sorry.
B: Ok.
P: I would if I could!
B: That's ok.
P: He'd get mad
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