VOX: Please introduce yourselves to your adoring fans…VOX:How did you come up with the name of the album?
SA Martinez: I’m SA…
P-Nut: I’ll be P-Nut today, thank you very much!
VOX: Now that the album is finished, are you guys dying to get the album released?
SA: We can’t wait to get this record out, we can’t wait to play some shows. We wanna get back in touch with all of our fans. And, basically just have some fun!
P-Nut: Being in limbo like this, sitting on such a good album, is – is impossibly hard. So, the people that see our first shows better watch the fuck out because there’s going to be some danger going on. I’m telling you, I’ve got two years worth of excitement in me and it’s going to blow up all over the stage!
VOX: You guys have some hardcore fans…
P-Nut: The people that I talk to on the Internet are freakin’ out! You know, that just represents the sum population of our hardcore fans. But they are some of the hardest core fans; they’re on top of the news every minute, they got the mp3 of the new track. It’s crazy – you kids are great!
VOX: Any favorite tracks you guys have from the new album?
SA: Favorite tracks…hmmm, there are so many. I like "Freezetime" a lot. I like "Living & Rockin."
P-Nut: We put so much time into the album that I know everyone in the band loves every song. We made sure we didn’t put [on the album] any song that anyone was ‘iffy’ on. We love everything and we put well over a year into writing the music. We fined tuned it. It as strong of an album that we have ever put out. Point blank!
VOX: How would you describe the new album? What direction did you move in…
P-Nut: What I heard people say, which may be more of an objective view, because I am so into the band and everything. I love us (laughing)! They say it’s a mixture of our old and new styles and both of those taken somewhere else. We’re constantly changing ourselves in subtle ways, so, it’s always going to be different. But since we put so much time into it, not only is it different, it’s really good. And, there’s no lack of confidence!
SA: The inspiration behind Soundsystem was based on our love for Jamaican culture, reggae culture; [also] the soundsystem that is incorporated in Jamaican music, the soundsystem that brings all of the people in Jamaica together. And, also the fact that when we go out on the rode on tour we are a traveling soundsystem as well. We just wanted to incorporate that theme into what we are about. So that’s where Soundsystem came from – baby!
P-Nut: Oohhh, baby!
VOX: When is the first single due out?
P-Nut: It’s the eleventh today, hmm., it’s less than two weeks for the release. So, by the end of the month, it should be coming out.
VOX: Ami Vick from Baltimore wants to know what the single will be? "Come Original?"
P-Nut: Yeah, it will be "Come Original.’
VOX: Ami also wants to know if you’ll be doing a video for it.
P-Nut: We are doing a video for it next weekend. It’s going to be at a soundstage in Los Angeles and the director is Kevin Clearlake, who has worked with everyone you can name. He is a really, really cool guy. He showed up and seemed like he was a part of our crew already – it was nice. I thought there was a good connection. But, I am f-o-n-d of directors! I like to see the ideas they want to put us into. It’s so different a media for a bunch of musicians to work in. I find myself very interested and I learn a lot everytime we do a video shoot.
VOX: What is the theme of the video?
P-Nut: Performance based. The shots will be full length of the band and closeups. It’s going to be in and out, straight shots…I am definitely not the person that should answer this question! That’s all I remember!
VOX: Is there anyone you want to tour with?
SA: We haven’t made a decision but it looks like we’re not going to take anyone on this leg of the tour cause we are going back to smaller venues, mainly clubs and bars, getting back to where we started from. And, in those environments, a lot of times when bands play, it’s very loud, very cramped. It will affect your enjoyment of a 311 show, if you’re just inundated with a tremendous amount of noise before hand. We want to keep all the ears fresh and just come out with a 311 show. So, no, there won’t be anyone opening for this length of the tour.
VOX: Any artists that you admire?
SA: There’s a Dr. Israel from New York who has a really good album out. I would be interested in performing with him. P-Nut?
P-Nut: I’d like to have 311 play with Ween someday – even thought their concert last week wasn’t the best I’ve seen in the four shows I’ve been to! But I’d still love to play with you guys. So, call up our management and we’ll work it out baby!
SA: [laughs]
VOX: Anna Wiley from Glenwood, Iowa wants to know if you guys are going to come back to Omaha on this tour?
P-Nut: Yeah, we’re actually going to play the place [311] played at first. It’s in mid-town, right in between South O and downtown Omaha. It’s going to be great. It’s where we opened for Fugazi. Omaha is going to kick ass! It’s going to be scary. You know, we shut that place down. We were the last band to play there cause there was some structural damage! So, it pretty cool that there opening it up for us again. Cause there’s going to be more (structural damage)!
VOX: Loren Mickelson from Loveland, Colorado wants to know what Enlarged To Show Detail II will be like – more of you guys on the road or something else?
P-Nut: Well, you know we have enough footage to do videos 2, 3 and four right now if we were really dead set on it. And we could have, but we would not have been very happy about it ‘cause we know how old the footage is. It’s going to be all from this tour and the recording of Soundsystem. So, it will all be fresh and we won’t be bored with it. We could have sold another videotape with all the stuff we have, but we’re our biggest critics so we knew we couldn’t get away with that! We wouldn’t sleep well with that. It should be released early 2000.
VOX: Haile Urquhart from Lawrenceville, Georgia wants to know where the positive outlook the band has come from. Is it lifestyle or upbringing?
SA: It’s really just an outlook on life, on our upbringing, our environment…
P-Nut: People we hang out with…
SA: Yeah, those people you hang out with. If you are of negative mind you will attract just that. We’re all connected in someway, and we rely on each other, everybody does. If you want to be in a positive environment you really have to focus on yourself and makes some changes in your life. Everyone has the potential to be a positive person, there’s nothing that says you can’t. You might think the odds are stacked against you but you’re wrong! Everyone has their good days and bad.
P-Nut: The right people get it, and that’s the cool thing. When we were first playing and getting the sound – I know what went through everyone’s head. Like, how is this going to come off, like is it going to be a wimpy kind of vibe. Of course not, we’re wouldn’t let that happen. We’re still going to be positive. So, it took a little time, a little learning, but it all worked out.
VOX: Mitch Metz from Caldwell, New Jersey wants to know if you guys will ever play with Bad Brains, or if that is something you guys would like to do?
P-Nut: H.R. is just a little too erratic for us management wise. Like the band wouldn’t care if he didn’t show up for a couple of shows, that’s just going to be expected. Our management is really going to be worried about that and having it ruin the whole show. I wanna play with the legend. That’s what I want to see! It will happen someday no matter what.
VOX: Mitch also wants to know what the picture is on the cover of the Unity album.
SA: It’s a picture of a tree, a detail of a tree.
P-Nut: Tree limbs and stuff growing on it so it looked weird. Good question M-i-t-c-h! Keep it up!
VOX: Will you guys ever play in Alaska?
P-Nut: Well we do have a lyric that says we haven’t been to Alaska. So, we’d have to rewrite "Fuck The Bullshit" if that happens! And, we look forward to changing that. Changing a classic 311 song at least a little bit. That’ll be fun.
SA: The promoter in Los Angeles, Goldenvoice, promotes in Alaska as well. They’ve approached us. I would say we would be in Alaska soon.
VOX: Any chance you guys will play Coachella?
P-Nut: Who? I haven’t even heard about it. Whose involved?
SA: It’s like two days, in the dessert, Rage and all kind of bands will be there…
P-Nut: Ok, ok, I did hear about that. Whoo, that would be great…But, we’ll be doing our own thang!
VOX: Starr from Seattle, Washington wants to know when the tour info will be available.
SA: That should be out pretty soon.
P-Nut: There will be some minor changes.
SA: Yeah, but it’s pretty solid. Our first gig, I think we can say, our ‘foist’ tour spot will be a warm up before some radio gigs that we are doing at the end of September…
P-Nut: A warm-up before the warm-up baby!
SA: It will be in Nashville at the 328 club.
VOX: How have things gone since signing with Capricorn Records?
P-Nut: The relationship has only gotten better over the years. Especially since they have done very little to influence us on singles. Of course they will give us their opinions and that’s to be expected and more heads are better than one. I like how they haven’t been pushy or insistent on anything. It’s a good relationship.
VOX: It’s got to feel good to have made it this far without the critics really getting behind you.
P-Nut: Yeah, fuck ‘em! [laughing]
VOX: Some critics just end up tearing down a band without ever giving them a chance.
P-Nut: Right, that’s going to happen no matter what. The best attitude to have is ignore them or fuck ‘em! [more laughing]
VOX: One more time!
P-Nut: Fuck ‘em! Good direction! [laughing all around]
VOX: Dena from Oceanside, California wants to know if any of you guys plan on getting married or having children in the near future.
P-Nut: Wow, that’s so personal! I’m…I’m pretty much already married. Umm, I’m avoiding children for a good, hmm, ten years right now. It will be a 30’s thang if it happens. 'Cause, well, the girlfriend is not all that into it. But who can blame her at this point in time. It would be just too much work.
SA: I’d like to get married some day and have children you know. I am not exactly sure of a timeline! But, yeah, I would never rule anything out. Anything is possible.
VOX: SA, being Hispanic, was or is there a Hispanic population in Omaha?
SA: Oh, yeah. South Omaha was predominantly Mexican and more so now. You have a lot of migrant farm workers who come up to work there. There’s a substantial population there.
VOX: Do you speak Spanish?
SA: No, unfortunately I don’t. My dad never spoke Spanish in the house, probably because my mom didn’t speak it. Yeah, but I wish I could now, that would be awesome.
VOX: Well, you guys have been great! Thanks for your time!
P-Nut: Great job guys. You can sleep well tonight!
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