311 and Snoop Dogg get cozy (The Virginian-Pilot)

311 is making its annual summer rounds. This year, the band shares the bill with rapper Snoop Dogg. We know what you're thinking. Snoop Dogg? Really? We were stumped, too.

311 (pronounced three-eleven) embraces many styles in its music - rock, funk, reggae, punk - but rap isn't one of them. Yet Tuesday, they'll be together at the Verizon Wireless Virginia Beach Amphitheater.

When 311 DJ and singer S.A. Martinez called us from a town near Chicago, we asked him about the lineup. "Dude, Snoop is so cool.... Historically, we have packaged with acts that vary from one musical spectrum to the next.... It's power in numbers."

Plus, Martinez gets a kick out of the mixed crowd. "I love playing for our fan base, but I also love playing for fans who have no idea who we are."

While we had him on the line, he filled us in on other 311 news.

After the summer tour, the band plans to wrap up its ninth studio album, its first since 2005. This time, 311 is working with Bob Rock, who has produced music for Metallica, Aerosmith and Motley Crue. "We want to break the mold and do something different. It's a breath of fresh air," Martinez said.

The album is scheduled to drop next spring.

Since the guys got together in 1990, the music business has changed a lot, but the band thrives on adapting to new sounds. "One of the hallmarks of our band is that it's open to growth.... It's a natural extension of being alive," Martinez said. "We've always just looked at it square in the face, and it's always been a welcome challenge."

311 has come a long way since its days on the Omaha music scene. "Who would have thought five guys from Nebraska were going to be in this for 18 years? The odds were against us enormously," Martinez said.

Shortly after the guys hit the scene, a fire destroyed their equipment. When they released their debut album, "Music," in 1994, their sound was drowned out by the Seattle grunge scene. Radio didn't take notice until a year after their third release, "311," which sold more than 3 million copies and had the hits "Down" and "All Mixed Up."

"Somehow, we managed to find our way and find our niche and really make magic out of a molehill," Martinez said. "We're a lot like a tasty bottle of vino after a number of years. It just keeps getting better."