311 is still rocking, refining their sound (Omaha World Herald)

They're back.

Hometown rock heroes 311 are returning for another concert in the metro.

The quintet of Omaha boys — Nick Hexum, Chad Sexton, SA Martinez, Tim Mahoney and P-Nut — performs Saturday at the Mid-America Center.

Nearing its 20th anniversary as a band, the group is responsible for seven albums in the Billboard Top 10.

The group's most recent record, “Uplifter,” is its highest-charting to date. The disc reached No. 3 when it was released in June.

The band continued with its mix of rock, reggae, rap and funk, but it hired producer Bob Rock (Metallica, Motley Crue, Aerosmith) to work on the album with the group.

“He was a perfect match. We were ready to take a step in a new direction,” Hexum said. “He's a song guy, he's a great engineer and he'll help you with lyrics and everything. He gets in there like a sixth band member and has his guitar, suggesting parts and everything.

“I'd like to record with him some more.”

Rock helped the group with songwriting and also put together some “rocking arrangements,” Hexum said.

“It was fantastic to be working with someone with so much experience and to be working with someone that is so musically inclined and is a musician himself,” Sexton added. “To have that aspect really, really helped our band solidify our songs. We learned a lot from him.”

Even after playing the songs all summer, the band is still excited to play tracks from “Uplifter.”

“Off the bat, we knew ‘Jackpot' was going to be a live anthem,” Hexum said. “It's a jumping tempo, and the lyrics are about raditude and it's got that call-and-response thing. Definitely an instant live classic.”

For Sexton, the older songs get him going more than the new stuff. “Feels So Good” and “Omaha Stylee,” from the band's first two albums, are two of his favorites. His drum solo during “Applied Science,” which involves all five members of the band, is also a highlight.

“It's good fun and we keep coming up with some killer parts” including a stick toss, Sexton said. “P-Nut throws his stick to me and I throw my stick to Tim. It makes it interesting, and it makes it fun. And when you pull it off, it's just killer.”