Wednesday, June 16, 2010

311 returns with a little help from their friends (Salt Lake Tribune)

If ever there were a time for unity, it seems to be now.

Therefore, everyone is welcome at the return of the Unity Tour 2010, which stops over in West Valley City on Wednesday, July 21, with headliners 311 and supporting acts The Offspring and Pepper.

“There is a constant cool vibe,” said Pepper drummer Yesod Williams of the Unity Tour, which reminds him of the laid-back atmosphere of his home state of Hawaii. “It’s a constant summerlong barbecue.”

“We’ve been doing summer tours for the last 13 years, and we have been labeling it the Unity Tour for six or seven years now,” said “S.A.” Martinez, lead singer of Nebraska alt-funk-rock band 311. Despite the occasional hard edges of 311 — and certainly those of alt-rock icons The Offspring — all bands are committed to the idea of e pluribus unum.

“Our fans and 311 fans are open-minded and easy-going,” Williams said. “There’s not a bad bone in anyone’s bodies.”

Martinez’s nickname “S.A.” is indicative of his band’s friendly nature, as it’s a play on the Mexican slang term ese, meaning “buddy.”

He said there’s added urgency to the Unity Tour this year, after immigration debates spurred by the Arizona law that would require state and local police to question and possibly arrest suspected illegal immigrants during routine traffic stops.

“It’s misguided anger and frustration,” said Martinez about the divisive issue. “It’s sad that in 2010 that race is such an issue. We need to build bridges.”

Music is a universal and unifying force, Martinez said about the tour that has linked musicians from a variety of genres, such as rapper Snoop Dogg and reggae artist Ziggy Marley.

311’s ninth studio album, “Uplifter,” debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard albums chart, the band’s highest in the U.S. to date. Since its self-titled debut in 1995, each of its studio albums has been in the top 15 of the Billboard chart. Eight of its songs have been top-five hits on the Billboard Modern Rock Radio chart, including “Down,” “All Mixed Up,” “Come Original” and a cover of The Cure’s “Love Song.”

Pepper is also riding a recent wave of success with its blend of dub, reggae and rock. Its 2008 album “Pink Crustaceans and Good Vibrations” is hitting mainstream audiences, and the band plans to release a new album this summer. Band members are appreciating their good fortune to have toured with Michael Franti & Spearhead, Slightly Stoopid and Flogging Molly.

“We’re on such a good page,” Williams said. “If there was ever a stage in our lives where we’re in a happy spot, it’s now.”

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