"June 10, 1990," recalled Omaha native and 311 singer/guitarist Nick Hexum.
Before then, the various members of the rap/rock/reggae group had played together, but not seriously. Living in Germany at the time, Hexum got a call from drummer Chad Sexton that they had the opportunity to open for the legendary indie band Fugazi.
"I was like, 'OK, I'm coming home. Let's get the band back together,'" Hexum said, laughing. "It was a really great launching point because it was like 1,000 people there and they were moshing. It was like, 'Wow, this is really what we've been hoping for.' And then we just kept building from there."
The Omaha-bred band eventually relocated to Los Angeles, where its star rose. The group eventually nabbed a platinum-selling album with its self-titled 1995 release.
Now the band is ready to release its 10th record, "Universal Pulse," on July 19, the same day it headlines Omaha's Red Sky Music Festival.
We spoke to Hexum about the album, the festival, coming back to Omaha and how the band has remained successful — and relevant — after 21 years.
Q. You're releasing "Universal Pulse" the same day you're in Omaha. Were you excited when you found out about that?
A. It was a great fortune that happened. We saw that the (tour) routing was going to happen to be in Omaha and we were like, "What a perfect serendipity it happened to be scheduled to go back to our home."
Plus my dad's 70th birthday, I'll be home for. It all happens at that same (time). We're really excited for it.
Q. Is there anywhere you feel like you have to go in Omaha?
A. I just like to walk around the old neighborhood where I grew up because it just really brings me back to walking to school each day and the smells and the sights and to see how everything has changed. I really get a kick out of walking the neighborhood around Swanson Elementary.
Q. It sounds like you guys set up "Universal Pulse" for the live performances?
A. I think there's been a general revelation within the band that the core of what we do is the live setting. That's kind of what we prefer because live music — as far as one person performing an instrument and other people listening to it and dancing to it — that's existed for 30- 40,000 years.
That's where our heart's really at. The album's meant to support and serve the live setting rather than being a studio-focused band.
Q. "Universal Pulse" is also a shorter album, but you took a shorter time in between albums.
A. We realized we wanted to have more of an immediacy — the albums show what we've been doing recently instead of what we've been doing over three or four years. We figured that we'd rather have more frequent releases (and) they're going to have be shorter because it takes a long time to record the songs properly and to the level of quality that we want.
We just placed quality over quantity and that's what we came up with.
Q. Some other artists have told me they'd prefer to put out shorter albums or EPs frequently instead of a full album every few years. What do you think?
A. I think that attention spans are getting shorter and shorter anyway with iPods and playlists. If I get a new album, I'll pick my favorite six or seven songs off there and put it on a playlist and listen to it in the car, you know what I mean? To me, we're kind of doing that for you when we do a shorter album — just picking the very best stuff.
Q. What has contributed to the longevity of 311? People always tells me being in a band is like being married to five people at once.
A. You have to be ready to not get your way and put your own interests aside to what serves the band as a whole the best. There's plenty of times that ego will destroy a band because when a band gets successful and people start telling you you're great, it can play tricks on your head. We've just worked pretty hard to stay out of that whole fame game and just be musicians.
And so far, so good.
Q. Do you think that's one of the things that's contributed to you being successful?
A. I think that we just always keep the focus on the music itself rather than the trappings of the music business.
P-Nut's fond of saying, "I'm not a rockstar, I'm a musician." I think that's kinda the crux of where we keep our heads at. Keep our feet on the ground.
Q. The band makes time for a lot of fan meet-and-greets and such. Is that important to you?
A. I enjoy it. You can sometimes be too isolated if you don't do those kind of things. A lot of times they'll have something prepared that they want to say or a letter that they'll shove in our hands that says what our music means to them. You can get a real boost of energy to hear the impact that you've had on somebody. I always really look forward to them.
Q. What do you consider the band's greatest success?
A. I guess it's kinda what I'm talking about in the chorus of "Sunset In July." I look out at the crowd and I would see people so lost in the music with a big smile on their face and with eyes closed — the power of music to take people to another dimension that we really feed off of.
I wouldn't say there was any one big event, like a platinum album or something, that would define success. I think it's a lot of little moments of looking out and when you're really locked in a groove with someone who you probably don't even know at all and that sort of connection you have there.
What an amazing way to make a living. We're real grateful.
http://www.omaha.com/article/20110717/LIVING/707179951
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