After releasing "Greatest Hits 93-03" earlier this year and a double-disc DVD due out next week, 311 singer Nick Hexum tells Billboard.com the rock act is just now settling into what he hopes will be a very long career.
"I predict right now, I could see 311 going for 30 years," says Hexum. "And I've always felt like kind of a late bloomer and I think we still very well might have our best work ahead of us. The thing I love about that is most of the bands that we started out with are gone, like Rage [Against The Machine] and Soundgarden. There are very few that stood the test of time. I'd love to be the U2 or something like that of our era, that is making good music and keeps exploring styles and has a lot of integrity and is popular, without sort of overly catering towards trends."
Having arrived in the mid-1990s as an early rap-n-rock outfit, the Omaha-born, Los Angeles-based band's sound has evolved over into what Hexum calls a "funkier reggae" mix. This is also the path, creatively speaking, the group hopes to continue exploring. The singer points to the single "First Straw" from the greatest hits release as a starting point for the band's next studio project.
With one song, "Waiting," finished and "lots of little parts" ready to be fleshed out, the members of 311 will reconvene in the studio next month with an eye on releasing a new album in summer, to coincide with a mid-June tour.
As previously reported, Hexum is touring with his singer/songwriter brother Zack through swing states in advance of the U.S. presidential election to show their support for Democratic nominee John Kerry. The expected set list from this 10-date tour, which began last night (Oct. 21) in Columbia, Mo., includes cover songs (Beatles, Clash, Bob Marley, Radiohead), tracks from Zack's Trauma debut album "The Story So Far..." and select 311 material presented in more of a punk aesthetic.
"It's going to be an interesting musical experience," says Nick of the trek, which was organized with assistance from music activist organization Air Traffic Control. "For 311 fans, they are definitely going to hear me in a way you may never get another chance to hear. It's a onetime thing. But I'm really looking forward to getting back to 311, which is my bread and butter."
Sunday, August 22, 2004
Monday, August 2, 2004
Wednesday, July 7, 2004
Bouncin' at Riverbend (Enquirer)
There are the Dave Matthews hippie-dance maneuvers, and there's also the Jimmy Buffett beach-ball workout. But of all the frat-rock calisthenics a Riverbend crowd endures over the course of a summer season, none is as physically demanding as the perpetual 311 reggae-rock hop.
"Let's get this place bouncin'," demanded 311 lead singer Nick Hexum at the start of the band's Tuesday-night concert, and for the next one hour and 45 minutes, the bouncing carried forth, as 311 played a crowd-pleasing, nonstop set that represented the best of the band's last 10 years of hit-record making.
The Omaha, Neb. group isn't the first rock band to bring reggae elements into its sound, but few others have been as successful in doing so. The band might not draw Matthews or Buffett-size crowds, but no style of music (other than metal, of course) fires up a Riverbend audience like 311's Great Plains rendering of the Jamaican beat.
The songs, and the subsequent bouncing, came in two speeds: calorie burn (like "You Wouldn't Believe" and the breakthrough smash "Down") and cool down (like "Beyond the Gray Sky" and the band's recent hit reggae-ish version of the Cure's "Love Song"). Hexum and his bandmates - vocalist/rapper/DJ SA Martinez, guitarist Tim Mahoney, bassist P-Nut and drummer Chad Sexton - easily negotiated the highs and lows and slows and fasts within the set and sometimes the songs themselves, and the shifting speed-and-volume dynamics kept their reggae-rock monotone from bogging down.
The band's two picks for openers also added to the variety. The Roots, a live-instrumentation hip-hop band from Philadelphia, were to crowd-unison head bobbing what 311 was to crowd-unison bouncing. At their top-dollar best, the group came off like a mixture of New York golden-age '80s rapping and James Brown "Sex Machine"-era grooves. At their not so good, the sextet made like overwrought arena-rock heroes, with guitarist Kirk Douglas (and one particular endless guitar solo) the biggest offender.
Medeski, Martin and Wood began the show, and while the acclaimed fusion-organ trio whipped up one or two spells of interesting ebb and flow, most of their set was unadventurous, straight-ahead groove catering more to hippie dancers than jazz heads.
"Let's get this place bouncin'," demanded 311 lead singer Nick Hexum at the start of the band's Tuesday-night concert, and for the next one hour and 45 minutes, the bouncing carried forth, as 311 played a crowd-pleasing, nonstop set that represented the best of the band's last 10 years of hit-record making.
The Omaha, Neb. group isn't the first rock band to bring reggae elements into its sound, but few others have been as successful in doing so. The band might not draw Matthews or Buffett-size crowds, but no style of music (other than metal, of course) fires up a Riverbend audience like 311's Great Plains rendering of the Jamaican beat.
The songs, and the subsequent bouncing, came in two speeds: calorie burn (like "You Wouldn't Believe" and the breakthrough smash "Down") and cool down (like "Beyond the Gray Sky" and the band's recent hit reggae-ish version of the Cure's "Love Song"). Hexum and his bandmates - vocalist/rapper/DJ SA Martinez, guitarist Tim Mahoney, bassist P-Nut and drummer Chad Sexton - easily negotiated the highs and lows and slows and fasts within the set and sometimes the songs themselves, and the shifting speed-and-volume dynamics kept their reggae-rock monotone from bogging down.
The band's two picks for openers also added to the variety. The Roots, a live-instrumentation hip-hop band from Philadelphia, were to crowd-unison head bobbing what 311 was to crowd-unison bouncing. At their top-dollar best, the group came off like a mixture of New York golden-age '80s rapping and James Brown "Sex Machine"-era grooves. At their not so good, the sextet made like overwrought arena-rock heroes, with guitarist Kirk Douglas (and one particular endless guitar solo) the biggest offender.
Medeski, Martin and Wood began the show, and while the acclaimed fusion-organ trio whipped up one or two spells of interesting ebb and flow, most of their set was unadventurous, straight-ahead groove catering more to hippie dancers than jazz heads.
Tuesday, June 22, 2004
NIGHT BEAT: 311's best, worst times came early (Review Journal)
The band 311 became a success by performing an easily recognizable sound -- a blend of rap, reggae-rock and turntable spinning. That helped keep the Omaha, Neb., band on the music map for 11 years. And now, the five-piece band is an industry veteran. It even has a "Greatest Hits: '93-'03" album on the market.
"It's a wild feeling" to have been around this long, says singer and turntablist S.A. Martinez, 33. His band headlines the Orleans Arena, with the Roots, on Wednesday.
Looking back, Martinez says the band's best of times and worst of times came together, in the beginning. Among his favorite memories was when 311 opened for 10,000 Maniacs' final tour with singer Natalie Merchant.
"I think there's something about her music that's very genuine in how she delivers it and presents it," he says. "I don't think she's ever released anything I don't like."
Opening for Merchant's band was "kind of, like, part of a rock and roll fantasy," he says. "When we started, we signed with this management. They were called Gold Mountain. And at the time, they managed Sonic Youth and Beastie Boys. And we were, like, `We're gonna be opening for Sonic Youth and Beastie Boys!' And that never happened."
Now, it's musicians in other bands that call 311 an inspiration.
"I think that's great. Obviously, you want to have that type of influence. You don't want to hear, `I hated you guys,' " Martinez says.
As for 311's worst of times, that happened around the time of the 10,000 Maniacs gig, in 1993. The band's RV blew up, forcing it onto the side of the road. The players escaped with mostly minor injuries. Singer-guitarist Nick Hexum had second-degree burns.
"That happened, and subsequently all of our gear burned up. And then our label at the time tried to take advantage of the situation by asking for publishing" rights from the band, he says. "That stands out as a bad time."
Anyway, that's how 311 got started. With a dream and a nightmare.
"Yeah, things have quieted down somewhat," he says and laughs.
Earlier this year, the group showed its staying power by notching another hit with a Cure classic, "Love Song," which 311 cut after fan Adam Sandler asked them to cover it for his comedy "50 First Dates."
Martinez says he's glad 311 ended up with such a good reputation and righteous fans. That's right, they didn't end up like Hootie and the Blowfish, I say.
"Thank God," he says.
"It's a wild feeling" to have been around this long, says singer and turntablist S.A. Martinez, 33. His band headlines the Orleans Arena, with the Roots, on Wednesday.
Looking back, Martinez says the band's best of times and worst of times came together, in the beginning. Among his favorite memories was when 311 opened for 10,000 Maniacs' final tour with singer Natalie Merchant.
"I think there's something about her music that's very genuine in how she delivers it and presents it," he says. "I don't think she's ever released anything I don't like."
Opening for Merchant's band was "kind of, like, part of a rock and roll fantasy," he says. "When we started, we signed with this management. They were called Gold Mountain. And at the time, they managed Sonic Youth and Beastie Boys. And we were, like, `We're gonna be opening for Sonic Youth and Beastie Boys!' And that never happened."
Now, it's musicians in other bands that call 311 an inspiration.
"I think that's great. Obviously, you want to have that type of influence. You don't want to hear, `I hated you guys,' " Martinez says.
As for 311's worst of times, that happened around the time of the 10,000 Maniacs gig, in 1993. The band's RV blew up, forcing it onto the side of the road. The players escaped with mostly minor injuries. Singer-guitarist Nick Hexum had second-degree burns.
"That happened, and subsequently all of our gear burned up. And then our label at the time tried to take advantage of the situation by asking for publishing" rights from the band, he says. "That stands out as a bad time."
Anyway, that's how 311 got started. With a dream and a nightmare.
"Yeah, things have quieted down somewhat," he says and laughs.
Earlier this year, the group showed its staying power by notching another hit with a Cure classic, "Love Song," which 311 cut after fan Adam Sandler asked them to cover it for his comedy "50 First Dates."
Martinez says he's glad 311 ended up with such a good reputation and righteous fans. That's right, they didn't end up like Hootie and the Blowfish, I say.
"Thank God," he says.
Monday, December 15, 2003
311 Hitting The Road To Push New Material Down People's Throats
After spending last fall on the road with Jay-Z, N.E.R.D. and Nappy Roots, 311 are catering their next tour to the more rock side of their fanbase.
The hip-hop- and reggae-influenced quintet has lined up blues jammers G. Love & Special Sauce, piano punks Something Corporate and frat rockers O.A.R. as openers for a summer trek.
The outing kicks off July 15 in Bakersfield, California, and hits mostly amphitheaters, crisscrossing the country until wrapping up September 5 in Santa Barbara, California.
"We always want to make sure our fans know how grateful we are and what a blessing it is to be able to do this, because we have fans that will follow us through thick and thin, whether or not we happen to be on the radio at that time," singer Nick Hexum said. "We just want to give back through putting on as good a show as best we can."
While gathered in their Hive studios recently, 311 said they plan on playing every song from their upcoming Evolver on the summer tour.
"If we push it down people's throats I think people are gonna understand what we're feeling," bassist P-Nut said. "This is one of the most personal albums we've ever made, and I think we're only getting smarter and we're looking to our audience to do the same thing. I think there's a lull in music right now. Hopefully we can influence more bands to look toward being more diverse and breaking that [typical] songwriting mode and have fun and play it as hard as you can."
Evolver, due in late July, is 311's seventh studio album, while this summer marks the band's 10th year together.
"It's better to sell a little bit of records in 10 years than a lot of records in one year, because it's the excitement of the process that keeps us going more than any financial reward or anything," Hexum said. "It's just such a blessing."
311 tour dates, according to the band's management:
•7/15 - Bakersfield, CA @ The Dome (w/ Something Corporate)
•7/17 - Fresno, CA @ Rainbow Ballroom (w/ Something Corporate)
•7/18 - Costa Mesa, CA @ Pacific Amphitheatre (w/ Something Corporate)
•7/19 - Mesa, AZ @ Mesa Amphitheatre (w/ Something Corporate)
•7/21 - Oklahoma City, OK @ Bricktown Event Center (w/ Something Corporate)
•7/24 - Columbus, OH @ PromoWest Pavillion (w/ Something Corporate)
•7/25 - Indianapolis, IN @ Verizon Wireless (w/ O.A.R., Something Corporate)
•7/26 - Pittsburgh, PA @ Heinz Field (Rolling Rock Town Fair IV)
•7/29 - Milwaukee, WI @ Summerfest (w/ G. Love & Special Sauce, Something Corporate, DJ P)
•7/30 - Grand Rapids, MI @ Deltaplex (w/ O.A.R., Something Corporate, DJ P)
•7/31 - Detroit, MI @ Meadowbrook (w/ G. Love & Special Sauce, Something Corporate, DJ P)
•8/1 - Cleveland, OH @ Tower City Amphitheatre (w/ G. Love & Special Sauce, Something Corporate, DJ P)
•8/2 - Chicago, IL @ UIC Pavilion (w/ G. Love & Special Sauce, Something Corporate, DJ P)
•8/4 - Omaha, NE @ Westfair (w/ O.A.R., Something Corporate, DJ P)
•8/5 - Minneapolis, MN @ Target Center (w/ O.A.R., Something Corporate, DJ P)
•8/7 - Kansas City, KS @ Citimart (w/ O.A.R., Something Corporate, DJ P)
•8/8 - St. Louis, MO @ Riverport (w/ O.A.R., Something Corporate, DJ P)
•8/9 - Cincinnati, OH @ Riverbend (w/ O.A.R., Something Corporate, DJ P)
•8/10 - Philadelphia, PA @ Penn's Landing (w/ G. Love & Special Sauce, Something Corporate, DJ P)
•8/11 - Gilford, NH @ Meadowbrook (w/ O.A.R., Something Corporate, DJ P)
•8/13 - Boston, MA @ Fleet Boston Pavilion (w/ G. Love & Special Sauce, Something Corporate, DJ P)
•8/15 - Waterloo, NJ @ Waterloo Village (w/ G. Love & Special Sauce, Something Corporate, DJ P)
•8/16 - Washington, DC @ Meriweather Post (w/ G. Love & Special Sauce, Something Corporate, DJ P)
•8/17 - Virginia Beach, VA @ Virginia Beach Amphitheatre (w/ G. Love & Special Sauce, Something Corporate, DJ P)
•8/18 - New York, NY @ Hammerstein Ballroom (w/ G. Love & Special Sauce, Something Corporate, DJ P)
•8/19 - New York, NY @ Hammerstein Ballroom (w/ Something Corporate, DJ P)
•8/21 - Myrtle Beach, SC @ House of Blues
•8/22 - Atlanta, GA @ Hi-Fi Buys Amphitheatre (w/ G. Love & Special Sauce, Something Corporate, DJ P)
•8/23 - New Orleans, LA @ UNO Pavilion (w/ G. Love & Special Sauce, Something Corporate, DJ P)
•8/24 - Houston, TX @ TBA (w/ G. Love & Special Sauce, Something Corporate, DJ P)
•8/26 - Austin, TX @ Backyard (w/ G. Love & Special Sauce, Something Corporate, DJ P)
•8/27 - Grand Prairie, TX @ Next Stage (w/ G. Love & Special Sauce, Something Corporate, DJ P)
•8/29 - Englewood, CO @ Fiddler's Green Amphitheater (w/ G. Love & Special Sauce, DJ P)
•8/30 - Salt Lake, UT @ USANA Amphitheatre (w/ G. Love & Special Sauce, DJ P)
•9/1 - San Francisco, CA @ TBA (w/ G. Love & Special Sauce, DJ P)
•9/3 - Los Angeles, CA @ TBA (w/ G. Love & Special Sauce, DJ P)
•9/5 - Santa Barbara, CA @ County Bowl (w/ G. Love & Special Sauce, DJ P)
The hip-hop- and reggae-influenced quintet has lined up blues jammers G. Love & Special Sauce, piano punks Something Corporate and frat rockers O.A.R. as openers for a summer trek.
The outing kicks off July 15 in Bakersfield, California, and hits mostly amphitheaters, crisscrossing the country until wrapping up September 5 in Santa Barbara, California.
"We always want to make sure our fans know how grateful we are and what a blessing it is to be able to do this, because we have fans that will follow us through thick and thin, whether or not we happen to be on the radio at that time," singer Nick Hexum said. "We just want to give back through putting on as good a show as best we can."
While gathered in their Hive studios recently, 311 said they plan on playing every song from their upcoming Evolver on the summer tour.
"If we push it down people's throats I think people are gonna understand what we're feeling," bassist P-Nut said. "This is one of the most personal albums we've ever made, and I think we're only getting smarter and we're looking to our audience to do the same thing. I think there's a lull in music right now. Hopefully we can influence more bands to look toward being more diverse and breaking that [typical] songwriting mode and have fun and play it as hard as you can."
Evolver, due in late July, is 311's seventh studio album, while this summer marks the band's 10th year together.
"It's better to sell a little bit of records in 10 years than a lot of records in one year, because it's the excitement of the process that keeps us going more than any financial reward or anything," Hexum said. "It's just such a blessing."
311 tour dates, according to the band's management:
•7/15 - Bakersfield, CA @ The Dome (w/ Something Corporate)
•7/17 - Fresno, CA @ Rainbow Ballroom (w/ Something Corporate)
•7/18 - Costa Mesa, CA @ Pacific Amphitheatre (w/ Something Corporate)
•7/19 - Mesa, AZ @ Mesa Amphitheatre (w/ Something Corporate)
•7/21 - Oklahoma City, OK @ Bricktown Event Center (w/ Something Corporate)
•7/24 - Columbus, OH @ PromoWest Pavillion (w/ Something Corporate)
•7/25 - Indianapolis, IN @ Verizon Wireless (w/ O.A.R., Something Corporate)
•7/26 - Pittsburgh, PA @ Heinz Field (Rolling Rock Town Fair IV)
•7/29 - Milwaukee, WI @ Summerfest (w/ G. Love & Special Sauce, Something Corporate, DJ P)
•7/30 - Grand Rapids, MI @ Deltaplex (w/ O.A.R., Something Corporate, DJ P)
•7/31 - Detroit, MI @ Meadowbrook (w/ G. Love & Special Sauce, Something Corporate, DJ P)
•8/1 - Cleveland, OH @ Tower City Amphitheatre (w/ G. Love & Special Sauce, Something Corporate, DJ P)
•8/2 - Chicago, IL @ UIC Pavilion (w/ G. Love & Special Sauce, Something Corporate, DJ P)
•8/4 - Omaha, NE @ Westfair (w/ O.A.R., Something Corporate, DJ P)
•8/5 - Minneapolis, MN @ Target Center (w/ O.A.R., Something Corporate, DJ P)
•8/7 - Kansas City, KS @ Citimart (w/ O.A.R., Something Corporate, DJ P)
•8/8 - St. Louis, MO @ Riverport (w/ O.A.R., Something Corporate, DJ P)
•8/9 - Cincinnati, OH @ Riverbend (w/ O.A.R., Something Corporate, DJ P)
•8/10 - Philadelphia, PA @ Penn's Landing (w/ G. Love & Special Sauce, Something Corporate, DJ P)
•8/11 - Gilford, NH @ Meadowbrook (w/ O.A.R., Something Corporate, DJ P)
•8/13 - Boston, MA @ Fleet Boston Pavilion (w/ G. Love & Special Sauce, Something Corporate, DJ P)
•8/15 - Waterloo, NJ @ Waterloo Village (w/ G. Love & Special Sauce, Something Corporate, DJ P)
•8/16 - Washington, DC @ Meriweather Post (w/ G. Love & Special Sauce, Something Corporate, DJ P)
•8/17 - Virginia Beach, VA @ Virginia Beach Amphitheatre (w/ G. Love & Special Sauce, Something Corporate, DJ P)
•8/18 - New York, NY @ Hammerstein Ballroom (w/ G. Love & Special Sauce, Something Corporate, DJ P)
•8/19 - New York, NY @ Hammerstein Ballroom (w/ Something Corporate, DJ P)
•8/21 - Myrtle Beach, SC @ House of Blues
•8/22 - Atlanta, GA @ Hi-Fi Buys Amphitheatre (w/ G. Love & Special Sauce, Something Corporate, DJ P)
•8/23 - New Orleans, LA @ UNO Pavilion (w/ G. Love & Special Sauce, Something Corporate, DJ P)
•8/24 - Houston, TX @ TBA (w/ G. Love & Special Sauce, Something Corporate, DJ P)
•8/26 - Austin, TX @ Backyard (w/ G. Love & Special Sauce, Something Corporate, DJ P)
•8/27 - Grand Prairie, TX @ Next Stage (w/ G. Love & Special Sauce, Something Corporate, DJ P)
•8/29 - Englewood, CO @ Fiddler's Green Amphitheater (w/ G. Love & Special Sauce, DJ P)
•8/30 - Salt Lake, UT @ USANA Amphitheatre (w/ G. Love & Special Sauce, DJ P)
•9/1 - San Francisco, CA @ TBA (w/ G. Love & Special Sauce, DJ P)
•9/3 - Los Angeles, CA @ TBA (w/ G. Love & Special Sauce, DJ P)
•9/5 - Santa Barbara, CA @ County Bowl (w/ G. Love & Special Sauce, DJ P)
New 311 Album Aimed at Old-School Fans, 7-Year Olds Alike
NORTH HOLLYWOOD, California — Nick Hexum was at a go-kart track recently when a 7-year-old approached him about his band.
"He was acting all cool and was like, '311, eh. Well, I like your old stuff,' " the singer recalled. "I'm thinking to myself, 'What? When you were like negative 1?"
Hexum and his bandmates of more than a decade — MC/turntablist S.A. Martinez, guitarist Tim Mahoney, bassist P-Nut and drummer Chad Sexton — laugh about the incident, but they also see where the boy is coming from.
While putting the finishing touches on their seventh studio album last week at their own Hive studio, 311 frequently referred to the record as an evolution for the hip-hop- and reggae-influenced rock band, hence the title Evolver. At the same time, though, much was said about drawing from their past.
"We want to go into the future but have the same spirit of adventure that we had in the old days," Hexum said. "There's more new elements, various vintage keyboards and acoustic guitars and different tempos. It's just more experimental, [which is one of the] things that people liked about Transistor or Grassroots — we had the attitude on those albums about just going to the future rather than looking back."
The new release will feature a few melody-driven summer anthems similar to recent singles "Amber" and "I'll Be Here Awhile," but with more of an edge. "It's not like a ballad-y album at all, just a lot of different tempos," Hexum said.
"From Chaos was a great album, but it's time to do something different, and I think we did that really well," P-Nut added. "We really tried to not be afraid of kicking our own ass."
Along with summing up the motivation behind the album, the title Evolver is a play on Revolver, one of the many classic Beatles albums 311 kept in heavy rotation while recording. Two songs in particular are greatly influenced by the Fab Four: "Seems Uncertain," a Mellotron-driven tune Hexum likened to "Strawberry Fields Forever," and "Sometimes Jacks Rule the Realm," which he compared to "Happiness Is a Warm Gun."
"It's more like a little voyage, a little trip in sound," Mahoney said of the latter. "And it covers a lot of different feels. There's acoustic sections. It moves on to electric band sections. It's cool. It's really a unique departure, ... and there's mandolins on it and so much cool organic instruments on it."
"Seems Uncertain" also features acoustic guitars, but a hip-hop beat gives it a modern twist.
"Lyrically, it's just about all of this sort of uncertainty with all this friction and tension in the world and the sort of post-9-11 fear and everything," Hexum explained. "It's just kind of expressing that sort of doubt. It's like, 'What are we gonna do? How is the world gonna move on beyond the predicament that we've gotten in?' And it's definitely different lyrically and musically than any song of ours."
Hexum explores darker topics elsewhere on the album as well. "Beyond the Grey Sky" was written about his best friend in high school who took his own life a year ago. "It's very dynamic," Sexton said. "It starts really soft and then we build and we keep building till it's just, like, this huge orchestra of rock and beautiful harmonies."
Miami dancehall DJ Supa Dups contributed some beat programming and vocal drops on Evolver, primarily on "Crack the Code."
" 'Crack the Code' is like a love song saying that someone that cracks your code is someone that understands you," Hexum said, "like gets through the whole veneer that everyone has up. It's not like a totally happy love song, it's more about the ups and downs that come with and finding someone that gets through all of that stuff."
The group is leaning toward the heavier "Creatures (For a While)" as the first single.
"It's a perfect example of the whole album, just testing our audience just a little bit," P-Nut said. "It's something that you're going to have to get used to. And I think that's such a such a good thing. I think that's what kept us a little bit under the radar for a while, even though we've sold 6 million albums."
Evolver, produced by Ron Saint Germain, is not due until late July, but 311 will debut new songs on a summer tour beginning earlier that month.
"He was acting all cool and was like, '311, eh. Well, I like your old stuff,' " the singer recalled. "I'm thinking to myself, 'What? When you were like negative 1?"
Hexum and his bandmates of more than a decade — MC/turntablist S.A. Martinez, guitarist Tim Mahoney, bassist P-Nut and drummer Chad Sexton — laugh about the incident, but they also see where the boy is coming from.
While putting the finishing touches on their seventh studio album last week at their own Hive studio, 311 frequently referred to the record as an evolution for the hip-hop- and reggae-influenced rock band, hence the title Evolver. At the same time, though, much was said about drawing from their past.
"We want to go into the future but have the same spirit of adventure that we had in the old days," Hexum said. "There's more new elements, various vintage keyboards and acoustic guitars and different tempos. It's just more experimental, [which is one of the] things that people liked about Transistor or Grassroots — we had the attitude on those albums about just going to the future rather than looking back."
The new release will feature a few melody-driven summer anthems similar to recent singles "Amber" and "I'll Be Here Awhile," but with more of an edge. "It's not like a ballad-y album at all, just a lot of different tempos," Hexum said.
"From Chaos was a great album, but it's time to do something different, and I think we did that really well," P-Nut added. "We really tried to not be afraid of kicking our own ass."
Along with summing up the motivation behind the album, the title Evolver is a play on Revolver, one of the many classic Beatles albums 311 kept in heavy rotation while recording. Two songs in particular are greatly influenced by the Fab Four: "Seems Uncertain," a Mellotron-driven tune Hexum likened to "Strawberry Fields Forever," and "Sometimes Jacks Rule the Realm," which he compared to "Happiness Is a Warm Gun."
"It's more like a little voyage, a little trip in sound," Mahoney said of the latter. "And it covers a lot of different feels. There's acoustic sections. It moves on to electric band sections. It's cool. It's really a unique departure, ... and there's mandolins on it and so much cool organic instruments on it."
"Seems Uncertain" also features acoustic guitars, but a hip-hop beat gives it a modern twist.
"Lyrically, it's just about all of this sort of uncertainty with all this friction and tension in the world and the sort of post-9-11 fear and everything," Hexum explained. "It's just kind of expressing that sort of doubt. It's like, 'What are we gonna do? How is the world gonna move on beyond the predicament that we've gotten in?' And it's definitely different lyrically and musically than any song of ours."
Hexum explores darker topics elsewhere on the album as well. "Beyond the Grey Sky" was written about his best friend in high school who took his own life a year ago. "It's very dynamic," Sexton said. "It starts really soft and then we build and we keep building till it's just, like, this huge orchestra of rock and beautiful harmonies."
Miami dancehall DJ Supa Dups contributed some beat programming and vocal drops on Evolver, primarily on "Crack the Code."
" 'Crack the Code' is like a love song saying that someone that cracks your code is someone that understands you," Hexum said, "like gets through the whole veneer that everyone has up. It's not like a totally happy love song, it's more about the ups and downs that come with and finding someone that gets through all of that stuff."
The group is leaning toward the heavier "Creatures (For a While)" as the first single.
"It's a perfect example of the whole album, just testing our audience just a little bit," P-Nut said. "It's something that you're going to have to get used to. And I think that's such a such a good thing. I think that's what kept us a little bit under the radar for a while, even though we've sold 6 million albums."
Evolver, produced by Ron Saint Germain, is not due until late July, but 311 will debut new songs on a summer tour beginning earlier that month.
311 Giving Fans A History Lesson On Unity Tour (MTV)
COSTA MESA, California — As strange as it seems, it's fitting 311 named their summer tour after an album they released independently 12 years ago.
The hip-hop- and reggae-flavored rockers played the same number of songs from Unity at Friday's Pacific Amphitheatre show as from Evolver, which hits stores Tuesday.
And along with "Feels So Good" and "F--- the Bullsh--" — which were later included on 1993's Music (the latter as "Fat Chance") — the second stop on the Unity Tour included three other Music favorites, plus five songs from 1994's Grassroots.
In other words, 311's latest outing is more a celebration of the band's history than a typical supporting trek for a new album. After opening with "Freak Out" and "Lucky," singer Nick Hexum dedicated "Down" to the band's old-school fans, but he might as well have dedicated the whole set.
With a few exceptions, like the perfect outdoor summer-night sing-along "Amber," 311 avoided their most recent albums, From Chaos and Soundsystem, even setting aside hits like "You Wouldn't Believe" and "Come Original."
The enthusiastic audience members, several of whom sported T-shirts from past 311 tours, ate up the set list, dancing in the aisles the same way Hexum and rapper S.A. Martinez were bouncing on their new glossy black custom stage.
With all the nostalgia, fans eagerly welcomed the new songs "Reconsider Everything" and "Creatures (For a While)," especially the latter, a radio hit in Southern California, where the band now lives.
Judging by Friday's show, the new material fits in nicely next to 1995's 311 (a.k.a. the "Blue Album"), which featured 311's biggest hits, "Down" and "All Mixed Up" (see "New 311 Album Aimed At Old-School Fans, 7-Year-Olds Alike").
Another highlight was "Applied Science," which featured a classic rock-inspired drum solo from Chad Sexton. Like 311's last tour, the rest of band joined in on the fun, bringing giant floor toms on the stage for a drumline routine, except this time around they each had cymbals as well.
311 later voyaged fully into the more atmospheric rock of Transistor, jamming through "Running," "Beautiful Disaster," "Rub a Dub" and "Prisoner" as clouds of marijuana smoke filled the air. It was clearly guitarist Tim Mahoney's chance to shine, which he did with subtle solos.
Ending the first set, 311 played "Omaha Stylee," which Hexum dedicated to their hometown (sending a fan in an Eric Crouch jersey into a frenzy), and "Feels So Good," which began as always with Hexum asking bassist P-Nut to "beat that thing."
To kick off the encore, S.A. broke into "All Mixed Up," which he remixed on his hardly used turntables, while the crowd rapped along. And, in what has become a tradition, the show ended with "F--- the Bullsh--," a simple but energetic party anthem.
In the opening slot on Friday's show was Orange County's Something Corporate, who brought fans of their own, including girls holding up "American Idol"-like signs professing their love for the group.
Singer Andrew McMahon proved a captivating performer, pounding his piano and singing passionately like a punk-rock Billy Joel.
With its infectious melody, "I Woke Up in a Car" was the biggest crowd-pleaser, even getting into ears so deep, people were singing it on the walk back to their cars after 311.
The band mostly played songs from its debut, 2002's Leaving Through the Window, but a new song from their upcoming fall album was equally engaging and a bit heavier.
O.A.R. and/or G. Love & Special Sauce are joining the Unity Tour on future dates. 311's next stop is Monday in Oklahoma City.
The hip-hop- and reggae-flavored rockers played the same number of songs from Unity at Friday's Pacific Amphitheatre show as from Evolver, which hits stores Tuesday.
And along with "Feels So Good" and "F--- the Bullsh--" — which were later included on 1993's Music (the latter as "Fat Chance") — the second stop on the Unity Tour included three other Music favorites, plus five songs from 1994's Grassroots.
In other words, 311's latest outing is more a celebration of the band's history than a typical supporting trek for a new album. After opening with "Freak Out" and "Lucky," singer Nick Hexum dedicated "Down" to the band's old-school fans, but he might as well have dedicated the whole set.
With a few exceptions, like the perfect outdoor summer-night sing-along "Amber," 311 avoided their most recent albums, From Chaos and Soundsystem, even setting aside hits like "You Wouldn't Believe" and "Come Original."
The enthusiastic audience members, several of whom sported T-shirts from past 311 tours, ate up the set list, dancing in the aisles the same way Hexum and rapper S.A. Martinez were bouncing on their new glossy black custom stage.
With all the nostalgia, fans eagerly welcomed the new songs "Reconsider Everything" and "Creatures (For a While)," especially the latter, a radio hit in Southern California, where the band now lives.
Judging by Friday's show, the new material fits in nicely next to 1995's 311 (a.k.a. the "Blue Album"), which featured 311's biggest hits, "Down" and "All Mixed Up" (see "New 311 Album Aimed At Old-School Fans, 7-Year-Olds Alike").
Another highlight was "Applied Science," which featured a classic rock-inspired drum solo from Chad Sexton. Like 311's last tour, the rest of band joined in on the fun, bringing giant floor toms on the stage for a drumline routine, except this time around they each had cymbals as well.
311 later voyaged fully into the more atmospheric rock of Transistor, jamming through "Running," "Beautiful Disaster," "Rub a Dub" and "Prisoner" as clouds of marijuana smoke filled the air. It was clearly guitarist Tim Mahoney's chance to shine, which he did with subtle solos.
Ending the first set, 311 played "Omaha Stylee," which Hexum dedicated to their hometown (sending a fan in an Eric Crouch jersey into a frenzy), and "Feels So Good," which began as always with Hexum asking bassist P-Nut to "beat that thing."
To kick off the encore, S.A. broke into "All Mixed Up," which he remixed on his hardly used turntables, while the crowd rapped along. And, in what has become a tradition, the show ended with "F--- the Bullsh--," a simple but energetic party anthem.
In the opening slot on Friday's show was Orange County's Something Corporate, who brought fans of their own, including girls holding up "American Idol"-like signs professing their love for the group.
Singer Andrew McMahon proved a captivating performer, pounding his piano and singing passionately like a punk-rock Billy Joel.
With its infectious melody, "I Woke Up in a Car" was the biggest crowd-pleaser, even getting into ears so deep, people were singing it on the walk back to their cars after 311.
The band mostly played songs from its debut, 2002's Leaving Through the Window, but a new song from their upcoming fall album was equally engaging and a bit heavier.
O.A.R. and/or G. Love & Special Sauce are joining the Unity Tour on future dates. 311's next stop is Monday in Oklahoma City.
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