With it's infectious mix of reggae, hip-hop, and punk, 311 can turn a crowd of jaded teens into a raving mosh pit. Over the course of three albums and several tours, 311 has slowly built its fan base to the point that the quintet's concerts in major markets like Los Angles, Atlanta, and New York sell out. Sitting in the back of the tour bus before a recent show, vocalist-guitarist Nicholas Hexum talks about the band's live performances. He's flanked by a Sega Saturn video system (one of the band's favorite pasttimes), and Rush's "Xanadu" plays in the background.
"Most people say you don't appreciate the band fully until you see us play live. I think that's true of any good band. If you can't cut it live, something's wrong," he says. "When you play live music and you have a large group of people dancing, that's the same thing that's been going on for thousands and thousands of years, all the way back to drum circles where poeple would dance. We're just an extension of tribal music."
As if to support Hexum's theory, 311 has traveled like nomads for the past five years, migrating from Omaha Nebraska to Los Angles in 1992. Now, the group )which also includes drummer Chad Sexton, guitarist Tim Mahoney, bassist P-Nut and deejay S.A. Martinez) has moved out of its house and simply live on the road. The payoff hasn't come yet. 311's most recent, self-titled album (produced by Rom St. Germain) only briefly appeared on the Billboard charts, and the band's video hasn't found its way into MTV's "Buzz Bin." But for Hexum, touring provides the most satisfaction. He hopes the band can maintain a cult following and doesn't envision selling millions of albums and becoming the next Green Day or Offspring.
"We don't play punky pop rock, which MTV is all over. I think our time is a little more down the road. I would like to be like the Grateful Dead," he says, adding that the band played a song by the Dead on the night after singer-guitarist Jerry Garcia's death. "The Deadalways focus on their live shows and have people who travel around to see them. They're very successful, but they did it without hits and mainstream press. As far as how they approach the buisness side, they can't be beat."
Born in Wisconsin, Hexum moved to Nebraska by the time he was one. Ever since he can remember, Hexum knew he wanted to play in a band. He started with piano lessons, then learned to play guitar at age twelve. While a teenager, he spent one year in Greenborough, Maryland (just outside Washington D.C.) where he was first exposed to rap, but he says a broad range of music has influenced him.
"When I first heard the Clash, that had a big effect on me. Bob Marley also definately changed my viewpoint a lot," the 25 year old says. "I had a big jazz period, and I still like to listen to Nat King Cole and Billie Holiday."
311's music has a hip-hop vibe that compares with that of the Beastie Boys, but its eclectic influences and positive attitude distiguish it in the world of skate music. The band appeals to the skateboarder/surfer/snowboarder crowd, but doesn't cop a bad-ass attitude. If 311 has any kind of message to offer, it's one that urges it's fans to avoid violence.
"We get a lot of fan mail from people who appreciate what we're trying to do," Hexum says. "I know we're a lot more positive and have more heartfelt lyrics than the tough music stance that prevails. I like lyrics that have meaning behind them, and I like to hear a good love song. I'm not going to try to sound all hard. We're just being ourselves."
On 311, the songs "Misdirected Hostility" and "DLMD," a track about a battered woman, reflect the band's position against violence. In "Misdirected Hostility," Hexum rejects the gloomy nihilism of punk rock: "I cannot handle all the negitive vibe merchants... 'cause all that angst shit is just cheesy." The group's views come across clearest on the track "Guns (Are for Pussies)."
"We believe people carrying guns, especially young males, are pussies. They are giving into fear. It takes a strong person to hold your head high without one," he says. "There are groups in our genre- not just gangsta rappers- who pose with guns on their covers. I think they're a joke."
Hexum also says that 311 tries to cultivate a culturally diverse audience, reporting that women and kids of all ethnic backgrounds often attend their concerts.
"Our audience is generally people like us who don't fit into any specific group," he explains. "There're stoners, skaters, and all kinds of suburban kids. It's not only white males; there's a lot of diversity. If you only appeal to one special group, you limit yourself. I think if I express all the different sides of my personality, someone will relate."
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