Featured in the 14th issue of Diesel Music Publication out of Salt Lake City, Utah

311 started out playing little clubs in the Omaha area several years ago. They made several albums in their hometown and grew from there. 311 moved to Los Angeles in order to record their first album on Capricorn Records, simply titled "Music." 311 has played all over the United States and Europe and have developed a pretty big fan base. The band has made several video's and have a little feature in the November issue of High Times. 311 is a powerful mix of hip hop, reggae, and rock. Their influences range from BOB MARLEY to AD BRAINS. Their self-titled album was released in the summer and has been selling pretty well ever since. I had a chance to speak with the lead guitarist of 311, Timothy Mahoney. Here's the rundown of the interview.

Diesle: What happened to Eddy Offord?

Tim: Eddy Offord went crazy. I shouldn't say he went crazy, but in a lot of respects, he did. Right when we started working on "Grassroots," he started drinking a lot, and things developed to a point where we were unable to work with him. It was just kind of a falling out, and we ended up doing most of the album by ourselves. We did run the drum tracks in a studio, and everything else was overdubed at the house. We just had a falling out, and ever since then, we haven't talked to him.

Diesel: Now that you're being played on mainstream radio, do you think that radio has had a bigger effect than word of mouth?

Tim: Not for us, but maybe, that's the case for some bands. For us, this is our third record with Capricorn, and it's like we've been building from a grassroots level ever since we started touring. We've developed a fan base over the years, and that fan base has developed by word of mouth. For us, it's like one song is out there for radio, and that's only one song of so many that aren't played. I think our music spreads by word of mouth and all the people coming to shows to check us out.

Diesel: What do you think of stage divers?

Tim: It's okay, as long as they get up and get off. The only time it's a problem is when people get up and run around and dance on stage. They tend to stay on stage. We have guitars and stuff up there, so for me, I have equipment on the ground. I can't really have anybody dancing by me. I don't really mind as long as they get up and get off. If that's all they do, it's ok by me.

Diesel: Two of your shows in Salt Lake were a 21 and over club. Did you play there because you have no choice, or because you might have been paid more?

Tim: When we first started coming here, that was the only place we could get to play. When we first started touring, we didn't have fans and stuff, so we had a booking agent, and it was his job to get us shows. A lot of times, the promoters have and easier job booking shows that are 21 and over, where they can make money off the bar. The amount of money we were paid at the time would have been irrelevant. We pretty much do all ages, even though some states require we play 18 and over.

Diesel: What are the ups and downs of living in Los Angeles? How does it compare to Nebraska?

Tim: Well, it's different in a lot of respects. Omaha was a great place to grow up and go to high school. After that, we wanted to keep growing. Part of that was to move out of Omaha. Los Angeles is a place that everyone likes. It was hard to get used to, but now, everyone likes it because it is our home. It's really cool because there are a lot of people out there and a lot more is going on. It's a good part of the earth out there with the ocean and the West coast.

Diesel: One of your first shows was opening for FUGAZI. Were any of you MINOR THREAT fans?

Tim: I was, but I actually wasn't in the band when they opened for FUGAZI. Right after they played that show, I don't know what happened to the guitar player they had, but he left, and I started playing. I was a big MINOR THREAT fan. I still am. I listen to their music all the time.

Diesel: The first week your album came out, it sold 20,000 copies and was number 56 on the Billboard charts. Do you think the album will do that well?

Tim: No. When "Grassroots" came out, I think it debuted at number 186, and we were really hoping to beat that. We had no idea that it would reach number 56, so we were super stoked. Now, it's been out for about nine weeks, and I think it's still in the charts at 176, right now, so it's still hanging in there. It's been cool, and it was a pleasent surprise that made us happy.

Diesel: Your first single off of "Music" was "Do You Right," but I thought "Hydroponic" was the song that stuck out more. Was there a censorship thing that kept you from releasing "Hydroponic" as the first single?

Tim: I think that it was the record companies choice to release that single. They wanted to pick a song that they think would work with radio and was more friendly and had a chance. That's probaby why they chose that one, so we really didn't have much say in it. I think it would have been cool to release "Hydroponic" as the first single.

Diesel: What happened to your RV? Did you know that you'd be furnished with a bus, if the RV was destroyed?

Tim: It was not a plot to get this bus. We were just out of Springfield, Missouri, and we had a bad exhaust system. I think the bad exhaust sparked a flame, which ignited some fuel somehow. It went down in flames when it hit the gas system. P-Nut had gone ahead to the show with a friend, so it was SA, Nick, Chad, and me. There was only one door so we had to jump through a flaming doorway. We lost all our gear and all our clothes. We lost the van which we were pulling which had all the gear in it. We went out and played the next day and bought another used RV.

Diesel: Have you seen Senior Trip yet?

Tim: No. I haven't, but I really want to see it. The song that they used for that soundtrack was a b-side from the recording of "311." We recorded seven extra songs that didn't make the record, and we gave those songs to a person who was deciding on the soundtrack. They decided on a song, called "Outside."

Diesel: Do you think that it's important to vote?

Tim: Oh yeah. At least you can have some choice, but in some respects, it's like there is not much out there to vote for. I wish there was some way to organize young people in the country to create some force to get old fucking whitey out of government and possibly, some new thinkers in. We need some human rights for the advancement of human living conditions and all quality of life for all human beings.

Diesel: How come "Slinky" or "Soul Sucker" weren't on the "Music" album?

Tim: Probably because they were on two previous albums, I guess. We used some of the songs from "Unity" for the album, "Music," but "Slinky" was a song for that period of time, and we wanted to leave it that.

Diesel: Do you think mushrooms and LSD, should be legalized?

Tim: Yeah, I do. I think that a human being should be able to do whatever they want with their body as long as they don't infringe on the rights of other people's reality tunnels. At least, becaue nobody should go to jail for those. As long as it's in a safe environment, I'm all for it.

Diesel: Do you think that playing stoned enhances your performance?

Tim: No, I wouldn't say it enhances my performance. A lot of times, I am high when I play, but sometimes I am not. I wouldn't say that it's any better or worse. There are other factors. How the music sounds on stage each night is a little more important than the stoned factor. As far as the show goes, my brain works the same.

Diesel: On your press release, it says that your music is associated with the surf/snowboard/skate culture. Do you do any of those things?

Tim: I think that was written because a lot of our fans surf, skate, and snowboard. Nick has a pair of inline skates. I used to skate, and people used to skate, but when you're doing what we're doing, you really don't have any time to go out. I'd like to go snowboarding, but we just don't have the time.

Diesel: Do companies like Fresh Jive and Graffix kick down free stuff just for being an awesome band?

Tim: Graffix has been really nice to us. They set us up at the end of last year's tour with a bunch of pieces. Everyone in the crew and band got at least one bong. We got some 4-foot and 3-foot bongs made out of glass. Everything was made out of glass. Every night, it seems like we're smoking up with different people, so we smoke out of graffix bongs. Graffix bongs are the best in my opinion.

Diesel: I know that you have your own fan club. Are there any 311 groupies?

Tim: I guess. Groupies is kind of a weird word. We have the 311 Hive, which is a fan club and information line. P-Nut's mother and stepfather run that thing. They have done a good job of staying on top of that. It has really helped us out a lot. Fans that want to come to the shows can now call and get information on the tour and venues.

Diesel: Was your original intent to mix several types of music? What do you think about other bands doing it these days?

Tim: I think that Nick and SA really enjoy rapping and singing. I play guitar and enjoy that. We are all into hip hop, so it's a natural thing that happens when we make music. A lot of things just happen, and it really depends on each song as to what happens. We decide wheather to rap or sing. As far as other bands, we've toured with a lot that are into mixing styles. The band we're out with right now is called NO DOUBT. They mix ska and punk rock with really good singing and horns. We travel with a lot of good bands. We've travelled with the URGE. They're a good band, but they haven't been signed yet. They have some sort of indie deal, but I can't believe they haven't been signed to a major label. Other bands include the PHUNK JUNKEEZ, SHOOTZY GROOVE, and there are a couple others. A lot of the bands mixing tend to be underground bands. RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE is similar, but they are a little bit heavier than us. SUBLIME's cool. I've listened to them and watched them play. I think that over the past couple of years, people have gotten into the kind of music, and it's a little scene which started and has grown.

Diesel: Do you notice a sizable differance between clubs and bigger shows?

Tim: Yeah. It's definetly a different energy. It's really cool playing big shows because you can feel all the peoples energy. It's also great to play the smaller places because of the intensity. I say they both have their pros.

Diesel: What do you think about people who call you sellouts?

Tim: I'd have to say that they have no idea what they are talking about. God. If we're sellouts, then every band you see on MTV or hear on the radio is a bigger sellout than us. I really don't care what people like that think. They don't have to listen to us or come to our shows.

Diesel: What's your favorite place to play and why?

Tim: I don't have a favorite place to play. All the shows have been really good this year. Every show is a blast. I think the crowds vary from town to town, but they're all good crowds. Salt Lake is going to be a good show. We did Denver last night, and that was a good show.

Diesel: Was the picture inside "Grassroots" taken from an old playboy?

Tim: That's so funny you should ask that. We were just looking at my laminate yesterday, and I always forget. I know I've heard it a bunch of times, but I always forget. I think it's a modern day picture that they are trying to make look like an olden day picture.

Diesel: Did you guys meet Daddy Freddy?

Tim: Well, we had a mutual friend who knew him. He'd hang out a couple of times and smoke with us. He would take us and hook us up with the "Lambsbread." He hooked us up with weed a bunch of times. He's a fucking nice guy. We asked him if he'd be interested in laying down some vocals for "Nix Hex." He came into the studio one day and laid it all down.

Diesel: Do you have any idea of the style on the next album?

Tim: I don't know. We haven't put any new songs together since the last recording sessin. We're going to take off December and Janurary and go out Feburary, so we will be playing shows all next year. The next time we will start recording is hard to say.

Diesel: In a couple of years down the road, do you plan on keeping on playing music, or do you plan to start a family?

Tim: It's too late to turn back now. We plan on being like a GRATEFUL DEAD or any of those bands that stay together for a long time. I plan on playing until I can play no longer. I think everybody feels the same way. We're striving for longevity. Not many bands out there last a long time like the GREATFUL DEAD did. We'll be playing even if we're jazz or reggae when we're fifty.

Diesel: What are some of the things you tell people when they ask what 311 maens?

Tim: We tell everybody something different. One of them is that it was a number dictated to me by a higher intelligence. The number 3 in numerology represents male, and I think 11 is magic. It does not mean KKK. K is the elevnth number in the alphabet, I can tell you that it does not mean that. It's our band, and I think that it's sort of generic. It doesn't apply to anything, so you have to rely on the music to judge us.

Diesel: Do you notice the stuff that people put together on the internet about 311?

Tim: We don't. We travel, so we'd probably need a cellular modem or something like that. I do really enjoy checking it out, but I rarely get a chance. Sometimes, the fan club records conversations and mails us copies. I think that there is a really cool network out there. I'd like to write down the guitar tabs with the help of chad. I think that would be fun.

Diesel: What do you expect from the Salt Lake crowd tonight?

Tim: I don't know. Word is that the show is sold out. Last time we were here, we were tripping out because we were looking at the stadium thinking how big it was. There was a good turnout at that show. We are hoping the turnout will be like last time or even bigger. We're excited. I think it will be great. I think all the people will soak up the sound. We're gonna rock it.