After reaching mainstream success in the mid-'90s, American rock band 311 has sold over 8 million records and recently just released the album Universal Pulse. No stranger to festivals, the group was asked to perform in Santiago, Chile, in April to help kick off Lollapalooza's overseas debut. The group's vocalist and rhythm guitarist, Nick Hexum, 41, talks about that concert, the legacy of Lollapalooza and the new album.
Q: You recently performed for Lollapalooza Chile. What was the crowd like?
A: That was a perfect place to launch our South American experience, to have such a big crowd give back so much energy, like they were chanting and singing along. I've never heard a crowd singing the guitar leads back to you like they did at that show. That was crazy.
Q: Was it a major change from crowds in the United States? How were they different?
A: There's an uninhibited-ness that was really remarkable.
Q: It's been 20 years since the first Lollapalooza. How has the festival evolved?
A: Well, I attended the very first one. We were still living in Omaha, and when the festival came to Kansas City I remember (thinking) "Wow, Nine Inch Nails and Ministry!" Everything really kicked in by the time Jane's Addiction came on, and that was just a jaw-dropping experience. I definitely was really hoping to be on that stage one day. To get to finally share the stage with Jane's Addiction in South America … it was kind of a big deal for me.
Q: So Jane's Addiction was a major musical influence? Who were some of your others?
A: Absolutely. I mean, in the early days there was a handful of bands that really blew our minds about how you could combine super-high-energy punk with interesting musical style. Jane's Addiction, Bad Brains, Chili Peppers, Fishbone … those were some of our biggest influences. It was like a religious experience to see them back in the day because they just tapped into an energy that was amazing. I remember after I'd see them I'd say, "You know, this should be headline news on the front page of the newspaper." (Laughs) You know, like "Jane's Addiction destroys venue" because it was just such a big event in my mind. It was really quite pivotal.
Q: What's the contrast between starting out and performing in front of a few dozen people, to going to performing in front of thousands and thousands of fans?
A: I guess it was just so incremental between now and then that there wasn't any sort of big turning point. But, I think there's more focus on musicianship, and in the earlier days it was more about the energy. Now we make the shows more precise and listenable, but we realize a lot of bands mellow throughout the years, and we still focus on keeping the energy up.
Q: Tell me about your new album.
A: Universal Pulse is intended to serve the live show. Some albums that we've made were like, "Let's not even worry about whether these songs are going to be good or even capable on a live setting." This one we were like, "What's going to rock the crowd?" because there's been a general sort of shift for us to realize we are ultimately a touring band, and playing live is the core of what we do.
Q: What's behind the name of the album?
A: It's about making a connection through music and finding that commonality, that pulse that runs through everybody. Music is the universal language. To have an experience to go to a new country like we did in Chile and see them getting off to your music when this is the first time they've seen you, it really affects you on what a powerful force music is.
Q: When you're playing at a festival like Lollapalooza, is there any type of competition between you and the other artists? Is there a sense that you want to outdo the last performer, or is it more of a camaraderie of groups performing together?
A: I think you want to bring your "A" game definitely, because you know there are other bands watching and it's all top-quality talent on the show. So I don't go with the attitude of outdoing, but just naturally with a good band going out there with you, you're going to step it up. So I suppose there's a little healthy competition.
http://www.usatoday.com/life/music/news/2011-07-29-lollapalooza-2011-with-311_n.htm
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