Hailing from Omaha long before bands like the Faint, Cursive or Bright Eyes became that city's chief exports, 311 (due tonight at Red Rocks with Sublime with Rome) was making its mark with its amalgam of rock, reggae, hip-hop and funk. Eight million records later, the outfit is still doing its thing. In advance of the act's return to Denver in support of a brand new album, Universal Pulse, we spoke with frontman Nick Hexum about growing up in Omaha, the influence of the Clash and dealing with the haters.
Westword: So it's been a long, long time since Unity. Did you ever think 311 would get so big?
Nick Hexum: I believed it was definitely possible. In fact, you really have to believe in yourself. You go through disappointment and rejections and people tell you it's not your going to work, but you have to believe in yourself. I was betting everything on it. I thought we were going to be successful, but it has exceeded a lot of my expectations.
Being from Omaha, Nebraska, what do you think of the indie rock scene that has evolved out of there over the past decade or so?
I'm proud of Omaha. I'm glad to hear that Omaha music is getting the attention it deserves. I always say Omaha is a lot cooler than people might think. When we were first coming out people were like, "Oh maybe this could be a hot spot for music." Now more bands have come out, and that's cool.
You're about to release your twelfth studio album. What keeps you inspired?
I guess it's just that we're music lovers fist. So we're fans of music, and we're always checking out new stuff -- like new styles, lyrics and sounds to be inspired by. There are whole new frontiers to be inspired by. Some people sound like old fogies and say that they won't listen to this or that, but there is something I like in every genre. I get inspired. I even like dub step.
Who were some of your musical influences as a kid?
The Clash. That was the band that totally blew my mind. They had the energy of punk with reggae mixed in. They had this attitude that anything goes. We've been influenced by that. I also went through a huge Beatles phase. I listened to a lot of the Smiths, the Cure, when alternative was truly alternative. Like R.E.M. was on the radio when I was in high school. It's interesting that there's always that one word. It's funny to me when a word has such a huge connotation. I know the word "alternative" is kind of obsolete. It's been replaced by indie rock in my opinion.
In the video for "Amber," you're wearing a Bad Brains shirt. Are you still a fan?
I'm a huge Bad Brains fan. I found the spirit, the music and the chaos of that band to be really cool.
How do you think growing up in Omaha shaped your musical style?
I feel like because the scene was kind of in the middle of America, it was a metaphor. We got the punk from L.A., the hip-hop from New York City and the reggae from Jamaica. We were always grabbing bits and pieces. I used to stand down at that music store, Drastic Plastic, to get any information I could get. It's so different with the internet now. You had to work really hard to get the music back then. We were so hungry for it that I think our work ethic is something unique. In California, kids kind of expect everything to be handed to them.
Do you think it is easier now to get signed? Does that bother you?
I don't feel any kind of bitterness. The truth is because we had to do it by word of mouth, we really developed ourselves. Some viral video will happen so quickly that they get a bunch of attention, but they aren't ready. They haven't developed enough so people lose interest. We were toiling away in the underground for so long we were ready for the attention. .
In this digital era, what is the most challenging aspect of the music business?
People really in the know of the music business say, "Okay, we're not really in the record sale business anymore; piracy killed it, so we moved the focus to the live show." That's what 311 was about anyway, so it hasn't had that much of an effect on us. In fact, we probably got more fans that haven't heard about us. You used to be have a career by staying home and just making albums, but that's not possible anymore. I wouldn't want to do that anyway.
What do they have to say to all the haters? Or is that just the quote-unquote "vocal minority" talking?
I don't even respond. There's just a world of so many opinions. You can't please everybody. No music is for everybody. Promoters do the best they can. I met a lot of artists and actors since I moved to L.A. When they get into their zone, they figure, 'Hey I'm not for everybody." There's other stuff to go listen to. I'm comfortable with it all.
What's the most important lesson you've learned about the industry over the years?
We were on Capricorn for fifteen years, five years on Jive and this is our first record on 311 records. It's a joint venture with ATO records. We just figured it's time to do it for ourselves. You have to expect to have to work and don't expect for things to come to you. We're doing remixes and art videos for a handful of songs. We're handing promotions for ourselves. You cant just write a song and hand it off to management. You have to help.
Any particular reason Universal Pulse is only 8 tracks? It's shorter than all of your previous records.
It's true. We just decided to put quality over quantity. We did four tours last year, and were on the road so much. We figured our fans would want to hear something sooner. We just picked the best songs and pursued them to the level of quality. I feel like this is our most solid album to date.
http://blogs.westword.com/backbeat/2011/08/interview_311_nick_hexum.php
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