The members of 311 don't want to rock the boat.
They just want to rock. And groove. And funk. And dance. And jam. And, well, you get the idea.
In the backward-hat-wearing, male-hormone driven, angst-ridden world of frat boy rap rock now dominating the airwaves of radio and MTV, the five guys from Omaha, Neb., are looking to offer another view for the popular genre that they helped pioneer almost a decade ago, but which is now littered with doom and gloom anthems.
"All entertainers come original. You got to come original. All entertainers hear why," sings frontman and guitarist Nick Hexum on the group's first single "Come Original" off their fifth studio album "Soundsystem," released last October.
"A warning to the crews who think they're hot: If you're not original rockers, you will get shot down by the kids neglecting' your art, the stuff you did. Eventually it gets so bad, puts you to bed," chants the band's other lyricist S.A. Martinez.
An easy jab at the Limp Bizkits and the Kid Rocks of the industry.
"Umm ... There's no hidden dis," Martinez says in a telephone interview. "It's open to interpretation."
Gotcha. Wink, wink.
"Are we immersed in a sea of replicants, hard exteriors and fake gold fronts. Losing yourself in the flavor of the month," Hexum offers in "Mindspin," also off "Soundsystem."
Aside from the combative-natured lyrics on some of the group's songs (which should come as no surprise considering the hip-hop influences laced throughout their musical library), peace, unity and self expression remain the staples for the group's message.
"We were trying to fill a void," Martinez explains about "Soundsystem." "There has to be a counterbalance to all the negativity. It's more of a struggle to stay positive, ya' know. It's a big challenge for a lot of bands."
And what does 311, which also includes Chad Sexton (drums), Tim Mahoney (guitar), and P-Nut (bass), think of the evolution of a sound they helped jump start with their 1993 release, "Music"?
"It's great for the genre to have such success," says Martinez, who adds turntable scratching to the eclectic outfit. "It's a profitable genre."
While the guys in 311, who will all turn 30 this year except P-Nut, who turns 26 in June, don't want to openly bad mouth another artist's work, they will stress a positive vibe for one and all in their music rather than brag about their sexual conquests or encourage mosh-pit behavior closer to sexual assault.
"That just sucks. It's unfortunate," Martinez says changing the tone in his voice. "I'm proud girls feel comfortable coming to our shows.
"It's a great correlation to the bands and the music. You're responsible for what you put out."
And what 311 has put out over the last decade is a combination and cross pollination of reggae, punk, hip-hop, '70s funk and arena rock.
After a series of short-lived bands and lineup changes during and shortly after high school, Hexum, Sexton, Mahoney, who went to the same school, P-Nut and Martinez, who went to a different school, came together as the current version of 311 around 1991. The band got its name from an Omaha police code for indecent exposure.
With a dedicated regional following, built upon aggressive touring and three independently produced records, 311 moved to Los Angeles in 1992.
Shortly thereafter, 311 was signed to Capricorn records and released "Music." The group hit the road immediately to support the record. The tour was briefly sidelined when the band's RV caught fire and exploded, destroying all of their equipment and personal possessions.
For the next four years, 311 maintained a relentless touring schedule, playing about 200 shows per year, stopping only to record 1994's "Grassroots" and the 1995 self-titled or "blue" album.
The band's fan base grew tremendously as people were drawn to the unique sound, boundless energy and powerful performances. In 1996, the band's popularity exploded with the singles "Down" and "All Mixed Up," both off the self-titled album, which reach triple-platinum success.
Quick to feed the rabid fans, 311 released their first home video, "Enlarged to Show Detail."
A Year later 311 put out the ambitious and experimental "Transistor," which reached platinum success, but failed to generate the buzz of their self-titled release.
After a long and successful tour, 311 spent June '98 through June '99 working on "Soundsystem" - the most time they've ever spent on an album - and releasing a 14-track live album in November '98.
"We wanted a more rock oriented record," Martinez says of the band's latest offering. "Something that we could take out on the road and just play. We love playing live. We're real enthusiastic."
Martinez says the band is also cool with its place on the current music scene of pin-up pretty boys and self-indulgent players.
"I don't mind that we're not selling tons of records right now," he says. "It would be nice, but we just don't take it that seriously. We're just happy to have a positive influence eon some people."
The singer is also relieved about not having to follow up another multi-platinum hit record.
"There's less expectations and less pressure. It's great to be in that position, where it's all word of mouth. That's the buzz we want," he says.
The band's current tour, which began in early February, will span over 30 shows, coast-to-coast, in mostly cities not previously covered on the club tour last fall. The opening act will be Jimmie's Chicken Shack.
"We had a blast on the last tour," Martinez says. "We're just trying to give something back to the fans.
"We prefer playing in front of 3,000-5,000 people. That's more in our element because then we're able to feed off all the heat and energy of the crowd."
Martinez says the band already is planning to work on a new record while on tour, which should last until August.
The group will also have a song on the upcoming "Titan AE" soundtrack and is working on their second home video, which should be coincide with the release of the next record due out at the end of the year.
Wednesday, December 13, 2000
311 To Tour America After Returning From Japan (LiveDaily)
Nebraska-bred alt-rockers 311, currently wrapping up a short series of Japanese dates, will return to North America at month's end to resume the "Soundsystem" tour. Beginning in late February--following shows in Honolulu, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas in late January and early February--an especially grueling schedule will take the band to more than 30 cities in just over a month.
According to the band's official website, 311's spring tour will hit theaters with capacities raging from about 2,000 to 8,000, and most stops will be in cities that weren't on the band's 1999 club tour, which covered well over 60 cities at the end of 1999. Tickets are on sale in most markets.
Jimmie's Chicken Shack will be the opening act for the spring tour, and Incubus will be on the bill for the tour's Feb. 28 stop in Winston Salem, N.C.
"Soundsystem" (Capricorn), 311's sixth-major label album, peaked at No. 9 on the Billboard 200 chart shortly after its release last October. It has since fallen to No. 194 on the chart, but the new single "Flowing"--for which the band shot a video earlier this month--is beginning to garner significant radio airplay.
According to the band's official website, 311's spring tour will hit theaters with capacities raging from about 2,000 to 8,000, and most stops will be in cities that weren't on the band's 1999 club tour, which covered well over 60 cities at the end of 1999. Tickets are on sale in most markets.
Jimmie's Chicken Shack will be the opening act for the spring tour, and Incubus will be on the bill for the tour's Feb. 28 stop in Winston Salem, N.C.
"Soundsystem" (Capricorn), 311's sixth-major label album, peaked at No. 9 on the Billboard 200 chart shortly after its release last October. It has since fallen to No. 194 on the chart, but the new single "Flowing"--for which the band shot a video earlier this month--is beginning to garner significant radio airplay.
Thursday, November 2, 2000
Tuesday, August 29, 2000
311 Sues Label
Hip-hop-rock band 311 filed a lawsuit against its label, Capricorn Records, on Monday, claiming the company has jeopardized the band's career by denying it major marketing and promotion.
The suit, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, alleges that the label breached its 1992 contract with the band by failing to enter into a joint venture with a major label for almost two years. The band's best-selling album, 1995's 311, which spawned the hit "Down," came out while Capricorn was partnered with Mercury Records.
Since the band joined the label in 1992, it has "bounced between three different record-label partnerships and four different record distributors, culminating in an unstable atmosphere, which has demonstrably been to the detriment of 311's career," according to a statement issued by the band's attorneys.
"Put simply, defendant continues to spiral toward failure, and plaintiffs cannot withstand the damage to their careers and livelihoods by being pulled down with them," the suit concurs.
The band contends that Capricorn can no longer compete effectively in the marketplace due to the firing and departure of key staff personnel, the loss of other acts — including Cake and Widespread Panic — and the dissolution of its relationship with Universal Music Group "as an effective and willing financier and partner."
The band claims to have informed the label about its dissatisfaction with the current relationship repeatedly and were driven to take legal action after Capricorn failed to live up to key promises, including a vow made almost two years ago to partner with a new major record company.
"As a result of defendant's failure to properly market and promote 311 and find another major label partner, plaintiffs' 1999 album, Soundsystem, has not been properly marketed or promoted," the suit alleges.
The band, which kicks off a tour with Zebrahead this fall, is seeking to enforce a California law that limits personal service contracts to a maximum of seven years.
The suit, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, alleges that the label breached its 1992 contract with the band by failing to enter into a joint venture with a major label for almost two years. The band's best-selling album, 1995's 311, which spawned the hit "Down," came out while Capricorn was partnered with Mercury Records.
Since the band joined the label in 1992, it has "bounced between three different record-label partnerships and four different record distributors, culminating in an unstable atmosphere, which has demonstrably been to the detriment of 311's career," according to a statement issued by the band's attorneys.
"Put simply, defendant continues to spiral toward failure, and plaintiffs cannot withstand the damage to their careers and livelihoods by being pulled down with them," the suit concurs.
The band contends that Capricorn can no longer compete effectively in the marketplace due to the firing and departure of key staff personnel, the loss of other acts — including Cake and Widespread Panic — and the dissolution of its relationship with Universal Music Group "as an effective and willing financier and partner."
The band claims to have informed the label about its dissatisfaction with the current relationship repeatedly and were driven to take legal action after Capricorn failed to live up to key promises, including a vow made almost two years ago to partner with a new major record company.
"As a result of defendant's failure to properly market and promote 311 and find another major label partner, plaintiffs' 1999 album, Soundsystem, has not been properly marketed or promoted," the suit alleges.
The band, which kicks off a tour with Zebrahead this fall, is seeking to enforce a California law that limits personal service contracts to a maximum of seven years.
Wednesday, April 12, 2000
311's Nick Hexum Reflects On The Big 3-0
Today is not just any old Wednesday for 311 frontman Nick Hexum. April 12 is Nicholas Hexum's birthday and this year marks a milestone for the singer as he turns 30 years old.
Hexum, whose band 311 released its fifth studio album, "Soundsystem," in October 1999, feels pretty good about where he is after three decades on this planet Earth. In a recent interview with the MTV Radio Network, the singer reflected on all that he has accomplished.
"I've packed so much into these 30 years," Hexum began. "Already I feel like really, rightfully, I should be about 60 for how much I've already experienced. I've always kind of had a feeling that as I got older I was going to find my voice as an artist more, and therefore, get more respect, and accomplish more of my goals."
Despite having already reached multi-platinum heights as the lead singer of 311, Hexum says he continues to look ahead.
"I don't see the past as being my glory times," he explained. "I see the future as being my glory times... and maybe I'm just fooling myself, but it works for me."
311 recently completed a spring tour with Jimmie's Chicken Shack and will head back out on the road for the summer with Incubus starting May 23rd in San Diego.
The Los Angeles-based band will also play two festivals at the end of the month; the Center City Festival in Charlotte, North Carolina on the April 28 and Edgefest in Dallas with Everclear, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Stroke 9 and more on April 29.
Hexum, whose band 311 released its fifth studio album, "Soundsystem," in October 1999, feels pretty good about where he is after three decades on this planet Earth. In a recent interview with the MTV Radio Network, the singer reflected on all that he has accomplished.
"I've packed so much into these 30 years," Hexum began. "Already I feel like really, rightfully, I should be about 60 for how much I've already experienced. I've always kind of had a feeling that as I got older I was going to find my voice as an artist more, and therefore, get more respect, and accomplish more of my goals."
Despite having already reached multi-platinum heights as the lead singer of 311, Hexum says he continues to look ahead.
"I don't see the past as being my glory times," he explained. "I see the future as being my glory times... and maybe I'm just fooling myself, but it works for me."
311 recently completed a spring tour with Jimmie's Chicken Shack and will head back out on the road for the summer with Incubus starting May 23rd in San Diego.
The Los Angeles-based band will also play two festivals at the end of the month; the Center City Festival in Charlotte, North Carolina on the April 28 and Edgefest in Dallas with Everclear, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Stroke 9 and more on April 29.
Monday, April 3, 2000
311 dazzles fans with funk reggae show (Deseret News)
311 with JIMMIE'S CHICKEN SHACK at Saltair, April 1; one performance only.
Not even eight months ago, 311 rocked Salt Lake City with an energetic and intimate show at Club DV8. Well, the funk/reggae/rock band took a larger audience to the brink when it made a stop at Saltair Saturday night.The 3,200 music fans waited patiently for the lights to dim, and once they did, it all went down with contagious energy, rocking tunes and a dazzling light show.
Guitarist Timothy J. Mahoney, DJ/vocalist S.A. Martinez, vocalist Nick Hexum, drummer Chad Sexton and bassist P-Nut -- collectively known as 311 -- opened their set with the chewy rumble of "Freeze Time," from the new album "Soundsystem."
Up next was "Freak Out," which was followed at some point by "Come Original."
Mahoney's guitar cut cleanly through the mix as Hexum's vocals rode the crest of P-Nut's and Sexton's percussive lines. Martinez, when he wasn't scratching off funky cuts on the turntables, was out in front bobbing and chatting.
New tunes such as "Large In the Margin" and the cosmic "Flowing" were mixed with older tunes as "Omaha Stylee and "Light Years." The ultimate crowd-pleasers, however, were earlier cuts -- "Down" and the reggae splattered "All Mixed Up."
Another nice surprise was the smoking "Who's Got the Herb?"
Throughout the evening, colored stage lights highlighted the band with pink, yellow, green and blue hues. And during the musically intense segments -- such as Hexum's drum solo -- the lights went into super speed-strobe mode.
Jimmie's Chicken Shack riled up the audience with its eclectic form of funk-rock.
The band -- vocalist Jimi Haha, bassist Che' Lemon, guitar Double D and drummer Sipple -- cranked out such romps as "Let's Get Flat," "Trash," "Lazy Boy Dash" and a righteous remake of Nine Inch Nails' "Sanctified."
There was a time when Jimmie's Chicken Shack's set lacked a bit of luster, but once Haha started chanting the chorus for "Let's Get Flat" (". . .Everything I knew was just a lie. . ."), he and the audience got the excitement back on top.
The combination of 311 and Jimmie's Chicken Shack brought a throng of excited mosh-hungry fans to the forefront Saturday. And there's no doubt when 311 returns to Saltair on June 2, the fans will be there waiting to bounce to the beats.
Not even eight months ago, 311 rocked Salt Lake City with an energetic and intimate show at Club DV8. Well, the funk/reggae/rock band took a larger audience to the brink when it made a stop at Saltair Saturday night.The 3,200 music fans waited patiently for the lights to dim, and once they did, it all went down with contagious energy, rocking tunes and a dazzling light show.
Guitarist Timothy J. Mahoney, DJ/vocalist S.A. Martinez, vocalist Nick Hexum, drummer Chad Sexton and bassist P-Nut -- collectively known as 311 -- opened their set with the chewy rumble of "Freeze Time," from the new album "Soundsystem."
Up next was "Freak Out," which was followed at some point by "Come Original."
Mahoney's guitar cut cleanly through the mix as Hexum's vocals rode the crest of P-Nut's and Sexton's percussive lines. Martinez, when he wasn't scratching off funky cuts on the turntables, was out in front bobbing and chatting.
New tunes such as "Large In the Margin" and the cosmic "Flowing" were mixed with older tunes as "Omaha Stylee and "Light Years." The ultimate crowd-pleasers, however, were earlier cuts -- "Down" and the reggae splattered "All Mixed Up."
Another nice surprise was the smoking "Who's Got the Herb?"
Throughout the evening, colored stage lights highlighted the band with pink, yellow, green and blue hues. And during the musically intense segments -- such as Hexum's drum solo -- the lights went into super speed-strobe mode.
Jimmie's Chicken Shack riled up the audience with its eclectic form of funk-rock.
The band -- vocalist Jimi Haha, bassist Che' Lemon, guitar Double D and drummer Sipple -- cranked out such romps as "Let's Get Flat," "Trash," "Lazy Boy Dash" and a righteous remake of Nine Inch Nails' "Sanctified."
There was a time when Jimmie's Chicken Shack's set lacked a bit of luster, but once Haha started chanting the chorus for "Let's Get Flat" (". . .Everything I knew was just a lie. . ."), he and the audience got the excitement back on top.
The combination of 311 and Jimmie's Chicken Shack brought a throng of excited mosh-hungry fans to the forefront Saturday. And there's no doubt when 311 returns to Saltair on June 2, the fans will be there waiting to bounce to the beats.
Monday, January 24, 2000
True Originals (Launch)
311 is a hard-working band that cites touring as a key ingredient to its longevity in this fickle commercial market. After a decade of togetherness, these Omaha expatriates continue to hone in on the quirky rap-rock hybrid that they helped push from novelty status to standard fare on the alternative airwaves.
LAUNCH executive editor Dave DiMartino interviewed the band's Nicholas Hexum and P-Nut just as they unveiled Soundsystem, the new disc that follows the 1997 release of Transistor. The band recently acquainted itself with some sophisticated recording equipment and production techniques, the results of which "come original" on Soundsystem. "It's more fulfilling than trying to get someone else to realize your vision," Hexum said of the creative freedom that comes with studio know-how.
And while 311 continues to advance technically, the band hasn't abandoned the optimistic outlook that informs its melodies. "You go around this world one time and you have to make the best of it," Hexum noted of his millennial "mission of positivity" through music. His pal P-Nut was typically offbeat when chatting with DiMartino: the dreadlocked and horn-rimmed bass player mused about bad lyrics ("just deliver them with confidence"), the finer points of Backstreet Boys-ness ("being No. 1 ain't sh-t if you don't have a future"), and being trapped on a desert island with Shaquille O'Neal ("at least if you had to resort to cannibalism, there'd be some good eatin' on Shaq.") Now that's positive thinking.
Video excerpts of the conversation can be viewed in Issue No. 34 of LAUNCH on CD-ROM; an exclusive live performance "Come Original" can also be viewed on the same disc.
LAUNCH: What's the major difference between this record and all the others you've done?
NICHOLAS: The difference between this record and past records is that we really waited for the songs to grow up organically. We took our time, built our own recording studio, brought in our own gear and learned how to use ProTools. We have an old-school 24-track tape machine, as well as all the computer hard drive recording equipment. Just learning to run that was a big learning experience. We were writing songs gradually throughout the recording process, so it really was a more organic experience. Whereas on Transistor, we recorded 30 songs in two months, and this time we did 13 songs in 18 months. We just kind of slowed down.
P-NUT: With the last album, we were coming off a big success and lots of attention and lots of eyes coming our way, and we wanted to do an album that excited our creative spirit and do something different because that's what we always do. Especially after getting all that attention, we wanted to follow a different route. I'm sure we lost some of the younger fans that caught on because of the singles, but that's just how the band is, and if we're not excited about the music we're playing, we won't have fun onstage and it all boils over. On this album we went more for the rock side and we were looking forward to playing all the songs live. On Transistor, we were spending a lot of time in the studio and just kind of making ourselves happy and making music like we were listening to--a lot of dub, more chilled-out. This time we wanted to play every song live and we wanted to make sure people understood that and could understand that when we did play the songs live.
LAUNCH: Why did you choose to work with producer Hugh Padgham?
NICHOLAS: We just wanted to have a producer who was an impartial sort of referee who isn't really connected with the band. We worked with Scott Ralston, our longtime soundman, but this time we wanted someone who would come in with a fresh palette and fresh ears; someone who wasn't the standard Orange County punk/ hip-hop guy. We wanted to expand our horizons. We thought if we could make an album that he really dug we would make more of a musical statement--not just something that was straight for our core audience. We wanted it to be a longer-lasting thing that would reach out to many different people.
P-NUT: When Hugh came along, we pretty much had all the songs and delivered the project. He helped us record everything correctly and worked on melody ideas, and just added an extra opinion to the whole project so it wouldn't just be the same album again. It's always good to bring in extra people, especially a good English lad. It was fun. We concentrated on the recording process a lot. We recorded the album before Hugh showed up once, maybe one-and-a-half times went through everything exactly as how we would. Hugh fine-tuned everything. We made it easy on each other. It was a really good thing.
LAUNCH: You were one of the first hybrid rap-rock bands. It seems that lately, that genre of music is really blowing up with bands like Korn and Limp Bizkit on the scene. Tell me what it has been like to be one of the purveyors of the rap-rock genre.
NICHOLAS: I think it's really cool to see all the hybrid rap-rock groups. I remember when we were on 120 Minutes in 1993 and they were talking about us like we were some new animal that never existed before--it's really cool to see all the hybrid bands finally getting their props. It's great.
P-NUT: Before us there was lots of groundwork laid for this to happen with the Red Hot Chili Peppers, 24-7 Spyz, Fishbone, etc.--everybody knows that those are the guys who started it. We in 311 never claimed to be the originators of rock-rap and if we were, we'd be drinking too much. Now with everybody actually listening to rock-rap bands like Limp Bizkit and Korn, it will just be easier to come out with this album and do the same thing we've been doing all along. And people will be refreshed that we're coming across in a positive way. Not to bad-mouth others, but it 's just so much better to live your life being positive instead of negative and breaking sh-t. And I'll tell that to Fred Durst's face. I look forward to doing so because having a difference in philosophy is good. And it's good to have perspective, to meet in the middle, or at least talk about it; you'll be able to understand where everybody's coming from. And I don't look down on anyone, I'm just happy to be in 311.
LAUNCH: Do you think there is a downside to making it big so fast?
NICHOLAS: I think that most of our fans that we really want to be associated with don't mind if we sell a lot of records. There's a certain elitism that goes with punk that we don't want to be a part of. There are a lot of fans who've been with us through the long haul. I'm sure we've lost a few, but we're most interested in dealing with regular, everyday people, people who are like we were when we were growing up in Nebraska. We were not part of the super elite--any sort of musical scene. Some people say, "You used to be great when you played tiny clubs and nobody ever heard of you." But it's the same spirit; the same music and we're still making music from the heart. And as long as our approach doesn't change, people can say what they want.
P-NUT: We're taken care of, but we're not so well-off that we don't have a lot of hunger still. Even though we're successful we're even hungrier, especially with the trends now and people coming out with music like us. More people are listening to the type of music we've been doing for 10 years now. People are more aware of the styles that are being flexed all around. It's a good thing. It's going to happen more and more. People are demanding it. It's rare that you run into a person that only likes one style of music. It goes along with the short attention span. You want to play every style of music in one song. I think the fans can relate to that.
LAUNCH: With all that happened at Woodstock '99 with the rioting and such, are you glad you weren't one of the performing acts?
NICHOLAS: With the stuff that happened at Woodstock, it gives me more of a motivation and a sense of purpose that there needs to be a band that represents more of a positive attitude and collective spirit than a testosterone rockfest. I think we're viewing our tour as a mission of positivity to offset all the bad news and bad vibes and anger, and all the tension that's going on with the millennium. We want to be something that's hopeful for people. We see it as a mission to be positive.
P-NUT: I'm really happy we didn't play [Woodstock] because I would have felt that on my shoulders too much. And we wouldn't have incited a riot. There's just too many bad vibes going around and I think concerts on that level are played-out anyway. It's been done, and it's not interesting for the people in the crowd because it's like 20,000 bands, 200,000 people. It's too big. That's why we're going out on the road doing clubs--no opening band and we're in control, a lot more downplayed instead of all hyped-up with people turning over cars and sh-t. We don't need any of that.
LAUNCH: After listening to Soundsystem, I picked up on a lot of live elements on the record. How did you achieve that?
NICHOLAS: I think one of our goals that we may have wrestled with was to have songs that were more geared toward the moshpit and were really high-energy. On Transistor we got into more psychedelic stuff with dub styles, etc. [This time] we made sure the songs would really cut it live, and when we rehearsed the songs they were totally rocking, and we'd say, "Okay, that can stay." We wanted faster tempos and songs that were more pumping.
LAUNCH: Who do you look to for advice?
NICHOLAS: One of my oldest friends from first grade has a band called Grasshopper Takeover. He moved out to L.A. recently and we bounce our songs off each other. He gave me helpful compliments and comments as far as pre-production, stuff like, "I hear harmony here, etc.," and that was cool. Also my little brother Zach, he's 22 and an amazing jazz virtuoso. He can play circles around me on any instrument, so I really value his opinion. But he's not into rock. He's into jazz and more intellectual music, so I always want to get his opinion on everything.
P-NUT: That person would be my girlfriend. She'd see me come home everyday from the studio and we'd listen to it. But not being there while it was going on, but listening to it showed me a lot of perspective. She kept me going: "Just keep doing what you're doing, you're on the right track." And that's what I need to hear.
LAUNCH: What do you do in your down time between recording and touring?
NICHOLAS: A lot of my free time was spent learning computer software and digital editing. I make a lot of continuous hip-hop, drum 'n' bass, and jungle mixes that go from one song to the next. And learning how to do fades and remixing other people's music. We've been working hard and learning how to do things for ourselves. We're learning recording skills, whereas in the past, we'd go into the studio and ask others to do it for us. Now we can do the EQs for ourselves and learn the plug-ins for the trippy effects. It's more fulfilling to do it ourselves instead of trying to get someone else to realize your vision.
P-NUT: We were writing the music with the time off that we had. Just rehearsing and taking time off. We took a good four months off before we started this project, just to get our heads straight. We had been out on the road for almost six years straight working our asses off. We toured to get where we are, put out albums every year. It was time to take a break from everything, really concentrate on what we're doing and make it as timeless as possible.
LAUNCH: Tell me about the band's working dynamic. How well do you get along as a band?
NICHOLAS: I'm always amazed by how well we get along. Luckily, since we have five people, we can vote on anything and it will be three-to-two at worst. Sometimes people will say, "I don't care," and we say, "No, you have to vote." I'm always shocked at how well we get along. We've played like a thousand shows.
P-NUT: The thing that impresses me most about 311 is the fact that we constantly change. And that we are as hard as we are on each other as far as writing and performing the songs, gelling with the instrumentalists and vocalists, and making it as tight a package as possible. It's not just a bunch of riffs with some words we thought of at the last minute. It's really thought-out and really solid. We have a lot of fun in the studio even though it sounds like a lot of work. This experience in the studio was great because we took a lot of time. We knew it would come up when it was ready and not to push ourselves. And that was a first in the studio because it's always stress-filled.
LAUNCH: What is more important to you, having a hit single or being a successful touring band?
NICHOLAS: I think that it's not vital for us to have hit singles because we were making a good living before "Down" blew up. We'll be able to tour on catalog and on our albums and the core audience we've built up through touring. It's not crucial, but I've always thought radio was free music for the people. I back that, and there's nothing wrong with that. It can only ruin a band when they try to hard to fit into a certain format. We've always done rap-style rock, which wasn't a format when we started out. We're in a comfortable place where we don't receive a lot of pressure, but we do put a lot of pressure on ourselves to always feel like we're going forward and putting in a lot of work.
P-NUT: Hit singles are not important to us. It's nice, and I'd be crazy to say it hasn't elevated us--because it has. Touring as extensively as we have makes it easier for us to exist without radio or MTV. That's the bonus for all you bands out there. Just go out there and tour your asses off and the kids will follow. Then radio and MTV will follow. Make the kids No. 1. Make that connection with people when they're two feet in front of you feeling your heat. That's the connection. Go out there and pound the music into that kid and then it will be real. It can't be any more real. Radio and MTV are fickle, more fickle than anything. Just know that live is where it's at.
LAUNCH: Which scenario would you prefer: to achieve overnight success or a slow gradual rise to the top?
NICHOLAS: I think that if the band gets a hit on its first album and gets accustomed to a certain lifestyle and doesn't get it on the second album, they may fall into a frustrated spiral and not recover from that. We didn't really have any blow-up hits on our last record, but we had the biggest tour we've ever had. I think it depends--maybe if we'd blown up on our first album there would be more of a risk. But we can tour, and so there's not a time question.
P-NUT: It's something Hollywood has been doing for years and years. Jim Carrey comes out on the scene, has the little show he did doing stand-up, and they eat him alive. You have to reinvent yourself constantly or you'll be here today and gone today, like Chris Rock said. It's totally true. That's how fast things are moving, how short people's attention spans are. Keep learning from the mistakes and the right things. Just grow, adapt, and be yourself!
LAUNCH: What is the biggest career mistake you think you could make?
NICHOLAS: The biggest mistake we could make would be to do choreographed dance moves--like the Britney Spears/ Backstreet Boys dance moves. We won't be doing that anytime soon!
P-NUT: The biggest mistake we could make right now would be to believe our own press. If you don't have someone from your past or someone who's not in the biz telling you what's going on, you will start living in a dream and you will lose it. That's no way to be. There's an interview with James Brown on CNN from the '80s. He's wearing yellow glasses that he thinks are blocking his eyes and they're closed, and he's not making any sense. And it just seems like--don't get me wrong, James, I love you--you've been living in your head too long and it seems like you don't know what's going on. Everyone's just telling you how great you are, and you are great. But you can't be an entertainer all the time. You've got to be a human being. You've got to be yourself. And if that is who you are, I'm totally wrong, and I apologize, and have a great day.
LAUNCH: How literate are you when it comes to computers and the Internet?
NICHOLAS: I am the one in the band who is known as the one who really embraces the technology. I've become accustomed to taking in information by having two computers running and flicking through my satellite system. I just really love technology and don't think it's anything to fear. It's an amazing communicative tool and I want to keep expanding our website. We just launched a new, much cooler website with motion and 3-D pictures, so you can get in and see the room from different points of view. There's sound on there; I wanted to make remixes of our songs and put them on there for free, and there will be ways to vote for your favorite one. As things get quicker, it will really revolutionize what people do in their spare time. I'm excited about stuff like that and it's a healthy, natural pastime. I'm always into technology.
P-NUT: I think like everybody, the Internet and the computer industry has become a really big part of everybody's life--unless you're traveling so much, or writing a book on an island somewhere. Being able to retrieve info at the speed of telephone cable is pretty fast, and you have access to worlds and worlds of information. But again, you need to be yourself, you can't live in a box--that what you see on that screen isn't necessarily true, and that you have to take everything you see with a grain of salt, especially national news. I do not believe that the MP3 format or the Real Audio or any digital music transference will take over the record companies anytime soon. There's money being lost somewhere. Those freaks that have the time to download our entire album over the Internet are the same people that will be first in line to get the album when it comes out. Those freaks are the same freaks who are our diehard fans who will go out and buy the album. But our manager is ripping his hair out. When it comes down to us, it's not going to bother us, I guarantee it.
LAUNCH: If 311 had a message, what would it be?
NICHOLAS: If 311 had a message it would be the lyric I had on Transistor, which is "One thing I've got to say before sales dive is stay positive and love your life," because that's the core of what we believe. You go around this world one time and you have to make the best of it, see all the beauty you can, and embrace it while you're here.
P-NUT: I would say it would just be a positive thing. We're not running through the daisies and we're not total hippies--even though I have dreads. We're more on the positive tip, having fun; we're definitely into the live show thing. I think we could have existed really well, not in the musical form, but more in the philosophy, in the '70s. We tour our asses off. The reason we took such a big break was so that we could tour as long as we wanted and give it to people in just the way that we wrote the songs.
LAUNCH: What song are you most likely to sing in the shower?
NICHOLAS: That would probably be "All Of Me." That song does something to me.
P-NUT: The song I'm most likely to be singing in the shower could be anything on any given day, but it would probably be a Tom Waits song. Something that is easily sung when you have gravel in your throat, which I often do in the morning. Or something by the Smiths. I caught myself recently singing some Smiths this morning and I was embarrassed by it. But it has to be someone in my range. A baritone. Or there's no use.
LAUNCH: What kind of music do you listen to on long road trips?
NICHOLAS: Currently it would have to be [one of] the new drum 'n' bass bands called Breakbeat Era, a new Roni Size project. I just got an advance tape.
P-NUT: Well, Curtis Mayfield would maybe be the first thing I put on to smooth everyone out before I put on the Melvins to shake everyone up and get them ready for the show. Something like that, something bipolar, something smooth and then something real hectic.
LAUNCH: What kind of music do you listen to during sex?
NICHOLAS: The best song to do it to would be the Adult Favorites station I get on my satellite network. It's a horrible-sounding station, but it's Perry Como, the cheesier side of Frank Sinatra, Nat "King" Cole, Mel Tormé. That's my vibe.
P-NUT: I'm very fond of having sex in silence. In high school I was really into listening to music and hiding some of the uncomfortable noises. I'm much more of a man now and I want to hear those sounds now. It's much more romantic. I think silence is a good thing. I knew a couple in high school who would sing to each other while having sex and that freaked me out. I'd much rather hear breathing.
LAUNCH: What's the strangest thing that's ever happened to you onstage?
NICHOLAS: The strangest thing that I can remember happening to me onstage is looking over and seeing P-Nut throwing up. He got so worked-up, he just barfed and kept playing. He didn't miss a beat. He was so wound-up with energy. This was back in '92 or '91.
P-NUT: I was in New Orleans at a very famous club where I met my girlfriend, who I live with now. There was a girl in front of me rocking out. She was standing in front of me for what felt like a couple minutes, but it was probably only a few seconds; I gave her a swift kick right in the gut. I didn't wound her too bad, but I was full of adrenaline and kicked her down and the whole rest of the show she was just giving me the double fingers. I felt so bad. I went back to the bus and sulked. I felt bad, but I wanted my space back.
LAUNCH: Before you were in 311, what was the best regular job you ever had?
NICHOLAS: I was a waiter in downtown L.A. and I was on the breakfast shift and there was nobody there, and people would pay cash and I could work the tickets a little bit and pocket the money...that was the old days.
P-NUT: One of the best things about my life is that I haven't had too many jobs. The only other job I had was at a Shoney's washing dishes for two weeks. I just wanted a rack case for one of my amps. I knew the manager there and I could do things at my own pace. I saved up my money and quit. Beyond that, I cleaned houses for my mom. She was a real estate agent. I couldn't complain about any of the jobs I had. They weren't that bad and they all were temporary.
LAUNCH: If you weren't in a successful rock band, what would you be doing professionally?
NICHOLAS: What would I be doing if I weren't a rock star? I would be the new leader of the Branch Davidians.
P-NUT: I'd be teaching bass. I was teaching bass in Omaha at age of 15. I had a lot of fun doing that. I would be in music no matter what. I played violin from six to nine. I picked up guitar at 10, then picked up bass at 11. It's a part of my life, I couldn't imagine doing anything else.
LAUNCH: What's the worst thing that's ever happened to the band?
NICHOLAS: The worst thing that's happened to us has got to be the RV fire that we had in '93. Everything burned up; we barely escaped with our lives. We lost our equipment, our clothes, and our cash. But we borrowed some gear and played a show the next night. We tried to turn it into a milestone, like, "If we can get through this, we can get through anything."
P-NUT: Since I don't really brood too much on things like that, I have to pull something out. I don't know...Not too many bad things have happened. There was the RV fire; that wasn't bad, just a roadblock, and that made us stronger as a unit. That would be over for us or the beginning. We just kept on truckin'. It was all we could do and was all we ever had a choice to do. Just jump over it. It's either going to stop you or not.
LAUNCH: Who is your favorite Backstreet Boy?
NICHOLAS: My favorite Backstreet Boy? Probably the one with facial hair.
P-NUT: My favorite Backstreet Boy would be the lack of Backstreet Boys. But I do think it's really cool that there is an onslaught of boy bands out there that totally legitimize 311. They're writing the songs you've heard before. You never go, "Wow, what a great part of the song!" You should stretch yourselves. If I was in the band that's what I'd be telling them. That's why I like being in 311, a musicians-controlled band vs. a manager-controlled band.
LAUNCH: If you were to become a Spice Girl, which one would you like to be?
NICHOLAS: If I had to be a Spice Girl, I would be Scary Spice. She most embodies the spirit.
P-NUT: All those bands were thrown together, including Spice Girls--people will get sick of it, for one. If you don't write original music, people will get sick of it faster. Being No. 1 ain't sh-t if you don't have a future, and if you don't have a future, you're not a musician, you're just a puppet, and that's bullsh-t. I think I dress a little more like Sporty Spice than any of the other ones. Since I don't know very much about them at all, I'd have to say that, as far as attire goes. She's the only one who can sing too, I've heard.
LAUNCH: In your own words, what would you say your life most resembles?
NICHOLAS: Sometimes I feel like the son, Ben, on that show Dr. Katz. Sometimes I'm sitting in my house, I don't know what to do with myself and I relate to the loser son on Dr. Katz.
P-NUT: My life most resembles a cartoon. Whereas anything can happen, a lot of times the shapes don't look normal, the colors are a little off, and the characters are totally absurd.
LAUNCH: In your mind, what is the most stupid lyric you've ever heard?
NICHOLAS: The stupidest song lyric? That would be, "I believe the children are our future" [from Whitney Houston's "The Greatest Love Of All"]. That's the stupidest song. It couldn't be any more obvious or redundant.
P-NUT: That's so hard, because there's a billion dumb lines in a song. If you deliver a bad line without confidence, people will laugh. But if you deliver a bad line with confidence, it will slip by. But who am I to say? I don't have the balls to put myself out in that way. I hide behind my instrument, my hands, and the music I create. I really look up to lyricists because that is being naked in front of millions and millions of people. That would be hard to answer. I'll cop out.
LAUNCH: Which trend or person is on the way out?
NICHOLAS: Hopefully it's George W. Bush. Who's on their way out? Probably the Backstreet Boys.
P-NUT: Management bands. Bands that don't have control. Bands that are non-original. You've got to surprise people even a little, even in the slightest. Do something for yourself--make yourself happy and others will understand. Otherwise you're moving backwards in this universe and you'll be forgotten really quickly.
LAUNCH: Who would make the perfect celebrity love match?
P-NUT: Me and Les Claypool. We're going to make a bass album, a double bass album, and it will be nasty. Really, really nasty and no one will understand it but him and me.
NICHOLAS: Carmen Electra immediately comes to mind. You can't think of a crazier match than Carmen Electra and Dennis Rodman. They need to get back together. They belong together. We're rooting for you, guys!
LAUNCH: If you could push anyone off a cliff, who would it be?
P-NUT: That's a mean question. But I don't know. Just the philosophy behind the boy bands needs to be pushed off a cliff. It's not for me to say if it's good or bad music--that's someone's art, and it could mean the world to someone else. And just because I'm in a different creative realm, it's hard for me to have perspective on that. I think people can see through it, people know they were pushed together: "Hi, this is the guy you're going to be in a band with." And that's bullsh-t. You have to go through stuff with each other to truly bond. I don't see a real bond there, and that bond has been what's kept 311 together through the ups and downs we've been through.
NICHOLAS: I think all boy bands should be pushed off a cliff. We're getting away from bands that play their own songs, and there are so many bands that write good music. There's a weird resurgence in manufactured music, but eventually that makes room for good bands. There will be a backlash. It's just weird that there's all this money being put into this teen thing. But there will be a punk backlash.
LAUNCH: What song are you tired of hearing?
P-NUT: Well, I don't submit myself to too much radio play. I have been lately, because I've been listening for our song to come on because I'm greedy. But I don't know. That's so hard. I don't immerse myself in that kind of music so I don't get to that level of wanting to hate them or not wanting to listen to that song anymore. That's inevitably going to happen if you listen to that music too much, because it has no curves--it's just a straight line. I would lump them all together and tell them to originate next time.
NICHOLAS: I don't want to bust on anyone too much. Pick someone dead...um. Nothing good's coming to mind.
LAUNCH: If you were stranded on a desert island and you had to resort to cannibalism, who would you want to be trapped with that you would eventually have to eat?
P-NUT: I'd want them to be big so I could eat for a while. That's tough. I keep thinking of basketball players. I'd like to meet Shaq. That would be cool. And there's a lot of good eating on Shaq. You could have Jerk Shaq. Thai Shaq. You could work out the whole menu just on his legs alone. I'd like to really get down with Shaq.
NICHOLAS: I like someone large. I like a real rich steak, like a Monica Lewinsky cut, perhaps. If I had to resort to cannibalism, it would probably be her.
LAUNCH executive editor Dave DiMartino interviewed the band's Nicholas Hexum and P-Nut just as they unveiled Soundsystem, the new disc that follows the 1997 release of Transistor. The band recently acquainted itself with some sophisticated recording equipment and production techniques, the results of which "come original" on Soundsystem. "It's more fulfilling than trying to get someone else to realize your vision," Hexum said of the creative freedom that comes with studio know-how.
And while 311 continues to advance technically, the band hasn't abandoned the optimistic outlook that informs its melodies. "You go around this world one time and you have to make the best of it," Hexum noted of his millennial "mission of positivity" through music. His pal P-Nut was typically offbeat when chatting with DiMartino: the dreadlocked and horn-rimmed bass player mused about bad lyrics ("just deliver them with confidence"), the finer points of Backstreet Boys-ness ("being No. 1 ain't sh-t if you don't have a future"), and being trapped on a desert island with Shaquille O'Neal ("at least if you had to resort to cannibalism, there'd be some good eatin' on Shaq.") Now that's positive thinking.
Video excerpts of the conversation can be viewed in Issue No. 34 of LAUNCH on CD-ROM; an exclusive live performance "Come Original" can also be viewed on the same disc.
LAUNCH: What's the major difference between this record and all the others you've done?
NICHOLAS: The difference between this record and past records is that we really waited for the songs to grow up organically. We took our time, built our own recording studio, brought in our own gear and learned how to use ProTools. We have an old-school 24-track tape machine, as well as all the computer hard drive recording equipment. Just learning to run that was a big learning experience. We were writing songs gradually throughout the recording process, so it really was a more organic experience. Whereas on Transistor, we recorded 30 songs in two months, and this time we did 13 songs in 18 months. We just kind of slowed down.
P-NUT: With the last album, we were coming off a big success and lots of attention and lots of eyes coming our way, and we wanted to do an album that excited our creative spirit and do something different because that's what we always do. Especially after getting all that attention, we wanted to follow a different route. I'm sure we lost some of the younger fans that caught on because of the singles, but that's just how the band is, and if we're not excited about the music we're playing, we won't have fun onstage and it all boils over. On this album we went more for the rock side and we were looking forward to playing all the songs live. On Transistor, we were spending a lot of time in the studio and just kind of making ourselves happy and making music like we were listening to--a lot of dub, more chilled-out. This time we wanted to play every song live and we wanted to make sure people understood that and could understand that when we did play the songs live.
LAUNCH: Why did you choose to work with producer Hugh Padgham?
NICHOLAS: We just wanted to have a producer who was an impartial sort of referee who isn't really connected with the band. We worked with Scott Ralston, our longtime soundman, but this time we wanted someone who would come in with a fresh palette and fresh ears; someone who wasn't the standard Orange County punk/ hip-hop guy. We wanted to expand our horizons. We thought if we could make an album that he really dug we would make more of a musical statement--not just something that was straight for our core audience. We wanted it to be a longer-lasting thing that would reach out to many different people.
P-NUT: When Hugh came along, we pretty much had all the songs and delivered the project. He helped us record everything correctly and worked on melody ideas, and just added an extra opinion to the whole project so it wouldn't just be the same album again. It's always good to bring in extra people, especially a good English lad. It was fun. We concentrated on the recording process a lot. We recorded the album before Hugh showed up once, maybe one-and-a-half times went through everything exactly as how we would. Hugh fine-tuned everything. We made it easy on each other. It was a really good thing.
LAUNCH: You were one of the first hybrid rap-rock bands. It seems that lately, that genre of music is really blowing up with bands like Korn and Limp Bizkit on the scene. Tell me what it has been like to be one of the purveyors of the rap-rock genre.
NICHOLAS: I think it's really cool to see all the hybrid rap-rock groups. I remember when we were on 120 Minutes in 1993 and they were talking about us like we were some new animal that never existed before--it's really cool to see all the hybrid bands finally getting their props. It's great.
P-NUT: Before us there was lots of groundwork laid for this to happen with the Red Hot Chili Peppers, 24-7 Spyz, Fishbone, etc.--everybody knows that those are the guys who started it. We in 311 never claimed to be the originators of rock-rap and if we were, we'd be drinking too much. Now with everybody actually listening to rock-rap bands like Limp Bizkit and Korn, it will just be easier to come out with this album and do the same thing we've been doing all along. And people will be refreshed that we're coming across in a positive way. Not to bad-mouth others, but it 's just so much better to live your life being positive instead of negative and breaking sh-t. And I'll tell that to Fred Durst's face. I look forward to doing so because having a difference in philosophy is good. And it's good to have perspective, to meet in the middle, or at least talk about it; you'll be able to understand where everybody's coming from. And I don't look down on anyone, I'm just happy to be in 311.
LAUNCH: Do you think there is a downside to making it big so fast?
NICHOLAS: I think that most of our fans that we really want to be associated with don't mind if we sell a lot of records. There's a certain elitism that goes with punk that we don't want to be a part of. There are a lot of fans who've been with us through the long haul. I'm sure we've lost a few, but we're most interested in dealing with regular, everyday people, people who are like we were when we were growing up in Nebraska. We were not part of the super elite--any sort of musical scene. Some people say, "You used to be great when you played tiny clubs and nobody ever heard of you." But it's the same spirit; the same music and we're still making music from the heart. And as long as our approach doesn't change, people can say what they want.
P-NUT: We're taken care of, but we're not so well-off that we don't have a lot of hunger still. Even though we're successful we're even hungrier, especially with the trends now and people coming out with music like us. More people are listening to the type of music we've been doing for 10 years now. People are more aware of the styles that are being flexed all around. It's a good thing. It's going to happen more and more. People are demanding it. It's rare that you run into a person that only likes one style of music. It goes along with the short attention span. You want to play every style of music in one song. I think the fans can relate to that.
LAUNCH: With all that happened at Woodstock '99 with the rioting and such, are you glad you weren't one of the performing acts?
NICHOLAS: With the stuff that happened at Woodstock, it gives me more of a motivation and a sense of purpose that there needs to be a band that represents more of a positive attitude and collective spirit than a testosterone rockfest. I think we're viewing our tour as a mission of positivity to offset all the bad news and bad vibes and anger, and all the tension that's going on with the millennium. We want to be something that's hopeful for people. We see it as a mission to be positive.
P-NUT: I'm really happy we didn't play [Woodstock] because I would have felt that on my shoulders too much. And we wouldn't have incited a riot. There's just too many bad vibes going around and I think concerts on that level are played-out anyway. It's been done, and it's not interesting for the people in the crowd because it's like 20,000 bands, 200,000 people. It's too big. That's why we're going out on the road doing clubs--no opening band and we're in control, a lot more downplayed instead of all hyped-up with people turning over cars and sh-t. We don't need any of that.
LAUNCH: After listening to Soundsystem, I picked up on a lot of live elements on the record. How did you achieve that?
NICHOLAS: I think one of our goals that we may have wrestled with was to have songs that were more geared toward the moshpit and were really high-energy. On Transistor we got into more psychedelic stuff with dub styles, etc. [This time] we made sure the songs would really cut it live, and when we rehearsed the songs they were totally rocking, and we'd say, "Okay, that can stay." We wanted faster tempos and songs that were more pumping.
LAUNCH: Who do you look to for advice?
NICHOLAS: One of my oldest friends from first grade has a band called Grasshopper Takeover. He moved out to L.A. recently and we bounce our songs off each other. He gave me helpful compliments and comments as far as pre-production, stuff like, "I hear harmony here, etc.," and that was cool. Also my little brother Zach, he's 22 and an amazing jazz virtuoso. He can play circles around me on any instrument, so I really value his opinion. But he's not into rock. He's into jazz and more intellectual music, so I always want to get his opinion on everything.
P-NUT: That person would be my girlfriend. She'd see me come home everyday from the studio and we'd listen to it. But not being there while it was going on, but listening to it showed me a lot of perspective. She kept me going: "Just keep doing what you're doing, you're on the right track." And that's what I need to hear.
LAUNCH: What do you do in your down time between recording and touring?
NICHOLAS: A lot of my free time was spent learning computer software and digital editing. I make a lot of continuous hip-hop, drum 'n' bass, and jungle mixes that go from one song to the next. And learning how to do fades and remixing other people's music. We've been working hard and learning how to do things for ourselves. We're learning recording skills, whereas in the past, we'd go into the studio and ask others to do it for us. Now we can do the EQs for ourselves and learn the plug-ins for the trippy effects. It's more fulfilling to do it ourselves instead of trying to get someone else to realize your vision.
P-NUT: We were writing the music with the time off that we had. Just rehearsing and taking time off. We took a good four months off before we started this project, just to get our heads straight. We had been out on the road for almost six years straight working our asses off. We toured to get where we are, put out albums every year. It was time to take a break from everything, really concentrate on what we're doing and make it as timeless as possible.
LAUNCH: Tell me about the band's working dynamic. How well do you get along as a band?
NICHOLAS: I'm always amazed by how well we get along. Luckily, since we have five people, we can vote on anything and it will be three-to-two at worst. Sometimes people will say, "I don't care," and we say, "No, you have to vote." I'm always shocked at how well we get along. We've played like a thousand shows.
P-NUT: The thing that impresses me most about 311 is the fact that we constantly change. And that we are as hard as we are on each other as far as writing and performing the songs, gelling with the instrumentalists and vocalists, and making it as tight a package as possible. It's not just a bunch of riffs with some words we thought of at the last minute. It's really thought-out and really solid. We have a lot of fun in the studio even though it sounds like a lot of work. This experience in the studio was great because we took a lot of time. We knew it would come up when it was ready and not to push ourselves. And that was a first in the studio because it's always stress-filled.
LAUNCH: What is more important to you, having a hit single or being a successful touring band?
NICHOLAS: I think that it's not vital for us to have hit singles because we were making a good living before "Down" blew up. We'll be able to tour on catalog and on our albums and the core audience we've built up through touring. It's not crucial, but I've always thought radio was free music for the people. I back that, and there's nothing wrong with that. It can only ruin a band when they try to hard to fit into a certain format. We've always done rap-style rock, which wasn't a format when we started out. We're in a comfortable place where we don't receive a lot of pressure, but we do put a lot of pressure on ourselves to always feel like we're going forward and putting in a lot of work.
P-NUT: Hit singles are not important to us. It's nice, and I'd be crazy to say it hasn't elevated us--because it has. Touring as extensively as we have makes it easier for us to exist without radio or MTV. That's the bonus for all you bands out there. Just go out there and tour your asses off and the kids will follow. Then radio and MTV will follow. Make the kids No. 1. Make that connection with people when they're two feet in front of you feeling your heat. That's the connection. Go out there and pound the music into that kid and then it will be real. It can't be any more real. Radio and MTV are fickle, more fickle than anything. Just know that live is where it's at.
LAUNCH: Which scenario would you prefer: to achieve overnight success or a slow gradual rise to the top?
NICHOLAS: I think that if the band gets a hit on its first album and gets accustomed to a certain lifestyle and doesn't get it on the second album, they may fall into a frustrated spiral and not recover from that. We didn't really have any blow-up hits on our last record, but we had the biggest tour we've ever had. I think it depends--maybe if we'd blown up on our first album there would be more of a risk. But we can tour, and so there's not a time question.
P-NUT: It's something Hollywood has been doing for years and years. Jim Carrey comes out on the scene, has the little show he did doing stand-up, and they eat him alive. You have to reinvent yourself constantly or you'll be here today and gone today, like Chris Rock said. It's totally true. That's how fast things are moving, how short people's attention spans are. Keep learning from the mistakes and the right things. Just grow, adapt, and be yourself!
LAUNCH: What is the biggest career mistake you think you could make?
NICHOLAS: The biggest mistake we could make would be to do choreographed dance moves--like the Britney Spears/ Backstreet Boys dance moves. We won't be doing that anytime soon!
P-NUT: The biggest mistake we could make right now would be to believe our own press. If you don't have someone from your past or someone who's not in the biz telling you what's going on, you will start living in a dream and you will lose it. That's no way to be. There's an interview with James Brown on CNN from the '80s. He's wearing yellow glasses that he thinks are blocking his eyes and they're closed, and he's not making any sense. And it just seems like--don't get me wrong, James, I love you--you've been living in your head too long and it seems like you don't know what's going on. Everyone's just telling you how great you are, and you are great. But you can't be an entertainer all the time. You've got to be a human being. You've got to be yourself. And if that is who you are, I'm totally wrong, and I apologize, and have a great day.
LAUNCH: How literate are you when it comes to computers and the Internet?
NICHOLAS: I am the one in the band who is known as the one who really embraces the technology. I've become accustomed to taking in information by having two computers running and flicking through my satellite system. I just really love technology and don't think it's anything to fear. It's an amazing communicative tool and I want to keep expanding our website. We just launched a new, much cooler website with motion and 3-D pictures, so you can get in and see the room from different points of view. There's sound on there; I wanted to make remixes of our songs and put them on there for free, and there will be ways to vote for your favorite one. As things get quicker, it will really revolutionize what people do in their spare time. I'm excited about stuff like that and it's a healthy, natural pastime. I'm always into technology.
P-NUT: I think like everybody, the Internet and the computer industry has become a really big part of everybody's life--unless you're traveling so much, or writing a book on an island somewhere. Being able to retrieve info at the speed of telephone cable is pretty fast, and you have access to worlds and worlds of information. But again, you need to be yourself, you can't live in a box--that what you see on that screen isn't necessarily true, and that you have to take everything you see with a grain of salt, especially national news. I do not believe that the MP3 format or the Real Audio or any digital music transference will take over the record companies anytime soon. There's money being lost somewhere. Those freaks that have the time to download our entire album over the Internet are the same people that will be first in line to get the album when it comes out. Those freaks are the same freaks who are our diehard fans who will go out and buy the album. But our manager is ripping his hair out. When it comes down to us, it's not going to bother us, I guarantee it.
LAUNCH: If 311 had a message, what would it be?
NICHOLAS: If 311 had a message it would be the lyric I had on Transistor, which is "One thing I've got to say before sales dive is stay positive and love your life," because that's the core of what we believe. You go around this world one time and you have to make the best of it, see all the beauty you can, and embrace it while you're here.
P-NUT: I would say it would just be a positive thing. We're not running through the daisies and we're not total hippies--even though I have dreads. We're more on the positive tip, having fun; we're definitely into the live show thing. I think we could have existed really well, not in the musical form, but more in the philosophy, in the '70s. We tour our asses off. The reason we took such a big break was so that we could tour as long as we wanted and give it to people in just the way that we wrote the songs.
LAUNCH: What song are you most likely to sing in the shower?
NICHOLAS: That would probably be "All Of Me." That song does something to me.
P-NUT: The song I'm most likely to be singing in the shower could be anything on any given day, but it would probably be a Tom Waits song. Something that is easily sung when you have gravel in your throat, which I often do in the morning. Or something by the Smiths. I caught myself recently singing some Smiths this morning and I was embarrassed by it. But it has to be someone in my range. A baritone. Or there's no use.
LAUNCH: What kind of music do you listen to on long road trips?
NICHOLAS: Currently it would have to be [one of] the new drum 'n' bass bands called Breakbeat Era, a new Roni Size project. I just got an advance tape.
P-NUT: Well, Curtis Mayfield would maybe be the first thing I put on to smooth everyone out before I put on the Melvins to shake everyone up and get them ready for the show. Something like that, something bipolar, something smooth and then something real hectic.
LAUNCH: What kind of music do you listen to during sex?
NICHOLAS: The best song to do it to would be the Adult Favorites station I get on my satellite network. It's a horrible-sounding station, but it's Perry Como, the cheesier side of Frank Sinatra, Nat "King" Cole, Mel Tormé. That's my vibe.
P-NUT: I'm very fond of having sex in silence. In high school I was really into listening to music and hiding some of the uncomfortable noises. I'm much more of a man now and I want to hear those sounds now. It's much more romantic. I think silence is a good thing. I knew a couple in high school who would sing to each other while having sex and that freaked me out. I'd much rather hear breathing.
LAUNCH: What's the strangest thing that's ever happened to you onstage?
NICHOLAS: The strangest thing that I can remember happening to me onstage is looking over and seeing P-Nut throwing up. He got so worked-up, he just barfed and kept playing. He didn't miss a beat. He was so wound-up with energy. This was back in '92 or '91.
P-NUT: I was in New Orleans at a very famous club where I met my girlfriend, who I live with now. There was a girl in front of me rocking out. She was standing in front of me for what felt like a couple minutes, but it was probably only a few seconds; I gave her a swift kick right in the gut. I didn't wound her too bad, but I was full of adrenaline and kicked her down and the whole rest of the show she was just giving me the double fingers. I felt so bad. I went back to the bus and sulked. I felt bad, but I wanted my space back.
LAUNCH: Before you were in 311, what was the best regular job you ever had?
NICHOLAS: I was a waiter in downtown L.A. and I was on the breakfast shift and there was nobody there, and people would pay cash and I could work the tickets a little bit and pocket the money...that was the old days.
P-NUT: One of the best things about my life is that I haven't had too many jobs. The only other job I had was at a Shoney's washing dishes for two weeks. I just wanted a rack case for one of my amps. I knew the manager there and I could do things at my own pace. I saved up my money and quit. Beyond that, I cleaned houses for my mom. She was a real estate agent. I couldn't complain about any of the jobs I had. They weren't that bad and they all were temporary.
LAUNCH: If you weren't in a successful rock band, what would you be doing professionally?
NICHOLAS: What would I be doing if I weren't a rock star? I would be the new leader of the Branch Davidians.
P-NUT: I'd be teaching bass. I was teaching bass in Omaha at age of 15. I had a lot of fun doing that. I would be in music no matter what. I played violin from six to nine. I picked up guitar at 10, then picked up bass at 11. It's a part of my life, I couldn't imagine doing anything else.
LAUNCH: What's the worst thing that's ever happened to the band?
NICHOLAS: The worst thing that's happened to us has got to be the RV fire that we had in '93. Everything burned up; we barely escaped with our lives. We lost our equipment, our clothes, and our cash. But we borrowed some gear and played a show the next night. We tried to turn it into a milestone, like, "If we can get through this, we can get through anything."
P-NUT: Since I don't really brood too much on things like that, I have to pull something out. I don't know...Not too many bad things have happened. There was the RV fire; that wasn't bad, just a roadblock, and that made us stronger as a unit. That would be over for us or the beginning. We just kept on truckin'. It was all we could do and was all we ever had a choice to do. Just jump over it. It's either going to stop you or not.
LAUNCH: Who is your favorite Backstreet Boy?
NICHOLAS: My favorite Backstreet Boy? Probably the one with facial hair.
P-NUT: My favorite Backstreet Boy would be the lack of Backstreet Boys. But I do think it's really cool that there is an onslaught of boy bands out there that totally legitimize 311. They're writing the songs you've heard before. You never go, "Wow, what a great part of the song!" You should stretch yourselves. If I was in the band that's what I'd be telling them. That's why I like being in 311, a musicians-controlled band vs. a manager-controlled band.
LAUNCH: If you were to become a Spice Girl, which one would you like to be?
NICHOLAS: If I had to be a Spice Girl, I would be Scary Spice. She most embodies the spirit.
P-NUT: All those bands were thrown together, including Spice Girls--people will get sick of it, for one. If you don't write original music, people will get sick of it faster. Being No. 1 ain't sh-t if you don't have a future, and if you don't have a future, you're not a musician, you're just a puppet, and that's bullsh-t. I think I dress a little more like Sporty Spice than any of the other ones. Since I don't know very much about them at all, I'd have to say that, as far as attire goes. She's the only one who can sing too, I've heard.
LAUNCH: In your own words, what would you say your life most resembles?
NICHOLAS: Sometimes I feel like the son, Ben, on that show Dr. Katz. Sometimes I'm sitting in my house, I don't know what to do with myself and I relate to the loser son on Dr. Katz.
P-NUT: My life most resembles a cartoon. Whereas anything can happen, a lot of times the shapes don't look normal, the colors are a little off, and the characters are totally absurd.
LAUNCH: In your mind, what is the most stupid lyric you've ever heard?
NICHOLAS: The stupidest song lyric? That would be, "I believe the children are our future" [from Whitney Houston's "The Greatest Love Of All"]. That's the stupidest song. It couldn't be any more obvious or redundant.
P-NUT: That's so hard, because there's a billion dumb lines in a song. If you deliver a bad line without confidence, people will laugh. But if you deliver a bad line with confidence, it will slip by. But who am I to say? I don't have the balls to put myself out in that way. I hide behind my instrument, my hands, and the music I create. I really look up to lyricists because that is being naked in front of millions and millions of people. That would be hard to answer. I'll cop out.
LAUNCH: Which trend or person is on the way out?
NICHOLAS: Hopefully it's George W. Bush. Who's on their way out? Probably the Backstreet Boys.
P-NUT: Management bands. Bands that don't have control. Bands that are non-original. You've got to surprise people even a little, even in the slightest. Do something for yourself--make yourself happy and others will understand. Otherwise you're moving backwards in this universe and you'll be forgotten really quickly.
LAUNCH: Who would make the perfect celebrity love match?
P-NUT: Me and Les Claypool. We're going to make a bass album, a double bass album, and it will be nasty. Really, really nasty and no one will understand it but him and me.
NICHOLAS: Carmen Electra immediately comes to mind. You can't think of a crazier match than Carmen Electra and Dennis Rodman. They need to get back together. They belong together. We're rooting for you, guys!
LAUNCH: If you could push anyone off a cliff, who would it be?
P-NUT: That's a mean question. But I don't know. Just the philosophy behind the boy bands needs to be pushed off a cliff. It's not for me to say if it's good or bad music--that's someone's art, and it could mean the world to someone else. And just because I'm in a different creative realm, it's hard for me to have perspective on that. I think people can see through it, people know they were pushed together: "Hi, this is the guy you're going to be in a band with." And that's bullsh-t. You have to go through stuff with each other to truly bond. I don't see a real bond there, and that bond has been what's kept 311 together through the ups and downs we've been through.
NICHOLAS: I think all boy bands should be pushed off a cliff. We're getting away from bands that play their own songs, and there are so many bands that write good music. There's a weird resurgence in manufactured music, but eventually that makes room for good bands. There will be a backlash. It's just weird that there's all this money being put into this teen thing. But there will be a punk backlash.
LAUNCH: What song are you tired of hearing?
P-NUT: Well, I don't submit myself to too much radio play. I have been lately, because I've been listening for our song to come on because I'm greedy. But I don't know. That's so hard. I don't immerse myself in that kind of music so I don't get to that level of wanting to hate them or not wanting to listen to that song anymore. That's inevitably going to happen if you listen to that music too much, because it has no curves--it's just a straight line. I would lump them all together and tell them to originate next time.
NICHOLAS: I don't want to bust on anyone too much. Pick someone dead...um. Nothing good's coming to mind.
LAUNCH: If you were stranded on a desert island and you had to resort to cannibalism, who would you want to be trapped with that you would eventually have to eat?
P-NUT: I'd want them to be big so I could eat for a while. That's tough. I keep thinking of basketball players. I'd like to meet Shaq. That would be cool. And there's a lot of good eating on Shaq. You could have Jerk Shaq. Thai Shaq. You could work out the whole menu just on his legs alone. I'd like to really get down with Shaq.
NICHOLAS: I like someone large. I like a real rich steak, like a Monica Lewinsky cut, perhaps. If I had to resort to cannibalism, it would probably be her.
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