Since it formed in 1990, the rock band 311 has had its share of success. "Down" went to No. 1 on the modern rock charts in 1995 and "All Mixed Up" went to No. 2.
"You Wouldn't Believe" made it as high as No. 7 on the rock charts in 2001, and in 2003, after releasing its seventh album, "Evolver," in July, the band was asked by none other than Adam Sandler to contribute a song to the soundtrack for his new movie, "50 First Dates."
Not bad for a group of high school friends from Omaha.
Now, 311 is in the middle of a spring tour that will take it to the Cotillion Monday. Opening act will be Zack Hexum, lead singer Nick's little brother, whose debut album "The Story So Far" is due out April 20.
The band's rock sound is heavily influenced by jazz, reggae, funk, even hip-hop. Hexum told MTV last month that the band's biggest kick is touring.
"When we play our show, it's like there's nowhere else our fans would rather be," he said, "and there's nowhere else we'd rather be.
"Everyone's bouncing together and it's like this sort of oneness. There's no question our career's going well when we're out on tour."
Thursday, December 16, 2004
Nick Hexum of 311 (Lazy-i)
So I'm talking to a friend of mine at the bar and ask him if he's going to the 311 concert at Memorial Park July 16. My friend joked in response, "Have they decided that they're from Omaha again?"
It wasn't the first time that I'd heard someone accuse 311 of denying their Omaha roots after they moved to Van Nuys, California, in 1992. It's an accusation I've never understood, and neither has 311 frontman Nick Hexum.
"Someone else from Omaha asked me about that the other day," he said via cell phone last week. "Why would we write a song called 'Omaha Stylee,' which is still a staple of our live show, if we were from LA? When people ask us how we've been able to maintain a certain fan base, we tell them it's because of our upbringing in Omaha. Omaha is a part of us. We wear it proudly."
Hexum recalled how 311 first got airplay in Los Angeles and how the jocks we're surprised that a band that played a style of music that fuses rock, reggae, hip-hop and funk could come out of Omaha. "We never considered denying our Omaha-ness," Hexum added. "It wouldn't work. It's such a part of us. We're just Nebraska boys happy to be able to do what we do.
From that standpoint, 311's concert in the park is a homecoming of sorts to a city the band has never forgotten. Hexum, who owns a house in the posh Hollywood Hills, visits his birthplace two or three times a year including Christmastime. The band had requested a Memorial Park concert years earlier, but was turned down by the city. Then out of the blue, 311 received a letter from Mayor Mike Fahey in care of Hexum's father, who works at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, inviting them to do Friday's show as part of Omaha's 150th birthday celebration.
"We said we'd love to do it," Hexum said. "The crowd won't be our normal audience of hardcore fans. We'll make it more of a show that'll be appropriate for all ages. People shouldn't be worried about bringing young kids. We know we have a reputation among some people as being bad boys, but this night will be an all-inclusive engagement."
Bad boys or good, the band has a rep as hit makers. In addition to Hexum on guitars and vocals, 311 includes fellow Omaha natives S.A. Martinez, who shares the vocal chores, guitarist Tim Mahoney, bassist P-Nut, and drummer Chad Sexton. Formed in 1990, the band quickly garnered a large Omaha following thanks to their high-energy, beat-heavy sound that doesn't encourage -- but demands -- listeners to jump up and down. 311 shows weren't rock concerts, they were sweaty mosh parties where entire crowds bounced to the beat as if on trampolines.
But despite their strong Omaha following, the band packed up and moved to Los Angeles in '92. Ironically, when Capricorn Records showed interest in signing 311, it was their Omaha fan base that sealed the deal.
"Moving to LA didn't get us signed," Hexum said. "When record companies wanted to see us play, we went back to Omaha because we didn't have fans here. Nothing about Los Angeles got us signed, it just strengthened our commitment to music. We were going 'all for one and one for all,' and practiced every single day. It made us better musicians. Only one label was interested in us, and they turned out to sign us. Without Capricorn (Records), the story would be different, but we never entertained the idea of moving back."
311's aggressive stance early on wound up being construed as arrogance among some back home in Omaha. The headline for one article written about them back in '93 summed it up this way: "Sometimes It Pays to Be Assholes." Hexum addressed the band's rep in that story, saying "Folks in Omaha have been great supporting us, but we've been faced with a lot of assholes, too - bands downtown who really wanted to keep us out. We were viewed as young upstarts. People accused us of having such a bad attitude. The fact is, without it, we wouldn't have a chance in hell in Los Angeles."
Hexum laughed when the quote was read back to him. "I think I was using hyperbole to say it like that," he said. "But the music business is so full of disappointment. You have to believe in yourself and have the self-confidence to withstand the constant rejection and be ready to go for more. A lot of people can't get through that. We had to have a strong sense of band self-esteem to convince someone to sign us, and I do think there's a certain attitude and confidence you need just to be a performer.
"I remember that article and that whole reputation thing. It's funny to think that we were once viewed that way. Today, everyone is like, 'These are the nicest guys in the music business.' We know that we're blessed and lucky to be doing what we do, and we let people know that. Back then, we felt we needed to be more outspoken to the point of obnoxiousness."
Fourteen years and phenomenal success have changed all that. The band's sales statistics listed on their one-sheet underscores their place in the music world: Four Gold records, one Platinum, one Triple-Platinum, a Gold and Platinum DVD; more than 7 million units sold in the United States; four albums in the Billboard top-10, six singles in Billboard's top-10 Modern Rock Chart, including two #1's -- "Down" and "Love Song," a cover of The Cure classic from the Adam Sandler film "50 First Dates," which held the top spot just this year.
The first portion of their career is summed up in Greatest Hits '93-'03. Released last month by Volcano/Zomba Label Group, the CD compiles the most popular songs from the band's first seven albums plus two new songs that Hexum says reflect their future direction -- the grinding, heavy "How Do You Feel?" and the laid-back, reggae-flavored "First Straw."
Hexum's future also includes supporting his brother Zack's career. Nick's What Have You record label co-released Zack's debut, Story So Far, in a joint venture with Trauma Records. The two will perform together at Homer's Orchard Plaza at noon July 16, the day of the park concert that Zack will open along with 311 friends Grasshopper Takeover.
"Zack's music is soulful, Beatle-esque, modern classic rock," said Hexum, who's eight years older than his brother. "He's very talented, but it's a long, hard road breaking into this business."
Hexum knows first hand, and says his Omaha roots have given him and his band an advantage in a cutthroat industry.
"I've always enjoyed the business side of the job, especially when it comes to hardcore negotiations where you have to play hardball," he said. "I've never been intimidated. I credit my parents, who raised me and believe I can do anything I set my mind to and told me to not be intimidated by anyone.
"When we moved out to Los Angeles, we said we were the kings of LA. It was a joke, but we were serious, too. We thought we were going to work our way to the top of the heap. I've always felt that Omaha people try harder, and that's an ingredient of our success."
It wasn't the first time that I'd heard someone accuse 311 of denying their Omaha roots after they moved to Van Nuys, California, in 1992. It's an accusation I've never understood, and neither has 311 frontman Nick Hexum.
"Someone else from Omaha asked me about that the other day," he said via cell phone last week. "Why would we write a song called 'Omaha Stylee,' which is still a staple of our live show, if we were from LA? When people ask us how we've been able to maintain a certain fan base, we tell them it's because of our upbringing in Omaha. Omaha is a part of us. We wear it proudly."
Hexum recalled how 311 first got airplay in Los Angeles and how the jocks we're surprised that a band that played a style of music that fuses rock, reggae, hip-hop and funk could come out of Omaha. "We never considered denying our Omaha-ness," Hexum added. "It wouldn't work. It's such a part of us. We're just Nebraska boys happy to be able to do what we do.
From that standpoint, 311's concert in the park is a homecoming of sorts to a city the band has never forgotten. Hexum, who owns a house in the posh Hollywood Hills, visits his birthplace two or three times a year including Christmastime. The band had requested a Memorial Park concert years earlier, but was turned down by the city. Then out of the blue, 311 received a letter from Mayor Mike Fahey in care of Hexum's father, who works at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, inviting them to do Friday's show as part of Omaha's 150th birthday celebration.
"We said we'd love to do it," Hexum said. "The crowd won't be our normal audience of hardcore fans. We'll make it more of a show that'll be appropriate for all ages. People shouldn't be worried about bringing young kids. We know we have a reputation among some people as being bad boys, but this night will be an all-inclusive engagement."
Bad boys or good, the band has a rep as hit makers. In addition to Hexum on guitars and vocals, 311 includes fellow Omaha natives S.A. Martinez, who shares the vocal chores, guitarist Tim Mahoney, bassist P-Nut, and drummer Chad Sexton. Formed in 1990, the band quickly garnered a large Omaha following thanks to their high-energy, beat-heavy sound that doesn't encourage -- but demands -- listeners to jump up and down. 311 shows weren't rock concerts, they were sweaty mosh parties where entire crowds bounced to the beat as if on trampolines.
But despite their strong Omaha following, the band packed up and moved to Los Angeles in '92. Ironically, when Capricorn Records showed interest in signing 311, it was their Omaha fan base that sealed the deal.
"Moving to LA didn't get us signed," Hexum said. "When record companies wanted to see us play, we went back to Omaha because we didn't have fans here. Nothing about Los Angeles got us signed, it just strengthened our commitment to music. We were going 'all for one and one for all,' and practiced every single day. It made us better musicians. Only one label was interested in us, and they turned out to sign us. Without Capricorn (Records), the story would be different, but we never entertained the idea of moving back."
311's aggressive stance early on wound up being construed as arrogance among some back home in Omaha. The headline for one article written about them back in '93 summed it up this way: "Sometimes It Pays to Be Assholes." Hexum addressed the band's rep in that story, saying "Folks in Omaha have been great supporting us, but we've been faced with a lot of assholes, too - bands downtown who really wanted to keep us out. We were viewed as young upstarts. People accused us of having such a bad attitude. The fact is, without it, we wouldn't have a chance in hell in Los Angeles."
Hexum laughed when the quote was read back to him. "I think I was using hyperbole to say it like that," he said. "But the music business is so full of disappointment. You have to believe in yourself and have the self-confidence to withstand the constant rejection and be ready to go for more. A lot of people can't get through that. We had to have a strong sense of band self-esteem to convince someone to sign us, and I do think there's a certain attitude and confidence you need just to be a performer.
"I remember that article and that whole reputation thing. It's funny to think that we were once viewed that way. Today, everyone is like, 'These are the nicest guys in the music business.' We know that we're blessed and lucky to be doing what we do, and we let people know that. Back then, we felt we needed to be more outspoken to the point of obnoxiousness."
Fourteen years and phenomenal success have changed all that. The band's sales statistics listed on their one-sheet underscores their place in the music world: Four Gold records, one Platinum, one Triple-Platinum, a Gold and Platinum DVD; more than 7 million units sold in the United States; four albums in the Billboard top-10, six singles in Billboard's top-10 Modern Rock Chart, including two #1's -- "Down" and "Love Song," a cover of The Cure classic from the Adam Sandler film "50 First Dates," which held the top spot just this year.
The first portion of their career is summed up in Greatest Hits '93-'03. Released last month by Volcano/Zomba Label Group, the CD compiles the most popular songs from the band's first seven albums plus two new songs that Hexum says reflect their future direction -- the grinding, heavy "How Do You Feel?" and the laid-back, reggae-flavored "First Straw."
Hexum's future also includes supporting his brother Zack's career. Nick's What Have You record label co-released Zack's debut, Story So Far, in a joint venture with Trauma Records. The two will perform together at Homer's Orchard Plaza at noon July 16, the day of the park concert that Zack will open along with 311 friends Grasshopper Takeover.
"Zack's music is soulful, Beatle-esque, modern classic rock," said Hexum, who's eight years older than his brother. "He's very talented, but it's a long, hard road breaking into this business."
Hexum knows first hand, and says his Omaha roots have given him and his band an advantage in a cutthroat industry.
"I've always enjoyed the business side of the job, especially when it comes to hardcore negotiations where you have to play hardball," he said. "I've never been intimidated. I credit my parents, who raised me and believe I can do anything I set my mind to and told me to not be intimidated by anyone.
"When we moved out to Los Angeles, we said we were the kings of LA. It was a joke, but we were serious, too. We thought we were going to work our way to the top of the heap. I've always felt that Omaha people try harder, and that's an ingredient of our success."
Time to Celebrate: 311 Day in New Orleans
"I don’t really remember whose idea it was," starts Nick Hexum of 311, "but somebody pointed out to us, March 11 – 311 day. You should make a big deal out of it."
And from that simple idea grew one of the biggest parties of the year for fans of 311. Started in 1997, the band has come to New Orleans every other year to play a special concert, performing most every song they’ve ever recorded including favorites such as "Down" and "Amber," along with rarities and cover songs, such as Led Zeppelin’s "D’yer Mak’er."
So the city that boasts the debauchery of Bourbon Street can now also say that March 11 is officially known as 311 Day – a proclamation made by the Mayor of New Orleans.
"I think it’s the band at our peak so far; it’s the tightest and best that we’ve played," says Hexum about this year’s 311Day performance. Captured on DVD and released as 311 Day: Live in New Orleans, the two-disc set contains 64 songs and close to five hours of live concert footage and behind-the-scenes antics with the band.
"It’s like running a marathon," says Hexum of the show, who physically prepares with his bandmates, vocalist SA Martinez, guitarist Tim Mahoney, drummer Chad Sexton and bassist P-Nut, months in advance. Yet when the day finally arrives, the band admits that the adrenaline from the crowd keeps them going long and strong.
"The roar of the crowd was just so deafening, they were so excited," says Hexum of their devoted fans. "I just can’t believe they stayed on their feet for the entire time. It’s one thing when you’re running around stage and dancing, but these people gave back the energy that we were putting out there for the entire time," says Hexum. "It was really moving."
311, a band who most recently hit number one with The Cure cover tune "Love Song," has been serving up melodic funk rock with messages of love and positivity since their 1993 inception. Fans admit that being part of "The Hive" – the name given to the band’s devoted following – is not just about the band’s music, but about a lifestyle. Hexum describes the huge, fan-organized party on the day before 311 Day.
"There was a free 311 party on March 10 in the French Quarter that was just packed. The DJ was playing nothing but 311," describes Hexum. "It was 500 or more fans completely rocking out on the dance floor, singing along with every word. Seeing footage of these people just going crazy to our music and completely losing their inhibitions and being totally swept away by our music was really incredible to me. It brought home how important [the music] is to people."
Although New Orleans won’t be hosting a 311 Day in 2005, Hexum insists that there’s a good reason for it. "We want to concentrate on making our next record," he says with smile. So what’s the inside word on the album slated for the summer of 2005?
"We want the songs to be innovative yet fun, and I want the lyrics to be very personal and revealing," admits Hexum. "We’re trying to find a new hybrid, a new combination of dance hall rhythms, but with funk and a strong emphasis on melody."
Featuring fans that traveled across the country and even across the globe, 311 Day: Live in New Orleans captures the spirit and energy of the band and their fans amidst a festive Mardi Gras atmosphere. One fan captured on DVD seemed to sum it up best when asked, "What are you most excited about on 311 Day?" He simply replied, "Dude – 311’s here!"
311 Day: Live in New Orleans DVD and 311’s Greatest Hits ’93-’03 is currently available. For more information, visit www.311.com.
And from that simple idea grew one of the biggest parties of the year for fans of 311. Started in 1997, the band has come to New Orleans every other year to play a special concert, performing most every song they’ve ever recorded including favorites such as "Down" and "Amber," along with rarities and cover songs, such as Led Zeppelin’s "D’yer Mak’er."
So the city that boasts the debauchery of Bourbon Street can now also say that March 11 is officially known as 311 Day – a proclamation made by the Mayor of New Orleans.
"I think it’s the band at our peak so far; it’s the tightest and best that we’ve played," says Hexum about this year’s 311Day performance. Captured on DVD and released as 311 Day: Live in New Orleans, the two-disc set contains 64 songs and close to five hours of live concert footage and behind-the-scenes antics with the band.
"It’s like running a marathon," says Hexum of the show, who physically prepares with his bandmates, vocalist SA Martinez, guitarist Tim Mahoney, drummer Chad Sexton and bassist P-Nut, months in advance. Yet when the day finally arrives, the band admits that the adrenaline from the crowd keeps them going long and strong.
"The roar of the crowd was just so deafening, they were so excited," says Hexum of their devoted fans. "I just can’t believe they stayed on their feet for the entire time. It’s one thing when you’re running around stage and dancing, but these people gave back the energy that we were putting out there for the entire time," says Hexum. "It was really moving."
311, a band who most recently hit number one with The Cure cover tune "Love Song," has been serving up melodic funk rock with messages of love and positivity since their 1993 inception. Fans admit that being part of "The Hive" – the name given to the band’s devoted following – is not just about the band’s music, but about a lifestyle. Hexum describes the huge, fan-organized party on the day before 311 Day.
"There was a free 311 party on March 10 in the French Quarter that was just packed. The DJ was playing nothing but 311," describes Hexum. "It was 500 or more fans completely rocking out on the dance floor, singing along with every word. Seeing footage of these people just going crazy to our music and completely losing their inhibitions and being totally swept away by our music was really incredible to me. It brought home how important [the music] is to people."
Although New Orleans won’t be hosting a 311 Day in 2005, Hexum insists that there’s a good reason for it. "We want to concentrate on making our next record," he says with smile. So what’s the inside word on the album slated for the summer of 2005?
"We want the songs to be innovative yet fun, and I want the lyrics to be very personal and revealing," admits Hexum. "We’re trying to find a new hybrid, a new combination of dance hall rhythms, but with funk and a strong emphasis on melody."
Featuring fans that traveled across the country and even across the globe, 311 Day: Live in New Orleans captures the spirit and energy of the band and their fans amidst a festive Mardi Gras atmosphere. One fan captured on DVD seemed to sum it up best when asked, "What are you most excited about on 311 Day?" He simply replied, "Dude – 311’s here!"
311 Day: Live in New Orleans DVD and 311’s Greatest Hits ’93-’03 is currently available. For more information, visit www.311.com.
Sunday, August 22, 2004
311 Eager to Keep Exploring (Billboard)
After releasing "Greatest Hits 93-03" earlier this year and a double-disc DVD due out next week, 311 singer Nick Hexum tells Billboard.com the rock act is just now settling into what he hopes will be a very long career.
"I predict right now, I could see 311 going for 30 years," says Hexum. "And I've always felt like kind of a late bloomer and I think we still very well might have our best work ahead of us. The thing I love about that is most of the bands that we started out with are gone, like Rage [Against The Machine] and Soundgarden. There are very few that stood the test of time. I'd love to be the U2 or something like that of our era, that is making good music and keeps exploring styles and has a lot of integrity and is popular, without sort of overly catering towards trends."
Having arrived in the mid-1990s as an early rap-n-rock outfit, the Omaha-born, Los Angeles-based band's sound has evolved over into what Hexum calls a "funkier reggae" mix. This is also the path, creatively speaking, the group hopes to continue exploring. The singer points to the single "First Straw" from the greatest hits release as a starting point for the band's next studio project.
With one song, "Waiting," finished and "lots of little parts" ready to be fleshed out, the members of 311 will reconvene in the studio next month with an eye on releasing a new album in summer, to coincide with a mid-June tour.
As previously reported, Hexum is touring with his singer/songwriter brother Zack through swing states in advance of the U.S. presidential election to show their support for Democratic nominee John Kerry. The expected set list from this 10-date tour, which began last night (Oct. 21) in Columbia, Mo., includes cover songs (Beatles, Clash, Bob Marley, Radiohead), tracks from Zack's Trauma debut album "The Story So Far..." and select 311 material presented in more of a punk aesthetic.
"It's going to be an interesting musical experience," says Nick of the trek, which was organized with assistance from music activist organization Air Traffic Control. "For 311 fans, they are definitely going to hear me in a way you may never get another chance to hear. It's a onetime thing. But I'm really looking forward to getting back to 311, which is my bread and butter."
"I predict right now, I could see 311 going for 30 years," says Hexum. "And I've always felt like kind of a late bloomer and I think we still very well might have our best work ahead of us. The thing I love about that is most of the bands that we started out with are gone, like Rage [Against The Machine] and Soundgarden. There are very few that stood the test of time. I'd love to be the U2 or something like that of our era, that is making good music and keeps exploring styles and has a lot of integrity and is popular, without sort of overly catering towards trends."
Having arrived in the mid-1990s as an early rap-n-rock outfit, the Omaha-born, Los Angeles-based band's sound has evolved over into what Hexum calls a "funkier reggae" mix. This is also the path, creatively speaking, the group hopes to continue exploring. The singer points to the single "First Straw" from the greatest hits release as a starting point for the band's next studio project.
With one song, "Waiting," finished and "lots of little parts" ready to be fleshed out, the members of 311 will reconvene in the studio next month with an eye on releasing a new album in summer, to coincide with a mid-June tour.
As previously reported, Hexum is touring with his singer/songwriter brother Zack through swing states in advance of the U.S. presidential election to show their support for Democratic nominee John Kerry. The expected set list from this 10-date tour, which began last night (Oct. 21) in Columbia, Mo., includes cover songs (Beatles, Clash, Bob Marley, Radiohead), tracks from Zack's Trauma debut album "The Story So Far..." and select 311 material presented in more of a punk aesthetic.
"It's going to be an interesting musical experience," says Nick of the trek, which was organized with assistance from music activist organization Air Traffic Control. "For 311 fans, they are definitely going to hear me in a way you may never get another chance to hear. It's a onetime thing. But I'm really looking forward to getting back to 311, which is my bread and butter."
Monday, August 2, 2004
Wednesday, July 7, 2004
Bouncin' at Riverbend (Enquirer)
There are the Dave Matthews hippie-dance maneuvers, and there's also the Jimmy Buffett beach-ball workout. But of all the frat-rock calisthenics a Riverbend crowd endures over the course of a summer season, none is as physically demanding as the perpetual 311 reggae-rock hop.
"Let's get this place bouncin'," demanded 311 lead singer Nick Hexum at the start of the band's Tuesday-night concert, and for the next one hour and 45 minutes, the bouncing carried forth, as 311 played a crowd-pleasing, nonstop set that represented the best of the band's last 10 years of hit-record making.
The Omaha, Neb. group isn't the first rock band to bring reggae elements into its sound, but few others have been as successful in doing so. The band might not draw Matthews or Buffett-size crowds, but no style of music (other than metal, of course) fires up a Riverbend audience like 311's Great Plains rendering of the Jamaican beat.
The songs, and the subsequent bouncing, came in two speeds: calorie burn (like "You Wouldn't Believe" and the breakthrough smash "Down") and cool down (like "Beyond the Gray Sky" and the band's recent hit reggae-ish version of the Cure's "Love Song"). Hexum and his bandmates - vocalist/rapper/DJ SA Martinez, guitarist Tim Mahoney, bassist P-Nut and drummer Chad Sexton - easily negotiated the highs and lows and slows and fasts within the set and sometimes the songs themselves, and the shifting speed-and-volume dynamics kept their reggae-rock monotone from bogging down.
The band's two picks for openers also added to the variety. The Roots, a live-instrumentation hip-hop band from Philadelphia, were to crowd-unison head bobbing what 311 was to crowd-unison bouncing. At their top-dollar best, the group came off like a mixture of New York golden-age '80s rapping and James Brown "Sex Machine"-era grooves. At their not so good, the sextet made like overwrought arena-rock heroes, with guitarist Kirk Douglas (and one particular endless guitar solo) the biggest offender.
Medeski, Martin and Wood began the show, and while the acclaimed fusion-organ trio whipped up one or two spells of interesting ebb and flow, most of their set was unadventurous, straight-ahead groove catering more to hippie dancers than jazz heads.
"Let's get this place bouncin'," demanded 311 lead singer Nick Hexum at the start of the band's Tuesday-night concert, and for the next one hour and 45 minutes, the bouncing carried forth, as 311 played a crowd-pleasing, nonstop set that represented the best of the band's last 10 years of hit-record making.
The Omaha, Neb. group isn't the first rock band to bring reggae elements into its sound, but few others have been as successful in doing so. The band might not draw Matthews or Buffett-size crowds, but no style of music (other than metal, of course) fires up a Riverbend audience like 311's Great Plains rendering of the Jamaican beat.
The songs, and the subsequent bouncing, came in two speeds: calorie burn (like "You Wouldn't Believe" and the breakthrough smash "Down") and cool down (like "Beyond the Gray Sky" and the band's recent hit reggae-ish version of the Cure's "Love Song"). Hexum and his bandmates - vocalist/rapper/DJ SA Martinez, guitarist Tim Mahoney, bassist P-Nut and drummer Chad Sexton - easily negotiated the highs and lows and slows and fasts within the set and sometimes the songs themselves, and the shifting speed-and-volume dynamics kept their reggae-rock monotone from bogging down.
The band's two picks for openers also added to the variety. The Roots, a live-instrumentation hip-hop band from Philadelphia, were to crowd-unison head bobbing what 311 was to crowd-unison bouncing. At their top-dollar best, the group came off like a mixture of New York golden-age '80s rapping and James Brown "Sex Machine"-era grooves. At their not so good, the sextet made like overwrought arena-rock heroes, with guitarist Kirk Douglas (and one particular endless guitar solo) the biggest offender.
Medeski, Martin and Wood began the show, and while the acclaimed fusion-organ trio whipped up one or two spells of interesting ebb and flow, most of their set was unadventurous, straight-ahead groove catering more to hippie dancers than jazz heads.
Tuesday, June 22, 2004
NIGHT BEAT: 311's best, worst times came early (Review Journal)
The band 311 became a success by performing an easily recognizable sound -- a blend of rap, reggae-rock and turntable spinning. That helped keep the Omaha, Neb., band on the music map for 11 years. And now, the five-piece band is an industry veteran. It even has a "Greatest Hits: '93-'03" album on the market.
"It's a wild feeling" to have been around this long, says singer and turntablist S.A. Martinez, 33. His band headlines the Orleans Arena, with the Roots, on Wednesday.
Looking back, Martinez says the band's best of times and worst of times came together, in the beginning. Among his favorite memories was when 311 opened for 10,000 Maniacs' final tour with singer Natalie Merchant.
"I think there's something about her music that's very genuine in how she delivers it and presents it," he says. "I don't think she's ever released anything I don't like."
Opening for Merchant's band was "kind of, like, part of a rock and roll fantasy," he says. "When we started, we signed with this management. They were called Gold Mountain. And at the time, they managed Sonic Youth and Beastie Boys. And we were, like, `We're gonna be opening for Sonic Youth and Beastie Boys!' And that never happened."
Now, it's musicians in other bands that call 311 an inspiration.
"I think that's great. Obviously, you want to have that type of influence. You don't want to hear, `I hated you guys,' " Martinez says.
As for 311's worst of times, that happened around the time of the 10,000 Maniacs gig, in 1993. The band's RV blew up, forcing it onto the side of the road. The players escaped with mostly minor injuries. Singer-guitarist Nick Hexum had second-degree burns.
"That happened, and subsequently all of our gear burned up. And then our label at the time tried to take advantage of the situation by asking for publishing" rights from the band, he says. "That stands out as a bad time."
Anyway, that's how 311 got started. With a dream and a nightmare.
"Yeah, things have quieted down somewhat," he says and laughs.
Earlier this year, the group showed its staying power by notching another hit with a Cure classic, "Love Song," which 311 cut after fan Adam Sandler asked them to cover it for his comedy "50 First Dates."
Martinez says he's glad 311 ended up with such a good reputation and righteous fans. That's right, they didn't end up like Hootie and the Blowfish, I say.
"Thank God," he says.
"It's a wild feeling" to have been around this long, says singer and turntablist S.A. Martinez, 33. His band headlines the Orleans Arena, with the Roots, on Wednesday.
Looking back, Martinez says the band's best of times and worst of times came together, in the beginning. Among his favorite memories was when 311 opened for 10,000 Maniacs' final tour with singer Natalie Merchant.
"I think there's something about her music that's very genuine in how she delivers it and presents it," he says. "I don't think she's ever released anything I don't like."
Opening for Merchant's band was "kind of, like, part of a rock and roll fantasy," he says. "When we started, we signed with this management. They were called Gold Mountain. And at the time, they managed Sonic Youth and Beastie Boys. And we were, like, `We're gonna be opening for Sonic Youth and Beastie Boys!' And that never happened."
Now, it's musicians in other bands that call 311 an inspiration.
"I think that's great. Obviously, you want to have that type of influence. You don't want to hear, `I hated you guys,' " Martinez says.
As for 311's worst of times, that happened around the time of the 10,000 Maniacs gig, in 1993. The band's RV blew up, forcing it onto the side of the road. The players escaped with mostly minor injuries. Singer-guitarist Nick Hexum had second-degree burns.
"That happened, and subsequently all of our gear burned up. And then our label at the time tried to take advantage of the situation by asking for publishing" rights from the band, he says. "That stands out as a bad time."
Anyway, that's how 311 got started. With a dream and a nightmare.
"Yeah, things have quieted down somewhat," he says and laughs.
Earlier this year, the group showed its staying power by notching another hit with a Cure classic, "Love Song," which 311 cut after fan Adam Sandler asked them to cover it for his comedy "50 First Dates."
Martinez says he's glad 311 ended up with such a good reputation and righteous fans. That's right, they didn't end up like Hootie and the Blowfish, I say.
"Thank God," he says.
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