311 frontman Nick Hexum says now is a good time to catch the band, because it might become a bit scarce in the near future.
Hexum isn’t sounding the farewell alarm, however. But he does feel that after the group fi nishes touring to support its latest album, 2005’s “Don’t Tread on Me,” “it’s time for a little bit of a break so we can figure out what the next thing we do will be.
“I wouldn’t feel satisfi ed if our next album could be so closely compared to the previous one,” adds Hexum, 36, who co-founded the punk-reggae band during 1990 in Omaha, Neb., and relocated to Los Angeles in a year later. “It’s time for a step.
“At certain points you have these revelations of, like, ‘OK, this is where we need to go.’ I think we need to step back and think about that for a while.”
Hexum says the move is “pre-emptive” and there’s no trouble in the group.
“I want to take time off before we get sick of it,” he says.
And while he knows “it’s a risk to let your name die down by stepping out of the spotlight,” Hexum also is confident that “our (fan) roots are so solid that if we take a little time off, it’ll be OK.”
Hexum plans to fi ll his time with other projects, including reggae-style covers of pop standards he began recording several years ago, as well as his liberalhexum.org Web site, which focuses on global warming and other environmental issues.
Ultimately, he says, “I’m waiting for that bolt of lightning to hit me that I get when I write my best music. So I have to keep my chops up, and doing the covers is a great way to practice.”
Sunday, December 16, 2007
Interview with 311 Bassist P-Nut (UnRated)
UnRated Magazine was able to speak with the bassist from 311, P-Nut a few days prior to the kick off of their 2007 summer tour with Matisyahu. P-Nut sheds some light on the future of the band, 311-Day '08, and his current side project.
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Dan: What's going on P-Nut?
P-Nut: Oh I'm just chillin out here in California.
Dan: How's the weather?
P-Nut: It's great. It's really nice I'm going to miss it a little bit when I'm gone. That's one of my favorite things about travel especially now that I've been living in California for 15 years. With all the variation of weather that we used to get out in the Midwest and it's so consistent out here, that the only time I ever get to see weather is when I travel, so I look forward to that.
Dan: We definitely understand where you're coming from living in Chicago
P-Nut: Yeah no doubt right. the extremes.
Dan: Thanks for taking the time to interview with UnRated Magazine.
Dan: Do you guys have a new album in the workings?
P-Nut: You know it's only in the tiniest of beginnings. It's not even really worth talking about yet. We're really just focusing on the tour. But that's our next step after conquering America.
Dan: How excited are you guys to be playing with Matisyahu this summer?
P-Nut: Yeah it's gonna be great! I think it's perfect. We played with The Wailers last summer, and they're kind of like the perfect heritage reggae band. Matisyahu is a cut from a new cloth, nice reflection and such good vibes it's gonna be fun.
Dan: How much longer do you guys plan to tour and make music, because I know many of your fans dread the day you guys say you're done?
P-Nut: There is no real endpoint, except for this moral coil, that's the only thing that could really get us away. We love working with each other. We've said it before, if we ever need to take a break from each other's personalities, or we need to live a little different side of life besides touring and recording, we can do that. Just like we did this last year where we were totally free to do whatever we wanted and nothing really on the agenda except for this summer tour and planning out 311-Day '08. You know those are really the only things we're talking about right now and it feels really good we're really excited about doing this tour and then 311-Day '08 and then starting to make an album and really just putting our whole selves into it. While we're recording just be there for that and not have any kind of time schedule and really make the perfect album. you know that's not possible but it's a goal to shoot for.
Dan: Speaking of 311-Day '08 do you guys know where that is going to be yet? Is New Orleans ready to have you guys back, or are you having one more 311-Day show in Memphis ?
P-Nut: I think it's going to be New Orleans . Yeah we're really excited about getting back. That's part of the reason we're not playing New Orleans this summer is because we're planning on making a return in the spring. We've got all kinds of crazy ideas that we're shooting around and trying to see if they will work at all but we're really excited about getting back to New Orleans and at this point it seems like it's going to work out.
Dan: What tunes you currently listening to?
P-Nut: I've been listening to the new Deftones, here and there, as noisy as it is, but I love them for it, they can do no wrong. I'm still listening to Coheed and Cambria #4 disc, and I love all the stuff that the Iron and Wine people put together, or that guy, it's just great songwriting. You know and then I digress into heritage rock, and I've been listening to a little bit of Steely Dan, and my wife left a Fleetwood Mac album in my car that I listen to unapologetically. I can't believe the production techniques of both of those groups. The clarity and the precision and the warmth of all the instruments is just amazing, and just kind of washes over you. Where in this digital music age, the tones are a lot more irritating, it's more like scratching your hands across a chalkboard, and that's the analog to digital difference.
Dan: Have you ever done a side project or has anyone else in the band ever had one?
P-Nut: It's funny you ask that Dan because I have been working on a side project for the last half year. I listened to some demos of a friend of mine that I play basketball with sent over to me and he was playing in a two-piece, they were bass player-less, and they were playing candid track onstage and I thought that was an abomination. But I thought it was really cool that they pulled it off and I'm sure that they did just fine, but as a bass player, I loved the songs. So I asked them to let me come in and play, and they were happy to have me come in. I brought them into our studio in North Hollywood and we recorded 17 songs, and I got production credit for the first time on a solitary basis.
Dan: Congratulations that's pretty cool
P-Nut: Yeah it's really fun, and the coolest part of it is there's no pressure. It's kind of like really, really good demos and I just hope that this will get the band, 'Hollows Follow,' more attention, and as much as I can play together with the guys I'll do that. But never to get in the way of 311, but it's so much fun and so different. The album is all about the lead singer Owen breaking up with his girlfriend, so it's kind of angry and kind of loud so it's really fun to pound out live and we've been doing that around Hollywood, about 4 or 5 times now. Owen and Josh practice all the time, and that's another thing that kind of brought me over the edge was I saw how dedicated they were. We even got a rehearsal space and we've been practicing a lot. It's gonna kind of suck not playing with them while I'm out, but if the trade off is playing in front of 20,000 people as opposed to 20 people, I think I can handle it until we get back in September.
Dan: Has 311 ever considered doing an all-acoustic disc or having a small tour of all-acoustic shows?
P-Nut: We were talking in a favorable way about this boat cruise that we did out in Long Beach that was 5 years ago that we did for a radio station out here in Los Angeles. We just floated around the bay and played all acoustic and it was really fun but I don't know that we would ever do and album like that. Doing special shows and just more on the novelty side rather than planning a whole tour around it, because I think it would get a little bit unsatisfying for the fans and the band. We would be kind of limited with that, if it was here and there, just to kind of pepper that idea around, it would kind of keep us on our toes. It's a great idea but I don't know that we would do it on any kind of consistent basis.
Dan: When you guys are out on the road, what is your favorite place to eat at, and in what city is that in?
P-Nut: Well we have a band tradition of going out and eating on our days off. A lot of times we'll find a Mortons, I've definitely fallen in love with America 's finer steakhouses. And being a Midwest man, I just can't help it, I've got to have a big slab of beef on my day off as is usually the case, you know eat some cow.
Dan: Thanks very much for taking the time to share some of your greatest insights with UnRated Magazine, and we look forward to seeing you out on tour here soon.
P-Nut: Oh yeah Northerly Island ! I bet it will rain.
Dan: I was just there last night for the Honda Civic Tour, with Fall Out Boy and The Academy Is and it was a beautiful night, so lets hope you get some of that same good weather for your show.
P-Nut: Oh cool I like The Academy Is they are nice guys, we ran into them in Japan last year.
Dan: Well thanks again for your time we look forward to seeing you here in Chicago shortly!
P-Nut: No problem, well I can't wait. We're getting athletically ready to deliver as good a show as possible every night, especially in Chicago.
Dan: Very cool we're excited to see you guys out with Matisyahu
P-Nut: Oh it's gonna be great. we'll see you guys then
Thanks first and foremost to P-Nut for taking the time to speak with UnRated Magazine and thanks to Sony BMG Music Entertainment for making this interview happen.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dan: What's going on P-Nut?
P-Nut: Oh I'm just chillin out here in California.
Dan: How's the weather?
P-Nut: It's great. It's really nice I'm going to miss it a little bit when I'm gone. That's one of my favorite things about travel especially now that I've been living in California for 15 years. With all the variation of weather that we used to get out in the Midwest and it's so consistent out here, that the only time I ever get to see weather is when I travel, so I look forward to that.
Dan: We definitely understand where you're coming from living in Chicago
P-Nut: Yeah no doubt right. the extremes.
Dan: Thanks for taking the time to interview with UnRated Magazine.
Dan: Do you guys have a new album in the workings?
P-Nut: You know it's only in the tiniest of beginnings. It's not even really worth talking about yet. We're really just focusing on the tour. But that's our next step after conquering America.
Dan: How excited are you guys to be playing with Matisyahu this summer?
P-Nut: Yeah it's gonna be great! I think it's perfect. We played with The Wailers last summer, and they're kind of like the perfect heritage reggae band. Matisyahu is a cut from a new cloth, nice reflection and such good vibes it's gonna be fun.
Dan: How much longer do you guys plan to tour and make music, because I know many of your fans dread the day you guys say you're done?
P-Nut: There is no real endpoint, except for this moral coil, that's the only thing that could really get us away. We love working with each other. We've said it before, if we ever need to take a break from each other's personalities, or we need to live a little different side of life besides touring and recording, we can do that. Just like we did this last year where we were totally free to do whatever we wanted and nothing really on the agenda except for this summer tour and planning out 311-Day '08. You know those are really the only things we're talking about right now and it feels really good we're really excited about doing this tour and then 311-Day '08 and then starting to make an album and really just putting our whole selves into it. While we're recording just be there for that and not have any kind of time schedule and really make the perfect album. you know that's not possible but it's a goal to shoot for.
Dan: Speaking of 311-Day '08 do you guys know where that is going to be yet? Is New Orleans ready to have you guys back, or are you having one more 311-Day show in Memphis ?
P-Nut: I think it's going to be New Orleans . Yeah we're really excited about getting back. That's part of the reason we're not playing New Orleans this summer is because we're planning on making a return in the spring. We've got all kinds of crazy ideas that we're shooting around and trying to see if they will work at all but we're really excited about getting back to New Orleans and at this point it seems like it's going to work out.
Dan: What tunes you currently listening to?
P-Nut: I've been listening to the new Deftones, here and there, as noisy as it is, but I love them for it, they can do no wrong. I'm still listening to Coheed and Cambria #4 disc, and I love all the stuff that the Iron and Wine people put together, or that guy, it's just great songwriting. You know and then I digress into heritage rock, and I've been listening to a little bit of Steely Dan, and my wife left a Fleetwood Mac album in my car that I listen to unapologetically. I can't believe the production techniques of both of those groups. The clarity and the precision and the warmth of all the instruments is just amazing, and just kind of washes over you. Where in this digital music age, the tones are a lot more irritating, it's more like scratching your hands across a chalkboard, and that's the analog to digital difference.
Dan: Have you ever done a side project or has anyone else in the band ever had one?
P-Nut: It's funny you ask that Dan because I have been working on a side project for the last half year. I listened to some demos of a friend of mine that I play basketball with sent over to me and he was playing in a two-piece, they were bass player-less, and they were playing candid track onstage and I thought that was an abomination. But I thought it was really cool that they pulled it off and I'm sure that they did just fine, but as a bass player, I loved the songs. So I asked them to let me come in and play, and they were happy to have me come in. I brought them into our studio in North Hollywood and we recorded 17 songs, and I got production credit for the first time on a solitary basis.
Dan: Congratulations that's pretty cool
P-Nut: Yeah it's really fun, and the coolest part of it is there's no pressure. It's kind of like really, really good demos and I just hope that this will get the band, 'Hollows Follow,' more attention, and as much as I can play together with the guys I'll do that. But never to get in the way of 311, but it's so much fun and so different. The album is all about the lead singer Owen breaking up with his girlfriend, so it's kind of angry and kind of loud so it's really fun to pound out live and we've been doing that around Hollywood, about 4 or 5 times now. Owen and Josh practice all the time, and that's another thing that kind of brought me over the edge was I saw how dedicated they were. We even got a rehearsal space and we've been practicing a lot. It's gonna kind of suck not playing with them while I'm out, but if the trade off is playing in front of 20,000 people as opposed to 20 people, I think I can handle it until we get back in September.
Dan: Has 311 ever considered doing an all-acoustic disc or having a small tour of all-acoustic shows?
P-Nut: We were talking in a favorable way about this boat cruise that we did out in Long Beach that was 5 years ago that we did for a radio station out here in Los Angeles. We just floated around the bay and played all acoustic and it was really fun but I don't know that we would ever do and album like that. Doing special shows and just more on the novelty side rather than planning a whole tour around it, because I think it would get a little bit unsatisfying for the fans and the band. We would be kind of limited with that, if it was here and there, just to kind of pepper that idea around, it would kind of keep us on our toes. It's a great idea but I don't know that we would do it on any kind of consistent basis.
Dan: When you guys are out on the road, what is your favorite place to eat at, and in what city is that in?
P-Nut: Well we have a band tradition of going out and eating on our days off. A lot of times we'll find a Mortons, I've definitely fallen in love with America 's finer steakhouses. And being a Midwest man, I just can't help it, I've got to have a big slab of beef on my day off as is usually the case, you know eat some cow.
Dan: Thanks very much for taking the time to share some of your greatest insights with UnRated Magazine, and we look forward to seeing you out on tour here soon.
P-Nut: Oh yeah Northerly Island ! I bet it will rain.
Dan: I was just there last night for the Honda Civic Tour, with Fall Out Boy and The Academy Is and it was a beautiful night, so lets hope you get some of that same good weather for your show.
P-Nut: Oh cool I like The Academy Is they are nice guys, we ran into them in Japan last year.
Dan: Well thanks again for your time we look forward to seeing you here in Chicago shortly!
P-Nut: No problem, well I can't wait. We're getting athletically ready to deliver as good a show as possible every night, especially in Chicago.
Dan: Very cool we're excited to see you guys out with Matisyahu
P-Nut: Oh it's gonna be great. we'll see you guys then
Thanks first and foremost to P-Nut for taking the time to speak with UnRated Magazine and thanks to Sony BMG Music Entertainment for making this interview happen.
311 Eyeing Time Off After Tour (Billboard)
It's not a farewell gambit of any kind, but 311 may be taking some time off when it finishes touring to promote its 2005 album, "Don't Tread on Me." Frontman Nick Hexum tells Billboard.com he foresees the group taking its first extended break since 1998, when 311 built its own studio.
"It's time for a step," he explains. "I wouldn't feel satisfied if our next album can be so closely compared to our last one. I think it's time for a little bit of a break and a little time away from each other, not out of necessity but as a pre-emptive thing, before we get sick of it.
"At certain points you have you have these revelations of, like, 'OK, this is where we need to go,'" he continues. "I think we need to step back and I need to talk to the guys and we need to think about that for awhile."
Hexum notes that it is "a risk to let your name die down by stepping out of the spotlight a bit. But I feel like our roots are so solid that if we took a little time off, that'd be OK."
Hexum plans to fill his time with other projects, including the LiberalHexum.org web site he launched to discuss global warming and other environmental issues. Musically he plans to return to the ongoing concern of "continuing my musical education" -- primarily by recording reggaefied covers of songs by Nat King Cole, Chet Baker and "a really eclectic variety of stuff," he says.
"I've been doing some jazz standards but also some rock and pop things," Hexum says. "Me and Dryden [Mitchell] from Alien Ant Farm got together and did an Edie Brickell song, so there's a lot of different things."
Whether any of these recordings will ever be released "remains to be seen," according to Hexum, though he says there are "no plans" to do so at the time. Mostly, he says, it's a creative exercise.
"I haven't had the bolt of lightning hit me that I get when I write my best music," he explains, "so in order to keep my chops up and so forth, doing the covers is a great way to practice."
311 is currently touring with the Wailers and has dates booked into early September.
"It's time for a step," he explains. "I wouldn't feel satisfied if our next album can be so closely compared to our last one. I think it's time for a little bit of a break and a little time away from each other, not out of necessity but as a pre-emptive thing, before we get sick of it.
"At certain points you have you have these revelations of, like, 'OK, this is where we need to go,'" he continues. "I think we need to step back and I need to talk to the guys and we need to think about that for awhile."
Hexum notes that it is "a risk to let your name die down by stepping out of the spotlight a bit. But I feel like our roots are so solid that if we took a little time off, that'd be OK."
Hexum plans to fill his time with other projects, including the LiberalHexum.org web site he launched to discuss global warming and other environmental issues. Musically he plans to return to the ongoing concern of "continuing my musical education" -- primarily by recording reggaefied covers of songs by Nat King Cole, Chet Baker and "a really eclectic variety of stuff," he says.
"I've been doing some jazz standards but also some rock and pop things," Hexum says. "Me and Dryden [Mitchell] from Alien Ant Farm got together and did an Edie Brickell song, so there's a lot of different things."
Whether any of these recordings will ever be released "remains to be seen," according to Hexum, though he says there are "no plans" to do so at the time. Mostly, he says, it's a creative exercise.
"I haven't had the bolt of lightning hit me that I get when I write my best music," he explains, "so in order to keep my chops up and so forth, doing the covers is a great way to practice."
311 is currently touring with the Wailers and has dates booked into early September.
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Last Word Features
Last Word Features
311 Feature By Alan Sculley
This summer marks a return to action for 311 after a hiatus that stretched for more than a year. But anyone who was concerned that the decision to take time off was a sign of discord within the group can rest easy.
Singer Nick Hexum says if anything, 311 is in a better place than ever.
"Everybody is getting along really well and there's a lot of, just a real vibe of gratitude that's going on that everyone's just like, this 311 thing that's going on around us is really an amazing, special thing to be part of," Hexum said in a recent phone interview. "We're kind of talking about that a lot, how cool it is that we get to do this." The band has plenty of reasons to appreciate its circumstances. Despite being off the radar for so long, 311 appears to have reached a new level of popularity. The summer dates (with Matisyahu opening) are at amphitheaters and this represents the group's biggest tour yet.
"It amazes us," Hexum said. "We would have been happy just to go out and play theaters because this tour is more intended just to get our chops up and get geared up to go right into the studio to make our next album."
The band went on hiatus after completing its tour in support of the 2005 CD "Don't Tread On Me" simply because of some burnout.
"I felt like we were a little bit on a treadmill of album tour, album tour, back and forth," Hexum said, noting that the band made "Don't Tread On Me" right after touring its 2003 CD, "Evolver," a CD that included the hit single "Love Song." "Because we felt like there was a good amount of momentum after that number one hit of 'Love Song' and stuff, we decided to go and knock out 'Don't Tread' as quickly as possible. So we didn't have that time to really reflect and appreciate, and you need to go get bored every once in awhile. So then you look forward to that excitement of touring. When it goes tour, album, tour, right without any down time, maybe there was a little sort of drop in the appreciation of the work side of it. Now since we've had this break, there is just a total excitement and rebirth of the energy among the band members."
During the time off, the band members didn't exactly go their separate ways. In fact, Hexum said there was plenty of contact and camaraderie as he and his bandmates – SA Martinez (vocals/deejay), Chad Sexton (drums), Tim Mahoney (guitar) and P-Nut (bass) -- settled back into life in their home base of Los Angeles, where the band has a studio called the Hive.
"I haven't gone a week without seeing the guys because we'll all just kind of gather out there (at the Hive), "Hexum said. "Even if I'm not really working on anything, I'll just stop out there and make some lunch or work out or shoot some hoops. So I run into the guys quite a bit. And Chad's been opening a drum store close to the studio, so he was in an out over there quite a bit. He's also opening a barbecue restaurant next door to the drum store. So he's been real busy. I've seen him a lot because of the location and stuff. Because of having our own studio, having the Hive, that we've really modified a lot to be like our dream place, it makes it so easy to run into each other and hang out quite a bit."
What didn't occur during the down time was much work on music, which was fine with Hexum.
And even though the summer tour is being viewed as a way to gear up for the making of a new studio album, Hexum said this tour will focus more on the entire 311 catalog, rather than road testing new material or focusing on any of the band's eight CDs.
"We don't have anything that's ready to be played as of today," Hexum said when asked how much songwriting has been done lately. "But I would say because of the real high morale that's going on between the band members, I wouldn't be surprised if we do put a completed song together and bust it out on the tour. But right now we've just been really getting into dusting off some old gems that haven't maybe been in the rotation. There are certain obscure songs that we had kind of neglected that we're bringing out.
"Me personally, I'm kind of waiting until we get together (after the summer tour) to make the stuff up on the spot because I want to have more of a collaborative, cooperative kind of sound," he said. "The tour will get us warmed up and polished up and get our chops up. And then we'll go in and just pretty much do it (write and create) in the studio…It (the Hive) is a really comfortable place where we can just hang out, order some food, drink some coffee and just hang together, and just make a day of it and be creative together."
The time off gave each band member time to decompress and focus on their own lives. For Hexum, he also emerged from the hiatus with a different outlook on how he should view songwriting and the creative process. The other band members, he said, have bought into this way of thinking as well.
"We've gotten into new philosophies of being a conduit for the energy that we're just sort of transmitting, rather than feeling we're that we're responsible for it," Hexum said. "(The artist) Michelangelo was talking about how did he create one of his most brilliant statues. He said the statue was already inside the piece of the stone. I just cut away the stuff that was blocking it. I feel like when I play the guitar I try to just channel the energy that comes from someplace else rather than thinking it's all about me and I have to be responsible for everything. I'm responsible for doing the legwork, and then I try to leave the results up to some other creative energy force. That may sound a little mystical and hokey, but it's just the easier way. If you think you're responsible for everything, then you can get into perfectionism and writer's block and things that aren't really helpful to the creative attitude."
Hexum said he also used the hiatus to focus on some personal, inner improvement. He developed a regimen of meditation and also spent time reading up on various forms of spiritualism.
"The great guitarist John McLaughlin of the Mahavishnu Orchestra was asked, because he's such an amazing guitarist, how do you become a better musician," Hexum said. "And he said become a better person. If you work on yourself and you're coming from a more peaceful, centered place, then it's going to be reflected in the music.
"Some bands like to express angst and more painful emotions. 311 has always been more about joy," the singer noted. "We've been trying to work on increasing that. I've been working on it myself, and I feel like the other guys have been, too. It feels like there are a lot of good vibes going around."
311 Feature By Alan Sculley
This summer marks a return to action for 311 after a hiatus that stretched for more than a year. But anyone who was concerned that the decision to take time off was a sign of discord within the group can rest easy.
Singer Nick Hexum says if anything, 311 is in a better place than ever.
"Everybody is getting along really well and there's a lot of, just a real vibe of gratitude that's going on that everyone's just like, this 311 thing that's going on around us is really an amazing, special thing to be part of," Hexum said in a recent phone interview. "We're kind of talking about that a lot, how cool it is that we get to do this." The band has plenty of reasons to appreciate its circumstances. Despite being off the radar for so long, 311 appears to have reached a new level of popularity. The summer dates (with Matisyahu opening) are at amphitheaters and this represents the group's biggest tour yet.
"It amazes us," Hexum said. "We would have been happy just to go out and play theaters because this tour is more intended just to get our chops up and get geared up to go right into the studio to make our next album."
The band went on hiatus after completing its tour in support of the 2005 CD "Don't Tread On Me" simply because of some burnout.
"I felt like we were a little bit on a treadmill of album tour, album tour, back and forth," Hexum said, noting that the band made "Don't Tread On Me" right after touring its 2003 CD, "Evolver," a CD that included the hit single "Love Song." "Because we felt like there was a good amount of momentum after that number one hit of 'Love Song' and stuff, we decided to go and knock out 'Don't Tread' as quickly as possible. So we didn't have that time to really reflect and appreciate, and you need to go get bored every once in awhile. So then you look forward to that excitement of touring. When it goes tour, album, tour, right without any down time, maybe there was a little sort of drop in the appreciation of the work side of it. Now since we've had this break, there is just a total excitement and rebirth of the energy among the band members."
During the time off, the band members didn't exactly go their separate ways. In fact, Hexum said there was plenty of contact and camaraderie as he and his bandmates – SA Martinez (vocals/deejay), Chad Sexton (drums), Tim Mahoney (guitar) and P-Nut (bass) -- settled back into life in their home base of Los Angeles, where the band has a studio called the Hive.
"I haven't gone a week without seeing the guys because we'll all just kind of gather out there (at the Hive), "Hexum said. "Even if I'm not really working on anything, I'll just stop out there and make some lunch or work out or shoot some hoops. So I run into the guys quite a bit. And Chad's been opening a drum store close to the studio, so he was in an out over there quite a bit. He's also opening a barbecue restaurant next door to the drum store. So he's been real busy. I've seen him a lot because of the location and stuff. Because of having our own studio, having the Hive, that we've really modified a lot to be like our dream place, it makes it so easy to run into each other and hang out quite a bit."
What didn't occur during the down time was much work on music, which was fine with Hexum.
And even though the summer tour is being viewed as a way to gear up for the making of a new studio album, Hexum said this tour will focus more on the entire 311 catalog, rather than road testing new material or focusing on any of the band's eight CDs.
"We don't have anything that's ready to be played as of today," Hexum said when asked how much songwriting has been done lately. "But I would say because of the real high morale that's going on between the band members, I wouldn't be surprised if we do put a completed song together and bust it out on the tour. But right now we've just been really getting into dusting off some old gems that haven't maybe been in the rotation. There are certain obscure songs that we had kind of neglected that we're bringing out.
"Me personally, I'm kind of waiting until we get together (after the summer tour) to make the stuff up on the spot because I want to have more of a collaborative, cooperative kind of sound," he said. "The tour will get us warmed up and polished up and get our chops up. And then we'll go in and just pretty much do it (write and create) in the studio…It (the Hive) is a really comfortable place where we can just hang out, order some food, drink some coffee and just hang together, and just make a day of it and be creative together."
The time off gave each band member time to decompress and focus on their own lives. For Hexum, he also emerged from the hiatus with a different outlook on how he should view songwriting and the creative process. The other band members, he said, have bought into this way of thinking as well.
"We've gotten into new philosophies of being a conduit for the energy that we're just sort of transmitting, rather than feeling we're that we're responsible for it," Hexum said. "(The artist) Michelangelo was talking about how did he create one of his most brilliant statues. He said the statue was already inside the piece of the stone. I just cut away the stuff that was blocking it. I feel like when I play the guitar I try to just channel the energy that comes from someplace else rather than thinking it's all about me and I have to be responsible for everything. I'm responsible for doing the legwork, and then I try to leave the results up to some other creative energy force. That may sound a little mystical and hokey, but it's just the easier way. If you think you're responsible for everything, then you can get into perfectionism and writer's block and things that aren't really helpful to the creative attitude."
Hexum said he also used the hiatus to focus on some personal, inner improvement. He developed a regimen of meditation and also spent time reading up on various forms of spiritualism.
"The great guitarist John McLaughlin of the Mahavishnu Orchestra was asked, because he's such an amazing guitarist, how do you become a better musician," Hexum said. "And he said become a better person. If you work on yourself and you're coming from a more peaceful, centered place, then it's going to be reflected in the music.
"Some bands like to express angst and more painful emotions. 311 has always been more about joy," the singer noted. "We've been trying to work on increasing that. I've been working on it myself, and I feel like the other guys have been, too. It feels like there are a lot of good vibes going around."
Thursday, August 30, 2007
311 and Matisyahu (Santa Barbara Independent)
I think I knew every song played during the 311 and Matisyahu show at the Bowl last week. Before you go calling bullshit on that claim, let me explain: First and foremost, I have known and loved 311 since the release of their first independent albums-they were the soundtrack for everything in my life from pre-dawn surf missions and run-ins with the police, to high school keg parties and botched first dates. Similarly, I have appreciated Matisyahu’s infectious and one-of-a-kind Hasidic reggae since first hearing a bootleg of his breakthrough Bonaroo set in ‘05.Given my longstanding fandom, I had seen both bands perform live long before Wednesday night’s gig and-though it was far from a disappointment-the latest performance regrettably sounded exactly like the 311 and Matisyahu concerts of my past. In short, it was enjoyably familiar, though decidedly lacking in artistic growth. And it is for this reason that I knew every song. This is not to say that I could sing them all word for word, but I had definitely met them before and-in the years since our first introductions-it seems they haven’t changed a bit.
That being said, I am sure good times were had by all in attendance. From the stiff-legged jive jumps of Matisyahu to the bouncy hip-hop, punk, and reggae attack of 311, the show’s energy prompted the first real mosh pits of the ‘07 season. And then there was the bliss of the aforementioned familiarity. As bad as a re-run can be, it can also work as the ultimate user-friendly tool in your quest for party pleasure. In that vein, when 311 took the stage and the first chords of “Down” filled the night, I was grinning despite myself, my hands-both holding full keg cups-high in the air, my spirits high, feeling completely content to be exactly where I was-some 13 years and 3,000 miles removed from the first time that very song made me wave my beer around on a warm summer night.
That being said, I am sure good times were had by all in attendance. From the stiff-legged jive jumps of Matisyahu to the bouncy hip-hop, punk, and reggae attack of 311, the show’s energy prompted the first real mosh pits of the ‘07 season. And then there was the bliss of the aforementioned familiarity. As bad as a re-run can be, it can also work as the ultimate user-friendly tool in your quest for party pleasure. In that vein, when 311 took the stage and the first chords of “Down” filled the night, I was grinning despite myself, my hands-both holding full keg cups-high in the air, my spirits high, feeling completely content to be exactly where I was-some 13 years and 3,000 miles removed from the first time that very song made me wave my beer around on a warm summer night.
Monday, August 20, 2007
Amphitheater welcomes 311 with guests The Wailers, Pepper
311 with special guests The Wailers, Pepper will take the stage on Sunday, Aug. 27, 7:30 p.m., for a pavilion-only show at the Ford Amphitheater.
311 is touring in support of last year's release of "Don't Tread On Me," their eighth album in fifteen years. The band was formed in Omaha, Neb., by five self-described 'friends for life' (singer and guitarist Nick Hexum, singer S.A. Martinez, guitarist Tim Mahoney, drummer Chad Sexton and the bassist known only as P-Nut) whose common link was a passion for both music and life.
They have sold millions of albums and even had a video certified platinum, all serving as a strong testament to the unique relationship 311 has with its fans. In 2004. the band recorded a cover of the Cure's "Love Song" for the Adam Sandler movie "50 First Dates." It reached No. 1 on the Billboard Modern Rock Radio Chart, making it the band's second No.1 hit and their sixth single to crack the Top 10.
"When we first started the band, we were always sure something good was going to happen," said drummer Chad Sexton. "And we've never gone backwards in any way since."
The Wailers reached legendary status through the music of Bob Marley who fronted the group until his death from cancer. With many of the original members still involved, the group will perform all of the classic Marley tunes as they were meant to be heard. The Wailers lineup will include: Aston Barrett - bass (original), Junior Marvin - lead guitar (original), Al Anderson - lead guitar (original), Chico - trumpet (original), Gary Pine - lead vocal, Drummy - drums, Keith Sterling - keyboards (played with Peter Tosh), Roxanne Prince - backing vocals, and Marsha Scott Hines - backing vocals.
311 is touring in support of last year's release of "Don't Tread On Me," their eighth album in fifteen years. The band was formed in Omaha, Neb., by five self-described 'friends for life' (singer and guitarist Nick Hexum, singer S.A. Martinez, guitarist Tim Mahoney, drummer Chad Sexton and the bassist known only as P-Nut) whose common link was a passion for both music and life.
They have sold millions of albums and even had a video certified platinum, all serving as a strong testament to the unique relationship 311 has with its fans. In 2004. the band recorded a cover of the Cure's "Love Song" for the Adam Sandler movie "50 First Dates." It reached No. 1 on the Billboard Modern Rock Radio Chart, making it the band's second No.1 hit and their sixth single to crack the Top 10.
"When we first started the band, we were always sure something good was going to happen," said drummer Chad Sexton. "And we've never gone backwards in any way since."
The Wailers reached legendary status through the music of Bob Marley who fronted the group until his death from cancer. With many of the original members still involved, the group will perform all of the classic Marley tunes as they were meant to be heard. The Wailers lineup will include: Aston Barrett - bass (original), Junior Marvin - lead guitar (original), Al Anderson - lead guitar (original), Chico - trumpet (original), Gary Pine - lead vocal, Drummy - drums, Keith Sterling - keyboards (played with Peter Tosh), Roxanne Prince - backing vocals, and Marsha Scott Hines - backing vocals.
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Unity Tour headed for the Amphitheatre (TBN Weekly)
TAMPA - 311 with special guest Matisyahu brings the Unity Tour 2007 to the Ford Amphitheatre on Wednesday, July 18, 6:30 p.m.
Tickets are $37.50, general admission dance floor; $35 and $25, reserved seats; and $20 festival lawn and available at the Ford Amphitheatre Box Office, online at www.livenation.com and www.ticketmaster.com, and all Ticketmaster locations, including FYE and Spec's Music, or charge by phone by calling at 813-287-8844 or 727-898-2100.
311 return to the road, and they are fired-up and ready to make this an amazing summer tour. Formed more than 15 years ago in Omaha, 311 are pioneers of mixing rap, reggae, funk and metal to create their own unique blend of vibe music.
The band is composed of five self-described “friends for life” (singer and guitarist Nick Hexum, singer S.A. Martinez, guitarist Tim Mahoney, drummer Chad Sexton and the bassist known only as P-Nut) whose common link was a passion for both music and life. It was this philosophy that eventually brought them together to make music with a positive message behind it.
They have sold millions of albums and even had a video certified platinum, all serving as a strong testament to the unique relationship 311 has with its fans.
“When we first started the band, we were always sure something good was going to happen,” said drummer Chad Sexton. “And we’ve never gone backwards in any way since.”
Hailing from Brooklyn NY, Matisyahu brings his electrifying fusion of reggae and rock with an unbelievable energy and positivity. When Matisyahu emerged with his debut album, Shake Off the Dust ... Arise, in 2004, his musical persona seemed to some a novelty. Here was a Hasidic Jew, dressed in a black suit with a broad-brimmed black hat worn over a yarmulke, and sporting a full, untrimmed beard, who nevertheless performed toasting raps about the glories of traditional Judaism over reggae beats in a dancehall style directly from Jamaica, punctuating his performances with stage diving.
It may have seemed like a joke at first, but Matisyahu was serious, and he began to attract press notices to go with the enthusiastic audiences that packed his concerts. Breaking big on the scene with his song "King Without A Crown", Matisyahu delivered an original, uplifting, powerful performance. Matisyahu toured around the country and prepared a second studio album produced by Bill Laswell. The final product, Youth, appeared in March 2006 and was nominated for a Grammy in the category of “Best Reggae Album.”
Tickets are $37.50, general admission dance floor; $35 and $25, reserved seats; and $20 festival lawn and available at the Ford Amphitheatre Box Office, online at www.livenation.com and www.ticketmaster.com, and all Ticketmaster locations, including FYE and Spec's Music, or charge by phone by calling at 813-287-8844 or 727-898-2100.
311 return to the road, and they are fired-up and ready to make this an amazing summer tour. Formed more than 15 years ago in Omaha, 311 are pioneers of mixing rap, reggae, funk and metal to create their own unique blend of vibe music.
The band is composed of five self-described “friends for life” (singer and guitarist Nick Hexum, singer S.A. Martinez, guitarist Tim Mahoney, drummer Chad Sexton and the bassist known only as P-Nut) whose common link was a passion for both music and life. It was this philosophy that eventually brought them together to make music with a positive message behind it.
They have sold millions of albums and even had a video certified platinum, all serving as a strong testament to the unique relationship 311 has with its fans.
“When we first started the band, we were always sure something good was going to happen,” said drummer Chad Sexton. “And we’ve never gone backwards in any way since.”
Hailing from Brooklyn NY, Matisyahu brings his electrifying fusion of reggae and rock with an unbelievable energy and positivity. When Matisyahu emerged with his debut album, Shake Off the Dust ... Arise, in 2004, his musical persona seemed to some a novelty. Here was a Hasidic Jew, dressed in a black suit with a broad-brimmed black hat worn over a yarmulke, and sporting a full, untrimmed beard, who nevertheless performed toasting raps about the glories of traditional Judaism over reggae beats in a dancehall style directly from Jamaica, punctuating his performances with stage diving.
It may have seemed like a joke at first, but Matisyahu was serious, and he began to attract press notices to go with the enthusiastic audiences that packed his concerts. Breaking big on the scene with his song "King Without A Crown", Matisyahu delivered an original, uplifting, powerful performance. Matisyahu toured around the country and prepared a second studio album produced by Bill Laswell. The final product, Youth, appeared in March 2006 and was nominated for a Grammy in the category of “Best Reggae Album.”
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