Other times, they'll throw in some random covers. Sometimes, the guys launch into a cappella versions of their songs. And although it may not have the noodly sound of, say, Widespread Panic or Phish, the band has a jam-band-style tendency to improvise onstage. It ventures on the road every summer, whether or not it has an album to promote. The fan base is intact largely because 311 tours ridiculously. They're new songs that I think are really going to appeal to our base and a wider audience as well." But just as every moment is different, so is every song you put out. It's hard to talk about what's different from the last because inherently it's the same group of guys working together again. "It's got our 311 sound without question, but they're new songs. The band's signature style is alive and well, Martinez promises. We've never worked with anyone quite like him."īut the influence of a new producer need not intimidate purists. "He really got more ideas from everyone, more nuances, all the little things that make for that extra mojo. Rock "brought a new cohesion, I think, to the band," Martinez says. It marks a departure for the group, which has long worked with producer Ron Saint Germain. The album was produced by Bob Rock, known for his work with Metallica, Bon Jovi, Mötley Crüe and The Offspring. But it touches our core, and that's important. And music is something very special that makes everything seem all right. "I think there's a little overcast on the American soul right now. Sending a positive message is "something that we're known for," Martinez says proudly, explaining the name. In fact, as the title implies, it'll be an Uplifter. Instant cult hits included the Top 10 title track, plus "Frolic Room," "Solar Flare" and "Thank Your Lucky Stars."īut Martinez says 311 won't disappoint fans with the new disc. That's a bold statement, considering that Don't Tread became the favorite record of many of the band's hardcore fans-even though it didn't go gold or platinum like earlier releases. And I think the result was that this release is packed with the best material we've come up with in a really long time." "It was a decision to not put anything out for several reasons but chiefly just to recharge the creative juices. "It has been a few years since we've had any new material, but the time was right," Martinez says, checking in by phone from the road. And on June 2, 311 will release its ninth studio album, Uplifter, which comes after a four-year break in recording. There were gems like From Chaos and Evolver in the middle. There was the last studio album in 2005, Don't Tread on Me. Once the band bit down on success with its self-titled chart-topper, it didn't let go, following up with one album after another of mixed feel-good grooves and hard rockers. Martinez, guitarist Tim Mahoney, drummer Chad Sexton and bassist P-Nut finally saw their band climb the sales and airplay charts. It wasn't until nearly a year after putting out its third album-titled 311-that guitarist/singer Nick Hexum, DJ/singer S.A. So in 1992, the band stored all its belongings and pursued a life on the road, garnering.well, almost no recognition from the media or the record industry. 311's sound-a psychedelic rock/reggae/funk hybrid, full of crunchy guitars but embellished with positive lyrics, a neohippie vibe and sounds from a DJ who is a core part of the band-didn't exactly set Nebraska on fire. Its hometown of Omaha, Nebraska, had been a hub for black jazz musicians in the 1920s, but during the post-metal, pre-Conor Oberst era, before Bruce Springsteen had named an album after the Cornhusker state, the sonic landscape was bleak. The five-piece band was born of humble beginnings in 1990. It pretty much defines the word underrated. I'll come out and declare it: 311 is one of the greatest bands gigging today. Now, as 311 releases a new album and sets off on a new tour, the older, wiser version of myself has to say.not much has changed.įuck it. It doesn't seem like all that long ago that I was a hyper middle-schooler jamming to "Down" and "All Mixed Up" in a friend's garage. And oh yeah, the band's had seven singles hit the Top 10 on Billboard's Modern Rock charts. Of the band's eight albums, four have gone gold, one platinum and one triple platinum. For the better part of two decades, 311 has been cranking out album after album and trotting almost nonstop around the globe.
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