What's 311?
So WHAT is 311? 311 is a band that started back in Omaha, Nebraska, where all 5 members grew up. The band is made up of: Nick Hexum, SA Martinez, Chad Sexton, Tim Mahoney and PNUT. 311 currently has 7 major record releases (which have sold of 6 million records in the U.S.): Music, Grassroots, Blue (self titled), Transistor, Live, Soundsystem, & From Chaos. They have 2 home videos sufficiently named Enlarged To Show Detail and Enlarged To Show Detail 2 (sometimes abreviated ETSD), complete with 2 bonus music discs. They also have 3 independent releases from when they were first starting: Dammit!, Hydroponic, & Unity. These 3 albums were later broken down, remastered and made into a cd named Omaha Sessions, released only through 311's website store. 311 crosses musical boundaries with their sound mixing hard rock, reggae, hip hop, funk, and other genres to create their own rare unexampled, unmatched style. So WHO is 311? Starting with Nick, Nick was born Nicholas Lofton Hexum in Madison, WI on April 12th, 1970. He is one of the vocalists and guitarists for 311. SA, which is a nickname Nick gave him meaning "Spooky Apparation", was born Douglas Vincent Martinez in Omaha, NE on October 29th, 1970. He is also a vocalist, and works the turntables. Chad, the drummer/percussionist, was born Chad Ronald Sexton in Lexington, KY on September 7th, 1970. Tim, 311's second guitarist, was born Timothy Jerome Mahoney in Omaha, NE on February 17th, 1970. And finally, the youngest of the band, PNUT, was born Aaron Charles Wills on June 5th, 1974 in Indianapolis, IN. PNUT got his name when one of his friends commented on his oversized head, saying it looked like a peanut. Nick and Tim played in a band in high school called "The Eds", and Nick also played in a jazz band with Chad. The 3 of them went to Westside High. SA & PNUT went to Bryan High, located on the southside. Nick graduated early at the age of 17, and moved to LA (where he currently resides). Nick came back to Westside just in time for Chad and Tim's graduation, when they started playing together. They added a keyboardist named Ward Bones. The 4 of them called themselves Unity. They went to LA to land a music deal, but were not successful. Chad moved back to Omaha and met PNUT and a guitarist named Jim Watson. Chad persuaded Nick to move back, and he did. They called themselves 311, which stands for the Omaha police code "Indecent Exposure". The name was a joke because Watson, was caught with a code 311. The name stuck with them from then on. Later on Jim left the band, and Tim joined. SA was only making appearances in the band from time to time, but later on, he was made a full member. The band known as 311 today was complete. Releasing their independent albums, and touring constantly all over the US, they established a strong fan base. Making nearly no money, the band moved to California and lived in 1 house together. Eventually they were signed to Capricorn Records. At last they made their record debut with Music, and set out to tour heavily in support of it. But in the midst of it all, their RV caught on fire destroying their equipment and possesions (This set the story line in their song "Omaha Stylee" found on the Grassroots record). But 311 continued on with donated equipment from friends and later released their second album. After the release they didn't stop touring. But 311 didn't hit it big until their 3rd self titled release, when the song "Down" became #1 on the radio stations and mtv nationwide. The second single from 311 "All Mixed Up" made it all over the nation too. The album was such a success it went triple platinum. 311 released Enlarged To Show Detail and was a hit too. It as a video went platinum. As a follow up they released Transistor which also made it platinum. 311's extensive touring paid off, as they headlined their own shows from then on, and even traveled to Europe, Japan, UK and more. Known for having one of the best live shows in the U.S., 311 tours constantly playing about 150 shows a year. Because 311's live shows attract so much attention, they released a live cd. In 1998 they released Soundsystem and toured. The album did considerably well, but not as nearly well as 311 or Transistor. Their most recent release From Chaos was released in June. They headlined the Warped Tour, and started their own tour supporting From Chaos. Enlarged To Show Detail 2 was released in Decemeber 2001 and is availible at cdnow.com. What is 'The Hive'? The Hive is 311's recording studio which they purchased in California. There has been two hives, but this one is their own. 'The Hive' is also the name of 311's fan club, which you can join at 311's official site. Each year on 311 Day (March 11th), 311 does a special show for the fans. In past years 311 has held this special day in New Orleans, and there's even a plaque from the mayor there, officially claiming March 11th as 311 Day. Fans gather from across the country to take part in festivities of meeting 311, and attending the show which is very extensive, as they played 59 songs last 311 Day which was nearly 4 hours long. As for touring, 311 will be out all summer playing shows in support of their new album titled Evolver which was released July 22nd. The tour started July 15th and I recommend you see a 311 show if you haven't yet, and if you have, then you know it's a must go!! So keep an eye out for 311! And if you get the chance, see their show! Tour dates are availible Here.
Ha Nick Hexum is awesome.. and so funny sometimes..
Last Updated: Sunday, August 24th, 2003
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