311 UNITY TOUR, SUMMER 2012
311 DAY 2012 RECAP
311 CRUISE, MAY 2012

311 UNITY TOUR (SUMMER 2012)

311 and Slightly Stoopid will join forces on Unity Tour 2012, the ultimate party-concert of the summer!
TOUR DATES NOW ANNOUNCED at www.311.com/shows
First week of July through first week of September, coast to coast.
Tickets will start to go on sale at the end of March.
Don’t miss the party of the summer!!! 311, Slightly Stoopid and special guest SOJA or The Aggrolites (depends on what city, see tour dates page for info).

311 DAY 2012 RECAP

Wow!!…What an amazing 311 DAY weekend in Las Vegas!
The celebration was kicked off by the Fan Party at the Joint @ Hard Rock Hotel and followed by two amazing three-hour 311 shows at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Over 10,500 fans attended the high energy shows both nights, where the band played extended setlists (79 different songs over the two nights), and had special lighting and visual production along with special musical guests who joined them on stage.

For show and song details view the setlist links.

Night One Setlist: click here

Night Two Setlist: click here

Fan Party Photo Gallery, click here

311 Day Concert Photo Gallery, click here

THANKS to everyone that attended 311 DAY from far and wide!!!. Once again it was an amazing gathering!
Photo by Justin Wise

311 CARIBBEAN CRUISE 2012

MAY 10 – 14
MIAMI TO HALF MOON CAY – OUR OWN PRIVATE ISLAND IN THE BAHAMAS!

311 will again takeover an entire Carnival Cruise Line, this time headed to Half Moon Cay – a private island where we’ll have a tropical paradise all to ourselves! Be sure to get on the boat!

Thurs, May 10: Depart Miami at 5PM
Fri, May 11: Arrive Half Moon Cay (Bahamas)
Sat, May 12: Another beautiful day on the island
Sun, May 13: At sea
Mon, May 14: Arrive Miami at 8AM.
www.311Cruise.com has all the Cruise details, pricing and payment plans.

13 BANDS & 2 DJS;
311, The Dirty Heads, Shwayze & Cisco, Ballyhoo, 2 Skinnee J’s, Shootyz Groove, Passafire, Full Service, Outlaw Nation, DJ Soulman, DJ Trichrome, Trailer Park Ninjas, Exes of Evil, Moral Defect.
Be sure to get yourself on the boat for an amazing life adventure with 311 and friends!!
 

311: NEW ALBUM, UNIVERSAL PULSE:

Universal Pulse is available as digital, cd and vinyl. Available at Best Buy, iTunes, Amazon, Target, Hot Topic and record stores far and wide!

Direct link at iTunes: http://www.itunes.apple.com/universal-pulse/

‎”Universal Pulse is a new classic for 311 and one of the best rock releases of 2011.” – ARTISTdirect.
“Classic 311: head-bobbing rhythm, heavily distorted guitars, funk bass, and a feel-good sing-along chorus” – Spin
 

311 VIDEOS:

Be sure to check out the new videos for Sunset In July, Weightless, Trouble, Wild Nights, Time Bomb, And A Ways To Go at: www.youtube.com/311

SUMMER TOUR DATES GOING ON SALE!

All show and ticket info at www.311.com/shows

MORE MUSIC. MORE SHOWS. MORE GOOD TIMES!

Every year it reminds me who I am and why exactly I love life.

I find a lot of joy in the fact that there are absolutely still people who stand for positivity, love, equality and unity.

There were a lot of phases I went through as a kid trying to define myself through the music of others — classic, punk, industrial, angry — this eclectic mix of everything good (including Sublime, Incubus, etc) is the brand that stuck. And, while I still listen to an insane variety of sounds, I long ago decided what it would be that I put back into the world should I ever get a platform like 311 has — a grin and a virtual hug.

That’s what the music of 311 still gives me — a hug with the human, animal and natural world and a dip into everything beyond — a jump in time with the crowd — positive energy to keep moving forward.

311 mosh pits are always “nice” — a place where girls and youngsters jump right along with everyone else — more dancing than slamming — people stopping to help others up and back to it.

The first time I saw them was at Rosemont Horizon (is it still called All-State Arena now? Sorry, I don’t buy it) — we were on the floor (I think we jumped the railing to get there) and the bouncy, foam soccer field was down. It was 8/16/1997. Transistor had just come out. Of course they played “8:16.” (Spearhead opened if I recall.)

Nick Hexum is still a role model of mine. Here’s a dude who didn’t have the greatest voice in the world or the tightest guitar chops — but he had a message and a vision to surround himself with insanely talented musicians who pushed him. What he had was a great ear — and so he wrote the music to push back. And they grew together, eventually bringing their sound to the world.

311 still frequently pops through the radio (most recently covering songs like “D’yer Maker” and “I Will Always Love You”), and their legions of fans make them one of the biggest cult touring bands in the world.

And, believe it or not, even though all the guys hover around 40-years-old, last year’s album (Universal Pulse) rocked really hard.

I can’t express how awesome it feels (and how young it made me feel) to know that your favorite teenage band still has IT.

After more than 20 years together 311 still has all five of its original members (Hexum, singer SA Martinez, guitarist Tim Mahoney, bassist P-Nut and drummer Chad Sexton (whose technique makes air-drumming near impossible)).

You never hear about these guys in trouble or see them on front of the tabloids.

That message they had?

They’ve been living it.

http://www.chicagonow.com/jam-room/2012/03/311-sunset-in-july/

But, hey, at least the guy confessed.

Half a decade after the fact.

“There was a time when all of our demos of the songs that we were working on got leaked, and we could not figure out how this happened for so long,” the 311 singer/guitarist recalls. “That was back in like ’05. Seven years later, we get this long letter from a fan explaining, ‘OK, I’m the one. I guessed Nick’s email password. I hacked in. I found the filesharing stuff that was intended for the band only.’

“It was crazy,” he continues. “In his letter, he was like, ‘I only gave them to two people.’ And of course, they only gave them to two people, and the next thing you know, it’s everywhere. It was irritating at the time, but it’s a happy problem to have. We’d much rather have fanatics than not.”

This weekend, said fanatics will swarm Vegas for 311 Day, a biennial bash capped by a marathon concert where the band has been know to play upward of five hours.

Now in its sixth go-round, 311 Day first came to Vegas in 2010, after stints in New Orleans and Memphis. This time, it’s expanding to three days, with a fan party at The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel today, followed by a two-night stand by the rap-rock-reggae hybridists at the MGM Grand Garden arena on Saturday and Sunday.

The shows are like a family reunion of sorts, with fans traveling from all 50 states and two dozen other countries, Hexum estimates, to see 311 perform a mix of rarities, deep album cuts, covers and more with outsize production values that the band has spent the past four months planning.

They’ve been rehearsing three days a week, all through February, relearning tunes that, in some instances, they’d all but forgotten.

“There were songs that I hadn’t listened to in so long that it was kind of like hearing them for the first time,” Hexum says. “That’s the cool thing of being in a band is that you’ll have documented so many little ideas that, maybe at the time we didn’t think really connected, but now brushing them off, we find that it’s like a little hidden gem, and through fan demand, we’ll revive those songs. It’s definitely a trip to look back at so many years of music.”

They get plenty of help in this process from 311 die-hards who meticulously track and catalog every show the band plays, compiling set lists and advocating for what they want to hear live, with Hexum corresponding with fans via Twitter and soliciting plenty of feedback.

“They’re so organized that they’ll hold polls and deliver the results to us,” Hexum says. “There were all these votes for one song and votes for another song and we take that into consideration. And then there’s stuff that probably no one would have thought of that maybe a band member came up with. There’s so many rare instrumentals and stuff that’s leaked out either deliberately or accidentally that we have to cull through depending on where our musical tastes are right now.”

Still, plenty of acts have rabid audiences, so what makes a band like 311, which hit its sales peak in 1995 with its self-titled third disc, which sold more than 3 million copies, able to pull off an event like this?

Most likely, a lot of it has to do with the vibe of their shows, which is familial and buoyant, sometimes in inverse proportion to the bruising nature of some of the band’s repertoire, which can be hard hitting at times, laid back and jovial at others.

311 has long stood in stark contrast to many of the other acts who came to prominence by blending hip-hop beats and rhymes with a rock guitar crunch, especially during the dour nu metal boom of the mid- to late-’90s, in that there was never any menace to it.

“Our very first single was called ‘Do You Right,’ and when we were recording it, our guitarist goes, ‘Man, it’s like a happy slam dance song,’ ” Hexum recalls. “I actually say that to introduce the song, pretty much every time we’ve played it for the past 20 years, because I realize that it is a unique thing, that it’s a really hard rockin’ song, but it’s just got kind of a joyous vibe to it. That’s our niche, that’s where we’re different. It doesn’t need to be destructive to rock really hard. You can make heavy music without that angry message.”

As such, their concerts have always been defined by an infectious, feel good energy, more in line with the come-as-you-are atmosphere of the jam band scene, and like bands of that ilk, 311 has largely made its living on the road with fans who travel right along with the band.

“I think it started out of necessity,” Hexum says of 311′s forever-full tour itinerary. “When we got going, this hybrid music that became really common after us, combining rap and rock and reggae and all these different things, there was no radio format to support that at all. It was still the time of grunge. There were a couple of hybrid bands out there — Faith No More had a hit, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers were going strong — but other than that, we were basically blackballed on radio, at first. So we realized that we needed to get out there and live on the road.”

That living has been good to them: In 2013, the group will celebrate 25 years together.

It’s been quite an endurance test — the same of which could be said of this weekend.

“Because it’s spread in two nights, we have the physical ability to make it the longest one ever,” Hexum says of this year’s 311 Day festivities. “There’s going to be surprises in everything. We’re testing our limits.”

http://www.lvrj.com/neon/311-day-a-three-day-party-topped-by-marathon-concert-142033373.html

What can fans expect? Songs no one has ever heard live. I was just looking at the setlist from 2010, and we’re playing twice as many rare songs right now. That number could always get cut down; we’re still rehearsing. On 311 Day, the people coming have heard the hits, so we’re using these shows as the world premier of many songs. We are practicing some B-sides that were never released, but our fans know the songs and we’ve never thought of playing them. It’s going to be very exciting.

After more than 10 albums and 20 years, how do you guys keep it fresh? Do we? I don’t know. I don’t think we have. I think we’ve fallen into a format as a band that has stifled our creativity, and we’re gonna stab it in the chest and let it bleed in the corner. We’re not afraid of going into dark places and pushing it, saying, “We’re not trying hard enough.”

It was different back when we were all living together and finishing each other’s sentences and playing four or five hours a day. We just can’t do that anymore. I guess we could get a communal house for all our families, which we have talked about. It would make a great VH1 special (laughs).

Do you have a favorite song to perform live? Hard to say. It’s a different song every time the question is asked. I get to play so many different styles and tones and emulate my heroes, it’s always a different song.

Who are some of those heroes? Oh, anyone playing bass, especially Steve Harris of Iron Maiden and Cliff Burton, the original bassist of Metallica. I went through a metal phase when I was 14 or 15.

You have such a devoted following and are so well known for your live performances. Do you feel pressure as a band to continuously up the ante with your live shows? No, I think the door is open to us. We seem to be supported as long as we don’t jump the shark. Enjoying live music is an ancient tradition, and I think we are an anomaly, in that we are wanting to solve conflicts. We don’t just want to rail against a problem, we are looking for solutions to it.

But lately we’ve been writing songs about how much we love our fans. Mostly because our world really ends with them. There’s our family and our fans and really nothing beyond that.

http://www.lasvegasweekly.com/news/2012/mar/07/six-questions-311-bassist-p-nut/

The night started off with DJ Trichrome. He was spinning some awesome reggae beats off of actual 45s. It was nice to hear vinyl. I was getting a kick out how he would tell us the years that the tunes were made, once saying, “this is back from 1985″. Haha, that’s not that long ago, is it? I’m getting old. Anyway, he is a talented DJ and amped up the crowd by repeatedly asking us if we were “ready for 311″? Me? BORN READY.

So after about 30-40 minutes of reggae awesomeness, the lights went down and 311 took the large stage. They opened with “Beautiful Disaster”. Right away, you could tell this was going to be a blast. Obviously, I’m a fan. But, there were others, lots of others, jumping and singing and thoroughly enjoying the show. 311 busted out a pretty diverse setlist, covering several albums and played one of my all-time favorite songs, “Stealing Happy Hours”. Here is the official setlist:

1. Beautiful Disaster
2. Prisoner
3. All Mixed Up
4. Weightless
5. Grassroots*
6. Eons
7. Sweet
8. Come Original
9. Rock On
10. Visit
11. Stealing Happy Hours
12. Applied Science
13. You Wouldn’t Believe
14. Purpose
15. Lose
16. Rub A Dub
BASS SOLO
17. Freeze Time
18. Nutsymptom
19. Amber
20. Down
e:
21. Who’s Got The Herb
22. Creatures (For a While)

It should be noted that Grassroots has not been played since 08/19/06, per the 311.com website.

I think that the best part of this show was Chad Sexton’s drum solo during “Applied Science”. He used what appeared to be an electric drum head to make some of the most unique music I’ve heard. There was an Asian flare to the whole solo, some audience members quipped that they were listening to the music from video game Mortal Kombat. Chad continues to amaze me. I’ve been seeing 311 since 1997, and the band is constantly growing and exploring themselves, while staying true to their “grassroots”. The rest of the band joined in on the solo. This time, we had gongs. That was a really neat twist. They’ve used a gong before I believe, but they each had smaller, squared gongs. This just added a really different sound that I quite enjoyed.

Of course, no 311 show is complete without a P-Nut bass solo. He pulled out all of the stops and blew the crowd away both with skill and sound. Like I said before, they get better EVERY time you see them perform. And Tim Mahoney, as always, was spectacular. He is a gifted guitarist. He had some very impressive solos and played off of the energy Nick Hexum was radiating. They came together on stage for parf of “Beautiful Disaster” and I watched Nick mouth the words “that’s nice” which I captured here:

All in all, I was very happy to have been able to both attend and shoot this show. There is no more delight in a photographer’s life in my opinion, than to stand next to, or in front of the people who make you the most happy, and snap photos of them. I am honored to share with you my photo gallery from the set. Two more stops: Lake Tahoe and Sacremento, then the magical event 311 day 2012 can begin. I know myself and several of my friends from across the USA have been counting down to this since 2010! Can’t wait to get on the road and see the show!

http://concertconfessions.com/2012/03/the-road-to-311-day-2012-the-peppermill-concert-hall/

311 DAY 2012 ON SALE NOW
311 CRUISE 2012 ON SALE NOW
311 SPRING TOUR 2012 ON SALE Now

311 Day Info Page: http://www.311.com/311-day-2012
311 Spring Tour: http://www.311.com/shows
311 Cruise: http://www.311Cruise.com

311 MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENTS

* 311 DAY 2012
* 311 CARIBBEAN CRUISE 2012

311 loves seeing the 311 community coming together like you did at 311 Day 2010 and 311 Cruise 2011 and 311 Pow Wow Festival 2011! These events are the absolute highlights of our year… So, we’re going to take it up a notch in 2012 and we want you to know what we have planned so far!

311 DAY 2012

MARCH 9 – 11
MGM GRAND ARENA
LAS VEGAS, NV

Fri, March 9: Fan Party at The Joint (Hard Rock Hotel)
Sat, March 10: 311 Show 1 at MGM Grand Arena
Sun, March 11: 311 Show 2 at MGM Grand Arena
We got a weekend this time….so we’ll have unique shows on Saturday & Sunday!!
We’ll ring in 311 Day Saturday night and celebrate on Sunday!

Single Day and Two Day Tickets are available.
Concert Tickets & Fan Party Tickets now on sale at www.Ticketmaster.com

For lots more info and special 311 Day Hotel Discounts, visit www.311.com/311-day-2012 for details.

We’ll see you in Vegas for the ultimate 311 concert event, 311 DAY!!!

311 CARIBBEAN CRUISE 2012

MAY 10 – 14
MIAMI TO HALF MOON CAY – OUR OWN PRIVATE ISLAND IN THE BAHAMAS!

311 will again takeover an entire Carnival Cruise Line, this time headed to Half Moon Cay – a private island where we’ll have a tropical paradise all to ourselves! Be sure to get on the boat!

Thurs, May 10: Depart Miami at 5PM
Fri, May 11: Arrive Half Moon Cay (Bahamas)
Sat, May 12: Another beautiful day on the island
Sun, May 13: At sea
Mon, May 14: Arrive Miami at 8AM.
www.311Cruise.com has all the Cruise details, pricing and payment plans.

13 BANDS & 2 DJS;
311, The Dirty Heads, Shwayze & Cisco, Ballyhoo, 2 Skinnee J’s, Shootyz Groove, Passafire, Full Service, Outlaw Nation, DJ Soulman, DJ Trichrome, Trailer Park Ninjas, Exes of Evil, Moral Defect.
Be sure to get yourself on the boat for an amazing life adventure with 311 and friends!!

311 CELEBRATE 11-11-11 WITH FREE SHOW DOWNLOAD!

11-11-11 only happens once every hundred years; and being 3 x 11, platinum rock band 311 plan to celebrate the date (which is another kind of “311 Day”) with a free gift to their dedicated fans.

Starting 11-11-11, 311 are giving away a FREE MP3 DOWNLOAD OF “311 LIVE FROM RED ROCKS 2011.”

Recorded live on 8/16/11 at Red Rocks Amphitheatre (Morrison, CO), the show is available as a Free Mp3, courtesy of 311.

High-Quality FLAC and Apple Lossless files are also available for $14.95 (for those who want the show in true CD quality audio). Cover art is also available for free download. Click the banner here to now download MP3′s, or visit: http://www.livedownloads.com/live-music/0,6862/Free-311-MP3-Download-8-16-2011-Red-Rocks.html

Also, on 11-11-11, 311 fans can find a 11% discount on all items at www.The311Store.com as a 1 day special sale. Get your goods while you can! At checkout just enter the coupon code 11-11-11 to get the 11% discount.

311: NEW ALBUM, UNIVERSAL PULSE, OUT NOW!!

Universal Pulse is now available as digital, cd and vinyl. Be sure to get your copy for some great summer jams! Available at Best Buy, iTunes, Amazon, Target, Hot Topic and record stores far and wide! Thanks to everyone who has supported the band in picking up a copy of Universal Pulse!

Direct link at iTunes: http://www.itunes.apple.com/universal-pulse/

UNIVERSAL PULSE:

‎”Universal Pulse is a new classic for 311 and one of the best rock releases of 2011.” – ARTISTdirect.
“Classic 311: head-bobbing rhythm, heavily distorted guitars, funk bass, and a feel-good sing-along chorus” – Spin

311 VIDEOS:

Be sure to check out the new videos for Sunset In July, Weightless, Trouble, Wild Nights, Time Bomb, And A Ways To Go at 311′s You Tube Channel: www.youtube.com/311

SPRING TOUR DATES:

2/28 Anahiem, CA
2/29 Ventura, CA
3/03 Wendover, NV
3/4 Boise, ID
3/6 Lake Tahoe, NV
3/7 Sacramento, CA
3/9 311 Fan Party, Las Vegas
3/10 311 DAY show, Las Vegas
3/11 311 DAY show, Las Vegas

All show and ticket info at www.311.com/shows

MORE MUSIC. MORE SHOWS. MORE GOOD TIMES!

http://www.idahostatesman.com/2012/03/02/2017030/the-411-on-311.html#storylink=cpy

311 have been playing shows for over twenty years and still have a ton of energy and intensity onstage. Another standout track was a single from SOUNDSYSTEM, “Come Original.” The crowd was going crazy-jumping, singing along to songs, and freely dancing. It was a little strange because the band did not perform very many songs off the new release, 2011’s UNIVERSAL PULSE, but did play the upbeat, “Wild Nights.” Also, 311 did not play very many tunes off of their first two albums, MUSIC and GRASSROOTS. Later in the set when vocalist, Nick Hexum explained the band were doing a song for the old school 311 fans, I was expecting something off the first release from 1993, and they did “Down,” from the group’s self-titled third album. However, the song was on 311’s 1995 self-titled album, so it is pretty old school.

Overall, the band played a fantastic mix of songs from their vast catalog of music. A highlight of the set was when drummer, Chad Sexton did a drum solo, which turned into all the guys playing bongo drums along with him. This is something I have seen 311 do in larger venues, so it was a unique experience to see it done on a smaller stage. The crowd was singing along with another well-known single for the band, “Amber,” also off FROM CHAOS. Another great moment was when bassist, P-Nut did an insane bass solo. This truly shows that the members of 311 are an entire unit and show respect for all of the superb musicianship of all members-plus P-Nut is awesome on the bass! The band’s set came to a close with one of my favorites, “Beautiful Disaster,” from 1997’s TRANSISTOR and the aforementioned, “Down.”

However, 311 could never leave fans hanging without an encore, as they came on stage to do two more songs. The band left the stage as they played one of my favorites, the pulse pounding, “Creatures (For a While,)” off 2003’s EVOLVER. It was great to see 311 in an intimate venue playing to a sold-out crowd of fans. If you want to do a road trip from Southern California to Vegas, 311 will be playing two shows Saturday 03/10/12 and Sunday 03/11/12 at the MGM Grand Arena to celebrate the date of 03/11. This is the first time the band will be doing two shows back to back. There is also a Fan Party on Friday, 03/09/12. I am sure this will be a once in a lifetime experience and a lot of fun. For information go to www.311.com.

http://www.soundsgoodca.com/~site/Show-reviews

For the band to host so many special events year after year proves that though the guys have gotten older, calmed down their partying ways and for some of them, become fathers, the fans are just as ravenous for 311 music as they were back in the ’90s when the Omaha natives first got together.

Now in Salt Lake had the chance to talk with bassist P-Nut, who called from his home in Southern California, about the band’s upcoming tour, why fans should consider going the extra mile to make it to one of their special shows and how things have changed since their formation.

Any 311 fan knows that P-Nut, the youngest member of the band, has always been known as perhaps the wilder band member. Back in the day, lead vocalists Nick Hexum and SA Martinez would harmonize while asking “who’s got the herb?” to which fans would scream back “P-Nut!”

I realize almost immediately that P-Nut has grown up because he talks about how nice it is to be at home with his 17-month-old son.

“Last year was really, really long and terribly fun. There’s just nothing like being home when you’re a traveling musician. Especially with a toddler in the house,” says P-Nut.

I ask him if he worries about missing out on baby moments as his son grows, and he admits that he does, but it’s part of the job.

“It’s gonna happen given my lifestyle and career but these little baby moments are so important to me. As a new dad, it’s just great. It makes life that much more worth living,” says P-Nut.

The glowing father begins to talk about the upcoming 311 shows, the first of which takes place on February 28, and includes a stop in Wendover on March 3. At the time of our interview, the band had just barely reunited to rehearse.

“The first rehearsal isn’t going to be anything that mentally [stimulating]. It’s probably more of a physical check-in. Make sure everything feels right and sounds right. Yesterday we stretched out a little bit even though it was the first rehearsal, we dug a little bit deep knowing that at 311 day in Vegas, we are going to probably play 80 to 100 songs; there won’t be any repeats. So, we’ve got a lot of re-learning to do and muscle memories to hope comes back in to shape” says P-Nut.

The bassist goes on to say that rehearsing for shows like 311 day, which has happened every even year since 2000, requires traveling down memory lane to songs that the band may not have played in a very long time, but for 311 day, it’s especially important that they practice older songs.

“It gets bigger and bigger and the fans expect more surprises and songs that they have never heard. It’s just great for the longevity and also, it feels like it keeps us young as far as digging back into songs. Like, ‘wow, this is great. We don’t play this anymore and why not?’ Then when we come to writing new stuff, [we] try to capture that feeling that we had in the songs that we kind of forgot about. It’s good, our fans take great care of us,” says P-Nut.

The fan aspect of being a 311 member is a pretty huge deal. According to P-Nut, it was the fans that motivated the two-day 311 Day celebration in Las Vegas because fans created 311 Day. 311 fans have no qualms over traveling to see the band perform, which is why the group hosts an annual cruise.

“It’s like an extended 311 Day over four days instead of two days. You’re surrounded by people that have, of course, similar music tastes. There’s a certain freedom that you get out on the water that you don’t get just from a night out and it’s very tangible. It’s not a subtle thing. We’re out in the middle of nowhere and it’s just us, and hopefully, you’re having the time of your life. It’s kind of hard to qualify or relate it with other things because it is such a singular experience.” says P-Nut.

This year’s 311 cruise begins on May 10, and features 13 bands, two DJs and four 311 shows.

As he talks about the big events coming up, P-Nut touches on the ways in which the members of the band have grown up, and why for them, part of growing up has meant becoming more responsible. Something that P-Nut seems to embrace but with a hint of hesitation.

“Before, it seemed like it wasn’t going to last. So, I think we were always playing and the energy and the music totally reflects this, that this might be a temporary thing and we better play hard and get all of these ideas out as good as we can in the short amount of time that we have. Now that we feel like we can do it forever, maybe we should try and shake off some of the controlled professionalism. It’s the business side of it. You gotta keep your head on straight to keep doing it, but crazy people write great songs and come up with great ideas. They come up with ideas that sane people don’t come up with. That’s my struggle, is how sane we’re becoming,” says P-Nut.

As he continues to talk, he mentions that while he is very happy to be this far into a career with the same band, he wouldn’t mind if he and the other members shook things up a bit in the hopes that new and more original material would come out of it.

“I feel like we’re too safe and if I had any complaint about our creative dynamo, which I am extremely thankful for, it’s that we do for me, I think we come off a little safe sometimes,” says P-Nut.

He goes on to say that he would like to see the group write an album outside of their studio in California and away from their routine.

“We need to exploit that danger factor and that uncontrolled randomness that the art would take off a different shape and that maybe after 21 years, would be refreshing for me at least. And probably the other guys in the band and probably our fans too. There’s something about shaking up the mix a little bit,” says P-Nut.

As the bassist works to shake things up with his bandmates, fans can expect a great run of shows this season and if you are in Salt Lake, then P-Nut suggests heading to Wendover for their show at the Peppermill. He did confirm that 311 will be back in the summer for their annual Unity Tour, but says that the experience in Wendover is one worth making the drive for.

“It’s definitely more intimate than USANA, which is a great place to play. It’s not that it’s impersonal to play an amphitheatre, it’s just that it’s such a collective. There are so many other people there. Something about a theater show is really more where we cut our teeth. That’s where we got hopefully, the good rumors about us playing good shows and that theatre environment is kind of where we thrive. The energy is more palpable. You can kind of taste the sweat and humidity in the air, more than outside. It’s slight different and a little more energetic and can be more fun,” explains P-Nut.

The opportunity to see 311 play in a smaller venue is one that every fan should take advantage of. The group has a reputation for putting on a killer live show and by seeing them in a theater setting, you will see for yourself why that is.

Click Here to view PDF

http://nowsaltlake.com/articles/view/9523/1

From the band’s 2011 album Universal Pulse, they played Rock On, Time Bomb, Wild Nights, and And a Ways to Go, which was particularly engaging.

As always, the band were in top shape – guitarist Tim Mahoney looked like a grizzled warlock, his long hair whipping around violently while he ripped through his typically top-notch guitar riffery, DJ/MC S.A. Martinez did his thing with his customary energy, vocalist/rhythm guitarist Nick Hexum was the quintessential front man, occasionally reaching out and engaging fans while delivering his vocals, bassist Aaron “P-Nut” Wills taught a clinic in bass precision (as always), and drummer Chad Sexton, nestled up in his elaborate Pearl kit, pounded away as the percussive powerhouse he is.

In all, it was another fittingly great performance by 311, who have been one of the most consistently solid live acts in recent years.

If you haven’t bought tickets to 311 Day in Las Vegas yet, you might want to do that soon – the show will be a pretty spectacular weekend for anyone there, and if you have an iota of interest in the band, you should be there.

311 Anaheim Set List:

Full Ride
Freeze Time
All Mixed Up
Rock On
Plain
Champagne
T&P Combo
Come Original
Time Bomb
Applied Science (drum solo)
Wild Nights
Prisoner
Hostile Apostle
Something out of Nothing
Amber
Uncalm
Beautiful Disaster
Jackpot
Down

–Encore–
And a Ways to Go
Creatures (For a While)

www.examiner.com/review#ixzz1nnwR4ESN