Woooo! A
Nebraska band that made it big!
Formed in 1990 in Omaha 311 is comprised of singer/guitarist Nick Hexum, singer Douglas Martinez (S.A.), guitarist Tim Mahoney, bassist Aaron Wills (P-Nut), and drummer Chad Sexton. They met in Omaha. Tim, Nick, and Chad went to Westside High School and S.A. and P-Nut went to Bryan High School. Chad and S.A. met while attending college at the University of Nebraska.
From the 311 FAQ this is where the band got the name:
311 is an Omaha police code for indecent exposure. One rainy day, P-Nut and some friends went skinny dipping in a public pool. They were apprehended by police. One of P-Nut's friends (Jim Watson) was arrested, cuffed (naked) and taken home to his parents. He was issued a citation for a code 311 (indecent exposure). We thought this was funny, so we took it as our band name. After the humor of the name wore off - we still kept it because we liked that it was just abstract and that it did not define us in anyway. The name did not describe our sound or our politics, it just let the music speak for itself. Since most interviewers always ask us "What does 311 mean?", we have come up with lots of different answers over the years. Some include.... Nick - "five friends making music", Tim - "a number dictated to me by a higher intelligence", P-Nut - "knowing a little numerology and studying a little magic, which I do; in some factions, three is man and 11 is magic. So 311 is like male magic."
A statement by the band about the whole 311/KKK thing:
"It has come to our attention that there is a very unsettling rumor circulating regarding the name of our band '311.' We have been told that certain white supremacist groups use the numbers 311 to represent KKK. This is a most unfortunate coincidence and one that is extremely disturbing to us. We would like to state for the record that this is completely at odds with our personal beliefs. We believe the only people worth hating are organized haters like the KKK. Anyone familiar with our lyrics knows how we feel. Our lyrics make a strong stand against racism and a strong stand for positivity and unity. The name of our band originally comes from an Omaha police citation for indecent exposure. We thought it was funny at the time. Now our name simply means - five friends from Omaha making music. Music that stands for peace and unity."
Anybody that has listened to their music can tell they would have nothing to do with
white supremacist groups. You would have to be supremely ignorant to make that link.
I remember when these guys used to play the Ranch Bowl in Omaha. Well I remember hearing about it cause I never made it to a show since I lived in a small town an hour away from Omaha and wasn't the music freak I am now. The Omaha and Lincoln radio stations talked about the band all the time. Then they moved to LA and really took off.
Their early stuff is their best. I think they are re-finding some of what they used to have on their latest album. The middle couple albums seemed be lacking the spark that helped make 311 big. I know there were a couple albums before Music, but I can't remember what their names were or who released them. Both were indie releases (I think) and are extremely hard to find now. So this discography is incomplete.
- albums:
- Soundsystem -- Capricorn Records (1999)
- Omaha Sessions -- ?? (1999?) only available on their website.
- Live -- Capricorn Records (1998)
- Transistor -- Capricorn Records (1997)
- s/t -- Capricorn Records (1995)
- Grassroots -- Capricorn Records (1994)
- Music -- Capricorn Records (1993)
- Unity -- ?? (199?)
- Hydroponic -- ?? (199?)
www.311music.com