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About me:

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311 was formed in 1990 in Omaha, Nebraska by five self-described "friends for life" (singer/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 that eventually brought them together to make music with a positive message behind it. All five members of 311 grew up in the 1970's in Omaha, Nebraska. Nick Hexum, Tim Mahoney and Chad Sexton lived on the west side of town and went to Westside High School together. P-Nut and SA Martinez lived on the south side of town and went to Bryan High School together. The first real show for 311 was June 10, 1990, opening for Fugazi at Sokol Hall just south of Omaha. After gigging locally (and by all reports quickly conquering the local music scene there), the quintet moved to Los Angeles. They rented a small house in Van Nuys, California and all moved in together. These were very lean times for the band. Just before disintegrating into total poverty, they were signed to Capricorn Records.

311 have released several albums, including 1992's Music, 1993's Grassroots, and 1995's 311 (aka the "Blue" album), the latter reaching number 12 on the album chart, selling three million copies worldwide, and sporting the tracks "All Mixed Up" and "Down."

The "Music" tour almost ended tragically during a trip between Springfield, MO and Kansas City on I-44. Nick was driving the RV when he noticed it was running hot. When he began to pull over, he saw smoke and flames coming up from under the vehicle. He quickly pulled onto the shoulder of the highway and the band members jumped out through the flames. Nick, the last one out, received second degree burns from jumping through the wall of flames. The RV exploded. The van we were towing caught fire and also burned to the ground along the interstate. Traffic was backed up for 2 miles. All of our clothes, equipment and personal possessions were destroyed. We had some minor burns and scrapes, but no major injuries. Nick's hair was singed, so he shaved his head. Although we were definitely shaken - they decided not to let the tragedy end the tour and to keep going. We headlined a show the next day (SHARKFEST at Sharky's Brewery in Omaha) with borrowed equipment. You can hear about the RV incident in the song Omaha Stylee:

"My bros and I were driving the RV bleeding flames us leaping through fire surviving - zoned with no home there was fire all on it - umm, let me have my life, I want it!"

In July of '94 they released their second cd "Grassroots" (now Gold). By this time they were touring the US non-stop. They moved out of the house in Van Nuys - put their stuff into a storage space and literally just lived on the road. They put all their energy into their live show and steadily developed an incredible grassroots following nationwide.

In 1996, following a non-stop year of touring, the band released Enlarged to Show Detail, a home video of live performances taken from amphitheater shows in Kansas City and Denver, as well behind-the-scenes looks at life on the road. That the video has been certified platinum in sales is strong testament to the unique relationship the band has with its fans. In 1997, Transistor, a double album of new songs on one CD, was released, and the group mounted its most ambitious tour yet, a worldwide stretch of concerts intended to enlarge the band's already large and loyal fan base. "When we first started the band, we were always sure something good was going to happen," says drummer Chad Sexton. 311's 1997 headlining tour in support of the "Transistor" album drew an average of 10,000 people per night in the US. The band also toured Europe, UK, Australia, New Zealand and Japan. Live followed in 1998, and a year later, 311 returned with Soundsystem. In 2000, the band purchased a recording studio in North Hollywood. After making some renovations and bringing in their own equipment, they renamed it "The Hive" (which is also the name of their fanclub). The studio was active in the 70's / 80's. Missing Persons and Adam Ant recorded albums there and most recently it was used as a voice over studio for movies, etc. The band jumped to Volcano for From Chaos, which appeared in summer 2001, and followed that with Evolver two years later. By now 311 had been together over ten years, and they celebrated with a Greatest Hits comp. Released in July 2004, it included all of their hit singles, a few new tracks, and the band's gracefully-reggaeing cover of the Cure's "Love Song," originally from the soundtrack to Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore's 50 First Dates. Nick Hexum also produced four other songs for the movie's soundtrack including songs with Seal, Jason Mraz and Dryden Mitchell from Alien Ant Farm.

On 3-11-04, 311 fans once again invaded the city of New Orleans for a special 3-11 Day Concert. 311 performed a legendary 5 hour set at UNO Lakefront Arena in front of a sold-out crowd of 311's biggest fans. The band played 68 songs including all their classic hits plus rarities and covers (Led Zeppelin's "D'yer Maker", The Clash's "White Man in Hammersmith Palais", The Cure's "Love Song"). The entire concert was filmed and recorded and ultimately released (Oct 26, 2004) as a special 2-DVD set"3-11 Day Live in New Orleans." The DVD includes 64 songs plus a behind the scenes look at the band and their fans.

311 came back with new material in August 2005 with the Don't Tread on Me LP. In the summer of 2006, 311 went on tour once again. They had opening acts from Pepper and Bob Marley's legendary band, The Wailers. It was a summer of rock and reggae music. After thier tour was over, 311 decided to take a well-deserved break, but that didn't stop them from their career in music. They laid down a cover of the Toots and Maytal's "Reggae Got Soul" which will be featured on the soundtrack for Surf's Up, which will be in theater in the summer of '07. Meanwhile, Nick Hexum is ran his second marathon for his non-profit organization, Liberal Hexum. Also, the bassist P-Nut has a side project with a band called Hollow Follows. The experiences don't have to stop. 311 have been recording. On 311 day ’07, Nick announced on the 311 BB that they were creating a new song titled, “I Was Wrong”. This new song is a combination of dancehall reggae with funk. 311's always comes original and will continue in due time.

In more recent events, 311's ninth studio album, UPLIFTER, is in stores now. The Deluxe version contained 2 bonus songs, I Like the Way and Get Down. Also included was a 80 minute DVD entitled the Road to 3-11 Day, which included footage from 3-11 Day 2008. There were 2 exclusive songs released. How Long Has It Been was released through iTunes and Sun Come Through was released through Amazon. The 2009 Summer Unity Tour with Ziggy Marley and the Expendables has come and gone. A late Fall Tour has been mapped out. Be sure to check tour dates for a show near you. Click HERE for the tour dates. We have news that 3-11 Day will not be in New Orleans in 2010. More news is coming soon. 311 also expects to tour internationally in 2010. The journey continues!!

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