For 30 years, 311 has been doing things on their own terms, blending rock, reggae, hip-hop, and funk into something unmistakably their own. Frontman Nick Hexum sat down with me to talk about the band’s history, the anniversary of their debut album, how they avoided the sophomore slump, and what’s coming next—including new music and a heavier sound.
311 has never really fit into a single era—too funky for grunge, too heavy for ska, too weird for nu-metal—but that’s exactly why they’ve thrived. Looking back at 1993’s Music turning 30 this year, Hexum acknowledges the magic of a debut album. “Your first record is like your greatest hits of your formative years,” he says. “All the best ideas come out at once, and there’s an excitement you can hear.” That excitement carried over into their follow-ups, and while some bands struggle after their debut, 311 dodged the ‘sophomore slump’ by getting weirder on 1994’s Grassroots—which they recorded in their rented living room.
The real breakthrough came with 311 (a.k.a. The Blue Album), but what’s fascinating is how 311’s most enduring song—“Amber”—was also their least heavy track at the time. Released when alternative radio was at peak angry white boy rap-rock, “Amber” was a chill, sun-drenched reggae groove that somehow became their biggest hit. “It’s funny how that worked out,” Hexum says, “because everything was so aggressive at the time, and we were like, ‘Nah, let’s take it the other way.’”
The band has always been about vibes over trends, which is why their fanbase has stuck with them. That mentality helped them early on, too, when major labels were on the hunt for ‘the next Eddie Vedder.’ “I remember A&R people literally saying that to me,” Hexum recalls, laughing. But 311 wasn’t interested in being Pearl Jam-lite. “We were into funk, reggae, hip-hop. We wanted to be something different.” That insistence on doing their own thing made them outliers at first, but it ultimately helped them carve out their own lane in alternative rock—a lane they still occupy today.
Hexum has always been confident in 311’s success, even when the odds were stacked against them. “If you’re not sure you have what it takes, give up,” he told an interviewer back in the ‘90s, a bold statement he still stands by. “We just made the decision to manifest this. We knew we were willing to outwork everyone else, and that’s what we did.” That relentless touring schedule—including a stretch of 21 straight shows without a break—laid the groundwork for their rise. “We said we’d stay on the road until we went gold, and while that didn’t happen right away, we eventually got there.”
This year, the band is back on the road again, including a stop in Louisville for Louder Than Life—a bill that features Foo Fighters, Weezer, Rancid, and Coheed and Cambria on the same day. “It’s gonna be a good one,” Hexum says. But even with a packed schedule, new music is on the way, and it’s shaping up to be heavier. “The first four songs we’ve written for the next album are all in drop-D tuning, which wasn’t planned, but it’s happening naturally,” Hexum reveals. “It feels like the pendulum is swinging back to a heavier sound.”
After three decades, 311 still isn’t done exploring. They’ve outlasted trends, ignored industry pressures, and maintained one of the most devoted fan bases in rock. And while Hexum jokes that he’d love to hear his band’s music for the first time without knowing it was his own, one thing is clear: they’ll be here a while—and they’ve earned every bit of it.
Watch the interview above and then check out the video below.
