Surviving.....no, thriving in one of the most ridiculous eras of music, 311 has risen from almost nothing to one of the biggest rock acts in the industry. Rising through the remnants of the 80's hair metal bands in the early nineties, funkin it up through the grunge period, and keepin it real through this nebulous pre-fabricated, bubble gum pop, no talent bullshit, their fanbase continues to grow and their music will forever change people's lives. From the brink of poverty at the beginning of their career to selling over 5.4 million albums in the US alone, 311 has definitely stood the test of time and proven themselves a rock force to be reckoned with.

Most bands in the industry today find a niche in a particular form of
music and don't stray from that, whereas your music changes dramatically from
album to album.  Does that make it more challenging to keep your fanbase and
do you have more fun writing and recording albums that are different
everytime?

I don't think our albums are dramatically different, but I think we have
songs on every album that are dramatically different from each other...so
every album is like a diverse collection of songs.  The foundation for
most of the songs is hard rock with elements of funk, reggae and
hip-hop....but sometimes we'll do a straight reggae song or sometimes
we'll add some drum & bass or electronic influences.  Our fanbase is
pretty open-minded, so we're just happy that they've joined us on our
musical evolution.

Were you guys influenced by different types of music during the recording
of each album?  Who are your favorite artists?

Some of our influences are Bob Marley, Bad Brains, The Clash, Prince,
Public Enemy, Carlos Santana, Iron Maiden, The Smiths, Kiss, Fishbone,
etc...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What is your favorite studio to record in and why?

We have our own studio in LA (The Hive) where we do most of the
pre-production on our albums.  Then sometimes we'll go to different
studios in LA for various phases of the project (mixing, mastering,
etc.).  I think we've probably worked in NRG Studio the most.

What producer do you think brought the best out of 311?

We really enjoy working with Ron Saint Germain.  He produced the
self-titled album and our new album From Chaos.  He just brings a lot of
energy into the studio and really gets us psyched to make a great album.

 

 

 

 

 

What was your favorite tour and what bands did you enjoy playing with the
most?

I don't know if I can pick a favorite.  We've had so many great tours.
We've been lucky to have had a lot of incredible opening bands
throughout the years;  Korn, No Doubt, Deftones, Incubus, Fishbone,
Sugar Ray, Hoobastank, De La Soul, etc...  We had a good time with all
of those bands.  We also really enjoyed going out on the Warped Tour
with Pennywise, Blink, Rancid, etc.

Do you guys prefer touring or recording?

I think we all enjoy a balance of both.  After a long tour we're
definitely ready to go home and recuperate and record.  But after we've
been home for awhile and after we've finished a new record we all get
amped to go out and tour.  Its a constant cycle for us.

 

 

 

 

 

What are your thoughts on the music scene these days?

I think there's some good things happening.  Right now I'm listening to
the Echobrain album and the new Incubus record.

Where do you see yourselves in the near future? Do you still have long
term goals for 311?

We're going to continue making music and touring and enjoying life.

Any messages for our readers?

Stay positive....and we'll see you on tour.

Thanks.
N