311 BIO/HIGHLIGHTS:
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311 was formed in 1990 in Omaha, Nebraska by vocalist/guitarist Nick Hexum,
vocalist/dj SA Martinez, lead guitarist Tim Mahoney, drummer Chad Sexton and
bassist P-Nut. The band now resides in Los Angeles.
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311 has sold over 8.5 million units in the U.S.
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311 has had 5 albums reach the Top 10 on Billboard’s Top 200 Sales Chart.
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311 has had 8 singles reach the Top 10 on Billboards’s Modern Rock Chart (including the
#1 singles “Down”, “Love Song” & “Don’t Tread On Me” along with “Amber”, “All
Mixed Up”, “Come Original”, “Creatures (for a while)” and their new hit “Hey You”).
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311’s new album UPLIFTER was produced by Bob Rock (Metallica, Bon Jovi,
Motley Crue, Aerosmith) and will be available June 2nd.
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After years of consistent touring, 311 has developed a reputation as one of the
most influential & most entertaining live bands in the U.S.
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311’s live concert draw has grown larger than ever. For the past several years,
311 has headlined their summer “Unity Tour” in ampitheatres across the country drawing crowds of 14,000+ people in Atlanta, Boston, DC, New Jersey & Los
Angeles - and 10,000+ people in St. Louis, West Palm, Charlotte, VA Beach,
Denver, etc. The tour is consistently one of the largest modern rock concerts of
the summer.
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Past 311 tours have included an impressive array of opening acts. Bands such as
No Doubt, Korn & Incubus all supported 311 on US tours before they became
headliners.
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Support acts on the past five 311 summer tours have included :
Snoop Dogg, The Roots, Papa Roach, The Wailers, O.A.R. and Matisyahu.
Unity Tour ’09 will be 311 w/ special guests Ziggy Marley.
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Because of 311’s unique sound (mixing rock, reggae & hip-hop), and because
they have always maintained a balance of hard rocking songs and melodic gems the band has developed a diverse fanbase…rock fans, reggae fans, jam-band fans,
pop fans, punk fans, hip-hop fans, etc. It makes 311 one of the few bands that can
play for such varied audiences.
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311 attributes part of their long-term success to their slow-growth grassroots
development. In 1992, the band moved all of their belongings into a storage space
and literally lived on the road - touring relentlessly for years and growing a loyal
fanbase via word of mouth before ever being embraced by radio or MTV. It was
not until a year after their third album was released that the mainstream media was
forced to take notice (due to the band’s increasing concert draw) and the band
began to climb the sales and radio charts on the success of the song “Down”
(which ultimately reached #1).
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Along with the Red Hot Chili Peppers & Beastie Boys, 311 opened the door for a
lot of late 90’s success stories...bands like Linkin Park, Sublime, etc. - because
311 was one of the first bands with a hybrid sound to successfully break through
to a larger mainstream audience.
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Despite the brooding attitude of the grunge movement in the early 90’s, the angst
of the rap-rock movement in the late 90’s and the cynicism of the indie scene in
the ‘00’s, 311 has always stayed true to their own approach and their underlying
message of unity and positivity. That message still rings true for them today…in
their lyrics and at their celebratory live shows.
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The band kept this positive attitude throughout a lot of challenges in their career.
The band persevered & succeeded despite coming out of Omaha, Nebraska (which
was a musical no-mans land in the early 90’s), despite their unique hybrid sound,
despite being initially ignored by the national media, despite a fire that destroyed
their touring vehicles and all of their equipment, clothes & money, despite a fickle
music industry that is not in the business of nurturing career artists, despite the
fact that almost all of their early 90’s peers are either disbanded or irrelevant. 311
have persevered & succeeded despite the odds.
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In 2000, 311 purchased a recording studio in North Hollywood - renovated it and
named it “The Hive”. The studio was most active in the 70’s & 80’s when
Missing Persons and Adam Ant recorded albums there. 311 have recorded their
last four albums (“From Chaos”, “Evolver”,“Don’t Tread On Me” and “Uplifter”)
at The Hive.
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Every other year on March 11th (“3-11 Day”), 311 holds a special concert event
that attracts thousands of 311 fans from around the world to New Orleans,
Louisiana. As a result, the Mayor of New Orleans has officially proclaimed
March 11th as “3-11 Day” in New Orleans. The show includes an extended setlist
(5+ hours) and special production. In 2008 the band sold-out the New Orleans
Arena (14,000 capacity) and tickets were sold to fans in all 50 U.S. states and 13
different countries. 311 fans traveled from around the globe to meet eachother, to
celebrate 311 and to attend the big show. It’s clear that 3-11 Day has become
more than a concert. It’s a true happening. An event that began organically and
has taken on a life of it’s own. For 3 full days the city of New Orleans is swarmed
with 311 fans proudly wearing their 311 shirts and chanting & singing in the
streets, hotels, restaurants & bars at all hours of the day & night. From the “311
Fans Care project” (where 311 fans volunteer to help rebuild houses damaged by
Katrina), to the 311 Fan Party (where 311 fans from around the world gather the
night before the show to meet eachother), and ultimately to the show (where 311
plays a legendary 5 hour performance…60+ songs!) it is an unforgettable
experience.
FOR MORE INFO, PHOTOS, VIDEOS & MUSIC PLEASE GO TO:
www.311.com
www.myspace.com/311