Holy shit you dudes, I loved me some 311. Right after I discovered what pubes were, I was down so, so hard with those 5 wacky gentlemen from Omaha, Nebraska. I had the fever pretty bad. Like, had enough 311 shirts to last a week-bad. Like most suburban white bros growing up in the 90’s, 311’s self-titled “blue album” was my gateway to their unique brand of White Guy Funkiness. Speaking of White Guy Funkiness, it is second only to White Guy Reggae/Ska in the department of “someone should Timecop back to the time of your birth and destroy your baby nuts” for attempting it. However, 311 managed to pull it off via being absolutely fucking SICK at their instruments and being able to, you know, exercise actual songwriting skills.
Let’s talk about their songwriting for a second. Their songs are about nothing and everything at the same time. From what I can gather, the bros in 311 are into weed, good times, and positivity via good times. I couldn’t tell you what one of their songs is about in the same way I couldn’t describe one raindrop in a thunderstorm. All of the songs are vaguely braggadocious while celebrating the art of being a chill bro. However, I think you could shake a hobo awake from the fever-iest of whisky naps, yell “chill, party, vibes!” at him, and he could write a more cohesive song about vibing at a chill party that Nick or SA could. Now that I think about it though, song’s that aren’t really about anything tend to be less insufferable than songs that are. I’d much rather listen to songs about vague ideas of having good generic times than ever listen to a song that was about, ya know, issues, man! Basically, every song that Crass ever wrote was about something and every song of theirs is dogshit made sentient, granted time/space manipulation, and then uses that power to slap you in the mouth with its shit-wang every time you opened a Christmas present between the ages of 6 and 12. Bummers. Their songs are bummers is what I’m trying to say.
Anyway, let’s take a look at some critical 311 milestones:
Grassroots
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CTceBCkoxw0&version=3&hl=en_US&rel=0]
‘mirin dem skanky broads with the racial ability of +5 to PIITB
While not their first album, this is the first release where 311 made a concerted effort to become a professional, focused band. Their previous album, Music, while full of musical chops and solid jams, still kind of had the “everything and the kitchen sink/songs that we wrote in a window of time so of course they all go on the same album” approach of bands still coming into their own. Grassroots is definitely a bit more “raw” than the blue album would be, but it is absolutely indicative of “the 311 sound.”
Da Blue Album
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lYBIRHi5-o8&version=3&hl=en_US&rel=0]
Haha. Yep to both of these.
Haha oh man, how much butt pain do you think music critics had when this album was released and started selling like crazy? 311’s self-titled album (or “blue album”) was the breakout release for the bros and they really haven’t looked back. I believe that this is their most popular album to date and that totally makes sense. This is a tight, rockin’ album full of jams about being positive and not staying home and ginseng.
What I find admirable about 311 is, despite being semi-lulzy funky-rappy bro rock, they’ve displayed more integrity than most bands. These same 5 dudes have been playing essentially the same kind of music (a style that they chose to play and enjoyed playing) for about 20 years. Furthermore, they never really fell victim to the “promise that this next album will really capture the spirit and tone of (insert band’s most popular album to date here)” like so many other old, desperate bands who should have hung it up years ago. The closest they came to doing something like this was the album “From Chaos”. However, they get a pass because that album fucking rocks. So, if anything, these bros were able to successfully pull off the “this album will be back to basics” boasting that so many insufferable bands always say every time they release any album ever.
Transistor
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDQlSUjqsuo&version=3&hl=en_US&rel=0]
You gonna get caught in a push pit, sucka!
This album was kind of a little bit of a mess. I think the dudes overreached a little bit on this album. They used the “throw everything at the wall and see what sticks” approach. Luckily, there was enough thrown at said wall (21 fucking tracks. Also, hey, remember when albums used to be like 14 tracks minimum?) that you could sift through and find enough quality to make a decent album.
Soundsystem
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KWo-02Hsab4&version=3&hl=en_US&rel=0]
Two things: 1. If we wanted to make a time capsule to show future generations how much of a fucking awkward transition it was from the late 90′s to the early 00′s, we’d need one thing: this video burned onto a Maxell CD-R. 2. Lawl at “Black Eyed Peas namedrop via how they used to be “intellectual hip hop” (read: hip hop liberal 20-something dudes will say they like) b4 they wanted to git dat paper.
My least favorite album. However, I was years into my descent of punk rock/metal/hardcore elitist faggotry and 311 was quickly falling off my radar as being pedestrian chaff so I don’t know how much of that was me wanting to fuck the Dillinger Escape Plan or if it really is just a “meh” album.
From Chaos
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXJOKPpDIns&version=3&hl=en_US&rel=0]
Shaq. The Rick ta Life of vaguely basketball-related, Ice T-ian raprock
A return to form, IMO. The early 00’s were kinda rough for 311 as I feel that they were a band that could only have risen to popularity in the 90’s (Primus being another example) via it being a decade of experimentation and being zany and weird and different. So it was good to see the dudes gain solid footing again after going through some turbulence in the form of “oh shit, dem towers fell, now people ain’t down to feel so posi and funky” that many bands had to navigate.
Strike against them = attaching their wagon to Shaq in even the smallest of ways via their video for “You Wouldn’t Believe” and then performing one of his songs with him live (You Tube it). To be fair, if a black guy that big confronted me with demands, I’d fucking tell him who every last fucking Cylon was, unsolicited. So kudos, 311, for letting Shaq mumblerap live with you and keeping a straight face. You did not get Shaq-fu’d. Achievement unlocked.
Enlarged to Show Detail
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0UAwV0I0-Y&version=3&hl=en_US&rel=0]
A Sega Genesis on the tour bus! Bet they were beasts at Skitchin!
In an time of rampant social networking and insufferable “studio update” YouTube clips, gone are the “this is how we live” VHS and DVDs. My tears are endless. I remember getting 311’s Enlarged to Show Detail VHS for my 16th birthday and being stoked out of my FUCKING. MIND. We immediately watched it at my party per my request (it’s my party and I’ll cry if I want to, etc.). Some of my friends were casual 311 fans at best so I’m betting that right then and there is when they came to the conclusion that I had to be the most cock-insatiable of homosexuals.
Speaking of homosexuals, has Nick Hexum come out yet? Check the dance moves during some of the live clips and then post to my 311 message board with your opinions and hypotheses (members.tripod.com/311buttblast/10113452.cjb.net).
One of the highlights of the video (besides any time that P-Nut is on screen) is what I like to call the “weed montage.” They get paid in weed on the reg, apparently (or did, times are tight). I’m pretty sure that the dudes in 311 have smoked enough pot that if one of them came on some Bagel Bites, the load would slowly consume that delicious pizza on a bagel via the effects of THC being that ingrained in their genetic code. Also, please fund the Kickstarter I’ve set up for my “Help Me Kidnap and Force the Members of 311 to Ejaculate On Various Things…For Science…Yes.”
The rest
Some good stuff. Some bad stuff. Apparently Bob Rock took over producing at some point and that means what you think it means: generic yet technically sound production values, if not lab sterilized mid-level vanilla “meh.”
This was more of an experiment to satisfy my own, personal curiosity. I guess it speaks to my own self-importance that if I stop caring about something, it is probably because it was on its way out anyway and doomed to wallow in fading popularity till eventual retirement. But a quick Wikipedia check shows that people continued buying 311’s albums (not one has been outside of the Billboard Top 10 for the past decade-ish). People still go to their shows, which are held at big venues and not down at you local bar or some shithole, mid-to-small-capacity meth den like the Croc Rock in Allentown, PA. They even have some cruise that you can go on! And it has been successful enough that they’ve done it more than once! I like to think of it as the antithesis of the Gathering of the Juggalos. This is monied bros and chick bros boozing and weeding it up in a paradise to chill bro rock/funk/reggae. The Gathering is meth-dabblers staving off dehydration long enough to stand next to uncontained human feces while clowns rap at a snail’s pace.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OB2SDbJf4Q&version=3&hl=en_US&rel=0]
Who’s coming with me? I’ll bring the forget-me-nows if you bring the Mike’s Hard Lemonade!
My research yielded some interesting results. I found that I appreciate different aspects of 311 songs now than what I concentrated on in my younger years. As previously stated, I was a bit of a lulzy ska/reggae fan, so I gravitated towards the 311 songs that had more “island riddums” installed. Also, I am a drummer so I don’t know how I didn’t create a jerk-off shrine to Chad Sexton while growing up. Obviously, I paid attention to his amazing drumming and just kind of treated the rest of the band as auxiliary. Looking back now, credit is to be given to Tim Mahoney for writing some really killer riffs. In fact, I think that Tim’s prog inclinations, mixed with Chad’s overplaying/thinks he’s getting paid by the snare hit-style of drumming are what keeps 311 from going “full retard” into the realm of bro rock. They have undeniable chops that sometimes garner begrudging respect from “legitimate” acts and music critics. But fuck those people, they’re smeg heads anyway.
The fact is, if you don’t give a fuck about No Fun Club’ers, or people who are jocking the lamest of 90′s punk/hardcore/post rock, or MetalSucks commenters (so, basically, if you’re a fan of this site) then, yes, 311 admirably stands the test of time. And it appears these dudes have been taken care of over the years and won’t be going anywhere for a while because white kids will always become freshmen in college. I won’t deny that there is a huge nostalgia factor for me, but like I said, I’ve found new things that I appreciate about their songs as well as listening to old, familiar songs with ears that have had over a decade to mature. 311 is non ironically back in rotation on my Spotify. If you need me, I’ll be out back of the Giant trying to 5-0 the curb by their loading dock. Look for the guy in cord shorts with spiked hair.
Send me your 311 /fic here.
Trend #311buttblast with me here.
The Blue One, as i call it, goes so hard. I remember snagging my copy from my parents CD collection (via them being awesome chill party people, who in their 40′s are still chill as fuck). Fuck me with a drunk latina i need to listen to Down right now.
brb reading entire essay about alternative band (not srs)
amber is one of my favorite songs of all time (srs)
ahh yes amber…. my soundtrack to my cute girl-next-door neighbor crush during puberty in da early 00s =P
from chaos kickd ass brah… one day i will have enough money to go on one of those cruises w/ 311… gavacha panocha awaits!!!
=D
Amber and Creatures are my two favorite 311 songs. Such quality jams.
Like I said in a recent comment thread, I played so much chrono trigger whilst listening to 311 it boggles the mind.
The blue album actually blew up pretty late. 311 got a decent amount of radio play on 95.5 WBRU in providence back in the day. Like Don’t Stay Home and Do You Right were pretty regular jams on there. So I was quasi-familiar with them. But then Down single dropped and it was gg music industry. 311 was taking over. That single came out like 16 months after the album was released. Pretty crazy.
311 at Lupos remains one of the great shows I’ve ever been to. It was right after Transistor came out. Not a great album imo but Beautiful Disaster is legit. They must have played nearly 2 hours and just brought it nonstop to a packed house going bonkers for them. Lots of bros, lots of burnouts, and a fair amount of dudes like myself who listened to a lot of punk but wasn’t afraid to be down with 311. Just an awesome, awesome show.
My bro from high school still has massive boners for them and makes it to every 311 Day he can. I can’t say I’m that into them anymore, but if I hear a jam I usually turn it up.
Not to be a butthurt fggt, but don’t get listening to 311 while playing Chrono Trigger. Datsoundtrack.avi
backed.
311= my soundtrack to summer when i was 12 years old playing magic the gathering and golden sun for game boy advance. I rocked From Chaos fucking hard, that album is sick. Im less of a fan of their chill reggaebro stuff, but i think their jumpdafuckup stuff is awesome. My fav song has to be Sick Tight (dat song name)
http://youtu.be/0VszW55iVKc
Loved that shit when i was in high school in my discovering weed/sublime/wishing I grew up in SoCal phase. Also nice croc rock shoutout!
Hands down one of my favorite bands of all time. I’ve been meaning to do a post about this band for years but could never find a way to do it without being incredibly tldr.
I had to seriously fucking reign myself in (via taking off my Hemmingway sweater) and not go completely tldr over this god damned band. I feel that I expertly crafted a “farm league tldr” post; not quite ready for full-on eye-rolling/ignoring, but verbose enough to scare off the plebeians.
i feel your pain brah… when i type in something that i feel passionately about then its no holds barreds i-don’t-give-a-fuck-what-yall-think-now-shutdafuckup-n-listen/read-my-gibberish-and be confounded/amazed/forced to feel someshit feeling lawl =P
My self-importance knows no bounds. I blame Obama.
A lot of music snobs will get up on their high horse and act like they’re trashy but they don’t realize that these guys are fucking virtuosos on their instruments. Chad Sexton put in time in DCI, which is one of the hardest things any musician could ever attempt. Anyone who’s ever been in a marching band knows it’s exhausting, but DCI is just next fucking level, pretty much all tech metal drummers look like children hitting pots and pans in comparison.
I really want a P-Nut signature Warwick Streamer.
My favorite overall 311 album is Uplifter, am I weird?
I don’t think it has much to do with people not recognizing their talent, and more to do with NFCers hating on them do to their lack of “emotional depth”, “meaning”, and the fact that frat bros and burnouts are down with 311. Basically all the shit OP said. I vividly recall when I first got into hardcore, hanging out with some new friends who were tr00 HC veterans, and they were making fun of 311. I should have heeded that as a warning at the time, but I was young and in search of acceptance.
Also, Sexton might be the first guy to take the ultra-tight slam style snare and go mainstream with it. No one in mainstream rock has a more recognizable snare than Sexton.
Beyond the Grey Sky captured my middle school ears so bad back in the day. Those chill harmonies.
this is my friend’s fav band. he has been to every 311 day the last 5 years, and the cruise last year. i’m not a huge fan, but the way he described the cruise makes me want to go this year.
Wow, you crazy bro. 5 star post! I never really thought much of 311, but I absolutely “get it” thanks to this article and those tracks I’ve never heard. I do believe “Down” is arguably the greatest Rap Metal song of all time though, so dem yacu deserve all the props they get.
Also
1- lold at Black Cylon Inquisitor (although I only half-get that reference)
2- Are you homosex for real? You don’t have to answer, but the amount of references to cocks and cum was….interesting?
3- I recommend any concert/music oriented cruise vacation. Standard cruises are by their nature kinda boring, since it allows for a nice relaxing atmosphere for families and old people, but the live show cruises really are like a 24 hour party over the course of several days. It doesn’t even matter what kind of music it is, be it techno, rock, or even the death metal cruise (70,000 tons survivor). Like you say, if you are on a cruise you have the money ergo are not a scumbag, and you are there for the express purpose of chilling out and having fun, so you are likely a cool positive bro (or at least will act that way for the time being).
1. <3 dat Battlestar
2. Despite all odds and despite how much I sing to my dog, I am straight. Cocks are just a cartoonish delight to me. I'm sure my parents had many a night of crying into a whiskey bottle fearing the worst though…
3. Your logic is sound. Despite being such a big 311 fan back in the day, I have never seen them live. The cruise would probably be an amazing first show
I believe that "Cocks are just a cartoonish delight to me" should be etched onto my tombstone.
HERE LIES JORBAM
NO JUDGEMENT
JUST CUM
I hope my tombstone has a little hook on it that you can use as a bottle opener.
this comment will never not be funny to me.
Grassroots was da shit. How about their homie’s the Phunk Junkeez?
Solid fucking post man. 311 is just one of those bands that test your enlightenment/adulthood level. Like, being a tr00 butthole about this band is a serious warning sign. I can understand not feeling the burnouts and un-chill bros who jock them, but being butthurt about them ‘NOT BEING REAL MUSIC’ just means you don’t ever get to come to the house parties. Can’t afford to have walking vagina repellent hanging around. Anyways, so much fun times and chill vibes. And they put on killer live shows. Was always fun the handful of times I’ve seen them.
Does liking sublime merit smashing my baby nuts? Plz respond
I had a very torrid love affair with Sublime as well. I am debating posting about them as well but they may just be a lost cause. I think they were a pretty legit punk band/white guy reggae group but then they got co-opted by hippie daywalkers (via their tshirts being in the same section as bob marley, the grateful dead, et al on the tshirt wall at Hot Topic). I haven’t listened to them in years for this very reason. I would say that fans of Sublime should have their nuts grazed in a way where the initial impact causes no pain, but then that dull, firey nausea sweeps over you a few seconds later.
Sublime’s s/t album = one of my all time favorite recordings, period. Being a suburbanite living in Orange County, their influence seemed inescapable, and to me they are the ultimate bro band. Incidentally, I was thinking about doing a post about them too, but I’m kind of leery of whether or not I’d be able to do the subject justice without going overboard into tl;dr mode. That feel when you are a gay fanboy and literally have too many good things to say about a band.
oh fuck who do I talk to about writing the SYWH guide to white boy reggae??
I love this band so hard. My drumline instructor would pull in Chad Sexton riffs into our cadences and it made me appreciate them even more. You can really hear a lot of influence from his drum corps days in his playing.
Also, one of the hardest stoned-laughs I’ve ever had was when me and a friend were watching this part of the Enlarged to Show Detail doc:
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nlm0duhREI8&w=420&h=315
aw fuck. I guess the link still works at least
WHOO YEAH REP DAT 402 SWAG
but really I love nebraska.
omaha is a real city with things to do.
really.
Ever see the Omaha, Nebraska rap?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TjjEMkNomRc
Not really my cup of tea, but those drums are killer, woodlisten2isolatedtracks/10. And now I understand why that lumberjack on the Simpsons was called Chad Sexington! Thx brah, great post.
Needs moar Music.
Seriously though, the first two albums were my summers in the late 90s. 311 was fucking huge in Atlanta-they’d play shithole clubs everywhere else but play the arena here. Super nice dudes, and their shows were always a party. I remember going to the ten year anniversary shows, and they put up a vote before the show to see which album they’d play (it was between Music, Grassroots, and the S/T). Grassroots won, but after the sultry sounds of 123 ended, they were like YO YOU KNOW WE CAN’T DO THIS WITHOUT PLAYING MUSIC and proceeded to play that entire album. There was much rejoicing.
Anyways, great post. Gonna go listen to Omaha Stylee now.
this is a quality post!
great post!
regarding tldr… a little lengthy for sure but i don’t feel like its an issue when analyzing a band. this is one of those “one and done” posts as opposed to other topics that are reoccurring themes.
also… “won’t be going anywhere for a while because white kids will always become freshmen in college”
ded
If the Barenaked Ladies were not lamestream
Awesome post bro. I had so many good feels from my teenage years while reading this; good times getting drunk/high with my bros while bumping ‘Music’.
I totally forgot about ‘Enlarged to Show Detail’! Now that I think about it, it’s probably the reason I started smoking pot in the first place.