When a friend raved last year about this band 311 on Capricorn Records, I knew something was up because he wouldn’t be caught dead in proximity to most of Capricorn’s noodle rock roster, yet he drove two hours to wedge himself into a packed show here in Columbia, along with a few hundred other people who all apparently knew something I didn’t. What I later discovered was that 311 deserve the reputation they have on the street as an incredible, intense live act and their just released third album on Capricorn, the self-titled 311, is about as far from noodle rock as you can get on this planet.
Formed in the unlikely locale of Omaha, Nebraska in 1990, the band started their career auspiciously by opening for Fugazi and subsequently released three albums on their own. With the success of these projects,the band packed up and moved to Los Angeles to take the next step in the music buisness, which came surprisingly soon with their signing to Capricorn Records. Their first two albums for the label Music and Grassroots, have sold respectably and the band has sold out shows across the country, while maintaining a relatively low media profile.
That should change with the release of their latest and best album 311. Continuing the band’s trademark style of genre mashing, which includes rap, metal, funk, reggae, punk, jazz and more, songs like “Down” and “Random” emphasize the hard edged rock and rap sounds, while “All Mixed Up” and “Don’t Stay Home” are dancehall style slow reggae jams. “Misdirected Hostility” and “Guns (are for pussies)” reflect the band’s positive attitude about making music, and life in general.
The live performance is 311’s bread and butter however, and an understanding of them is not complete without witnessing the “Mosh pit suana swirl” which always seems to form at the front of any stage they command. Farther in the back, another layer of fans enjoy the undeniable groove of a 311 show.
311 plays at the National Guard Armory off of Bluff Road, with special guests the Phunk Junkeez and Spider Monkey, in an all ages show on Thursday, August 3rd.