VOYAGER
This album was a split album like Mosaic, with two producers, Scotch Ralston & Jon Feldmann.
311 later released an instrumental version of Voyager.
WORDS FROM NICK
ON ALBUM:
Nick Hexum says, “We are so excited about this new album. 311 has always been very diverse and eclectic, but on this album we take that even further. We are really stretching diversity to have both very old school heavy riff rock combined with some very modern sounds I’m so excited to expand our palette while keeping the classic elements alive.”
Nick Hexum says, “I think this album is very eclectic, from simple songs to wild studio adventures that get into weird, stoney outer-space material,” says Hexum. “It’s another step forward for us and we love the adventure, love the journey, love the process and we can’t wait for people to hear it.”
Album Title: VOYAGER
Regarding the album title, Nick Hexum says…
“Our albums have become almost like a captain’s log documenting our band’s ongoing voyage through musical styles, while also capturing our feelings and life experiences. With each album, 311 continues to voyage, explore and push our musicality into new dimensions.”
AN INSIDE TRACK
Don’t You Worry
Nick Hexum says, “We all go though highs and lows. And lows can often lead to confusion, despair and loneliness. Don’t You Worry is about how a friend should react when we sense someone is going though a hard time. As in, “Don’t You Worry, you can count on me to help you through your dark hours.” It’s a song validating personal connection and leaning on one another to turn things for the better.”
Good Feeling
Nick Hexum says, “The song title says it all, being about the best stuff in life; celebrating joy with loved ones. This song is an antidote to all the fear, anger, and division so prevalent in our society today. Musically the song is equally influenced by the pounding rhythms that SA and I discovered when exploring the dancehall street scenes in Jamaica, as well as Paul Simon’s world beat records like Graceland and Rhythm of the Saints. This song is a three minute party jam meant to feel like a vacation.”
What The?!
Nick Hexum says, “What The?! is 311 in full jam band mode. This one is super fun to play live with lots of tasty riffs from the mind of Tim Mahoney. He does some ripping soloing in this one. Lyrically, it’s a grab bag of random stream-of-conscience mostly from SA. It’s about navigating life’s travails to find the sweet stuff. Looking forward to playing this one under the stars!”
Crossfire
Nick Hexum says, “Crossfire is a rager. It’s gonna be blast to play live. The working title was “I Know Your Password” which is the lyric that opens the song. I love that lyric because today, people are very worried about their passwords getting out. But then it also means “I’ve got your number” or “I know what makes you tick.” The key line of the chorus is “caught in the crossfire, you really gotta keep your head.” It’s about keeping your cool and remaining calm in tough times. This songs travels across lot of genres. The opening is a thrash-rock groove with me rapping over it. Then it goes into a long tense yet melodic build that leads into what Scotch called the “krunk rap chorus”. Then it goes back to the build again this time with SA rapping his outer space stylings. After that it’s pedal-to-the-metal double-time drum and bass raging. Can’t wait to rip this on summer tour!”
CONTROVERSY:
311 got caught in the Crossfire when the song was released as a sampler to the album. It was noted that it was nearly identical to Noisestorm’s Heist.
Nick came forward, publicly apologizing and reparations were made. The matter was settled amicably.
Speculation came into play when less than a month later, a collaboration album between Nick Hexum and George Clanton came out, that it may have been mixed in with samples sent for that album.
B-SIDES:
While there were tracks that didn’t make the cut, the titles and numbers remain undisclosed. Rumor has it that Nick Hexum, Jon Feldmann, and Mark Hoppus worked on a couple of tracks together.
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