311 | July 28th 2019 | Coastal Credit Union Music Park | Raleigh North Carolina

Due to position in the pit we unfortunately did not get any photographs of drummer Chad Sexton or Bassist P-Nut.

Members - Nick Hexum, Doug "SA" Martinez, Aaron "P-Nut" Wills, Tim Mahoney and Chad Sexton

311 came to Raleigh NC on Sunday 07/29/2019 and performed at the Coastal Credit Union Music Park. They brought along with them some great supporting acts including Dirty Heads, The Interrupters and Dreamers all of which will have their own concert highlight. It was a buffet of musical awesomeness to say the least. This concert highlight is to talk about 311. So let’s get into it.

311 is a band that blends heavy rock and roll riffs with hip hop style poetry. There roots start in Omaha, Nebraska. The band formed in 1988 by lead vocalist and guitarist Nick Hexum, lead guitarist Tim Mahoney (he replaced the original guitarist in 1990), bassist Aaron "P-Nut" Wills and drummer Chad Sexton. A few years later Doug "SA" Martinez joined and brought his unique lyrical style and turntable skills to finish off the lineup and help create the unique 311 sound.

My first experience with 311 was in the early 90’s when I heard the album “Grassroots”. This album came out July 12th 1994 and introduced me to their creative writing and very unique sound. They then released the self-titled album in 1995 called “311” or as some people call it the “Blue Album” because the cover art is blue with the 311 logo. This album is the one that broke the glass and brought them to the forefront of music. Their songs from this album “Down” and “All mixed up” were played on radio stations around the US on heavy rotation. I myself remember driving into Boston with some friends cranking that album in the car during a hot sweltering Boston summer. 311 has released some amazing songs over the years including “Amber”, “Beautiful Disaster”, “Transistor”, “Come original”, “Evolution”, “Don’t Tread on me” and many more. Each album has their own set of songs that to me at least are timeless.

Concert Highlight in Raleigh:

Before they came on stage you saw a huge screen with a countdown timer on it. This timer went from I think 10 minutes if I remember correctly all the way down to 0 and that is when the band burst on to the stage. The started the night off with the song “Homebrew” then went into “All Mixed up” which to be honest I forgot to take some pictures because I love that f#$ing song! Nick Hexum fronted the night and sounded on key and on point. S.A Martienz stayed in the background for most of the first 3 songs we covered so I was unable to get a usable photograph of him but he was dancing around like a wild man! Lead guitarist Tim Mahoney was having a great time and head banged his way into our hearts. He played crystal clear and every riff and solo sounded on point. Aaron "P-Nut" Will brought the power to the show with his bass riffs and is very relaxed chilled demeanor during their set. Chad Sexton finalized the amazing concert experience with his always stylistic drumming skills and kept everything running smooth as the drummer is the engine that keeps the beat going. In all the band sounded clean, clear, heavy and their vocals were in key and on point. They played some of their biggest hits and also some new songs from their new album called “Voyeger” which was released on June 28th of this year.

If you get the chance to see them on tour this year we recommend you make it out to see them.