For the 3/11 installment of Tiny Desk, NPR welcomed the most apt band possible: 311.
Helmed by lead singer and guitarist Nick Hexum, the Nebraska rock band squeezed in behind the office’s literal tiny desk space to kick things off with “Beautiful Disaster,” a tune from 311’s 1997 album Transistor. With Tim Mahoney on guitar, Doug “SA” Martinez on turntables and vocals, Chad Sexton on drums and Aaron “P-Nut” Wills on bass, the group then segued into a hit from its self-titled 1995 record, “All Mixed Up.”
“This kind of reminds me of being in my dad’s basement, being back next to the pool table,” Hexum remarked, before quipping, “But it smells better here.”
311 went on to slow things down a bit for “Amber” from 2001’s From Chaos. For their finale, the guys closed with “Down,” also from their self-titled LP.
After strumming their last notes, P-Nut held up a hand heart. “Thank you so much!” a beaming Hexum told the in-house audience as they showered the band with applause. “Much love. Stay positive, love your life.”
In September, 311 released a 30th-anniversary edition of its 1993 debut album Music. In the years since the original Music, the group has notched 16 albums on the Billboard 200, 10 of which made it into the top 10.
The band’s most recent studio album, Voyager, arrived in 2019 and debuted at No. 18 on the Billboard 200.
In 2022, 311 went through “a bit of a rough time,” as revealed by Hexum on Billboard‘s Behind the Setlist podcast. P-Nut had tweeted that he was “planning on taking a break from the band” upon fulfilling his obligations; however, within the next five months, the group was able to resolve things behind the scenes.
“I think breaks are healthy, and we have had a fairly intense touring schedule” Hexum said at the time. “Everything feels pretty well on track. And we’ve we’ve had some really good talks and discussions lately. We’re excited about the next chapter — P-Nut included.”
Fans of the band celebrate every March 11 as 311 Day, so it’s only appropriate that they celebrate with a Tiny Desk Concert for the band’s custom holiday. Watch 311 take on Tiny Desk above.
