Nick Hexum Interview: New 311 Music, Tour With Dirty Heads + More

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On Thursday’s edition of Loudwire Nights (April 30), Nick Hexum joined the show to dive into 311‘s upcoming tour with Dirty Heads, reflect on his band’s longevity and more.

“I think the best thing an artist can do is just follow curiosity,” Hexum shared with Loudwire Nights host Chuck Armstrong about one of the reasons 311 have been able to continue making new music nearly four decades into their career.

“That makes it come from the heart because if it excites you, then that’s the creative spark. Fortunately, we’ve kicked through enough fences [that] our fans aren’t expecting us to stay in one area.”

In addition to that, Hexum was quick to add that beyond the longevity of 311, there’s an even bigger story to celebrate.

“We are one of the longest running original lineup bands that there are today,” he said.

“There’s plenty of bands like the Rolling Stones who have been going longer, but they’ve changed lineups a lot. And so the fact that we’re the same five dudes is pretty remarkable. U2 is the longest original lineup and I think Radiohead is a bit ahead of us in longevity, but we’re up there in the top five and we realized that’s something really special.”

Hexum said there’s no substitute for the decades that he and his bandmates have played together; they’ve navigated the ups and downs, the highs and lows together, every step of the way.

“The democratic way has prevailed with us.”

He said several times throughout the conversation that 311 have always done their best to build good vibes through their music and live shows — and they also do everything they can to surround themselves with like-minded individuals. So, it makes sense that they are hitting the road with Dirty Heads for this summer’s So Glad You Made It tour.

“It’s super good vibes, we’ve been friends with them for a long time,” Hexum said.

“It’s more than a decade now that I did a song with them called ‘So Glad You Made It,’ so it’s cool that’s lending itself to the name of the tour. We’ve been friends with them for a long time and they’re kindred spirits of good, chill vibes.”

As for the future of 311 beyond this tour, Hexum had some exciting words to share with fans.

“I just finished a demo that I’m really excited about,” he said about working on new music.

“Just like an hour ago, I was editing vocals and doing a rough mix. I’ll be sharing that with the guys soon. So yes, there are some new songs in the works.”

What Else Did 311’s Nick Hexum Discuss on Loudwire Nights?

2027’s 311 Caribbean Cruise: “[In the early days,] the whole concept of destination events totally did not exist. I had heard about these blues cruises where you would get on a boat in New Orleans and go up the river and hear some blues and stuff like that, but to actually go out into the ocean sea, [when] they brought it to us, I was like that sounds awesome. Yeah, he’s do that.”
What runs through his head when he thinks about starting to make music in 1988 and playing 311’s first show in 1990: “It’s pretty nuts. It’s not about the peak that you could get. It’s about how long you get to do something you really enjoy. And we love the process of having an idea for a song and putting it together with your buddies and then recording it and performing it live and seeing it become part of people’s lives. It’s just like the coolest thing in the world. It’s magic. You’re just creating something out of vibrations in the air. That’s what music is. It’s pretty crazy to get to do that for a living. We keep that gratitude and how fortunate we are in mind.”
What else keeps his attention these days: “Gardening, taking care of animals, doing fun stuff with the family. [We’re] going skiing again one more time before the season is over. Lots of different fun endeavors.”