Art of Music: 311 Announces Tour Dates, Releases Single, “Too Much to Think”

The 17-song MOSIAC  album is produced by John Feldmann (Blink-182, Panic! At The Disco, etc.) and Scotch Ralston (who produced 311’s iconic Transistor, Soundsystem, and Stereolithicalbums). With MOSAIC, 311 are approaching their 10th consecutive Top 10 album debut on the Billboard Top 200 Albums Chart.

NICK HEXUM (singer/guitarist): “We wanted a title that pointed to our collective nature. Something that referred to the eclectic style of our music and the bond between the band members and our fans and this title really captures that.”

CHAD SEXTON (drums): “We wanted to include our fans in the concept of this record. We have a very symbiotic relationship with our fans that see us year after year.  We wanted to find a word or phrase that would describe our fan base, our band, and our music and to tie it all into a concept that could be presented in the album artwork as well.  Where we landed was perfect….MOSAIC.  As one definition states:  “a combination of diverse elements forming a more or less coherent whole.” We feel this word can accurately describe our band, music and our fan base together. For us, it’s still a celebration. For the simple fact that if people have different sets of ideas and opinions, likes and dislikes, and are able to get along and come together over the one bond they share (music) – there is no satisfaction like the joy experienced when this happens. It’s a celebration over the triumph of our differences and it’s the main concept we’ve been presenting throughout our entire 27-year journey-UNITY.”

NICK HEXUM: “A menagerie of styles created by five friends and our extended musical family at our best!  Innovation, fun, chops, and heart.”

P-NUT (bass), adds “Fresh, Hard and Satisfying… Future-rock at our best… We’ll always be forward-thinking and flipping the script on ourselves.”

HEXUM continues, “The key word for this set of tunes is innovation.  We went in some new directions, which will surprise people.  Music is a never-ending journey.  I’m always proud of how diverse the styles are that we include in our music.  MOSAIC is our most adventurous collection yet. Some of our highest energy jams ever.  Funky grooves, dub riddims, party anthems, heartfelt sincerity, it’s all in there. I think the dynamics are the newest feature.  Having builds inspired by very modern music raises the intensity to new heights.”

NICK HEXUM: “The MOSAIC cover captures the spirit of the collective nature that is 311-band & fans together to form something greater than the sum of its parts.”

CHAD SEXTON: “We know the trend these days is to release shorter albums or even just singles but this album is dedicated to our longtime fans and we wanted to give them everything.  The album is 17 songs that we’re really proud of and that really capture the musical range of 311. While we’ve been mixing the album there have been several moments that reminded me of Transistor (311’s seminal 4th album).  MOSAIC definitely takes some steps forward into more modern territory, but there are distinct reminders of where we come from in the songs.Something about blending an older 311 style with a newer 311 style is really exciting to us and I think it will be for the fans too.”