311, the stoner rock-rap-reggae band straight from the heart of the Midwest, Omaha, NE, is back at it again. Nick Hexum and the gang have released the first single from the upcoming disc, Uplifter, due June 2nd. The selection is titled “Hey You” and it is Hexum’s ode to his “constant companion” and “long time friend,” music. The track winds its way from their distinctive intro riffs to a rock reggae chorus aided by a verse that finds S.A. singing about his one wish, “for this music to be an uplift…all the people can sing along with one song.” After another chorus they pull of a beautiful “Amber”-esque moment where Hexum and S.A. end up harmonizing, something that should be done more often. Closing out the track is an amped up chorus with the added “Hey you, you never turn your back on me when I gave up on myself. Hey you, what would the world be like without you around [music].”
If anything, “Hey You” shows off 311’s ever present versatility, and it’s immediately superior to anything off their last album, Don’t Tread On Me. Hexum hints that there’s still more to come with the line, “[Music,] you’ve always let me explain just what I’m saying and we’ve just begun.” Needless to say, longtime 311 fans, like yours truly, should be pretty jazzed for what is to come. Kudos 311, let’s see where this takes us.
Check Out:
“Hey You”
311 2009 Tour Dates:
04/15 – Tucson, AZ @ Rialto Theatre *
04/16 – Albuquerque, NM @ Sunshine Theatre *
04/18 – Iowa City, IA @ University of Iowa
04/19 – Wichita, KS @ The Cotillion #
04/21 – Knoxville, TN @ The Valarium %
04/22 – Myrtle Beach, SC @ House of Blues %
04/23 – Charleston, SC @ The Music Farm %
04/25 – Orlando, FL @ WJRR Earthday Birthday Party
04/26 – Clearwater, FL @ Ruth Eckerd Hall @
04/29 – West Palm Beach, FL @ Sunfest
04/30 – St. Augustine, FL @ St. Augustine Amphitheatre &
05/01 – Birmingham, AL @ Crawfish Boil Festival
05/03 – Memphis, TN @ Beale Street Music Festival
05/04 – Asheville, NC @ The Orange Peel $
05/05 – Asheville, NC @ The Orange Peel
05/07 – Bossier City, LA @ Riverdome $
05/08 – Orange Beach, AL @ Amphitheater at the Wharf !+
05/09 – Dallas, TX @ Edgefest
05/10 – Houston, TX @ Buzzfest XXII
05/12 – Austin, TX @ Austin Music Hall ?
05/14 – Tulsa, OK @ Cain’s Ballroom ?
05/15 – Springfield, MO @ Shrine Mosque ?
05/16 – Nashville, TN @ Crawfish Broil
06/03 – Bakersfield, CA @ Majestic Fox Theatre
06/05 – Santa Barbara, CA @ Santa Barbara Bowl ^
06/07 – Eugene, OR @ Cuthbert Amphitheater ^
06/08 – Seattle, WA @ WaMu Theatre ^
06/11 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Usana Amphitheatre ^
06/12 – Denver, CO @ Red Rocks Amphitheatre ^
06/14 – Chicago, IL @ Charter One Pavilion ^
06/16 – Cleveland, OH @ Time Warner Cable Amphitheatre ^
06/17 – Columbus, OH @ Lifestyles Communities Pavillion ^
06/19 – Detroit, MI @ Freedom Hill Amphitheatre ^
06/20 – Cincinnati, OH @ Riverbend Music Center ^
06/21 – Indianaopolis, IN @ White River State Park ^
06/23 – Saratoga, NY @ SPAC ^
06/24 – Boston, MA @ Comcast Center ^
06/25 – New York, NY @ Central Park Summer Stage ^
06/27 – Holmdel, NJ @ PNC Bank Art Center ^
06/28 – Washington, DC @ Nissan Pavillion ^
06/30 – Philadelphia, PA @ Penn’s Landing ^
07/01 – Virginia Beach, VA @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre ^
07/03 – Charlotte, NC @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre ^
07/04 – Atlanta, GA @ Lakewood Amphitheatre ^
07/05 – Raleigh, NC @Walnut Creek Amphitheatre ^
07/07 – St. Louis, MO @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre ^
07/10 – Phoenix, AZ @ Dodge Theatre ^
07/11 – San Diego, CA @ Cricket Wireless Amphitheatre ^
07/12 – Irvine, CA @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre ^
* = w/ The 88
# = w/ The Movement
% = w/ The Urgency
@ = w/ Passafire
& = w/ Red Jumpsuit Apparatus
$ = w/ Outlaw Nation
! = w/ Hinder
+ = w/ Theory of a Deadman
? = w/ Full Service
^ = w/ Ziggy Marley