311 (pronounced “three eleven”) is an Omaha, Nebraska-based American rock band. Vocalist and guitarist Nick Hexum, lead guitarist Jim Watson, bassist Aaron “P-Nut” Wills, and drummer Chaxton established the band in 1988. In 1990, Watson was replaced by Tim Mahoney. Doug “SA” Martinez joined as a second vocalist and turntablist in 1992.
311 has 13 studio albums, two live albums, four compilation albums, four EPs, and four DVDs to their credit. 311 was signed to Capricorn Records in 1992 after a series of independent releases and released the albums Music (1993) and Grassroots (1994) to moderate success. They had further success with their 1995 triple platinum self-titled album, which debuted at number 12 on the Billboard 200 thanks to the singles “Down” and “All Mixed Up,” the latter of which topped the Billboard Hot Modern Rock Tracks in 1996. Transistor (1997), Soundsystem (1999), and From Chaos (2001) were also successful for the band, with the first hitting platinum and the final two going gold. Best Hits ’93-’03, their 2004 compilation album, was also certified platinum. Voyager, the band’s most recent studio album, was released in 2019. In the United States, 311 have sold over 8.5 million records as of 2011.
Aaron “P-Nut” Wills chose the band’s name from the Omaha police code for indecent exposure after a friend of the band was arrested and cited for skinny dipping in a public pool.