I’ve followed Nick Hexum through every riff, chorus, and encore. I have been a fan of his music since I first heard the 311 single “Don’t Stay Home” on the radio back in 1995 when I was 13 years old. I’ve seen 311 live over forty times and attended both 311 Day and the 311 Pow Wow at Spirit of Suwanee in 2011. But I’ve yet to see him solo. That is all about to change when Hexum, best known as the frontman of 311, comes to Jannus Live in St. Petersburg, Florida, this Saturday, October 4. He will perform as part of his Nothing But the Truth Tour, in support of his new bluegrass/Americana-inspired solo album Phases of Hope and Hollow.
Hexum will also be releasing an exclusive version of his first-ever solo vinyl, available only at these shows. This stop is part of RIESpect Fest, put on by local favorites Ries Brothers, who will back Hexum for the Jannus Live show. Water Tower has previously served as Hexum’s backing band on other dates of the tour. Fans can expect a full Americana-inspired set from Hexum, featuring songs from his moon-themed solo EP trilogy (Waxing Nostalgic, Full Memories, and Waning Time) alongside inventive reworkings of his most-loved songs.
I recently had the honor of chatting with Nick Hexum about his exploratory new project, the upcoming Jannus Live show, and the bonds that have kept 311 together for over thirty years.
Trevor: I just wanted to start this off by telling you, this is a real honor for me. I’ve been a fan of yours since I first heard “Don’t Stay Home” on the radio. I’ve seen 311 over 40 times, went to the 311 Pow Wow, the last one in New Orleans… so, oh my gosh. I’ve done a bunch of interviews, but this is the big one for me. I really appreciate you taking the time.
Nick: It’s nice to hear. My pleasure.
Trevor: I’ve listened to 311, the Nick Hexum Quintet, and now your new solo album Phases of Hope and Hollow. How have your musical influences changed over the course of your career, and how would you say that’s changed your musical output?
Nick: I think we’ve always had an attitude of saying yes to new influences, being eclectic, and bringing a wide variety of styles into our music. This is just an extension of that, with my latest exploration being Americana, bluegrass, country—things like that. It’s been a lot of fun to explore.
Trevor: Yeah, I was really digging the album. What artists were you listening to during the writing process?
Nick: K.D. Lang, Sierra Ferrell, Madeleine Peyroux… a lot of female artists. Faye Webster, too. I love music with lush production, pedal steel, mandolin—so it’s been kind of new territory for me.
Trevor: It was so cool to hear your voice with those instruments—something new. This album feels like a fresh lens on your songwriting. Is this something you’ll continue to explore, or just a side path between 311 cycles?
Nick: I seem to have plenty of time for both. I do have some really exciting new 311 songs I want to work on with the guys. But I also have a lot more Americana-oriented stuff that’s better suited for solo projects. So, more of both.
Trevor: On this album, you collaborated with different artists, including the bluegrass band Water Tower, who are also your backing band on this tour. How did that come about?
Nick: I’ve known Kenny Feinstein through the LA music scene for a while. I mentioned I was interested in learning mandolin, and he offered to teach me. He’s such a great multi-instrumentalist, teacher, and collaborator. After he gave me some lessons, I had him work on a couple of tunes, and those became “Lonely Existence” and “Cosmic Connection.” I also collaborated with other writers—Ben Kweller wrote “Please Explain” with me. And my sister, who’s a wonderful poet and lyricist, co-wrote “1978” with me, along with a couple of others.
Trevor: Oh yeah, that’s a great one. I listened to it earlier. The album has some great originals, but also a few covers—including Chappell Roan’s “California.” What inspired you to put that one on the record?
Nick: Having three daughters, I’ve been exposed to a lot of cool music through them. That’s how I heard Faye Webster and Chappell Roan. When I listened to “California,” the lyrics really told my story—the way she talks about being from the Midwest, moving to LA, missing home, and wondering if I should go back. That’s exactly what happened to me in the late ’80s when I moved to LA by myself. Eventually, I decided it was better to go back to Omaha and link up with my high school buddies—and that became 311. So I really related to that song.
Trevor: Another recent project was the dub version of “Goodbye Sunshine” with Coheed and Cambria. How did that come about?
Nick: That was all their idea. They reached out through P-Nut, because he’s a massive Coheed fan. They had reworked one of their songs in a reggae style, and since they’re 311 fans, they asked if I would sing on it. I also added some production, some echoes… It was a fun collaboration, all done remotely by sending files back and forth. I even appear in the video— they filmed theirs in New York, and I filmed mine in LA on a green screen. That was an easy and fun collab.
Trevor: Nice. It turned out great. Next, I wanted to ask about the Ries Brothers. They’ve been a staple of the Tampa Bay/St. Pete scene for years, and I know they’ve opened for you many times. How does it feel to come back and play with them at Riespect Fest, their own festival?
Nick: I saw them at the Troubadour a few years ago. I was just blown away by the musicianship and the performance, and the fact that they’re able to make such a full sound – usually with just two guys. Sometimes they have additional musicians. I have a lot of respect, no pun intended, about how they’re willing to just go and set up their instruments and play anywhere. It’ll be great to do their festival. Our label Platform SKP has been working with them, too, which has been a joy; they’re really positive people. They’ll also be my backing band for the Tampa show, instead of Water Tower.
Trevor: Yeah, it sounds like a super cool experience. They’ve got a lot of things planned for the fest. Now, you mentioned you’re doing reimagined versions of some fan favorites on this tour. How do you choose which 311 songs make the cut, and how are they reshaped?
Nick: The criteria is basically: would this sound good acoustic, in a more Americana style? One we do is kind of a surprise—it starts as a bluegrass song, and only when the vocals come in do people realize it’s a 311 track.
Trevor: Oh, sweet. Will you be doing that at this show?
Nick: We haven’t worked out the set list yet.
Trevor: I’m looking forward to it. 311 is known for mixing up their set lists night to night. Can you walk me through how a typical one comes together?
Nick: Since we’ve been doing it for so long, we have a real feel for what different cities will respond to. We’ll sit down after soundcheck in a full band meeting and just talk it out. There are certain anchor songs—like if we didn’t do the drum solo or “Amber,” people would be disappointed. But we rotate a lot of songs and always drop in some deep cuts for hardcore fans. So it’s different every time you see us. We rotate who writes the setlist each night—we call that person the ‘scribe.’ Everyone takes turns, and even though one person writes it, the whole band has input. It’s a cool system we’ve evolved into.
Trevor: Oh, that’s so cool. I’ve always wanted to know the process behind that. 311 has had the same band members for over 30 years at this point. What is the secret to keeping the band together for so long?
Nick: Well, you have to respect democracy and know that you’re not always gonna get your way. We also just keep an attitude of gratitude, of knowing that we’re better together than we are apart, and that we stumbled onto something really special. So we try to take real good care of it.
