March 11th is 311 Day (get it?). To celebrate, we’re ranking the band’s best albums from their 30-year career.
311 formed in Omaha, Nebraska and rose to alt-rock fame in the mid-90s, propelled by a combustible mix of sunny reggae, infectious funk and hard-driving rock. Their self-titled LP celebrated its 30th anniversary last summer. Dubbed ‘The Blue Album’ by their fans, it’s landmark release in 311’s career. It helped to establish the band as a major force in the alternative rock scene, and it remains one of their most popular albums to this day. (Scroll down to see where it landed in our ranking…) Fun fact for Philadelphians: 311 played the Trocadero Theatre in 1995 and the Electric Factory in 1996 for this particular album cycle. Maybe you were there!
This past weekend, the group streamed two gigs back-to-back in honor of their own annual holiday. Watch 311 Day: Live from Las Vegas on demand via Veeps.
RELATED: 311 at Atlantic City Beer Fest
You can watch them in a much smaller setting, literally: all five members of the band packed into NPR’s offices for a Tiny Desk Concert, performing “Beautiful Disaster,” “All Mixed Up,” “Amber,” and “Down” in a very intimate and colorful setting. It just debuted today; watch that here.
They’ve got a lot more in store for 2024 and beyond. They just announced their Unity Tour of North America with special guests AWOLNATION and Neon Trees. Tickets for all of the tour dates go on sale this Friday (3/15) at 10am local time.
Keep the party going with 311 on their eighth edition of the 311 Caribbean Cruise. It sets sail March 26-31, 2025 from Miami to Great Stirrup Cay and Nassau. Get info at 311Cruise.com.
Brent Porche is a longtime fan of 311, and he’s selected five of the band’s best albums for 311 Day. Keep scrolling to check out his picks. Let us know what your favorites are on Instagram and Facebook.
5. 311 (aka The Blue Album)
311’s third studio album that features some of their breakthrough songs including their smash hits “Down”, “All Mixed Up”, and “Don’t Stay Home”. Other favorites of mine off the Blue Album are “Jackolantern’s Weather”, “Loco”, “Misdirected Hostility”, and “Hive”. The whole album is excellent and really catapulted 311 into the mainstream.
