P-Funky

P-Nut, as most people call 311 bassist Aaron Wills, is a man on a mission. We ask him about his plans to deliver the groove to the people

Pop, rock, pop-rock— whatever 311 do, people like it a lot. Ten million or so album sales since the Nebraska-raised quartet formed in 1988, the band have stamped their mark on American musical culture, without ever becoming too commercial. Together, the musicians—Nick Hexum (vocals, guitar), Doug Martinez (DJ), Tim Mahoney (guitar), Aaron Wills (bass), and Chad Sexton (drums)—have delivered 13 albums, the latest of which, Voyager, keeps the train a-rolling nicely with its radio-friendly textures.

Perhaps at odds with the band’s choice of music, bassist Wills—apparently nicknamed ‘P-Nut’ because of the shape of his cranium, although you’d have to ask him for details—is a monster of a bass player. He specializes in insanely complex funk lines straight from the Bootsy and Flea school, although of course he usually backs off to serve the songs. How did such a talent emerge, we want to know...

From the outside, being in 311 looks like a lot of fun.

It’s such a fun project, especially that it’s so long term and we get to do what we want as much as possible. That’s what our fans have given us—but I think we can still take more advantage of it. I listened to the new Tool and Baroness albums, and there’s so much room for creative expression in the present tense right now.

Are you happy with your new album?

Yes, I love Voyager, but as it was coming out, I was thinking, gosh, I wish we had a few more months on it. There were a few things I would have loved to have done, but it was all about hitting the summer tour in the States, and making sure that there was new music that we could play for our audience and not have it be the same set a few years in a row.

You play some pretty funky bass parts. How do they come about?