3.11.24

You launched a thousand ships in my heart

So easy

Still it’s fine from afar

And you know that

When it comes to being a music snob, I’ve had moments when I’m as guilty as anybody. I try to mindful of the idea that people like what they like, but every once in a while there’s a band or solo artist that I just can’t stand.

But I’m not going to name names.

Instead, I want to focus on the other side of the coin for a minute. Think of musicians that are important to me but have become easy jokes for others.

Counting Crows. Jack Johnson. Third Eye Blind. And the band behind tonight’s song, 311.

What is it that makes this group the target of jokes and dismissal? I have a few ideas. Some are legit. Others just feel bandwagony. For the most part, I don’t care. I like what I like. If someone else doesn’t like it, they don’t have to listen.

One of the things I appreciate about 311 is the positivity they bring to their music. The band covers lots of genres — alternative rock, nu metal, ska, reggae — to mostly good success, but what permeates it all is a much-needed outlook that veers away from the doom and gloom found too often in music over the last 30 or so years.

Amber — from 311’s 2001 album, From Chaos — is a lot of things. It’s a sunny Saturday afternoon, chilling in the backyard, floating down the river, walking through the woods, playing with your dog, hanging with people who let you be you. It’s unapologetic and unironic in its vibe.

It’s just a song that’s there to make you feel good.

And if that’s not worth listening to, I don’t know what is.