General Event Info: Tuesday, March 31 Nick Hexum with Water Tower LIVE at Grog ShopDoors 7 PM | Show 8 PM ALL AGES$35 advance / $40 day of show+ $3 at the door if under 21You probably already know Nick Hexum, the crooner-voiced, laid-back California guy who has long been the lead singer, songwriter, and rhythm guitarist in 311. But do you? His three EP trilogy, Waxing Nostalgic, Full Memories, and Waning Time (yes, they are named in honor of the phases of the moon), features a Midwestern man from Nebraska who plays mandolin and pedal steel, and has many memories from the past hed like to share. Im a person who pretends like stuff doesnt bother me. So, I knew going into writing this record that it would be cathartic for me, Hexum says. I think Covid made me realize just how limited our time really is - it motivated me to create as much as possible, Hexum said with a laugh. Is it too late for a midlife crisis? There is something about reaching not an age, but a stage of life, that forces everyone to slow down and inspires us to look around at what weve accomplished, who weve become, and what were leaving behind. For Hexum, that meant turning to a different style of songwriting. The songs on these EPs are influenced by his foray into Americana, both in instrumentation and songwriting. Reading Saved by a Song by Mary Gauthier and The Creative Act by Rick Rubin pushed him to explore writing far more personal songs inspired by his life. Listening to Americana artists like Sierra Ferrell, Faye Webster, k.d. lang, Patsy Cline, and Madeleine Peyroux was part of Hexums path to making these EPs. The idea to release his first solo albums came after starting SKP, a tech company that allows artists to release albums outside the major label system and retain the rights to their work. Realizing that the system and the distribution it offered were at his fingertips was all he needed to release these songs after permitting himself to become more vulnerable in his songwriting. I dont have to wait for other people to say when I can release music, he says.