Most up-and-coming bands dream of getting their videos played on MTV. 311’s SA Martinez could care less.

“Personally, I don’t care to do them,” he said. “Videos are pretty lame if you think about it. There are bands on MTV that haven’t ever toured. I believe you have to put your time in on the road and build a fan base that way.”

“The over-exposure from MTV is so stupid. I really like what Pearl Jam has done. I don’t even think they put out any releases anymore and they still sell millions of records. They basically said ‘F— You’ to those people.”

Martinez could get familiar with those words quickly if certain controversies over the band’s name don’t come to an end. 311 T-shirts were recently banned in some Omaha high schools after officials claimed the name stood for KKK.

“It’s so stupid I don’t even want to talk about it,” Martinez said. “It’s actually an old rumor that’s died out for the most part. There’s a lot of rumors about our name, this one’s just the most disturbing. That’s the music industry for ya, everyone trying to make something out of nothing.”

According to Martinez, 311 was originally taken from the police code for indecent exposure. “At first we thought it was pretty funny, but after awhile it became kind of corny. We just tried to ignore it and avoid questions about it in interviews until all this KKK stuff came out. Then we were like ‘ahh s—, there goes keeping it a mystery.’ It’s all good though.”

The true mystery surrounding 311 is where to categorize their musical blend of hard rock, funk, rap and reggae. “We just make our music,” Martinez explained. “We don’t try to find something to tag with it.”

Agreeing with them is Soundgarden/Bad Brains producer Ron St. Germain who produced 311. St. Germain replaced Eddy Offord, who worked with the band on their first two discs.

“We wanted to get another producer for this record,” Martinez said. “Since we got to choose who it was, we picked someone we really admired. The same thing goes for the next record. Scott Ralston, our own sound man, is producing it.”

Although some time has been set away to record, 311 has kept its focus as a live band. The band originated their ‘touring first’ mentality after their first gig opening for Fugazi.

“I love it,” Martinez added. “All the best times are on the road. I don’t care what kind of mood you’re in, when you get on stage, the energy comes out. Our fans are the best.”

“We played the second night of the tour in Sioux City and it was great. I mean, we were talking to some of the kids after the show and they were just so glad to see a band come through there.”

Vocalist/guitarist Nick Hexum, percussionist Chad Sexton, guitarist Timothy J. Mahoney, bassist P-Nut and Martinez gathered forces in 1990 to form 311. The band released Music in 1993 and Grassroots in 1994.

“Each song is different on all the records,” Martinez said. “It’s not a matter of evolving. A certain riff may inspire a song, who’s to say? We’re not political in nature, that’s just not what we’re about. Normally 311’s not going to make a statement unless we feel it’s really important.”

“We’ve got some good ideas, musically, for the next record. I’ve been writing some lyrics this tour also, which is something I’ve never done.”

With Music, brought 311’s first hit single “Do You Right.” The band first recorded the song on a disc they put out themselves, just after their inception.

“I remember when we first moved to L.A. and we heard it on the radio out there,” Martinez said. “It flipped us out. It was really humbling. I guess it was sort of bad in that we were expecting other singles to reach those heights.”

311’s variety of influences include the late 80s dance rap, a style Martinez strictly defends. A slice of Rob Base’s “It Take’s Two” is sampled on the band’s latest release.

“Rob Base was the s— when that came out,” he said. “People never believed that rap songs could become classics, and now they have.”

311 is expected to record a new record next February with a release date set for summer of 1997. Until then you can catch the explosive quintet with The Urge at the Des Moines Civic Center tomorrow night at 7:30. Tickets for the show are $19.50 and are still available through TicketMaster.