Douglas Vincent "SA" Martinez (born October 29, 1969 in Omaha, Nebraska

Omaha, Nebraska

Omaha is the largest city in the state of Nebraska, United States, and is the county seat of Douglas County. It is located in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about 20 miles north of the mouth of the Platte River...

) is a vocalist and DJ for the alternative rock

Alternative rock

Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...

 band 311

311 (band)

311 is an American rock band from Omaha, Nebraska. The band was formed in 1988 by vocalist/rhythm guitarist Nick Hexum, lead guitarist Jim Watson , bassist Aaron "P-Nut" Wills and drummer Chad Sexton...

. He is of Hispanic descent. Martinez's nickname is partially a play on the Mexican Spanish

Mexican Spanish

Mexican Spanish is a version of the Spanish language, as spoken in Mexico and in various places of Canada and the United States of America, where there are communities of Mexican origin....

 slang term "ese", meaning "buddy" or "friend." It is also said that SA had an "out-of-body experience" in college and S.A. is an acronym for "Spooky Apparition" stemming from that experience. SA is also sometimes credited as an acronym for "Space Alien", stemming from SA's lyrics frequently referring to the outer workings of the universe. He is the oldest member of 311.

Early life

Martinez was born and raised in Omaha and attended Bryan High School

Omaha Bryan High School

Omaha Bryan High School is a public high school located in Bellevue, Nebraska, United States. It is a part of Omaha Public Schools.-History:The building for William Jennings Bryan Senior High School was completed in 1971. It was named after the Nebraska politician...

. When his friends started a band he began making guest appearances with the band as a vocalist. After two years, Martinez was asked to join the band, and the first incarnation of 311

311 (band)

311 is an American rock band from Omaha, Nebraska. The band was formed in 1988 by vocalist/rhythm guitarist Nick Hexum, lead guitarist Jim Watson , bassist Aaron "P-Nut" Wills and drummer Chad Sexton...

began.

311

Martinez brought something new to the 311 table: turntables. He became the band's official DJ, but it did not affect his vocal duties. Songs from the demos were later re-written with scratches.