Happy November my friends out the in the 311 universe! A new week is upon us, and that means the next fan spotlight. Let’s meet Justin Gutterman!
Justin became a fan a lot later than most of us, as he’s only 28. He first heard 311 around 2008, while his family was visiting his cousins in Indiana. “My older cousin Jerome had a wrestling tournament we were all going to watch and on the way there in a conversion van, my Uncle Jerry turned on the 311 Day 2004 live in New Orleans DVD. The vivid memory I have from that DVD was hearing Creatures for the very first time and from there I was hooked. The following summer Uplifter was released and it was pretty much all that was played at our lake house.”
Show count for Justin is easy, as he’s kept count of every show he’s attended and also what songs were played. He’s currently at 27. First show for him? “I was pretty spoiled in my first show being 311 Day New Orleans 2016. That trip was incredible and the New Orleans vibes for 311 just can’t be topped. Mark McGrath came out during the second day and being a big Sugar Ray fan as well that was a top tier 311 memory I have. I see Sugar Ray in Orlando pretty much every year and him and I have discussed that show several times, which has been cool. In those 27 shows I’ve seen a total of 719 songs, 17 setlist debuts, 11 covers and special guest performances, and in my count of every 311 song I can name through hours of countless research, although I know many will disagree with my total number and count, I have seen 174 out of 233 total 311 songs live. I was able to talk about and show this to SA after a show this year and he couldn’t believe how cool it was!”
So of the 27, which one has been Justin’s favorite? “I have so many incredible show memories but if I am going to pick one it will be the 2023 Cruise. It was my 3rd cruise but we put together quite the family trip. In total there was 8 of us in adjoining rooms including, my dad Jay, my brothers Jeremy and Jack, my uncle Jerry (the patriarch to this 311 crazed family), and my cousins Jerome, Jenna, and Vik. Of course you meet so many incredible people through 311, especially on the cruise, and we became known as just “The Guttermans.” To have all 8 of us on that ship at one time, between us there is 6 different states that we all live in, it was without a doubt the best trip of my life. On this cruise my brother Jack and I got to play basketball with Nick and P-Nut and luckily we drew to be on the same team. Both of us had a very solid game and it became a lot of the Gutterman brothers playing really well. Jack won the game MVP and brought Nick home the win, to which his wife and daughters were so incredibly nice after the game and gave us special bracelets they had made. And the ultimate compliment after the game from Nick himself, when on the PA system he was asked his thoughts on the game and his response was ‘Guttermans rule.”
Favorite song for Justin would be “Sun Come Through.” He said he heard it once and knew immediately that was it. But the song that means the most to him, that would be “Creatures.” “It is the first song I can remember hearing and the one that to this day brings my family together like no other.” Favorite lyric for him is this: “If you don’t have someone to do it with it’s not worth doing.” “311 is all about family to me and this line just embodies every experience I’ve ever had with the band.”
Louisville, Kentucky, is where Justin was born and raised. He lived there for the first 24 years of his life before moving to Orlando, Florida, which is where he is currently. “The University of Louisville is in my blood. I graduated from there, my dad graduated from there, and then my mom has worked there since I was born, except for a brief stint where she was a stay at home mom and had the most difficult job on the planet. She raised 3 boys who loved sports and got into as many activities as we could, so she set us up to have the best life we could. To fund this 311 habit I have, I am an attorney in Orlando. I work at a small plaintiff’s personal injury firm, so as a subtle plug if anyone ever needs that kind of attorney in Florida definitely reach out lol!
Justin said he’s pretty much an open book, but something that people may not know about him is that he’s a Type 1 Diabetic. “With today’s technology it is fairly easy to not have my pump showing and people I have known for years still don’t know. I don’t hide it by any means but sometimes it just isn’t out in the open.” When asked what makes him unique, Justin had this answer. “Does not matter the background, social status, age, or job, I always strive to treat everyone as a friend first and be as kind as I can be. Has done me fairly well so far in life.” Guilty pleasure for him was an easy one to pick. “High School Musical. That is like my childhood age range and can still sing every word to every song to this day.”
As for other music he’s into, Justin said most of it stems from his love of 311 and that he will pretty much listen to everything. “My second favorite band though is without a doubt Tropidelic. Those guys are incredible and over the years have been so kind to my family. We competed against them in the Flip Cup Championship on the 2025 Cruise and made sure that for the first time ever they lost!”
To 311, Justin would like to send this message: “Thank you. It’s cliché to say but truly I would love to believe that I would have so many wonderful memories with my immediate and extended family without the band but fortunately for me I don’t. They have been a part of so many incredible trips and concerts for my family that its tough to know what life would have been like over the years without them bringing us all closer together.”
Now here are Justin’s words to all his fellow fans:
“So for all the fans that have ever spoken to any Gutterman whether at a concert, 311 day, 311 Cruise, on social media, or anywhere else, you ALL rock. This ‘familia’ that we have through 311 is truly something that we all cherish. We have made so many friends and met so many incredible people, its nice to know how good people are out there each and every day.”
Thank you Justin for taking the time to share your amazing story with us! And of course, my love to all that read each post. Have an amazing week friends!
Much Love – The Runt