Oh hey there excitable nation! Welcome again to the fan spotlight. This week we meet the lovely Alexandra Collins!
During high school Alexandra listened to “Love Song” and “Amber” but didn’t fully become a 311 fan until 2016 when she started dating someone who was a huge fan. “The positivity of their lyrics originally drew me to the band, but once I saw them live it became about so much more than that. It felt like family.”
Show count for Alexandra is at 11. She went on the cruise in 2017 and attended this years 311 Day. First show for her was in San Francisco in 2016. Her favorite event so far was the cruise which she said was life changing. “Spending four days on a boat with a bunch of people who preach positivity and love the same band I do was one of the most enlightening experiences of my life. You really can’t understand it until you experience it for yourself.”
There are a few songs that mean a lot to Alexandra, but “It’s Alright” is probably the one that means the most to her. “I found the Uplifter album during a difficult time for myself and my family and the lyrics in that song in particular helped me through it.” Some of her favorite lyrics though come from the song “Tranquility” – “No you can’t go around it, you have to walk right through it, my father told me that so long ago. Every time that you ignore it, it gets a little more, you just have to walk toward the fear to go.” She said these lyrics speak to her because of trials that her family has been through. “It reminds me that I need to face my problems head on and not let fear stop me from achieving the things I want in life. No matter where I am when I hear this song, I always take a minute to center myself and really listen to the words.”
The San Francisco Bay Area is where Alexandra grew up but she also spent a lot of time in Upstate New York, where her family is from. She went to Syracuse University for a year, but then transferred to Arizona State University where she earned her bachelors degree in Journalism. Besides the above mentioned states, she has also lived in Connecticut and Oregon where she worked for a couple of small baseball teams. She currently works for the San Francisco Chronicle as a full-time content producer. She also works part-time for MLB.com as a stats stringer and as if that wasn’t enough, she is the media relations assistant for the Oakland Raiders.
When not tied up with work, Alexandra likes to rock climb, hike and be outdoors in general. She also writes concert reviews and dabbles in live music photography. Something interesting about Alexandra, she has a matching tattoo with both her best friend and her mom! “My mom and I both have baseballs with wings and my best friend and I both have lyrics to an A Day to Remember song.”
Singing has been something Alexandra has been doing sing she was a child and she used to perform at state fairs and various events in California. She even sang the national anthem at some games. Now I get my fix doing karaoke at dingy dive bars. I get down to some “Lady Marmalade.” Guilty pleasure for her is bad reality T.V. shows. “I’m not ashamed to admit it.”
Her musical tastes are all over the map and she doesn’t just simply love one genre. She said her favorite artists often change. Lately she has been listening to Rebelution, The Beatles, Stick Figure, Halsey, Tom Petty, Dirty Heads, Nahko and Medicine for the People.
To 311, Alexandra’s message is: “Thank you for always leaving your heart and soul on the stage and for treating your fans more like family.”
To all the fellow fans in 311 nation:
“Remember, you don’t know what people are going through in their personal lives. Be kind, stay positive and love your life.”
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Many thanks to Alexandra for sharing her story of her love for 311. Much gratitude goes out to each of you that are in this family and read the spotlights. May your week be full of light and positivity!
Much Love – The Runt