Welcome again to all of my friends out in 311 nation. How about we kick off another week and meet the new fan spotlight? This week we meet the other half of last weeks edition…meet Benjamin Tarver!
It was later on for Benjamin that 311 came into his life, he said it was somewhere in the mid 2000’s. “I’ve gone through several genre’s of music over the years – from metal, to techno, industrial then into alternative and reggae vibes.” What really drew him to 311 was the feel of the music and the transitions within songs, especially the early stuff. “I’ve thought this was unique about them since I started listening to 311.”
Show count stands at 14 for Benjamin. His first show was 311 Day 2014 and it’s still his favorite one so far. “The fans made us family immediately fall in love with what 311 is all about = PLUR! We went from fans to diehard fans in that 3 days in New Orleans. It definitely changed us forever and I’m so glad it did.”
Favorite song for Benjamin? He said it may sound cheesy, but he loves “Sunset in July.” “It really just brings me back to loving spending time with my wife, watching how she gets wide eyed and excited about every show and trying to convert every person we meet into a 311 fan.” He also loves their remake of The Cure’s “Love Song.” “That’s been our song for 20 years, so having 311 do a cover of it was just amazing.” Some of his favorite lyrics come from the song “Something Out of Nothing” – “We are the wind and the sea,Sun reflected you to me. We are the moon and the stars, Darkness hiding mystical heart. We have just begun, The dreams, the nightmares of everyone. We are mysterious things, Eternal, perpetual, and ending. We are the yin and the yang, The ending, the middle, and the big bang. We are the zero and one
The desert, the voice, and the ocean.”
Benjamin is happily married to Mary Beth. He said she’s the talker in the family! They have 2 kids, Isaiah and Nikolas. Benjamin spends his non-311 event time managing construction projects in the south eastern U.S. He’s originally from Natchez, Mississippi, but grew up just outside of Jackson. “I’m thankful my dad moved us out of the country & to the “big city” lol. We have lived in Arkansas, Texas and Tennessee – where we currently live outside of Memphis.”
Benjamin is a bit of an introvert and he said he follows his butterfly of a wife to shows. He used to write poetry in his younger days. “I finally wrote one for Mary Beth a few years ago. I probably should do that more often!”
Benjamin took up BMX racing with his youngest son which he found out later wasn’t as much of a talent as he had thought. He said it was the most fun he had in years until it went horribly wrong. “But now I have one robot knee and another with a scrap yard of metal in it, so that’s something. 😊” When he was younger he used to play Dungeons & Dragons, so it’s lead him to play similar games now and it’s somewhat of a guilty pleasure. “Me & my oldest son played all the Dark Souls series games together and beat them all.” Aside from 311, Benjamin also loves artists such as The Cure, Pearl Jam, Dirty Heads, RDGLDGRN, and Iron Maiden.
To 311, Benjamin’s message is this: “Keep on doing what you love – making music & touring! I have a lot of missed out years to make up for so don’t quit now boys!”
To all his fellow fans out there:
“I really love the way the 311 family rallies around it’s own. I see so many of you doing great things for others in & out of this community. It provides a great center to return to with everything else going on in the world today to know so many people who would do anything to help others. I’m glad to call myself part of this clique that’s more like a family! I’ll see a bunch (but not enough) of you on the Cruise in 2019. Come say hello – don’t forget, Im the closet introvert.”
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Thank you Benjamin for sharing your story! So happy to have you as part of this venture. Much gratitude to all that read all of these posts. Now go be the amazing people you are. Spread the positivity!
Much Love – The Runt