Oh hey there 311 nation! Who’s ready to read the next fan spotlight? Ok then, without further ado, let’s meet Ashley Thomas!
Ashley’s 311 journey began when her best friend in high school became a huge 311 fan, and Ashley was really into AFI. It wasn’t until she saw 311 live that she really fell in love. “We went to the Vans Warped Tour on 6/29/2001 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. AFI came on first and I waited for AFI to start for the 30 minutes while Alien Ant Farm performed in a crowd of so many people I could barely move. As soon as AFI started I thought I was going to die and I had to crowd surf out of there for the first time. As soon as 311 came on stage I was in love. The vibe of the crowd was 1000 times better and I immediately started jumping up and down. I probably crowd surfed at least 5 times during their set. The people around me were amazing and kept helping me up to crowd surf. I had a blast and I was hooked.”
The next show Ashley attended was the Halloween show at Universal Amphitheater in Hollywood. “My best friend and I were on the floor right in front and this show definitely sealed the deal for me as being a major fan. I bought every CD that came out after that and saw them for a total of 5 times from 2001-2003. Unfortunately, when I went away to college I no longer had my bestie to go to shows with and did not see them again live until I finally found some people to go with on the 2017 Caribbean Cruise. The cruise was completely life changing for me. I fell back in love with 311 even more and discovered the 311 community aka familia. I met so many amazing friends which have now become family. I realized how close everyone was and loved how everyone I met on the ship was family from the beginning.”
After the cruise, Ashley decided to travel to Chicago to see 311, and she ended up at a barbecue that some fellow excitables were throwing, even though she didn’t know the couple throwing the BBQ! “Family and friends did not understand how I was going to someone’s house that I did not know. I said their family and sure enough everyone at the BBQ was family. I met so many more amazing people and that show was definitely one of my favorites. I was on the rail and there were about 30 of us familia all together loving the show together.” Total show count for Ashley is now at 24.
Favorite events for Ashley have been the cruises in 2017 and 2019. “I would have to say that although the 2017 Caribbean Cruise got me back into 311 and was super live changing the 2019 Caribbean Cruise would definitely have to my favorite for sure because of my amazing roommates and how many of my favorite people were on it.” One of her favorite memories comes from another event, and is as follows: “I went to the Manhattan Beach DirectTV taping while I was still recuperating from ankle surgery. I went on my Knee scooter and I had a crutch. I danced the entire show on one foot right up front with a crutch. After the show Pnut saw me and realized that I was there still rocking out with a crutch. His face was classic I wish I could have taken a picture. He looked at me with the biggest sad puppy dog look, jumped off the stage and gave me the biggest hug. I will never forget that day. I saw so frustrated that my ankle was still a mess, but I went to the show anyways and I made the best of it. Pnut made it completely worth it.”
A song that is a favorite of Ashley’s is “All Mixed Up.” But then after her life changing 311 cruise experience, “Island Sun” is now one that means the most to her. Some lyrics she loves include, “Every day there are mountains, and some times the ocean,” “You’ve got to trust your instincts, and let go of regret,” and “Cuz there’s a better place to be and it’s one you need to see in this lifetime, so get on board and be on your way.”
Van Nuys, California, is where Ashley was born. Her parents divorced when she was just 1 and she moved to Culver City to live with her grandparents. In the summer before she went into first grade she moved to Manhattan Beach. “I grew up with a single mom who sacrificed everything for me to be in a good school district. In third grade I suffered from a brain aneurysm that burst and I was paralyzed on my whole right side. I was hospitalized for the first month of third grade and had to learn how to do everything again learning to walk to learning to read and write again. When I returned to school I had to transfer schools in order to placed in all day special education class, because my school that I had attended since 1st grade did not offer the class until 4th grade. I attended this new school for the rest of the school year and then we able to return to my home school with all of my friends the following year which I was back in general education classes with just pull-out special education support. Although I still struggle with reading and writing I was able to go off to college and get all A’s and B’s with a lot of work. I would never be where I am today if it was not for all of the help from my resources specialist teacher; therefore, I decided to a resources specialist myself.”
Ashley attended Fresno State where she got her bachelors degree and teaching credentials. She had chosen Fresno State because of the small class sizes and there was snowboarding. “There was a mountain that was only an hour and a half away. While I was in school I was able to go snowboarding like every weekend during the winter.” When she graduated she moved back home and started teaching. She continued snowboarding but had to drive 6 hours to Mammoth to do it. She is currently a middle school special education teacher but has also taught kindergarten through 12th grade.
Every summer, Ashley volunteers for a week at a YMCA resident camp. “I have been going to camp since I was in the 5th grade.” We’ve already learned that she loves snowboarding, but Ashley said that she gets in about 30 plus snowboarding days each season. Guilty pleasure for her is that she watches all episodes of The Bachelor and The Bachelorette.
For other bands, Ashley said she really enjoys all music except country. “Punk has definitely always been one of my top music genres, but I also really like Ska, Reggae and Alternative.” Musicians that she loves include NOFX, Pennywise, Bad Religion, The Vandals, Reel Big Fish, Too Rude, Rebelution, Stick Figure, and Slightly Stoopid.
To 311, Ashley has these words: “ Thank you for always putting on amazing shows and bringing us fans together. The positive energy you guys put out is what keeps us fans together.”
And to all the other fans out there:
“Thank you to all of the family I have met. I love spending time with all of you and sharing our love for 311. Thank you for always being there for me. I can always count on you guys to be there. Stay positive and love your life!”
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That is the story of Ashley Thomas! Thanks for sharing your tale and as always, much gratitude goes out to all the readers. Have an amazing week!
Much Love – The Runt