Hello again my excitable friends! The new 311 fan spotlight has arrived. This week let us meet Jason & Shay Perlman!
Jason is the one who found 311 first thanks to his older brother. “My brother gave me a toboggan he got from a show so I wanted to check them out and was hooked.” Shay became a fan thanks to Jason and she tagged along to a couple of shows with him and listened to them in the car. It wasn’t until her first cruise in 2015 that she was fully hooked.
Show count for Jason is somewhere between 50-60. First show for him was July 26, 2001, in Charlotte, North Carolina. For Shay, she believes she’s in the 20’s for show count. “I have a horrible memory and wasn’t really into them the first 4 or 5 shows I went to (and when I looked back, those set lists were fire and I got so mad at myself). My first show was summer of 2006 in Virginia Beach, VA.”
As far as favorite shows, for Jason he chose the beach show during the second cruise. “Floating in the ocean during the show was awesome.” Shay chose the 2017 cruise as her favorite event. “Every time Jason and I got separated on the boat, the best and most random things would happen so I had a ton of fun stories. And of course Jason passing out drunk at Mr. Sanchez is one of my favorite stores to tell.”
Favorite song for Jason is “It’s Getting OK Now.” “Helps me get through, it’s like a shot of adrenaline for me.” Shay said at the risk of sounding cheesy, she picked “Amber” as her favorite song. “That was one of the first songs my son sang along with and his “Whoa-oh”‘s were really cute! So it means the most I think on a personal level. But Wildfire gives me chills every time I hear it.”
One of Jason’s favorite lyrics is “The only thing I can prove is there is no proof.” Shay chose the lyric “You can pray to your god but your god can’t fix.” “Sorry not sorry if it’s controversial lol but I just feel it’s captures the times we live in – It’s up to us to fix what’s wrong with our world. I hear that line as a call to action.”
Jason was born in Lake Ronkonkoma, New York. He moved to North Carolina when he was 10 years old. Shay is an original North Carolina girl and she grew up around Hickory. They now live in Kernersville. Jason works in the catering industry and Shay writes root cause analysis document bulletins for a financial services company.
Some other bands that Jason loves include Pigeons Playing Ping Pong, Tool, Rancid, Weezer, Sublime, Rage Against the Machine, Incubus, and Red Hot Chili Peppers. Shay said that RDGLDGRN, Ballyhoo!, and Dirty Heads are the only recent artists that she listens to on a regular basis. She typically listens to artists from the 90’s such as Yellowcard, My Chemical Romance, Foo Fighters, Britney Spears, NSYNC, HIM and CKY.
Interesting fact about Jason is that he fell off a 20 foot cliff when he was 14. He fell right beside jagged rocks and didn’t get hurt! Shay said her interesting fact is that she was on TRL and met Carson Daly when she was 15!
Something that makes Jason unique is that he’s played and beaten approximately 5000 video games, many of which he still owns. Shay’s talent comes in being able to make anyone like Brussel sprouts! “Everyone who has ever tried them hated them before but loved mine. It’s a requested side every holiday dinner now.”
Guilty pleasure for Jason is a unique one – he loves going to the dentist! “Even with all the scraping and poking. No pain, no gain!” Shay’s guilty pleasure is “Keeping Up With the Kardashians.”
They each have their own messages to the band. Jason would like to say, “Bring 311 Day back to Nola, there is more magic there.” Shay would like to say to Tim, “Sorry I awkwardly screamed in your ear after our group photo last cruise; I was not at my personal best in that moment and I’m sorry if that hurt your ear or startled you!”
Their combined message to all the other fans is this:
“We’ve met so many amazing people thanks to this band and community. We’ve made so many amazing memories and friends that we’re so thankful for and we love you guys!”
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There you have the story of Jason & Shay Perlman! Much thanks to them for sharing their story and to all the readers out there! May you have a fantastic week! Go kick some butt!
Much Love – The Runt