Welcome back my excitable friends! It’s time we get to it and have a new edition of the 311 fan spotlight! This week we have edition #276 and it features the lovely Kevin & Misty Smith!
For Misty, the year was 1994 and it was her older brother that introduced her to the band when the Grassroots album came out. “He had it on repeat constantly. The next fall I went to my first show. It was just such a different sound than anything else that was out there at the time.”
Kevin was introduced to 311 the same year. He remembers hearing “Do You Right” on the local radio station 99X and he loved it from first listen. “I loved the emerging alternative/grunge sound so I was really big into Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins, RHCP etc. 311 took the sound I loved & added that rap-rock feel that made it even better! The rest of my family was & still is into country music as well, so my teenage rebellion consisted of plenty of 311, Pumpkins, Rage & anything but country!”
As far as show count, Misty is sitting at 58 which she hit last July in Atlanta. First show for her was in a small club in Tallahassee back in the fall of 1995. As for Kevin, he never really kept an exact count but believes he is somewhere in the 60’s. His first show was in 1996 at the 99X Big Day Out festival. “My parents dropped me & a friend off early, we saw a ton of great bands all day, saw the entire lawn turn into a big mudslide from a huge storm, then were blown away when 311 closed out the night!”
Kevin & Misty have both been to many different events over the years so it’s hard to choose just one as a favorite. Misty said that Pow Wow was definitely a top one for her and that the beach show on the second cruise was also another one. For Kevin, he said the last two 2 night events at the Tabernacle were special because they were hometown shows. “A lot of people travel in from around the country so it’s nice being able to catch up with friends in our city for a change. Other highlights include the Cruise 2 beach show (self-explanatory); the Pow Wow since it was close to us, we love camping festivals & we met great people there that we’re still friends with to this day; 311Day 2008 when it was a true Excitable Takeover on Bourbon St., and 311Day 2018 since it was our first trip to Vegas.”
Favorite song for Misty is hard to choose because there are particular songs that she can relate to because of when and where she was when the song came out. “For example two drops in the ocean was played at mine and a Kevin’s wedding. All of Stereolithic brings good memories because that was the first album our daughter got into and learned most of the lyrics to.” For Kevin he chose the song “Hey You.” “Misty Calisoca Smith & I are getting ready to celebrate our 10th anniversary on 3/11/20. We used a few of the String Quartet Tribute to 311 songs during our wedding. And at the end, we walked out to Hey You. The song is about love for music but the lyrics can easily be directed towards a significant other.” A few lyrics that Kevin loves include “From Tokyo Bay to the Little Five Points, keep on blazing the trail, keep on rocking the joints” because he said the Little Five is a cool counter-culture neighborhood in Atlanta. He also loves the lyrics, “You’ve got to trust your instinct & let go of regret,” “Welcome to this groove you can move right,” and “The fish who keeps on swimming is the first to chill upstream.”
Misty grew up in McDonough, Georgia, with her 3 sisters and 2 brothers. She credits her older brother for influencing the music she listened to growing up. “
We listened to a lot of Beastie boys, Nirvana, REM, various house music and 311. 311 quickly became my favorite.” Misty & Kevin met in 2001 while working at a telemarketing company. They were friends for a long time & then bonded over their love of music and going to concerts. “Once we started dating we began going to a lot more 311 events. Our first 311 Day was in 2008 and got we got married on 3/11/10. We’ve been to four 311 Days, pow wow, 3 cruises and I have been to all of the Atlanta shows since 1996. I actually won our first cruise (cruise 2) on the local radio station, 99X!”
Kevin was born & raised right in Atlanta. His first job was as a bagger for the grocery chain Kroger, then Home Depot, the telemarketing company, and finally in 2001 he started working at a new business that his father started and has been there ever since. “
We started out selling cleaning supplies but now we also sell office products & all sorts of other business products (www.cherokeesupplyga.com- shameless plug J)”
Kevin & Misty have 2 children, Hannah who is 7 and River who was just born in early February. They currently live just outside of Atlanta and are coming up on their 10th wedding anniversary this 311 Day! Misty said, “
We have met so many great friends through our 311 adventures, many of them have become family to us. Kevin and I enjoy running the 311Atlanta Facebook group as well and often have cookouts or gatherings so that we can all stay in touch throughout the year.”
Fun fact about Misty is that she runs an Etsy shop called Cali Soca Crafts where she makes custom cups and decals. She also has quite the poster collection. “All of the posters we have hanging in our home we have framed ourselves!” Fun fact about Kevin is that he started playing guitar when he was 13. “I bought a Mahoney signature PRS when it was first released but don’t get to play as often as I’d like.” He is also obsessed with hot peppers! “Every year I grow somewhere around 100 plants from seed. Everything from bell peppers to the hottest Carolina Reapers, Ghosts & Scorpions. I hope to keep improving at making hot sauce & also make flakes, powders & seasonings with the peppers.”
Other musicians that Kevin enjoys include Smashing Pumpkins, Pearl Jam, Our Lady Peace, and Stone Temple Pilots. “I’ve always been a huge fan of 90’s alternative.” Lately he’s been listening to music from Grateful Dead and Widespread Panic, plus two newer jam bands Twiddle and Pigeons Playing Ping Pong. “
I love the song segues, transitions & 15 minute jams!!” For Misty, she loves listening to Rebelution, Bjork, Incubus, Tribal Seeds, and The Green.
Guilty pleasure for Misty comes in the form of scrapbooking. “I wish I had more time for it!” For Kevin, he loves the show Naked & Afraid. “I don’t think I could survive more than 1-2 days but I enjoy watching them try to make it 21 days.”
Kevin has these words for the members of 311: “The songs you guys created have been the soundtrack to countless amazing moments with many great people over many years of my life, and for that I’m forever grateful.”
Misty’s message to them is as follows: “I’m so thankful for this band, I have some of the greatest friends in my life because we met through 311.”
Now their words to all their fellow fans out there:
“We love being a part of the Excitable Crew with you all!! If not for all the crazy adventures chasing our favorite band together we’d have boring lives!”
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Thank you Kevin & Misty for sharing your story! Also congrats on the new baby! Much thanks to all the readers out there. Now go have an amazing week!
Much Love – The Runt