Welcome again friends in 311 nation! Who’s ready for fan spotlight #298? I know I am! Let’s meet Keith Soljacich!
Between Keith’s freshman and sophomore year of high school, the year was 1994, was when he discovered the sounds of 311 because his musical tastes began to change. “My eyes and ears were opened wide after going to my first Nine Inch Nails concert and I quickly left behind pop music and formed my musical tastes from a combination of hard rock and hip-hop. I started leaning in to more Pearl Jam and Nirvana, but eventually making my way to bands like 311, Sublime, Primus, The Urge and Incubus. 311 always stood out amongst the mid-90’s bands though with their blend of musical styles. Listening to 311 in the mid-90’s was like having my own personal Spotify. If I wanted a hard rock song I had Unity, if I wanted a Hip-Hop song I had Lucky or if I wanted to chill out I had Lose or Nix Hex. Back then I got everything I needed out of music from 311.”
Keith didn’t keep track of shows attended when he started out, but he believes his number is somewhere between 70-80. “ In the early 2000’s my friends and I didn’t miss a single show that was within 100 miles of Chicago. We’d hit Milwaukee, Detroit, Chicago on every Summer and Fall tour. If they were playing, we were there.” First show for him was at the Metro in Chicago, on October 22, 1994. “ Back then my friends and I would go to The Metro almost weekly to see bands like Hole, Ween & Primus. It didn’t matter who was playing, it was what we did, and we ended up seeing some of the biggest acts in the world before they got famous on that stage.”
There have been many memorable moments for Keith over the years at the shows he’s attended. He filled his bucket list by going to 311 Day 2016 in New Orleans. He said though that without a doubt that being part of the “Creatures (For A While)” video shoot was his favorite experience. “I actually lied on my casting application and told them I lived in LA and once I got cast, jumped on a plane to fly out there. I was cast as an extra, but that wasn’t going to stop me from making sure I made it in to the video! I jumped in to the basketball scene with P-Nut when they called for extras and squeezed myself in to those tight old-school basketball uniforms. Then, when we were filming the mosh pit solo scene, I leapt my way in to the pit with holding my video camera, recording the SMASH through the wall! Afterward, I got to hang out a bit with the directing team, Nick and Nicole and Chad to talk about the filming experience. Afterward, I made a mini-documentary that was featured on the old 311 site called Creatures (Behind The Scenes). It was a once in a lifetime opportunity and I’m so glad I took it!”
For song that means the most to Keith, he said for the longest time it was “Stealing Happy Hours.” However, the first time he listened to “Space & Time” off the Voyager album, he cried. “That song has the easiest groove from miT, a nuanced bass line from Nut and a fill-heavy drum track from Chad that is so soothing. But, Nick’s vocals in that song along with SA’s light harmonizing just hit so nicely. Listening to that song always gets me to pause and look inward and find some zen and peace in my own life. Plus those miT solos are so sweet!”
For lyrics, he loves the bridge and chorus from “Homebrew” saying it brings him nostalgia from his youth: “I was 19. I’d do anything. Shit like that now scares me but I’d like to do it again!. It was Independence Day. I’ve seen the other side and I’d say. Oh I’ve been insane and I won’t ever be the same.”
Keith grew up in the northern suburbs of Chicago, Illinois, and has lived in that area his whole life. He attended Michigan State University studying advertising. “I always knew I wanted to work in Advertising to be able to flex my creative side and make an impact artistically there. As it turns out I’ve had a 20 year career in Advertising, which funds my 311 habit and puts a roof over my family’s head to this day. I’ve found my niche there and work as a Vice President of Technology at Digitas in Chicago. I’m happy to say I do get to work on the fun side of advertising and get to make cool and innovative technology-led ad campaigns for some big brands. I recently worked on a project called JFK Moonshot, where we recreated the Apollo 11 mission as an Augmented Reality app that tracks the entire mission in real-time. We won several industry awards for that work including a SXSW Innovation award. I’m incredibly proud of the work I’ve done there and am excited for all the future awesome work we’ll get to do!”
Keith spends most of his time with friends and family, and pre-covid was going to any 311 show that he could. He’s also a huge fan of the NFL, particularly the Chicago Bears and is in a bunch of fantasy football leagues. “ Lately though, I’ve spent a lot of time in my Oculus Quest VR headset. I love all the immersive VR games like Beat Saber, FitXR and Tower Tag and recently spent a few hours inside Burning Man VR which was a similarly life-changing experience! In the future we’ll all be attending shows and concerts from the comfort of our own VR headset and I can’t wait.”
Cool fact about Keith? He was one of the first 10,000 people to join Twitter! Something he’s really gotten into, ever since Guitar Hero and Rock Band, are rhythm games and he says he has a sixth sense while playing them. “My new obsession is Beat Saber and I love that one because you get a full-body workout and get to swing lightsabers around in VR.” For a guilty pleasure, Keith said fantasy football takes the spot. “I spend an almost unhealthy amount of time researching and studying NFL players for that competitive edge. I’ve won more than I’ve paid out so it must be working!”
Some other artists Keith loves include Sublime, Stick Figure, Passafire, Pepper, The Movement, Iration, People Under the Stairs, Outkast, Jurassic 5, Wu-Tang, and Pharcyde.
To 311, Keith would like to share these words: “Thank you 311 for instilling the sense of unity and positivity in me as a youth as it has carried me through good times and bad and set me up to have an incredibly fulfilling life that I love!”
To all the other fans out there:
“I can’t wait to see all the Excitables at the shows in 2021!”
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There you have the story of Keith Soljacich! Thanks to Keith for sharing his story. Muchos Gracias to each and every reader out there! Sending so many good vibes to you all. Keep on being amazing!
Much Love – The Runt