Hello 311 nation! Happy 311 Day week! Let’s kick it off with a new fan spotlight, shall we? Meet Brent Sander!
The year was 1994 and Brent was a sophomore in college. He had a good friend who was always introducing him to new bands. Then one day he told Brent he should come check out a band that night and that he thought he would like them. “I was apprehensive but always down to check out new bands. He then played me Offbeat Bare Ass. I was sold at that moment. It was funk, rap, rock, jazz…all in one. So we go to the show that night and I was just BLOWN away. Long hair Nick. Dread Nutter. Sweaty SA…just literally changed my life that night. I never looked back. Simply the best.”
For live show count, Brent is sitting at 76. He’s been on two cruises, attended 311 Day events, and went to the secret anniversary show. First show was the one he mentioned above, back in 1994, at the Bottleneck in Lawrence, KS. “150 seat bar. Just an incredible first experience!”
Without question, Brent said his favorite show was the Lido deck show on cruise number one. “If you were on that boat, you know! The energy in the crowd as the band took the stage. Pure Magic. Nothing will ever top that. No show. No drug. It was pure energy and happiness. I was hugging strangers just with this stupid grin on my face. Best music experience in my life.”
The song that resonates the most with Brent is “Sometimes Jacks Rule The Realm.” “That song saved my life. Literally. I was in a really bad place in my life and was really close to the bottom and was very seriously thinking about some very dark things. Was driving to work and listening to Evolver and Jacks came on…just as miT starts playing the main riff before the band kicks in. That little riff….I came around a corner and the sun came out from some clouds and shined SO bright. I took it as a sign to keep going. Song saved my life and I’m forever grateful for it. It’s not my favorite 311 song to groove to etc…but it means the most to me personally. Funny thing…NEVER gotten to hear it live crazily. It’s my white whale. Some day!!!!!!!!”
As for lyrics that Brent loves, there are a lot. One of them is, “Savor the sun, but when the clouds come, make animals.”If you know me you know I will always try and turn any bad thing positive. If it’s bad? Find a way to make it better. Find a way to make it work FOR you instead of against you. See this is the first one that comes to mind but man..How many 311 lyrics do I turn to in different situations? Stay Positive…Love your life? Every day! From Chaos Comes Clarity? Every rough uncomfy spot. CUTM…Ok maybe not so much but you get the point. LOL I will work 311 lyrics into any and all conversations. There’s hundreds to choose from.”
Brent is currently 47 and grew up in Topeka, Kansas. He now lives in Kansas City and is working in sales. ” I grew up with a brother who was 11 yrs older than me. When he went to College he left me all his records and I fell in love with bands like KISS immediately. Music was just my thing from the first moment. When I found 311 it was like everything perfectly aligned and I knew “THIS is my band”. The sound. The Lyrics. Everything.”
Then as Brent says, the internet happened, and he was able to meet all of these people who were like him, in love with 311. ” I think that’s the thing about 311 that a lot of people don’t see. They just hear the tunes and that connects or it doesn’t…but the community? Once you see that part of it…It’s special. That’s really what 311 kind of is to me. It’s not just a band or a few songs…it’s SO MUCH more. It’s this special sort of sub sect of people that really understands what it’s all about. That’s what makes the community so different. I have a son battling Cancer right now. It’s a horrible thing to go through as a parent because you can’t DO anything. The moment the 311 Community heard about things? The amount of love we have felt is just crazy. Every day someone is reaching out and keeping ME positive. Usually that’s MY job. It’s a lot of the same faces that I have known for years and then theres these new faces that pop up and send love and all I can think usually is “All this because of a few boys from Omaha.” It helps. It heals. It makes me smile when I want to cry. Like I say…It’s special.”
Something fun you may not know about Brent is that he is a singer. He was a vocal performance major in college and has been in bands or doing theater ever since. “Being on stage is the one place where everything can slow down for a bit and I can really just be me 100%. I miss it.” Unique attribute is that he can give amazing life advice and insight to others. “I also have an even better ability to not be able to listen to the advice I give others for myself LOL. Im also great at being able to just give random factoids or worthless information about any number of topics no one cares about.”
When asked if Brent has guilty pleasures he said no because he’s not guilty of them! “I love THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA. My wife gives me hell for this all the time. Don’t care. Love it. I stopped giving a shit what others thought of what I like YEARS ago. If it’s a pleasure…it’s just that. Stop letting other people tell you to feel “guilty” about stuff YOU like. Wear that BLADE III shirt with pride people!”
As for other music Brent can be found listening to, he has a huge list that includes artists like Tool, Grateful Dead, Bumpin Uglies, Thelonious Monk, Zappa, and Beefheart. “Bumpin Uglies prob comes in at 4 nowadays because Brandon Hardesty is just an amazing writer and singer. After that it just depends on the day. Could be a Thelonious Monk sort of day or it could be Zappa and Beefheart…or it could be show tunes. Every day is different man. But those 4 are always gonna be at the top.”
To 311, Brent has the same words he always says when he meets them. “THANK YOU. That’s it. They have given me far more than I could EVER give back. So just a simple thanks and then let them get back to their day.”
Now here are Brent’s words to all the 311 fan community:
“THANK YOU. You guys as a fan base have given me far more than I could give back. You constantly give me energy when I need it. You lift me up when it’s darkest. I have developed relationships in this community that will literally last a lifetime…All this from some boys from Omaha…Don’t take anything for granted. It’s a cliche I know but Stay Positive…Love Your Life. You only get one. Make the most of it. Keep on passing the PLUR on to each other and random strangers. Make the world a better place from how you found it. Got MAD love for all of you. I can’t say Thanks enough. See you all at the shows!!!!!”
Such a big thank you to Brent for sharing his story! Per the usual, I can’t thank the fan base enough, who keep reading these each week. As I said before, Happy 311 Day week! Have an amazing time to all those that go, and I hope to meet so many of you in person in Vegas!
Much Love – The Runt