Welcome back friends and a happy 2023 to you all! New year…new fan spotlight! Let’s kick it off and meet Alexis Leiva!
It was 1996, when the Blue album was popping, that Alexis became a 311 fan. “I’ll never forget the day my friend Chris Fox briskly walked up to me in the hallway of my high school in between a class. Whatever it was that he had to share with me seemed like it was an emergency. He said “listen to this!“ He played me jack-o’-lanterns weather and it literally blew my mind. I didn’t understand what I was hearing. It was high energy it was positive and I’ve never heard anything quite like it before. I didn’t know if it was electronic music or real guitars or if it was from this world. This fresh and alive energy drew me in.”
That day changed Alexis life forever. He said it was that moment when he found his central passion and life purpose which was to be a musician. “I instantly wanted to understand and imitate this great, cutting edge music that could have this kind of mystical, positive effect on others. Their albums drew me in but when I experienced the unparalleled energy of their Live shows plus the kind, rowdy 311 commUnity, I was had.”
Show count for Alexis is at 30 plus shows. His first show was at The Warfield in San Francisco in 1997. “Absolutely uplifting and electrifying! I reach very high-octane, Unity-charged, mystical heights at every single show I’ve been to.” Favorite event he’s attended was 311 Day 2020 with his then partner Lydia Sleeper. “That SF->Las Vegas road trip we took to get there was our 5th date and it ended up lasting 3months because of quarantine. Pandemic was announced on 3/11. We thought shows would surely be cancelled because every other event in Vegas was. Not only was it not cancelled, but they played all 3 nights and Lydia became the Slinky Girl I always wanted to meet, love and rock with!”
Song that means the most to him is “Freeze Time.” It hits him on his deepest, root level of his identity. “The song chugs along so hard and clean. And the lyrics are mystical AF and rapturous, which is my jam. And the production on Soundsystem is, by far, my favorite sounding album of theirs.” As for lyric he loves, Alexis chose the obvious one, “Stay positive and love your life.” “You just can’t go wrong with that. It’s a solid battle-cry to live by.”
San Francisco, California, is where Alexis was born & raised. He lived there most of his life. He also spent a couple of years in France and a couple of years in Mexico and Peru. “I love the whole globe and want to explore more.” Alexis funds his love of 311 by being an English/Spanish translator. “My partner Lydia and I often go to shows and 311 days. We recently felt like, “Excitable Dead Heads” by following their tour on a road trip. We saw 5 back to back shows, starting at Red Rocks. Glorious. And it ended in Berkeley at the Greek Theater where Lydia received a drumstick and setlist from SA. She had declared that that would happen a week before. And she then “Womanifested” it. Amazing.”
Alexis has a goal he’d like to obtain and that’s to open for 311! He is a performing musician. “I started writing, rapping and singing upon first listen to Grassroots. Together with Lydia aka Lummingbird, we make uplifting hip hop. She has a beautiful voice. We create and perform together a lot in California and Mexico.” Guilty pleasure? “I Netflix hard!” When not listening to 311, Alexis loves music by Stick Figure, Beastie Boys, Little Stranger and lots of bass music.
To 311, Alexis would like to say to S.A.: “Can Lydia and I record vocals with you at Holy Grailien? We’ll bring the drumstick you gave her.”
Now here are his words to all the other fans out there:
“The whole phenomenon of the 311 nation fam-base is phenomenal. Earth feels so much more like home with all you Excitable‘s on it. You are all precious to Lydia and I. Let’s keep Livin’ and Rockin’, always stretching beyond the gray sky, staying positive and lovin’ our lives as best as we can.
Made this Appreciation video for band and fans! Footage from 311 Day 2022 👽
Many thanks to Alexis for sharing his story! Of course, huge amounts of gratitude to all the readers each edition. Hope you all are having a good 2023 so far and sending out positive vibes to you all.
Much Love – The Runt