Hello again my friends in 311 nation! Here we go with the latest edition of the fan spotlight. This week let’s learn the story of Josh Perry!
Josh remembers the first time he heard 311 like it was yesterday. “I was with my mom coming back from the mall on a hot summer afternoon listening to the radio and what I didn’t know at the time was that it was 311. It was instant love for such a unique sound.”
For show count, Joshua is unsure of the exact number but believes it’s around 60. This includes three 311 Day events, and Pow Wow. First show for him was in 2005 in Saint Louis, at the 105.7 The Point Ho Ho Show. “Alien Ant Farm opened for them.” As for favorite event, Josh said it’s probably Pow Wow. Or as a close runner up, 311 Day 2010, when he was able to sneak into soundcheck and heard “Rub-A-Dub,” “1,2,3,” and “Jackpot.”
For favorite song, Josh said “Visit” has always spoken to him consistently. “One, that guitar riff dosnt stop and I love it. Second is the simple message of exploring the the vast earth that we live on. The plants, animals, creeks, mountains and oceans. priceless moments… perhaps, Don’t stay home.”
Saint Louis, Missouri, is where Josh grew up, about a 30 minute drive from the arch. He’s a middle child with a younger sister, Olivia, and an older brother, Justin. “My mom had a big influence on me when it came to art and music. My mom always had drawings that she was working on and of course music playing. Always very encouraging of both. She went to concerts very often…oh the stories she could tell.”
Josh has worked in the food industry, retail, on a horse ranch, a wooden watch company and now he’s in manufacturing. “So I’ve seen a lot.” Something that he loves to do is laugh and make others laugh with him, even if it’s at his own expense. “My humor is something that I also get from my mom.” He also said he’s good at imitations and humorous improv.
Josh was fortunate enough to meet the love of his life through 311, Rachelle Calhoun. “She is the best thing that ever came into my life, she is my rock. Nothing is better than being able to rock out in the car and sing together to 311. Going to shows with her, doing life with her. She is what keeps me in line. She makes me a better person and I can’t image life without her! That is the power and stretch that 311 has.”
There is also a close friend that Josh made all thanks to 311 and his name is Craig Leese. “He’s a big part of my life for over 14 years. All because he came into work with a 311 shirt on.”
Fun fact about Josh, he designed a poster for the 2012 Boston 311 show. “I had entered my design into a shirt contest and management felt that it would make a better poster than shirt. They gave me the details on the event and so I just added that in. Side note, it’s the very first paid digital artwork that I had ever done or since. I had no idea what I was doing in Adobe Illustrator. For god sakes I created it in RGB format instead of CMYK, didn’t have bleeds. A lot of rookie mistakes on a paid 311 gig. smh LOL”
When Josh was growing up, he would walk the creeks of his neighborhood with his mother, who taught him about fossils and crystals. “I have one hell of a Crinoid fossil collection that is around 25Lbs. I recently bought a Mosasaur tooth and Trilobite fossil.” The movie “Jurassic Park” is one of his all time favorites. And as for T.V. shows, he said “Seinfeld” and “The Office” are his go to’s.
When not listening to 311, Josh can be found listening to Deftones, Korn, Limp Bizkit, Dirty Heads, Rebelution, Slightly Stoopid, Soja, AAF, and Jinjer, just to name a few.
To 311, Josh would like to send this message: “Thank you all for believing in yourselves! The inspiration that the music has created is fractal and will live on generationally. I know this to be true. You all have made a positive impact on the world. You all should be proud of yourselves. I’m proud of you Nick, Tim, SA, Chad and Pnut!”
Now here is his message to all the other fans out there:
“Dont take life or yourself too seriously. Have fun. get out and enjoy the world!”
Many thanks to Josh for sharing his story with us all. As always, so much gratitude to the readers each week. Keep smiling and spreading that positivity.
Much Love – The Runt