Hey there 311 nation! A new week is here and that means it’s time for a new fan spotlight. Let’s meet Seth Mansell!
It was around 1994-95 and Seth’s cousin was driving him around, and he was flipping through his CD binder. He saw a CD with just numbers on it and asked his cousin what it was. “He put it in his CD player and the rest is history. It was the blue album that was burned on an old circuit city cd-r (don’t tell the band 🙂). I was immediately hooked and later that day I bought Grassroots and Music from our local record store.”
It was around the time that Transistor came out that Seth started going to see 311 live. First show for him was in 1999 in Cleveland. “There have only been a few summers since then I have missed a concert when they come to my area which is Cleveland, Ohio. I’ve been to 50+ shows since then and attended 311 Day 2016.”
As for favorite show or shows, Seth said the ones he saw on the 2007 tour really stand out to him. “I ended up going to several tours that year with a great group of friends and met the band after the show in Columbus that year. There was a lot of energy on that tour and it is the tour where I also discovered The Dirty Heads who are another favorite band of mine. I also enjoyed the 2010 tour a lot because that’s the first tour me and my wife went together (one of our first dates).”
While there are a lot of songs that stand out to Seth as meaningful, he said the one that really strikes him is “Eons.” “That song always puts me in a good mood, I believe the song means that sometimes you need to face the negativity and conquer it.”
One of Seth’s favorite lyrics comes from the song “Flowing:” “You can’t be let down if you don’t expect the world.” “Life likes to throw curveballs and we expect too much from others, ourselves and other things and we need to sometimes take a back seat and let life figure itself out.”
Warren, Ohio, is where Seth grew up and he now lives in Kent, Ohio. He also spent 5 years in Cleveland. He’s a high school teacher and his career is close to being halfway over already. “Life goes fast! Throughout the year I always stash some cash away for a summer tour, I have not been on a cruise yet, but it is on my bucket list!”
Seth’s biggest hobby is his 311 media collection. “I have nearly every single piece of official 311 media the band has ever produced, even the elusive Omaha cassette tapes. I have been collecting 311 media from all over the globe since 1999-2000, I like to think I have the biggest/most complete 311 media collection in the world! I’m not sure what sparked my interest in collecting everything, but I know that it has been a guilty pleasure of mine for about 25 years.”
Fun fact about Seth? Elvis Presley is in his family tree! Something that makes him unique is that he builds arcade machines and has a full size arcade room in his basement. “I love retro arcade games, especially Mortal Kombat!” Guilty pleasure for him is the movie Encino Man. “I have probably watched it 500 times. I also am a huge Big Lebowski fan!” When not listening to 311, some other artists that Seth loves include Dirty Heads, Incubus, O.A.R., Tropidelic, and Less Than Jake.
To 311, Seth has this message: “Please let me show off my 311 media collection on ESTD4!!”
Now here are his words to all the other fans out there:
“To all the 311 fans out there, new and old, keep rocking out. The 311 community has been amazing to me and I have met some lifelong friends and made memories that I will never forget!”
Huge thanks to Seth for sharing your story! Always my eternal gratitude to the readers each post. Hope you all have a great week friends.
Much Love – The Runt