311 Fan Spotlight – Greg Gardner – 6/22/15

Greg is in the center of this photo :)
Greg is in the center of this photo 🙂

Hi there my excitable friends in 311 nation! Happy Monday! It’s everyones favorite time of the week when we meet a new 311 fan. Let’s read the story of Greg Gardner!

8 years old was the age that Greg first was exposed to 311 through the song “Down,” which was getting a lot of radio airplay at the time. “That was the coolest song I had ever heard in my life. 311’s sound is so unique, there is not another band like them.”  As Greg got older, the lyrics started really resonating with him and he fell in love with the band even more. “In my opinion, they created their own genre and they are the only band in it. I love that all of their music is so positive and uplifting. Even when they are referring to life’s struggles, there is always a positive that they try to convey and it has definitely helped me through all aspects of my life.”

14 is the number of live shows that Greg has reached so far. He went to one show a year when 311 would come to the D.C. area and then he finally got to fulfill a lifelong dream of attending 311 Day back in 2014. “It was at this event where I met a ton of amazing people whom I now consider to be some of my best friends.  Now that I have friends all over the U.S. with a similar passion for 311, I will traveling to 5 shows this year at venue’s I’ve never been to.”  While this event had a huge impact on Greg’s life by introducing him to his second family, he now says that his favorite event is the cruise to Jamaica. “It was like reuniting with family I hadn’t seen in a year.  I can’t put into words how much I loved the Cruise, it was not only my favorite 311 event, but maybe the single greatest time of my life.  I am ALL IN for the next one.”

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Greg was born and raised in Northern Virginia and growing up constantly surrounded by music. His parents are the reason he loves so many great bands because they were big into 70’s and 80’s classic rock, which shaped his musical taste. Some of his other favorite bands include Pink Floyd, The Doors, and Led Zeppelin. Another love is sports and he says he rarely watches anything else on T.V. “I played baseball, football, and basketball growing up but baseball was always my true love. I am a diehard Washington Nationals fan and I try to go to as many games as I can. I’m also a big Green Bay Packers, Washington Capitals and Lebron James fan.”  Greg is also an alumni of West Virginia University so he is a HUGE fan of WVU football and basketball. Apart from music and sports, Greg simply loves hanging out with friends and his awesome girlfriend Sam Cabrera, who he has molded into becoming a die hard 311 fan as well. “She always enjoyed the shows but 311 Day and the cruise have got her hooked!”

The song “Made in the Shade” really had a big impact on Greg’s life. It’s because of lyrics in that song that he woke up and realized he was tired of his job and feeling like he wasn’t getting anywhere. “An opportunity presented itself that was way outside the box from what I was doing before but I took a chance and it turned out to be one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.” Greg now works for a construction company as a Customer Service Manager and the company is growing rapidly. “I am extremely busy but it is exciting being a part of a company that is having so much success.  It is very rewarding to get feedback from customers and knowing not only that I could help brighten their day but really better their everyday life.” His company was even recently on The Today Show! Greg said it was the lyrics, “Bout time to give up on, the same old stuff I’m stuck on” and “I’ll be looking out the same old window, years later on a Monday thinking something would come from doing the same things” that really made him make the bold move to his new career.

You already know that Greg is really into sports, but what you don’t know is that his little league team won the Virginia state championship and advanced to the South East regional of the little league world series. “I pitched a game where we upset Florida, who was a favorite to win it all, but we lost to Alabama in the regional championship.” He’s also really good at impersonations. “My favorites are Butters and Mr. Mackey from South Park. I also do a good Harry Carey.” As with most of us, Greg isn’t immune to having a guilty pleasure. “I am a big fan of The Voice. It is really the only thing I watch on T.V. other than sports. I think it is really cool seeing people go after their dreams, and being a big fan of music, it is just awesome to watch people grow throughout the show. I also like that unlike other singing competition shows, they don’t show all the BS and only give air time to the people that deserve it.”

With the impact that 311 has had on Greg’s life, he’d like to plainly send this message:

“ Thank you for continuing to be an inspiration for me.”

To the fans, the community of awesome people:

“Thanks everyone for just kicking ass as a fan base.  There is no other band in the world with a fan base that is as loving, friendly, and passionate as we are.  To my Plurbie crew, you all already know how I feel about you.  I love you guys to death and can’t wait to party with some of y’all at the shows this summer!”

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That’s how Greg fell for 311 and now you all know more about him!! I hope you all enjoyed his tale and thank you as always for reading. You are all awesome people and I can’t wait to interview each and every one of you! Until we meet again, I leave you with one of Greg’s favorite 311 lyrics: “Life’s a bowl of punch, go ahead and spike it.”

Much love! – The Runt