Hello again excitable 311 nation! The 2016 Unity Tour is in full swing and I hope you are all enjoying it so far or anticipating your upcoming show. Let’s take the time to read about the new fan spotlight, Sydney Novik!
2010 was the year and Sydney was in college at the time. She decided to go see 311 in Atlanta with a group of friends. “I was 19 and had only heard of the band at that time – kinda late but it didn’t take long to become a serious fan.” Since then she’s been to every Atlanta show and also traveled around to see them. What she really loves is the bond between the fans and it’s online presence. “I’m somewhat introverted but it feels great to be a part of it.”
Since 2010 Sydney has attended 14 shows, with shows 15 & 16 coming up this summer in Atlanta. “Add the cruise in 2017 and that’ll potentially be another three sets!” So far her favorite event was the cruise in 2015, but the 2014 Tabernacle Thursday night concert is one of her all time favorite shows. “I had just temporarily relocated to Kentucky and drove six hours back to Atlanta just to see them, blasting the discography from oldest to newest all the way down. (By the way, it takes from Music to mid-Evolver from Lexington to Atlanta y’all). I went on my own and met so many new friends in line and was lucky enough to get a rail spot. The band was also airing their performance live on Yahoo, and I managed to get on camera. I remember getting a text from my best friend in New Jersey saying “Omg I saw you!”. It was pure bliss to be that close to a band that’s been killing it for the past twenty-five years.”
Song that means the most to Sydney is “Unity.” She had the whole discography from 311 but had never listened to it all the way through until a long road trip. “Unity came on shuffle. I rocked out the four hour trip to Music on repeat after that. It’s probably one of my favorite albums now. It was the song that made me fall in love with their music.” Another favorite is “Off Beat Bare Ass” because she said it’s fun to rap to. “I’m pretty sure I know the lyrics top to bottom.”
Born in Staten Island, Sydney lived in New Jersey until she was 9 and relocated with her family to Atlanta. She’s pretty much lived there ever since. It took playing every sport under the sun for her to find her talent in swimming. She also found a talent in playing the drums. She used to work in the fitness industry selling gym memberships but later transitioned into the construction industry. “I’m also an avid weightlifter and an aspiring fitness competitor!”
Her musical likes change (besides 311 obviously), so she is currently listening to a lot of Rage Against the Machine, Primus, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Incubus. While she talks all the time about playing drums, she actually grew up playing clarinet! “And was kinda good at it, lol. I did pretty well in high school, sat first chair for a few semesters in a competitive wind symphony. I tried to continue in college but had way more fun playing drums, so I gave it up completely.”
Unique attribute for Sydney? “I can burp like a dude and on command. Always do it for fun or to be obnoxious. My teacher even commented about my etiquette in my yearbook once. Haven’t changed! Haha.” She also said that thanks to her career she has an abundance of knowledge about cell towers. “How to build them, decommission, test and read results, identify structure, carrier, radio-frequency, etc. It’s almost frustrating that it’s hard to talk about what I do for work around my friends.” Guilty pleasure? “I’ve been watching episodes of House back to bak for the past month. Dude is hilarious.”
To 311, Sydney would like to say:
“Thank you for creating this musical community and giving me something to be a part of. Your message of positivity is so appreciated, especially during this time.”
To all the fans out there her message is short and sweet:
“See you on the boat! :)”
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Now you’ve all met Sydney! Thank you all for taking the time to read the fan spotlights. It’s amazing how wonderful you all are and I love sharing your stories! Until next time, go out and be awesome!
Much love – The Runt