Welcome back excitable nation! Another Monday is upon us and that means it’s time to recognize another member of the positivity posse. This week we feature Mr. Dave Coultas!

Dave’s love for 311 goes back to the year 1994 when a friend of his, who lived in Nebraska and went to high school with the guys, told him to go see the band because he knew Dave would like their music. Low and behold his friend was right. “It blew my mind and I was hooked instantly.”

Just the other day, on August 15th, Dave celebrated his 25th live show in Salt Lake City, which is where the picture above was taken. Of the 25 shows, it’s the cruise in 2013 that Dave says truly changed his life. “I had never really done anything like that up to that point in my life! The fun I had on that boat was unmatched and when I came back the positivity lasted for months! I also felt so confident that I asked Brooke DaSilva out and we’ve been together ever since!” Dave and Brooke have been happily in a relationship for almost a year and a half now. Dave said, “I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else but with her because we’re soul-mates.”

Dave is born, raised, and still residing in Portland, Oregon (he currently lives in North Portland).  During the winter of 94 he lived in Park City, Utah. Currently Dave works for Toyota Motor Sales and just celebrated 19 years with the company. A single father of a 10 year old special needs son named Ewan, Dave says that he has learned a ton from him over the years and continues to do so on a daily basis. He also has an 11 year old Staffordshire Terrier named Jango, loves the Portland Trailblazers and Kansas City Chiefs, and is a self-proclaimed “major Star Wars geek.” He even has a tattoo of Boba Fett somewhere on his body (location not disclosed! Haha).

His beard is what Dave says most people say sticks out in their minds when they hear his name or think about him, but that isn’t the sole thing making him unique. He mentioned that he can literally talk to anyone because he is very laid back and easy going. “I always tell people that I could have fun at an insurance seminar, hahaha.” Dave is also a huge fan of professional wrestling, but when not watching that he’s additionally is a “mega fan” of Seinfeld.

When not jamming out to 311, some other musical interests in his life are The Grateful Dead, Phish, Beastie Boys, Swollen Members, Jurassic 5, Bad Brains, Cake, Fishbone, RHCP, Black Sabbath, Snot, Hieroglyphics, and Del the Funky Homosapien.

Dave loved The Grateful Dead enough to follow them around for years. His favorite 311 song is “Off Beat Bare Ass” and he says he relates to a lot of the lyrics because of his travels with the dead. It’s just the song that hits home for him. “I also get pretty fired up when horrible criminals are released to make room for someone who has sold marijuana. It just touches all the right buttons for me and it is also my favorite 311 song!” One of his favorite quotes though comes from “Paradise:”  “Music’s what I need to keep my sanity.”

Dave has just one thing to ask the band: “After all these years what keeps 311 going?” Feel free to answer guys if you are reading! 🙂

His message to all of those who love 311 as much as he does:

“If I could give a message to all the fans reading this it would be what I’ve always done myself which is be yourself. No matter what anybody thinks. I’ve been the same guy since I was 18 and I try to practice kindness and positivity as much as possible with the hopes that karma brings it back around. And it has for me in my life. Treat people the way you want to be treated I guess. I know for sure that it’s always not going to be positive and will be bumpy but keep a level head and move forward towards the positive. It’s worked for me so far.”

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That’s all for this week’s spotlight folks! Thank you to Dave for taking part in this fun and to all of you excitables who keep coming back and reading! It’s an honor to be able to write about all of you awesome people each week. Until we meet again….”It’s time to get down, boots to the ground!”

Much love – The Runt

We meet again my excitable friends! Right about now you might be looking at the photo above and thinking many things. I can assure you, this weeks fan spotlight is as interesting as the photo! Let’s not delay and get to it. It’s time to meet Mr. Patrick Hillin!

Let’s travel back in time to Patrick’s high school days. He and his “brother from another mother and fellow 311 junkie” Dan Millican were playing what they like to call the “sit up” game. “Basically, we had to sit up on a futon and the first one to lean back lost and got punched.”  As they started this game, Dan put on the Grassroots album to listen to as they played. Patrick had never heard the CD before. After a few bong hits and a couple of songs in, he turned and looked at Dan. “I look over and I’m mesmerized because he knows every fucking lyric, even the SA lyrics, and he’s just steady sitting there singing and rapping along. This goes on for almost the entire CD, him lost in the music, me lost in his singing the music (remember the bong rips). All of a sudden he looks over at me and says, dude what the fuck! How long have you been sitting back?!”  Patrick then got punched (a few times) and the two of them laughed for what he said felt like hours. That’s when Patrick says he became a real fan of 311.

Patrick’s show tally sits at 17, which includes 12 regular shows, 311 Day 2010 & 2014, and the third 311 cruise. It was hard to choose his favorite, however he said it hands down is the cruise. “Being able to be there with Jeremy Rawlings and Dan Millican, who are my brothers for LIFE, was incredible. Then of course there were three 311 shows, Rebelution, my introduction to Bad Rabbits, getting chocolate wasted in a banana suit off of non-stop soft serve ice cream, pizza sammys, no means yes and yes means anal, all of the wonderful people I met, free beer day, and of course the most amazing part: Getting to high five and take a picture with 311, dream come true. Every time I look at that picture I get pumped! It really captured the level of excitement running through all of our veins, truly amazing.”

“Omaha Stylee” is the song Patrick says he loves the most, but not for any sentimental reason or anything. “To me, that’s just raw 311, pure energy, throwing out MAD props to their (grass)roots and going hard in the process. That’s what it’s all about.” His favorite lyrics however come from “Freak Out” – “To all my friends, it’s not the end, the earth has not swallowed me yet.”

Some people live in one place their whole life. Others move around and Patrick is one of them. Born in Dallas, Texas, he lived there until he was 6, and then headed west. He has lived in Thousand Oaks, California, Tucson, Arizona, Washington, D.C., and then finally he returned back to his place of birth. If he had to pick one place that was his favorite stomping grounds, it would be Tucson. “Yeah it’s hot but there’s no humidity, the mountains and wildlife are amazing, tons of good golf, and monsoon season in the summer is fantastic. Every night in the summer, around the same time, the storm clouds come rolling in over the mountains and it POURS for about 2 hours with some kick ass lighting storms, and then it’s done. After that it’s nice and cool outside and the sweet smell of the desert makes you never want to go back inside. So yeah, Arizona was my favorite.”

To fund his 311 addiction, Patrick draws civil and structural plans for commercial construction projects. As he said, he gets paid to sit around and draw all day. “I have been fortunate enough to have my name on a lot of big projects in the greater DFW area. It’s pretty great to pour months of hard work into a project on paper and then a year later be driving down the road and see it constructed. Other than that it’s all the same old stuff: work hard to play hard, love everyone always, don’t be a dick.”

Patrick was asked what makes him unique, and he said he can’t think of anything. However something you may not know about him, which I believe makes him unique, is that his 4 front teeth are all fake as the result of a bike accident when he was 12. “I went right over the handle bars and face planted hahaha. I woke up in the hospital with one front tooth missing and now all four up front are fake.” Patricks guilty pleasure lately is something different that some of us (like me) would not be able to handle. “Lately, for whatever reason, I’ve been eating a lot of sardines, right out of the can. I have no clue why I ever started doing this, but it’s been going on for about 3 weeks now and I can’t get enough. Sardines.”

Patrick would like to give a shout out to 311 and deliver this message to them: “You guys are my musical heroes, I fucking love you, but will you please play some Skynard?”

As for his message to all of you in the universe of 311 fandom:

“You look good out there **slaps butt** good game, keep that shit up.”

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Thank you, thank you, thank you for reading again folks. Without you, I would be nothing. Each and every spotlight thanks you as well! Leave some love in the comments if you feel inclined. Until next time…”Life’s a bowl of punch, go ahead and spike it.”

Much love! -The Runt

Hello my excitable friends! I hope you had an excellent weekend full of positivity. Here we gather again to read another fan spotlight. This week we feature a fabulous lovely lady, Miss Vanessa Holliday!

It was Vanessa’s friend in middle school who got her loving 311. Her friends older brother would drive them around to activities before they had their licenses. “He was constantly blasting 311! I have to admit that at first I wasn’t really into them, haha. But they grew on me pretty quickly!”

With her show tally right around the 75 mark, I’d say her love for them grew tremendously! She doesn’t know the exact number but she has held on to all of her ticket stubs over the years. Picking her favorite show though she says is a tough one. “Transistor is my favorite album by far, so Pow Wow was an amazing experience event-wise, but the back-to-back Orange Peel shows in Asheville, North Carolina in 2009 still always stand out to me as my favorite regular shows to date.”

Vanessa has the title of her favorite song, “Time is Precious,” tattooed on her ribcage in her parents handwriting, so you can tell it holds a special place in her heart. “I definitely feel that this is one of their more lyrically mature songs and it’s one of my absolute favorites!”  She also LOVES the song “Galaxy” off Transistor. “I don’t think any other song comes close to it in a live setting!”

The Washington, D.C. area is where Vanessa has lived all of her life, minus when she was attending Virginia Tech and living in the mountains of southwest Virginia. She funds her 311 habit by working as an outside sales representative selling datacenter IT to the Army. Her residence is about to change though when she moves to Denver, Colorado, where she got a house with her awesome boyfriend, whom she met through 311! “Should be an exciting new experience!”

What else is Vanessa into? Well she loves classic rock and says Led Zeppelin is her favorite band from that genre. She also loves blasting hip hop music in the car and can get into pretty much anything except top 40 pop and country. Her guilty pleasure is reality T.V. and she calls herself a “reality T.V. junkie of epic proportions.”  “All the bad shows are on my DVR including (but not limited to) Dance Moms, Keeping Up with the Kardashians, Bad Girls Club, Real Housewives…and many, many more!”

Vanessa prides herself on being physically fit and she is very active. “I love lifting weights and striving for excellence in all aspects of fitness. I also have a guilty obsession with Zumba, so I try to attend a class at least once a week!”

The other love in her life besides her boyfriend and 311 is her miniature turtle Yoda! She bought him at a beach store in Myrtle Beach for a dollar and was told he’d only live about 6 months. Six years later and he’s still with her! “He’s surprisingly pretty active and it’s fun to watch him splash around in his tank!”

Vanessa’s love for 311 has brought her a ton of fun over the years, helped her find love and also a ton of friends! Her message to them is this:

“Thanks for all the awesome memories and experiences I’ve had over the years as a result of traveling for your shows!  I’ve met all my closest friends as a result of being a fan of this band, and I’m very grateful for that…now if I could just get some of those friends to actually live in the same timezone as me, everything would be perfect haha.”

And to all of you out there loving 311 as well:

“See y’all in Jamaica ;-)”

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That my friends is Vanessa! I hope you all adored her story! So Denver excitables, make sure you give her a warm welcome once she gets there and if you see her on the cruise, make sure you say hello!

Until next week my friends, keep livin’ & rockin’!

Much love! – The Runt

Hey hey hey there my fellow 311 fans! Happy August to you all! Time to embrace the new month and week with the new fan spotlight! This week we have not one but TWO people in the spotlight! Now you may be wondering just why these two chose to do their spotlight together. Well it’s because without 311 they wouldn’t have met and fallen in love! Meet Zack & Diane Freeman!

Let’s begin with how the two of them fell in love with the band. Zack first heard 311 when the blue album came out, but really got into them when his friend Ryan told him to listen to Soundsystem. Ryan also told Zack how the band was all about spreading positivity and unity in their music. “I was mindblown and the music just spoke to me like it never had before.”  Zack then went and saw the band live on New Years Eve 1999/2000 when they opened for Red Hot Chili Peppers. “This was only my second concert I had been to and we were in the front of the stands and I loved it! So when they were going to play the House of Blues in Los Angeles on 1/30/2000 I was there! That was my first pit show and the show that made me the fan for life that I am today!”

Diane discovered the band in 2000 when her boyfriend at the time played Grassroots for her. Until then she only knew the songs that were played on the radio and she wasn’t really into that style at the time. Grassroots was different for her though and she was drawn to their musicianship, sound, and the change in the songs. “Instant fan drawn by their skill and message. And then I saw them live! Mind blown. That show ended up being a life changer for me.”

It really was a life changer for Diane and inevitably Zack. After that show Diane wore her Grassroots shirt to work the next day, pushing the boundaries of casual Friday because she was just so excitable from the show. It caught a guys attention and he asked her, “You like 311?” She replied, “I LOVE 311!”  In case you haven’t figured it out, the guy was Zack. Here is what happened next: “About a year later we started talking at a friend’s new years party. 311 came up and we spent the party talking about what their music means to us. That started our friendship in 2003 we started dating in 2005 and we married  in 2013. I love that I have been able to share 311 with my family and friends and turned most into fans by getting their ticket and taking them to shows!”

Diane and Zack got engaged at 311 Day 2012 (see photo below). So naturally, 311 Day events are very special to them! They were at the most recent one in New Orleans and said it was amazing because of the people they met that they know they’ll be lifelong friends with. Zack and Diane both said their all time favorite shows are a toss up between this event and the island show on the second cruise. Neither one have kept an accurate count of exactly how many shows they’ve seen, but Diane knows she is at 50 at least and Zack is somewhere between 60-65.

What song was the lovely couples first dance at their wedding to? Why 311’s “Two Drops in the Ocean” of course! Zack listed that song as one of his top 3 favorites, followed by “Uncalm” (which he loves because of the energy, rhythm, and beat along with the lyrics) and “Let the Cards Fall” (because of the musical structure and message of laying it all down and being real).  Diane said “Jupiter” is the song that really speaks to her. “No matter what goes wrong, there is always something in our lives to be grateful for.”  She also mentioned that a new favorite is “Tranquility” as it helped her develop a newfound peace in handling the death of her brother who passed away a year and a half ago.

Both Diane and Zack work for a bank, which is where they met and also how they fund their 311 habit! They were both born in California, although Zack spent a brief period as a child in Arizona. Then his parents divorced and he moved back to Cali. Diane credits her brothers for her love of music and she said her niece claims she is a “music encyclopedia.”  Zack says that Diane is awesome at going to 311 shows because she has a knack for planning their 311 adventures! When not on one of these fantastic adventures you can find Zack lounging in his recliner listening to vinyl, while Diane watches her guilty pleasure, which is any of the real housewives shows! Zack also loves to play guitar and he is in a band named Secret ‘Stache. He also has a ticket stub from the 311 show in Vegas that was scheduled for September 11, 2001. For obvious reasons, that show never occurred, but he is hoping to one day have the stub signed by the guys.

Each of them have lyrics that mean something special to them. For Zack those are, “It’s alright to feel good, it’s alright for nothing to be wrong, the deepest dream you have could be tomorrows song” and “Can you hear the void I describe, what can I say vacancy sounds like.”  Diane’s favorites include, “You gotta keep on climbing the hill cause if you think you’ll make it you will” and “Savor the sun, but when the clouds come make animals.”  They also share a favorite quote, that every 311 fan love, “Stay positive and love your life!”

It’s obvious that without 311 these two love birds might not have ever had the connection that made them realize they were meant for each other. They each have a message to the band they’d like to relay.

Diane: “Thank you! For creating the music that has become the soundtrack of my life, and for putting together such epic events. Because of 311 I have had vacations I only dreamed about and have met the most amazing excitable friends!”

Zack: “Thank you for being a band that inspires me every day musically and personally to continue to be real and spread Positivity, Love, Unity, and Respect.”

They also have personal messages for all of the awesome people out in excitable nation:

Zack: “Becoming a part of the 311 familia has been one of the most rewarding and unbelievable experiences of my life. Please continue to be the most peaceful, loving, united, and respectful people I’ve ever met so that we may hopefully bring some joy and positivity to this broken world.”

Diane: “Thank you we are an amazing community/ familia. Lets keep living and rockin!”

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How cute is this couple? Hope you all enjoyed their joint story and learning how 311 brought them love! Leave them some love in the comments if you feel so inclined! Thanks to all for reading another spotlight, it makes me and the featured people feel all warm inside knowing that you do!

Much love! – The Runt

We meet again my friends out there in the 311 universe! I trust you all had an amazing weekend and are ready to take this new week by storm! So let us not delay another moment and start it off right by meeting this weeks 311 fan spotlight – Erik Walder!

Back in the mid 90’s Erik was really into the whole rap/rock genre of music that was happening and it was during that time that he saw the video for “Down” on MTV (back when they actually showed music videos). Erik loved the song and went down to the mall, to a store called Sam Goody’s, and bought the album. “I was really into the alien theme back in those days. I had alien hats, posters, candles, movies, X-Files stuff, etc. As soon as I saw the blue album had alien heads on it, I knew it was a good sign.”

Since then Erik has been to 33 shows and also 1 Nick Hexum Quintet show. This past 311 Day in New Orleans is included in that show tally and he claimed it ranks as one of the happiest moments in his life, behind the day he married his wife Sharon and the day his daughter Maia was born. Erik saw the band this summer in Scottsdale, Arizona and he said it was an amazing experience. “We had planned our family vacation to Arizona, and after we had already booked our flights, 311 announced the summer tour. It was awesome that they were playing the same weekend we were out there. It was awesome to rock out with my wife on the rail, and it was my brother and sister-in-law’s first 311 show ever.”

Erik originates from the Baltimore region and has lived in that area all of his life. He attended Rider University in New Jersey from 1996 to 2001. During that time he was always blasting 311 and it was in his hallway that he met Wayne Slater. “He had room #311 and had a giant blue oval logo sticker on the door number. When I joined a fraternity, I met Ian Silber. Instant friends. He took me to my first show at Asbury Park on 11/11/99. I only had 2 friends that were 311 fans, until my senior year.”

Right before Erik’s final semester at Rider he started collecting live shows and found a website that had bootleg trading. Since Erik didn’t have anything to trade the guy for live 311 shows, he worked out a deal with the guy. “I didn’t have anything to trade, so the guy that ran the site told me to send him a spindle of blank CD-R’s and a money order for return shipping. The only way he would burn me all 83 discs that I requested, was that I had to promise never to sell any of them. I could make as many copies for my friends as I wanted, but I was not allowed to sell them. That’s when I realized that the 311 fan community was something special. I’ll never forget it. I hope that I can find that guy and thank him for feeding my 311 addiction.” If you are out there reading this stranger who helped out Erik, say hello!

Since graduation Erik has been working in his family’s poultry business and he has been there for almost twenty-one years. “I love what I do, and I got to spend more time with my grandparents and my brothers while also learning the right way to do business: honesty and experience go a long way. I’ve tried to keep those same morals and values in all aspects of my life.”  Erik met his wife Sharon back in 2002 and they married in 2006. Sharon has been to a few shows (Erik said he thinks her show tally is 4). His daughter Maia is following in dads footsteps and loving 311 just as much as him! “She’s so amazing! I play Stereolithic in my car and she loves to sing along with me. She even asks me to put 311 on instead of Frozen! I can’t wait to take her to her first 311 show one day. She keeps asking when she can go.”

Erik found the Familia on July 14, 2013 and he said his life changed forever because of it. Being from Baltimore, Erik is a Orioles and Ravens fan, and 311 never had any themed shirts for the teams. Erik found a way to make his own by creating custom jerseys with 311 on them. It was thanks to this that he found the Familia. Erik had attended an O’s game and the next day his friend messaged him asking if he had seen the photo of him on the Familia page. Erik said he asked, “What’s Familia?” His friend Chris Sabol added him to the group and he saw the photo that someone took of him, and it had 133 likes and tons of comments. Since then Erik has met amazing people through the group and he said some of the people know him better than his non-311 friends.

If you are friends with Erik you know that he loves to grill. While he says he doesn’t really have any special talents, he does try to always look at the bright side of things, no matter how bad a situation may be. He always tries to keep himself level-headed. “In times of trouble, everyone joins a team.”  He collects 311 posters as a hobby and he loves to trade them (you can find him posting often on the 311 Trading Post). “I love to see all the great art that 311 inspired. Even fan art is awesome. There are so many talented people out there. It’s just amazing.”

There isn’t one 311 song that particularly means the most to Erik because he said each one has a different meaning to him at different points in his life. Although he mentioned he’s been on a non-stop Stereolithic kick since it was released. “I’ve been saying it over and over again that this album has the potential to be one of the most important albums that I have ever heard in my entire life. There’s just so much meaning in the lyrics, and it really describes how my life has been going in the last few months.”  Erik has a lot of quotes from songs that he likes. One in particular is “I always say what I feel and that is a promise. Nothing in life is above being honest.” If you want to see more, just check out his Facebook profile if you friends! There are some great ones listed there!

Erik’s message to the band is simply this: “Thank you for combining many different types of music to create such a unique sound. The lyrics speak to me more than any other artist or group out there. I could listen to the entire 311 discography and never get bored.”

To every fan out there in 311 land: “I always knew that the 311 community was full of great people. After I joined the Familia last year, my assumptions were correct. I’ve met some great friends who share the same love of a band as I do. Lifelong friendships formed because of a band! Can you believe that? “In the comfort of strangers, you don’t see the danger of just letting it flow. This I know.

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There you have it folks – you have met Mr. Erik Walder! I hope you appreciate and enjoyed his story. Oh and before I go, Erik’s birthday is this Wednesday July 30th, so make sure you leave him some birthday love in the comment section!

Until our next encounter, just remember…”There’s a door open to walk through, all I want is, just beyond…”

Love you all! – The Runt

Welcome back my excitable friends! Happy week of 311 shows for all you northeast peeps (myself included!). Before we kick off our week of 311 fun, let us partake in the new 311 fan spotlight! Say hello to Mr. Colin Presley Stacy!

While Colin began listening to 311 in middle school and junior high, it wasn’t until his sister took him to his first show in 2003 that his addiction kicked in. He first experienced them in Cleveland, Ohio and was awed by what miT was “sonically” doing with his guitar. “The tones and effects just blew me away. Also the energy the band had on stage sold me as a fan for life. It’s not hard to get into them after you see them play live!”

Since that fateful day in 2003, Colin has seen the band a total of 24 times and attended five 311 Days. Of those shows, this years 311 Day wins as his favorite, with 2012’s two day event coming in a close second. “This most recent 311 Day just had it all – 311 back in New Orleans, us excitable ones taking over the streets, the set list, sound quality, overall production, and not to mention a new album dropped the same day. It was an incredible experience to be a part of!”

Colin comes from the state of Ohio and grew up in Mentor, a suburb about 25 miles east of Cleveland. While he has traveled many places, he has always lived in this area. “I love the four seasons we get here and there’s a lot more to do than most people think when they hear Cleveland!”  Being from Cleveland, he is an avid local sports fan and said, “Here we go brownies!”  He is also a passionate fan of music and is a mostly self-taught musician. He started playing the bagpipes (pretty cool right?) at the young age of 8 and then taught himself guitar, bass, drums and keys throughout high school. He was even in a band called The Thrifters and they were lucky enough to open for 311 and Matisyahu in Cleveland one year! If you feel like checking out the band, you can find their old catalog of music on Spotify!

Not only is he an avid fan of Cleveland sports and music, but he is also a craft beer enthusiast.  Working at a local craft beer store for three years will probably do that to you! He fell in love with the industry. He has an Instagram account and it is solely dedicated to him photos of the craft beers he drinks. If you feel like looking him up, go follow @colinpresley!

Anyone ever been named after two musicians? Colin is! His first name is after Colin Hay (from the band Men at Work) and his middle is after Elvis Presley. He is also a self-proclaimed professional corn hole player. If you are unfamiliar with the game, it is a bean bag tossing game where you try to toss the bags either on to a board about 30 feet away, or if you’re lucky, into the small hole in the center of that board. Colin said he has been playing for about 10 years and will accept anyones challenge!

I asked Colin to tell me an interesting fact that others may not know about him, and his is the first answer that made me laugh out loud. “I had a perm when I was in the third grade…no regrets.”  He also said he doesn’t really have any pleasures he considers guilty ones, but he is obsessed with the TV show Supernatural. “I’ve watched the series three times and I’m currently on my fourth run through on Netflix. I’m a purist so I need to watch the whole series before a new season comes out. Luckily my girlfriend was the one who turned me on to the show so she doesn’t mind at all!”

The song “Running” off Transistor is the song that means the most to Colin and he says it gives him goose bumps every time he listens to it! “I remember vividly hearing it live for the first time and it was just overwhelming. I got a natural high just from the music and that is an incredible experience!”

Some of his favorite quotes come from other songs and he loves them enough to have them tattooed on his body. He has “This Too Shall Pass” because he says, “You gotta take the good times with the bad because everything will inevitably move on. Enjoy the positives when you have them and don’t fret the negatives because with time everything will pass.” Colin also “Stay positive and love your life” because he tries to truly live by this statement every day and he urges everyone to try and do this. “You’re alive. Just that fact alone is reason enough to love it and even if there is negativity in some fashion, the power of positive thinking can do amazing things!”

Colin met the guys in Cleveland before the show back in 2012 and he got to say everything he’d been waiting to say to them for years. “The main thing was just a huge thank you for the music and positive messages they convey through it. Changed my life for the better and allowed me countless hours of happiness through their music and the shows attended with friends and family.”

Colin’s message to all of the excitable family out in the 311 universe is:

“Thanks for being such an awesome community!  Haven’t met a 311 fan I don’t like, and have made many friends and strengthened friendships solely to the time spent listening and watching 311.  Keep being the most kick ass fan community and of course, stay positive and love your life!”

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As always my community of 311 fans, I thank you for taking the time to read this blog of mine and learning more about your sisters & brothers ! Keep on rocking and hopefully I’ll be seeing some of you in CT, MA & NY this week!

Much Love – The Runt

Goooooooood July morning to you all! Welcome back to another edition of the 311 fan spotlight! Remember last week’s spotlight Shayne? He mentioned his awesome girlfriend Alexa and how they met because of 311. Well this week we follow his write up with no one other than that gorgeous lady! It’s time to learn all about Alexa!

Alexa was in high school when she unearthed the awesomeness of 311. She and her good friend, fellow Slinky Emilee Dore, started listening to the band then.  “We grew up in northern New Hampshire, so we spent a lot of time hanging out and just listening to songs like ‘Down,’ ‘Beautiful Disaster,’ and ‘All Mixed Up’.”  Alexa said it was the versatility of 311’s music that really drew her in. “I can listen to certain songs that help me feel better and others that will get me pumped up.”

Alexa attended 311 Day this year and that marked her 10th show. She said it was so great to set that mini milestone and with an epic show to boot. While she has loved the shows she has seen on the Unity tour and this years 311 Day, her favorite shows by far are the ones from the third cruise back in 2013. “I met some amazing people and had the time of my life. Who else can say that they get to go on a boat for 4 days with thousands of other excitables AND be around their favorite bands?”

Growing up in a small town in New Hampshire with her parents and older sister, Alexa spent a lot of time in the great outdoors camping and playing sports. She played field hockey, softball, track & field, and also downhill ski racing. Alexa said she “absolutely LOVES” down hill skiing! “I love the rush of going down the slope, carving into fresh snow and being able to listen to various music that becomes the soundtrack to my day. Don’t get me wrong, I love going to the mountain with friends, but there’s also something really serene about being able to just pop my headphones in, hit shuffle, and let the music set my day.”

When Alexa graduated high school she moved to Boston for college because she thought she would want to be in a big city after spending so much time in a small town. However, she ended up only spending a year there and then transferred to The University of New England in southern Maine. There she lived with her sister for a few years to save money. “It was nice to live with my sister outside of the home we grew up in and we ended up growing closer and becoming best friends.”  After Alexa graduated she moved on to Burlington, Vermont to pursue her masters degree at the University of Vermont, where she studied experimental psychology. She said Burlington was a great place to live because she got a city feel with the country just a mere five minute drive away. Alexa just recently moved with her boyfriend Shayne down to Richmond, Virginia to start her postdoctoral fellowship at Virginia Commonwealth University.

Ask Alexa what is an interesting fact that most people don’t know about and she claims she is a big nerd! “Most people could figure it out but I’m kind of a big nerd even if I try to hide it by being really girly. I love watching Jeopardy, playing old school Nintendo games, and watching movies such as Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, and Indiana Jones.”  I guess I’m a nerd too then Alexa because I love all of those things!

Ok so we know 311 is Alexa’s favorite band, but what else does she listen to? Some bands she loves as well are Ballyhoo!, Dave Matthews Band, Avett Brothers, Pearl Jam (and she says, “Eddie Vedder forever!”), Foo Fighters, Jay-Z, A Perfect Circle, Queen, Tom Petty, and Bruce Springsteen. She also says that 90’s pop and hip hop Pandora stations  are her guilty pleasure! “If we are hanging out and having a few drinks, chances are I’ll end up turning one or both of these on and will be able to sing almost every lyric.”

“Sun Come Through” is a song that Alexa says has to be easily one of her favorites, if not her number one. “I just love the structure of the music and lyrics, and it holds some great memories for me. I still can’t believe it was a B-side!”  Her favorite quote from a song comes from “All Mixed Up” though – “You’ve got to bet on yourself not star, cause that’s your best bet.”

Alexa would like to say to Chad, Nick, Pnut, SA and Tim – “Thank you so much for helping me to discover to love the life I live and to try to be a positive influence on others.”

To the best fans in the world: “Live life to the fullest- if you have the opportunity to take a trip, hang out with long lost friends, or just simply try out a new restaurant, go for it. Live a full and exciting life and don’t let others affect you if they have a hard time understanding why you’re doing what you’re doing. You never know when you’ll have that moment again, so enjoy it. Stay positive and love your life :)”

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Thank you Alexa for sharing your story! I hope everyone enjoyed our latest fan spotlight and that you are all either relishing in your high from just seeing 311 or getting giddy about an upcoming show. No matter what, enjoy your life and seize every opportunity you get! Oh yeah, and hopefully I’ll see you all on the next 311 Cruise in 2015!!

Much love to you all! – The Runt

Greetings and salutations my excitable friends! Welcome to the latest edition of the 311 fan spotlight! This week we feature a person that comes from my neck of the woods – good old New England! Without further ado I give you Mr. Shayne McDonald!

The year was 1995. It was fifth grade year for Shayne and his class had a read-a-thon. They were able to listen to music while they read their chapters and a friend gave him the blue album to listen to. The first song he listened to was “Don’t Stay Home” and he fell in love. “The drumming in that song sounded amazing and did something to my ears. The rawness of the music felt powerful.”

Since then Shayne has been hooked, listening and loving the music, messages, and live shows of 311. He has attended 22 shows so far and of those this years 311 Day in New Orleans took the top prize as his favorite. “I had so many of my friends that went with me and so many friends that I’ve been talking to for years that I got to meet for the first time there. I made so many more friends that I never knew before as well. The experience itself was out of this world and it was much better than Vegas! Haha.”

311 has given many things to Shayne, including his wonderful love Alexa. You can tell she means the world to him and he described her as “amazing, beautiful and smart!” (I’ve met her – she is!)  It was thanks to 311 and the 311 Familia that they met and fell in love. Their love for the band drew them together and their spark grew from there. Shayne said that all this happened despite their differences regarding hockey teams. Alexa loves the Canadiens and Shayne loves the Boston Bruins. “It just goes to show that no matter what kind of rivalry you have, you can always find unity in something!”

Shayne grew up in a small, woody town in Maine with his mom, dad, brother and sister. He said his parents showed him a lot of love, but also made sure it was tough love that taught him valuable life lessons. “They taught me how to be an honest person and make an honest living, how to be a kind person and how to treat other people the way they deserve to be treated.”  While he didn’t always agree with their reasoning he can see now where they were coming from and knows they had the best intentions for him, making him who he is today. Since they raised him to be such an honest person, it’s only fitting that some of his favorite 311 lyrics are, “There’s nothing in life above being honest.”

Shayne has also lived in Hope Mills, North Carolina while his brother was stationed at Fort Bragg. He also lived in Valdosta, Georgia for half a year where he says he made some of the best friends he has ever had. Shayne works hard for his money and is always picking up extra shifts when he can. He is in the restaurant business so whenever a 311 event rolls around he prays for the time off so he can go!

If you know Shayne, you may think he is the furthest thing from shy. Yet he says that something most don’t know is he can be very shy around people he doesn’t really know well. “Don’t let my outgoing personality fool you!”  Then when I asked him what makes him unique he replied, “I’m Shayne McDonald!” All joking aside though, he said he is an excellent whistler! He also loves goofing off in the car and having fun by singing songs out loud that he doesn’t necessarily like, such as “Call Me Maybe.”  “It makes me feel great to be a goof and have fun in the car.”

The song “There’s Always an Excuse” has a special meaning to Shayne since it helped him through a difficult time. Shayne unfortunately lost his brother and went through a dark time, and as he says, he was more or less killing himself with the things he was doing. “The lyrics in the song helped wake me up from a really hard time in my life and helped me to realize that there is always an excuse when you need one and you’re not the only one going through it.” Shayne said that really helped save his life, so to the band he would simply like to say, “Thank you for keeping me alive.”

To the fans of 311 Shayne leaves you with this personal message:

“At the end of the day, all pettiness and selfishness aside, we’re all here for the same reason and that is to try to live a happy and fulfilled life.  So try to keep that in mind and show others the respect you think that you deserve because they deserve it as well.”

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Love Shayne’s final message! In the words of 311, “Respect the space of your sister and your brother.”

Thank you all for reading and please leave some love for Shayne in the comments if you feel inclined! It’ll be a nice change to see some real comments instead of spam – Haha!

Much love to you all! – The Runt

Happy Monday my friends! I trust you all had the best weekend you could and are ready to take this new week by storm! Let’s get this party started and introduce the new fan spotlight – meet Mr. Scott Rome!

The charisma of 311 is what drew Scott to them back in the early 90’s. He found them during a time when he was listening to Rage Against the Machine, Nine Inch Nails, and Beastie Boys mostly, but he was always a big fan of reggae music. Then in 1993 he saw the boys in a small venue in New Orleans called Tiptina’s. “Their flowing lyrics, reggae beat, Tim’s rocking guitar sound and the distinct sound of Chad’s snare drum, that’s what drew me, hooked me, from the very first show! Since then I could never get enough! Oh did I mention the non-stop energy that is SA Martinez?”

Since that 1993 show that hooked Scott, he figures he has attended 58 shows, to the best of his recollection. This includes 311 Day 2000, 2002, 2008 and 2014. He missed 2004 for a good reason…he was getting married that day! And then 2006 was due to Hurricane Katrina. Scott said that up until this year his favorite ever had been the 2002 311 Day but it’s been trumped by this years show. “It was this show that I literally met hundreds of friends and acquaintances from around the world, whom much of which became some of my best friends!” For his best venue show, he said it is hands down The Roxy show this year. “In the words of the stage manager Roscoe, “It was like a f*&cking frat house in there. I haven’t seen the boys let loose like that in years,” Amen, Roscoe!”

Scott was born and raised in a small town just outside of New Orleans.  At the age of 20 he moved to Chicago to attend college at Loyola University. Once finished he returned to his home town and started work as a General Manager of Hooters in the French Quarter. “I absolutely loved my job and the people I met on a daily basis.” Scott unfortunately had an accident at work injuring his spine and then Hurricane Katrina shut down his restaurant permanently. He ended up taking the disability package that the company offered him. “So now, I guess, I’m still employed with the company, it’s just that their insurance pays me and I no longer have to report to work for life (trust me, it’s not as awesome as some think it is. I still deal with daily severe pain from that injury).”  Scott now works from home as a day trader where he buys and sells stocks. He now currently resides in Los Angeles where he moved about three years ago so his wife could return to school and finish her degree.

One thing people don’t really know about Scott is that he is currently a student pilot and close to earning his private pilot license! He can currently fly solo as long as it’s day and good weather. “Flying for me is a huge stress reliever. Nothing like buzzing around at 5000 feet and letting go of everything except what you are doing right at that moment! Great way to think and clear the head.”  Scott also has a hobby that he loves – his 2003 C-5 Chevy Corvette! He spends a ton of time taking it out to the track, improving the engine or just “talking shop” with other Corvette owners. “Love my car and the energy it gives me when I take it out on the road.”  Scott also mentioned that he is a pretty modest and humble person who doesn’t like big fusses being made over him. “I am a very generous and trusting person, almost to a fault. I have very strong morals and a huge conscience.” His modesty shows because when I asked him something that makes him unique he said he thought for days but couldn’t come up with much. His friends tell him though that he has a green thumb and can make anything grow!

His top 3 bands are 311 (of course), Pink Floyd, and AC/DC. He loves listening to a variety of genres though including country! While he doesn’t listen to Country in the car or on the radio, he will watch it live. “Anything LIVE is good with me!” His all time favorite 311 song is 8:16 A.M. because it was the first song his wife ever listened to with him and she loved it. Since that moment it has been their song! So some of his favorite lyrics naturally come from that song, like, “The first thing that you see, my eyes open, I’m just hoping you feel the same as me” and “Today my love we shall let the world slide, turn off the ringer and just glide.”  Scott said his favorite and most used though are, “Fuck the naysayers.”  He listed a lot more lyrics too but I figured I’ll just give you the highlights. Scott, like most of us, has a book full of 311 lyrics that mean the world to us!

To the band Scott would simply like to say two words – “Thank you!” He said he has been lucky enough to say these two words and more than once at that! To the people that make up the most awesome fan base in the world he simply says:

“I’m not gonna be original here…. The best message ever given, was by our boys…. And that is ” Stay Positive, and LOVE YOUR LIFE!!!”

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Well my friends, that is Scott Rome! He seems like an amazing human being and I hope we all (myself included) have the opportunity to meet him in person in the near future! If you know Scott or want to simply leave him some love, feel free to comment below! Thank you as always for reading my rantings and much love to you all for now and always!

-The Runt

Welcome one and all to another 311 fan spotlight! I hope you all had an amazing weekend and let us begin the new week off right by meeting Lynette Jardine!

It was way back in 1994 when Lynette happened to hear the song “Do You Right” on the radio, when she was just 13 years old. “I think it was my older brothers friend who had it. I really liked the song but I didn’t hear anything again at all until the next year when “Down” came out.”  That year Lynette when to visit her aunt and uncle in Fort Calhoun, Nebraska which borders the glorious city of Omaha. Her cousin had the blue album and she listened to in pretty much non-stop while there! Her cousin then told her that the guys were from Omaha and that she had friends who knew them. Lynette was hooked from there on out! “I would print pictures off the internet on a color printer at my local library! Then I would cut them out and had 311 collages in my locker in high school. I bought shirts and CD’s but didn’t get to see them live until after high school.”

Lynette saw her first show April 1, 2000 and has been to a total of 7 shows so far. She explained that she really would have loved to have attended more but the circumstances and funds didn’t always allow it. She’ll be hitting shows 8 and 9 this summer and can’t wait for them! She also has started saving money for the next cruise since she hasn’t been on one yet. Of the concerts she has been able to go to she said the best one was the free show in Omaha back in 2004. Since her aunt and uncle lived close to Omaha she asked them if her and a few friends could stay there so they could go see the show, and they said yes! “Me and four of my friends got in a car and drove 311 miles to the show (yes it was exactly 311 miles from her house to Omaha!). My aunt and uncles house was out in the country and they had horses. We found tons of marijuana growing there! The plants averaged about 8 feet tall and while my aunt and uncle were ‘in town’ we were outside filling as many plastic bags as we could, hahaha!”  That same day Lynette and her friends went to the park to see the show. She said it was an absolutely beautiful day and all the bands were great, but 311 was of course the best! “It was a very up close and personal vibe. We had so much fun. The whole trip was amazing. Then we came home and made THC oil with the weed we had and baked tons of brownies. It was good times, good weed too!”

Davenport, Iowa is where Lynette was born but she grew up in Port Byron, Illinois (she said to think I-80 and the Mississippi River). After high school she moved to Provo, Utah for a year and that is where she first was able to see 311 live. She saw them twice in two months and mentioned she really had the time of her life there. Then when she was scheduled to move back to Illinois her mother booked a train ticket for her the same day as a 311 show. “I told her I wouldn’t be on the train because I had tickets to see 311. She was so mad at me! So she changed the reservation. I was a real brat!”

For the majority of her life Lynette has resided in the Quad City area. Just before she turned 27 she moved to Quincy, Illinois where she still resides to this day. It’s only 150 miles down river from where she grew up. She currently is in school working on obtaining her medical office technology degree and is hoping to move out west to Oregon in 2015 once that is completed. She is a bit torn about the career she has chosen because it isn’t really what she wants to do with life, but she knows it will provide her with skills she can use in other areas. Plus it will allow her to work from home and set her own schedule, and that she likes!

Lynette currently tutors and works odd jobs while in school to help her out financially. While she may not have hit a ton of shows like some, she said she buys all of 311’s albums and some she has bought numerous times! “Back in the day that’s how you had to replace stuff. I’ve also watched  both ETSD’s numerous times along with the 311 Day DVD. I plan on hitting a lot more shows since the money gods have started smiling on me more!”

One thing all that medical training taught Lynette is how to conduct every exam that uses xray. Pretty cool skill to have! She has also been called the cat whisperer by some thanks to her ability to “herd cats.” (I don’t know about the rest of you, but I would LOVE to see this!)  Lynette’s guilty pleasure? “I totally love watching Teen Wolf.”  And when she isn’t listening to 311 you can find her jamming out to tunes by Queen, The Beatles, Pixies, No Doubt, Weezer, RHCP, Wookiefoot, Beastie Boys, Sia, and Green Day (just to name a few).

Lynette knows that the guys in 311 have blessed her life and for that she would just like to say to them, “Thank you for your help in navigating this life.”  They’ve given her the song “Jupiter” which she says means a lot to her because it came out when she was 16 and was her “go to” song, and still is sometimes! And while that might be one of her all time favorite songs, the favorite quote she picked comes from “Applied Science.” She said the lyrics sum it up pretty nicely – “I met some weirdos and had myself a good time.”

So with that, her message to all of the fans out in the 311 universe is:

“You guys are all awesome! I can’t wait to meet some of you in person this summer and to meet some totally new people. I’ll be at the St. Louis and Chillicothe shows, so come say hi if you see me. I’m not shy. Shine on  with your positivity fam, it’s always just what I need.”

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Thanks to Lynette for sharing her story and love for 311! And thanks to everyone who reads these! You all rock! Keep the positivity flowing always.

Much love – The Runt