Welcome back to another edition of the 311 fan spotlight! I’m sorry it’s been 2 weeks since the last one, so let us not delay any further! If there is one thing some of the fans in 311 nation are good at, it’s making me feel really old. Our fan spotlight this week is no exception, since she was only 12 when Evolver came out and “Creatures for A While” was being played on the radio. This week we meet Ms. Leslie Roane!

Leslie fell in love with 311 back in 2003 while visiting her aunt and uncle for the summer. The local alternative radio station, HFS 99.1, would do a top 9 countdown at 9 and she remembers “Creatures” was always number one. “I really got into them around that point and once I listened to other stuff [shamefully, Love Song], it solidified my love for them.”

Leslie’s first show was in 2008 with her aunt, who had just recently seen the band at a Michigan festival and wanted to go see them again. Since then Leslie has rocked out at 8 more shows. Of those, this years 311 Day in New Orleans takes the top prize as her best experience yet. This event was her first 311 Day and it was a last minute decision to go after a rough experience on a trip to India. “It was a very last minute road trip with Andrea Baker and it was so great finally meeting all the familia and people I’ve only communicated with online.” Leslie said meeting these individuals in person, people she became very good friends with, was a moving experience. She also said that the outpouring of love and positivity from everyone was just awesome. And then the show just was the icing on the cake! “The setlist was amazing. I cried to “Eons” and the whole show was just a major life turning point for me. I also happily met my boyfriend (Alex) in Nola on Bourbon Street.” Meeting great friends (she gave a shout out to Veronica Thompson) and finding love sounds like a great 311 Day to me!

Leslie lives in Baltimore but originated from Montross, Virginia. She just this past week achieved a major life milestone, graduating with her Bachelor of Arts in Communications, with a minor in Art, from Salisbury University. She hosted a college radio show for two and a half years and has been in radio for four and a half. She says she has an appreciation for new music thanks to being in this field and it resulted in her having an expansive music library. “My iTunes has 5600 songs and that’s only about half of non-related stuff on my external.” She usually comes across a band at least once a year and falls hopelessly in love with them. Lately, like many of us, she’s been obsessed with Stereolithic, but has also been getting into Local Natives, Bumpin’ Uglies, and Matisyahu (his first album specifically).  Other than 311, she says she’s always been a fan of Kanye West, Dave Matthews Band, Sublime, Incubus, Ballyhoo!, The Marley family, The Roots, Mos Def, and Maroon 5.

Just two Friday’s ago Leslie hosted her final show at her college radio station, WXSU. She said it was one of the best shows ever because of the support from friends and family plus she got to put A LOT of 311 in the rotation. Her show was called TheFridayNightCrash because she took that time slot to escape bad roommates at the time. Her hobby turned into a passion and caused her to switch her major to communications. Since then she says she hasn’t been happier and would like to say, “Many thanks to WXSU for helping me get out my dreams!”

Recently Leslie had the opportunity to study abroad in India. While it was a once in a lifetime opportunity, she had a frightening experience over there. Leslie was hit by a motorcycle and as she says, “Lived (hobbled) to tell about it!” She said this experience is something that makes her unique. She also can give you a scholarly argument on Kanye West’s first three albums and their effect on a person through their messages. And while she graduated with a degree in Communications, she used to me a Marine Science major and volunteered over 450 hours at her local aquarium back in high school. She also believes she has an unhealthy obsession with flip flops. “I will wear them March through November, even if it’s freezing!” Everyone has guilty pleasures, and Leslie is no exception. Hers is the show Boy Meets World and she has seen every episode! She also said she cried when N’Sync made a comeback last year and believes Old Bay seasoning goes on everything (I think that’s just awesome – no guilt there).

Leslie has been through some tough times and 311’s music has helped her survive them. She said it’s a tough call to pick her favorite song, but it’s a close tie between “Boom Shanka” and “Eons”. “Both have helped me get through hellish points in my life and ‘Boom Shanka’ has helped me grown as a person.”  She also loves the song “Existential Hero” because of the lyric, “Time with you, it keeps on sliding.”  “Those words just make you realize time is precious and to value each experience.”

With that, Leslie would just like to say to the guys in 311, “ Thank you for your contribution to music and my life, and for helping me change for the better.”

To the fans of 311 –

“Much love and positive vibes, and thanks for all the wild nights!”

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There you have Ms. Leslie Roane everyone! I hope you enjoyed this weeks spotlight. Now go have some fun on this Memorial Day! Until next time, “I wanna make a mess, I wanna blow off stress, I wanna stoke the fire, just creatures for a while!

Much Love! – The Runt

Hey there all you awesome people out there in the 311 universe! I know, I’m sorry I’m a day late in posting this weeks fan spotlight – but have no fear, it is finally here! This week let’s get to know Mr. Winston Kostrzewa!

Winston was introduced to 311 in 2007 thanks to friend Mitch Hex Lyons. The first album he had was From Chaos. “I could not get over how rockin’ Tim’s guitar was. I listened more and more, continuing to be amazed and made happier by their message and their overall talent!”

Winston may have only discovered the band 7 years ago but his love for them grew quickly. He’s been to 10 shows so far – 3 of them were on the third cruise and the other 7 shows he saw in 6 different states. This summer he will be heading out to shows in St. Louis, Chicago, and hopefully at least one night in Atlanta! Of the 10 shows Winston attended so far, he says that his favorite event has been the cruise. The experience was life changing for him. “You can feel the buzz of the love and positivity. Every step you took, there was another person to high five or hug or say whats up to you. Those sets were some of the greatest shows I will probably ever see. It really gives you a new perspective on life. You see these people, each and every one of them as happy as can be for 4 nights. Nothing to get us down. You start to realize that life is a big ball of crap sometimes and that you have to remember who is there for you when you need someone the most. For me, other than my mom, its my Excitable crew that I know is always there for me.”

There are a ton of songs that Winston says mean a lot to him, so much so that it’s nearly impossible for him to choose just one as his favorite. However there are lyrics that stand out to him that he carries with him in his life everyday, such as “If you don’t have someone to do it with it’s not worth doing.” He says those lyrics truly embody the way he sees life. “It’s only as good as the memories you make with the people you share it with.”  He also mentioned that one of his new favorite lyrics comes from Stereolithic – “You gotta keep on climbin’ the hill, ’cause if you think you’ll make it you will.”  Winston says that he really loves how 311 continues to bring the overall simple message of staying positive and not giving up on life. “Never admitting defeat and continuing to climb the hill, knowing that one day we will reach the top and that also, the top of said hill is different for us all in terms of happiness and success.”

Winston lays claim to Chicago as home (the suburbs of Chicago really) but currently resides in Nashville, Tennessee. He currently works every possible moment as a shift lead at Cracker Barrel in order to fund his 311 addiction. He is an avid sports fan in addition to music! “Let’s go Blackhawks, Bulls and Bears!” Winston says he doesn’t really have too much that makes him unique, but that he thinks he has the capability of being more positive than some of his “non-excitable” friends. “I know how to take the lemons that life hands you, add vodka, and have a life party…if you can’t stay positive and love your life no matter what, you have nothing.”

Being a music lover, there are other bands that Winston holds in high regard. Some of them include Dirty Heads, Rebelution, Full Service, Tribal Seeds, Slightly Stoopid, Atmosphere and A Tribe Called Quest. While these are his current favorites, he says he has a guilty pleasure for gangsta rap! “Tupac, Biggie, Ice Cube, etc. I like to get a little reckless sometimes!” A fun fact that many don’t know about Winston – before his first 311 show, he had never seen a concert!

Winston would like to say a big thank you to 311 – “Thank you for the kick ass tunes and for bringing me together with some of my best friends.”

His message to all of you out there in the positive sea of fans is similar:

“Thank you. Thank you for helping me to discover what love, life and happiness is really about. Thank you to everyone who made me feel like a celebrity on the Cruise with those “Keep Calm” shirts. Thank you to those who have gone out of their way to make sure I’m safe, make sure I”m comfortable and having fun. Thank you to those of you who stay in touch, those of you who have forgiven my mistakes, and to those of you whom I’ve yet to meet, thanks for being part of this groove. It isn’t near the same without each and every one of us. Stay positive, see y”all out there this summer!”

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There you have it folks! That’s Winston! As always thank you for reading and I hope you were entertained. Have a fantastic day and get excited, summer is just around the corner! Until next time…much love!!

The Runt

Hello again my friends out there in the 311 universe! Happy Monday and welcome back for an all new edition of the 311 fan spotlight! This week we feature someone from down in Cajun Country – Mr. Kyle Boudreaux!

Kyle first discovered 311 early on in the 90’s. It was late 1993 and he graduated from high school that year. He hit the road to go visit a friend who was attending LSU (Louisiana State University) in Baton Rouge. They went to see a concert at the Varsity Theater and it was there that Kyle first experienced 311 live. “From that show on I was hooked. I saw them five times in several small clubs before the end of 1994. 311 was very good to Louisiana in the early days, for which I am very grateful. The music drew me in, but their energy and uniqueness got me wanting more and more. Now, the fellow fans are almost as equally important to me as the music.”

Obviously since Kyle has been seeing the band live since 93, he has seen a lot of shows. He says he stopped trying to keep count around number 35. He has been to five 311 Day shows and one cruise. While he says there are a lot of shows he attended that hold a special place in his heart, it was 311 Day 2012 that holds the top spot. “It was the first time I met so many people that I talked to daily. Also both nights I had rail – a first for any 311 show, before or since.”

Kyle was born and raised in Lafayette, L.A.  He has actually never lived more than 5 miles from the hospital he was born in! He credits his staying close to home as being the reason that he loves to travel so much. In fact, the song “Visit” is the one that he says means the most to him right now because, in his words, “I am living my dream of traveling around the country (and beyond) and meeting many cool people.”

Kyle is the youngest of four children and he credits his family for his eclectic taste in music. He attended about 10 country concerts before he saw what he calls his first “real” concert, which was Motley Crue on their Dr. Feelgood Tour. “Metal music was a gift from my brother, while 60’s and 70’s music was from my sister.” He also says that since he lives in Cajun country, he has some love for music with French/Zydeco influences as well.

Growing up in Lafayette, Kyle says his family was one of the only white families in a predominantly black part of town. He mentioned that it was isolating being an overweight white kid in that area, and not to mention that his father was known for raising dogs, chickens, and pigeons. “This is probably the reason I am usually very quiet when people first meet me these days. Once you get to know me, you usually can’t shut me up!”

Kyle works as a programmer at a small software company in Lafayette. He’s been with the company for over 10 years but still only gets two weeks vacation, which limits his ability to travel to shows. However, he still finds ways to get to all the major events. While he is a programmer by day, he has a passion for paranormal investigations by night. “Something I don’t tell many people about is that I have a bit of what you can call a sixth sense. I can “see” ghosts sometimes, although it’s more of a feeling coupled with a physical description in my head.”  Kyle trained as an equipment technician for a local paranormal society but he left before any real investigations took place. “I did join a team for one night at the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado. I can tell you that it is indeed highly active and the spirits there like messing with you.”

Kyle’s guilty pleasure is one that is full of knowledge – he loves the gameshow Jeopardy! “I haven’t missed an episode since I got a DVR. I’m pretty good at trivia and have tried out twice, but never made it.”  I mentioned earlier too that Kyle has eclectic taste in music so he has a long list of bands that he loves besides 311. “I have always been a huge Pearl Jam fan. Before 311, Pearl Jam was the only artist I traveled to see. I saw them once in Knoxville and twice in Denver.” He also says that Rebelution has become one of his new favorites, and some other bands he loves include Dave Matthews Band, Pink Floyd, The Doors, Dirty Heads, Phish, System of a Down, Jack Johnson, Garth Brooks, and Conway Twitty.

One of Kyle’s favorite lyrics is from “My Stoney Baby” – “The fish who keeps on swimming is the first to chill upstream.” Kyle says that this song is for everyone who “needs a little motivation to keep on going when times get tough.”  The fact that Kyle can find the positive messages in 311’s lyrics and apply them to life shows just why he is one of the fan spotlights!

Kyle would like to tell the guys in 311, “Thank you for changing my life through 20 plus years of great music that seems to be getting better with age.” And to all of you out there in the 311 universe, here are his words:

“311 has survived 20+ years without having any major meltdowns or in-fighting. We all can learn a lot about unity from the boys. Forget the Facebook drama that creeps in to the many 311 groups out there. Stay positive and love YOUR life – don’t worry so much about the way others are living. Enjoy this brief snapshot in time where our favorite band still rocks this little pebble we call Earth.”

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That, my friends, is Kyle! I hope you all were entertained and enjoyed reading his story! If you know him, or liked what you learned, feel free to leave some love in the comments!

Until we meet again my friends, enjoy your week and your life! “It’s all about the company we keep.”

Much love! – The Runt