Hi again my excitable friends! Welcome to another edition of the 311 fan spotlight! This week we meet Emilie Hernandez!

Emilie calls herself a late bloomer when it comes to finding out how awesome of a band 311 is. She knew the songs “Down” and “Come Original” but never really knew who sang them. In 2005, a friend burned a CD for her with some 311 on it, “Amber” and “Champagne.” She said it wasn’t until 2009 though that she realized just how much she loved those songs. “I know go ahead and laugh! I felt like I could really relate to those songs at that time in my life. I asked a friend of mine who was singing on that CD and they told me it was 311. After that, I bought the 2004 New Orleans DVD and it was OVER after that! My boyfriend at the time burned me all of their CD’s and I was hooked. One year later the cruise was announced and even without knowing a soul in the 311 community, I signed up and that’s all she wrote!”

The exact count of how many shows Emilie has been to is a little hazy but she believes she’s somewhere in the twenties range. She’s been on all four of the cruises and her first 311 Day was in 2012. She says her favorite event so far was the second cruise. “Being in the water with all my friends while my favorite band played for us was a life changing experience.”

The song that really pulls at her heart is “Beyond the Grey Sky.” “I have it tattooed on my right side and tear up when I hear it at times. It speaks so loud to me in regards to losing someone you love, it’s unreal.” Some favorite quotes of Emilie’s are “Time is precious,” Stay positive and love your life,” and “It’s all about the company you keep.”

Emilie is an only child, born and raised in San Antonio, Texas. Music has always played a major part in her life and she started playing the violin when she was just 8 years old. She continued with it up until college and is classically trained. Growing up Emilie spent most of her time with her mom, but both of her parents always made sure music was present for her no matter what. “My parents exposed me to many bands growing up but I gravitated towards “west coast” reggae in college. Once 311 came into my life full force, I found every way to get on all of the cruises and as many shows as I could.” Emilie is currently a private chef in San Antonio but she says, “I still find time for our boys!”

While Emilie was in college, aside from taking classes she used to box! As far as guilty pleasures, she said hers is Netflix all the way, which I’m sure many people can relate to. Besides 311, Emilie can be found listening to bands such as Tribal Seeds, The Hip Abduction, Slightly Stoopid, The Dirty Heads, Lefty at the Washout, The Movement, One Drop, and Stickfigure.

Emilie’s message to 311 is a simple one: “You guys changed my life.”

To all the fellow fans out in the 311 universe:

“Pretty much I know I’m a late bloomer when it comes to loving 311. But that doesn’t mean my love is different than anyone else’s…just took me longer to figure it out. I don’t think it’s the number of shows you’ve been to or how much memorabilia you have…it’s about what the band has done for you in your life that matters. I love our boys. I don’t know where I’d be without them .”

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The story of Ms. Emilie Hernandez my friends! I hope you all were entertained by it and enjoyed meeting yet another awesome member of this fabulous fan community! Until next time, thank you as always for reading and keep on spreading that positivity!

Much love – The Runt

Welcome back my friends in 311 nation! A new week is upon us and so is a new fan spotlight. Time to meet Mr. Jeremy Freed!

Spring 1996 is where Jeremy’s love for 311 begins. A friend from his neighborhood went to a private school and had a separate group of friends aside from Jeremy. They were all surfers and into bands like Phish while Jeremy was more into the punk scene. One day while at this friends house he put on a CD he’d gotten from his other friends, a little album known as Grassroots. “It was like nothing I’d ever heard before, and I was instantly hooked. We spent the end of our senior year of high school cruising up and down Jones Beach blasting Grassroots, and we then discovered the blue album just before “Down” blew up, while scouring the local record stores in search of Music (which we acquired and played out as well). My friend and I grew apart in college and he has since moved to Florida (I’m in New York). We don’t keep in touch very much anymore, but I always think of him when listening to Grassroots, and I melt every time 311 plays “Nutsymptom” at the Jones Beach Amphitheater.”

The first live show Jeremy recalls seeing was in summer of 1997 at Jones Beach when 311 played with De La Soul. Show total since then is around 34 based on his ticket stub collection, but he says there may be a few missing. While it’s a tough question to answer, Jeremy chose 311 Day 2004 as his favorite so far. “A dozen of us flew down from New York for the show, not knowing what to expect. My friends are mostly fans of general admission venues, so we waited on line at the UNO Arena from about noon on, to get our GA bracelets. Several hours later, we were already in full party mode, having consumed many beers during the wait. I was banking on a great show, but five friggin’ hours?! Unreal. That show also resonates with me because it gave me the opportunity to fall in love with New Orleans.” Jeremy fell in love with Nola so much that he booked a trip for the following March, just on the off chance 311 might play again. They obviously didn’t, but he had something epic happen that trip regardless. Jeremy got engaged to his girlfriend (now wife) in Jackson Square. His wedding ring is even inspired by 311!

While Jeremy says he doesn’t really use 311’s lyrics as inspiration or a crutch during the tough times like others may, he says that if he had to pick a song that really resonates with him it’d be “Rub A Dub.” “It takes me back to a really fun time in my life, the end of college before things got a little more serious. Much like Grassroots, “Rub a Dub” also reminds me of an old friend, so I appreciate that.”  One of his favorite lyrics comes from “Feels So Good” – “Just take a moment to have a fit once in a while, I do it daily and like it, but that’s my style.” The reason for this? “I’m known for being a bit of a grump, and while lots of people see 311 for their positivity, I can absolutely relate to this line in “Feels So Good.” I know I could be a bit calmer and level-headed, but hey, that’s my style.”

Jeremy was born and raised in Wantagh, New York, also known as the “Gateway to Jones Beach.”  He also said it’s the most commonly misspelled location on every bands tour t-shirt! While he was a smart student, he says he was also lazy and didn’t really have interest in academics. “Art school was in the cards for me, following in my moms footsteps. My classmates even voted me “Most Artistic” in our yearbook superlatives, so it was pretty inevitable.”  Jeremy attended the Fashion Institute of Technology and he has a BFA in Advertising Design. As soon as he graduated he obtained a job where he interned, a company called Deutsch, Inc. “I actually met my wife there so it’s funny how my first job will always be my most rewarding job.” He is now a graphic artist at Coach and has been there for eight years. “I’ve come to terms with being stuck in the hustle and bustle of New York City. I still live on Long Island, about 15 minutes north of the beach, so  I always have a quieter place to retreat to.”

Jeremy has a four year old son named Lucas, after George Lucas and Luke Skywalker. He says his sons musical interests seem to lean towards Rancid, The Ramones, and a little bit of ska, but he’s slowly working on getting him into 311. When he isn’t chasing his son around or working, he’s “hopelessly rooting for the Mets,” going to shows and maintaining his growing collection of Star Wars and baseball memorabilia.

How many people can say they’ve secretly sabotaged a team on a reality show? Jeremy can! He was on the reality show The Apprentice and worked with a team to create a promotional campaign. “They were a real pain in the ass to work with. After an aggravating day (a Saturday, no less), they had to head back to the studio while I finished their work and it was going to be sent over. The team leader gave me cash for a messenger service, as well as a bit of nudge-nudge wink-wink bribe money to make sure I get it done quickly and well. The show producer came over later and asked for all of the money back, including my bribe. I had had it at that point so we’ll just say I didn’t do what was asked of me, and the team was rather surprised at their presentation.”

Something else you may not know – he was a huge fan of the show Beverly Hills 90210 and cried during the series finale! “Granted, I was tripping balls at the time, but still, I loved that show!”  He also has a talent for the game Tetris. “I’ve been jokingly referred to as a communist due to my Tetris skills. I’ve crushed every version of the game I’ve encountered. I even managed to effectively play two games simultaneously, holding two controllers at once. The longest game I ever played lasted for well over an hour; my eyes were so locked in, I think I traveled to another dimension and saw the future–so I forced myself to end it on purpose and went to bed.” While he doesn’t consider his guilty pleasure all that guilty because it won a ton of awards, he loves the movie Titanic. “ I think it’s generally seen as a chick-flick and I surely take heat for how much I love this movie, and that’s OK because it truly is one of Hollywood’s great epics.”

Other musical interests are a little all over the place. Most of what he listens to is punk and hardcore such as Hatebreed, NOFX and Pennywise. However he also likes ska, oldies, Motown, and he’s amassed a huge collection of the best rock from the fifties and sixties. The most unexpected genre he enjoys? Movie soundtracks. “By that I mean orchestral scores. Behind 311 and The Beatles, I think I have more John Williams music than any other artist in my collection.” If he had to name his top five favorite artists, it would be 311, Rancid, Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Sick of it All, and The Beatles.

To the band that ranks as his number one favorite artist, he has this message:

“Thank you for composing the soundtrack to my life.”

To the awesome fans out there sharing his love for 311:

“I used to view 311 as a band I love and one I would see every chance I got. It wasn’t until a few years ago when a member of the Familia added myself and my friends to the group that I saw what an obsessed, rabid, hardcore fan base this band had. It’s both impressive and a little scary, but I admire the dedication so many people have to a band many consider to be a flash-in-the-pan novelty act from the 90s (clearly those people are wrong). The effect of that dedication is obvious, as we see 311 return all that love to the fans. 311 has enabled me to remember old times, get reacquainted with old friends, as well as meet new ones. This fan base is one of a kind and I look forward to meeting more and more and more of you and sharing the love that is 311–in New Orleans, perhaps? ;)”

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There you have the tale of Jeremy Freed ladies & gents! I hope you enjoyed reading about another fellow fan and thank you for doing so! Keep on rocking and being the best person you can be. Until next time!

Much love – The Runt

Hi again my friends in 311 nation! Good day to you all. Are you ready to read about another fellow fan? Well, then it’s time to meet Stephanie Davis!

Stephanie says it’s hard to pinpoint exactly how she became a huge fan of 311. Over 20 years ago was when she first heard them, and she believes one of the reasons she loved them so much is that they are from Nebraska. “I have been raised as a diehard Nebraska Cornhusker fan, my family lives between Omaha and Lincoln, so I think one of the reasons that I was drawn to 311 was basically they were from Nebraska and I feel I have a close home tie to them. I mean, what good music comes from Nebraska?” Another reason she was drawn to them was a good friend of hers living in Oklahoma City who was obsessed with them. “When we would be at his house we either would be listening to Music, Grassroots, or the Blue album on his stereo, with the lights off and the black lights on. Or we popped in ETSD 1 and watched that VCR TAPE over and over again until we wore it out.” What really drew Stephanie in was their music and the feel of it, with the positivity and party element to it. “I really love how they paved the way for the rock/rap genre that you still see to this day. Even though those bands are terrible and are not original, 311 has continued to remain strong and haven’t been afraid to try something new.”

Her love affair with seeing the band live started in Lawrence, Kansas in 1995 at the Jayhawk Music Festival. She had just turned 15 and snuck out to see them! Unfortunately she got caught and ended up grounded, but it was worth it. “Damn, thinking about that concert makes me laugh. I so wish I had that ticket stub.” Since then she has seen them at least 30 times, if not a little more. While there are many great memories from all the shows, she has a few that stand out against the rest. One was when she took her baby brother to see them for the first time. It allowed them to form an even stronger bond and they never miss seeing a show together now.  Then there was 311 Day 2006 when she, her brother & mom took a road trip from Kansas City to Memphis. “Thinking back to that trip makes me laugh. We did the normal “touristy” things in Memphis and while we were at the Civil Rights Museum my mother asked Scott and myself if we were having a good time. We both replied “Yay! Civil Rights is so uplifting!” Finally there were the shows in 2001 and 2014 where she met the band. You can’t NOT love those shows!

Two songs that mean a great deal to Stephanie are “It’s Alright” and “Showdown.”  She said that the first one literally helped save her life and get through some rocky times. As for “Showdown,” she said that the Stereolithic CD hasn’t left her car since 311 Day 2014! “I just love the song (and all the songs) and the lyrics and the feeling of both Nick and SA’s voice.” As for some favorite quotes from any of the songs in the catalog, she loves “Some people live for the rules, I live for exceptions” and “Now I’m ready to turn the page on yesterdays and forgive them, now I’m ready to disengage to seize the day and move on.” Then theres the one she says she often uses at work – “Fuck the bullshit it’s time to throw down!”

Stephanie was born and raised in Kansas and she still lives there currently in Overland Park. She’s a single mom to a wonderful 8 year old boy (see above photo). Although she is completely a Kansas girl she has lived a few other places over her life. The most challenging she says was Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. “I accepted a job as a Department of Defense contractor (I worked as a Project Manager in the construction industry but now moved to the engineering industry) and relocated to Gitmo 2011. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity and I am glad I had the experience to live someplace where most Americans will never get a chance to see. I saw some amazing things, worked in the prisons, replaced air conditioning units in the Military Tribunal before one of the terrorists was to be tried,  and for shits and giggles  I cleaned up brush around the “jail” where one of the 9/11 conspirators is housed. After six months I had to leave because I missed my family terribly, driving under 25 miles an hour and as silly as it sounds, highways! Plus it is hot all year round, the bugs are horrible and not having any friends.  And as much as I bitch and complain about Kansas winters, I actually missed seasons changing.”

Matthew is the name of her son and she says he is her miracle baby. He was born early at just 32 weeks and was only the size of a 29 week baby. “I was living in Huntsville, Alabama and my mom came down for my baby shower and to come with me to a 3D ultrasound appointment. When we went to get the ultrasound done, the technician saw that my placenta had ruptured and Matthew was basically starving to death. So after an emergency C-Section, I gave birth to a 2 LB baby who almost passed away a few times. But today you would never know he was a preemie. I’m not religious by any means but God was definitely looking out for us, so I named him Matthew – a gift from God.”

Stephanie says she’s an open book but something people may not know is that she’s never cooked a full meal from scratch! “I hate cooking, I really do.” Stephanie has a secret talent though – busting out rap lyrics like no one else! “I drove to New Orleans by myself and I had Tupac and Dr. Dre’s “California Love” memorized front to back. I listened to that song two hours straight to make sure I got every verse.” She also is super smart when it comes to trivia and she takes pride in it. “I dare someone to challenge me!” Something else about her she loves is that her friends, coworkers and acquaintances all associate her with 311. If she takes vacation people automatically assume it’s 311 related. Then when she surprised her friend by coming back from Cuba for her wedding, her friend changed her cake cutting song to “Feels So Good” in honor of her!

Musical tastes outside of 311 are all over the map she says, from Michael Jackson to Classic Rock to even one of her guilty pleasures, The Backstreet Boys! “Come on now, they are so catchy!” She loves the boy bands from the nineties and 2000s. Another guilty pleasure that she said FINE to confessing is that she saw Nickelback in concert and does like a few of their songs. “Cue the angry flash mobs and burning me at the stake!”

To the band that has had such a big affect her life she would like to relay this message: “Thank you. You have been the soundtrack to my life and no matter where my life takes me, you are always a play away and will never know how much you saved me.”

To all the people in this awesome fandom:

“It’s amazing how the Internet has provided us with a platform to follow 311, create a “family” on Facebook, watch the concerts that someone has recorded on YouTube, bitch and complain about damn posters and just meeting new friends at concerts. Back in the day, I would hear that 311 was playing from word of mouth or in an advertisement in the back of the Pitch Weekly. So to all the old school and new school fans – “Hi, I’m Stephanie. It’s nice to meet all of you and let’s continue to love and enjoy the sounds of the greatest fucking band out there! Who’s gonna buy me a beer now?”

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The story of Stephanie Davis my slinkies & brodels! Hope you all had a blast reading about her and thank you as always for doing so! Keep on being the positive and loving humans that you are. Until we meet again!

Much love – The Runt

Welcome back my excitable friends! Another week is upon us which means it’s time to feature another awesome 311 fan. This week the spotlight takes aim at Donnie Greenwood!

The blue album came out and many of us found 311 because of it. Donnie is no exception. “Like many people “Down” got my interest and “All Mixed Up” got my attention.” It was the latter that really drew him in and made him want to get into music. “That song is ultimately why I picked up an instrument.”

Every fan spotlight is asked how many shows they’ve been to, but Donnie probably had the best answer yet.  “Not enough.” So while we don’t know his number,  he does have a favorite show that he’s been to. “Memphis on May 2, 2014. I finally got a chance to take my dear mom along and show her what it’s all about.”

The song that means the most to him was hard to answer because he, like many of us fans, have too many that hold a special place in our hearts. Inevitably he chose his as “Dreamland.” “Each time I hear it, ‘Dreamland’ stops my day at that moment and I smile. That’s it. No matter what, it makes me smile.” One of his favorite lyrics comes from “Rub A Dub” – “Only thing that matters if it’s funky to you.”

A little town in Mississippi is where Donnie was born and raised. “I quite literally had soybeans and cows for neighbors when I was a kid.” While his peers had interest in hobbies such as hunting, Donnie was different, which is why he says he ended up with his deep love for music and 311. “I was the right kind of young where I was beginning to find my own entertainment when the Blue album came out. It was perfect timing.”

His love of music paid off when he received a scholarship for three years of college paid because he played bass in a school sponsored country band. “That’s Mississippi for ya!”  While he’s a self-described “6’ 2”, bearded, tattooed, 4 wheel drive owning, ex-rugby player MANLY man” he knows how to use a sewing machine! “I’m not too bad at it either.”

Donnie’s love of music means he has eclectic taste in artists. As he typed up his answers he was live streaming a Slipknot show. “I hate the ‘I love everything’ answer as much as the next reader but it’s true. I’m absolutely a fan of music.” An example of his variety of tastes shows in what was in his rotation this week: Muddy Waters, Alkaline Trio, and the new Wilco album. His guilty pleasure comes in the form of a musician as well. “Katy Perry. And I mean her music, not her. Fight me!”

To the fellas in 311, Donnie would simply like to say thank you. “But it’d probably come out as drool and a grunt because they’re probably the only five dudes who could make me star struck.”

His message to all the other fans out there is simple as well:

“Take care of yourself and someone else today.”

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That’s the tale of Donnie my friends! I love his message to all of you and it really is true, you should do what he says each day you live.

So with that, I bid you adieu. Until we meet again my excitable friends!! Keep on spreading the love & positivity!

Much love – The Runt