Well hello again to all the awesome peeps in 311 nation! We meet again for the next edition of the fan spotlight. This week let’s read all about Jeremy Swisshelm!

Radio is where Jeremy first heard the magical sounds of 311, when stations were playing “All Mixed Up” and “Down” in heavy rotation. He loved it instantly and then his friend let him borrow Grassroots. He never gave it back. “Sorry not sorry. I repaid him years later with a ton of 311 music he wasn’t familiar with. Became a super fan after seeing them live for the first time.”

Show count he believes is somewhere in the 20’s and he’s been on two cruises. Jeremy’s first show was July 2011 at Northerly Island in Chicago. “My wife got us tickets for my birthday. Show was unbelievable and became a super fan after that!” Favorite event was his first cruise, which was the 4th cruise overall. “Sail away show was amazing. I can’t even put into words how amazing it was.”

Favorite song is a tough question to answer but Jeremy said he would probably pick “Misdirected Hostility.” “It reminds me that sometimes when people are mean or mad, you should try giving them the benefit of the doubt. I mean I don’t know what that person is going through right now.  And I also find myself with misdirected hostility and it helps me to reign that in.” One of his favorite lyrics comes from the recent Mosaic album and the song “Forever Now” – “For an infinite minute, let’s stop the clock and be in it!”

Jeremy grew up in Northwest Indiana, in the suburbs of Chicago. He played soccer throughout his entire childhood-travel teams, Olympic development, all of it. Then in high school he tore ligaments in his knee and was never the same after it. Then he started hanging out with two local bands during his high school years and he gained his love of live music from those days. “Living outside Chicago i went to a ton of shows in the 90’s.  But never saw 311 back then for some weird reason.”

Jeremy moved to Colorado in 2003 with his brother and his brothers girlfriend. “We lived in a tent for 2 months while we found work and a place to live.   Stayed there for 5 years. Snowboarded ALOT.” He moved to Colorado with no money, no car, and not knowing anyone there. “One of the best times of my life.”

Unfortunately then Jeremy’s mom passed away and he moved back home to be closer to his dad. “They had been married for 35 years.” It was a few years later that he met his now wife and last weeks fan spotlight Trisha. “Fell in love. Got married. Had a kiddo. Nolan is 10 and awesome. He loves a lot of the same music we do. We moved to Florida about 4 years ago.  I am a glazier (glass installer). Showers, windows,  table tops, mirrors, stuff like that.”

A talent for Jeremy is that he is very handy. “I can fix and build lots of things.” Guilty pleasure for him? “I love the movie Dirty Dancing.” Jeremy’s love for music has him liking a wide variety of musicians including Dirty Heads, Rebelution, Stick Figure, The Movement, Sublime, Blind Melon, Rage Against the Machine, Beastie Boys, Dr. Dre, Eminem, Clutch, Simon and Garfunkel, Fugazi, Buddy Holly, Oak Ridge Boys, and The Grateful Dead.

Jeremy would like to tell the members of 311 this message: “Thank you for the endless entertainment and knowledge you’ve given me.”

To all the other fans out there:

“Before you judge someone, try to put yourself in their shoes.”

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Powerful words and great ones at that Jeremy! Thanks for being part of this 311 fan community and sharing your story. As usual, much gratitude to all that read each week! Until we meet again, do the usual. Be awesome and spread the positivity and love!

Much love – The Runt

Why hello there friends in 311 nation! It’s been a couple of weeks but we are back with the newest fan spotlight. Get ready to meet Trisha Swisshelm!

Trisha was always a casual fan of the band until she saw them in concert, that’s when everything changed. “My first show was in 2011, when Sublime with Rome opened. I got my husband and I tickets because he was a huge Sublime fan.  That was the day I fell completely in love with 311 and started listening to all of their music I’d missed over the years.” Aside from the band themselves and the music, what really drew her in more was the fan community. They started meeting fellow fans and she said it just all came together. “I’ve been totally hooked ever since!”

Show count for her is unclear, somewhere in the 20-30 range. She hits every show they can in the Florida area and tries to fly back home for shows in Chicago. One of her favorite shows so far was a small, intimate show in Fort Wayne, Indiana, plus the small show in Tampa before the 2017 cruise which she said blew her away. “The most memorable though would probably have to be our very first sail away show on the 2015 Jamaica cruise! Such a magical moment!”

The song “Beyond the Gray Sky” hits home for her because of personal struggles as well as those of her loved ones. “It’s a beautiful song with a powerful message.” For lyrics, one of her favorites is “The jaded ones will wither while the optimistic grow.” She said, “I try to remember those words and apply them to my life.”

Highland, Indiana, a small town about 30 minutes from Chicago, is where Trisha grew up. “We weren’t stereotypical farms or cornfields, but ya didn’t have to go too terribly far to get to them, lol.” Her family spent summers in Clearwater Beach, Florida, and she always dreamed of living in Florida one day. So 4 years ago Trisha, her husband, and their song moved there and they love their decision! “It was hard to leave behind family and friends, but we were ready for a change! The Florida Familia, and especially the Tampa Bay crew make us feel even more at home and the music scene is fantastic.” They live between Tampa and St. Petersburg so they have access to a lot of great live shows. Plus she said with the weather and beautiful scenery, how can you not love Florida. “There’s so much to love. Florida life suits us!”

Recently though Trisha was diagnosed with a rare and rarely diagnosed brain condition called Chiari Malformation. “It’s made me pretty sick for a lot of the last year, and I’ve not been able to work.  I’m pretty open about it because I believe there needs to be MUCH more awareness of it, especially among doctors so that patients can get the treatment they need without having to fight every step of the way.”

Something Trisha loves is to be creative and make things. She’s very crafty, from writing to making jewelry, or cutting up old or ill fitting t-shirts. She also draws, paints, tie-dye’s…you name it! “I’m always trying to learn new ways to be creative!” Guilty pleasure for Trisha? “I’m obsessed with all things Harry Potter!”

As far as other music that Trisha loves, she said she discovered most of her other favorites because of 311 and the fan community. “My newest favorite is The Movement, who I saw open up for 311 in Orlando last year before the cruise.  I also love Stick Figure, Rebelution and of course RDGLDGRN who have become a cruise staple!  The only fav band I didn’t discover through 311 would be Dirty Heads, but then they were brought on the 2015 cruise! Nothing better than having all your favorite bands together, especially out on the sea!!”

To the band, Trisha has this message: “Thank you for everything, from the music to the love for us fans and for creating such a badass community of excitables to share it all with!”

And to all the fellow 311 fans:

“Keep on spreading the peace, love, and unity and fuck the naysayers!”

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That is the story of Trisha Swisshelm! Many thanks to Trisha for sharing her story and to all those that come back each week to learn more about individuals in this fan community! Such a great family to be a part of. Go now and be the awesome individuals you are.

Much love – The Runt