Welcome back friends to the latest 311 fan spotlight! This week we have the story of Todd Granger! 

While Todd was a fan of 311’s radio hits in the mid 90’s, it was the album Transistor that really hooked him. “That album has a distinct sound that drew me in and made me want more.” 

Show count as of right now stands at 65. His first show was July 23, 2004 in Mansfield, Massachusetts. “That setlist had a lot of Evolver songs.” Favorite event so far though was 311 Day 2016 in New Orleans. “It was a life changing experience for me.”

One song that means a ton to Todd is the song “Visit.” It’s always been his favorite. “The lyrics. The sound. Every instrument. It’s perfection. And pure bliss live. I absolutely go off when they play it. Rap, Rock, Reggae. It’s the perfect example of the 311 stylee. From their FIRST album.” A lyric that stands out to Todd and connects with him is, “If someone digs your art that’s a reason to live. And if ya got a gift then ya know that ya gotta give.” He said being an artist himself this lyric is really important to him. He also loves the lyric, “Do as you will, do as you wish, follow your bliss.”

Todd will tell you he’s from Boston but he actually lives in a suburb just north of Boston called Lynn, Massachusetts. “I’ve been here all my life. I’ve lived in a few different coastal towns such as Salem, Beverly and Quincy.” Todd plays hockey and loves attending Boston Bruins games. “They are my favorite and I am a huge hockey fan.” After high school Todd became involved in photography and worked at Lifetouch for 8 years. “Photographing school picture days and all other school related events such as sports, proms & graduations.  Then left and tried studio photography.  I was with The Picture  People for almost 5 years at the Burlington Mall and N.Shore Mall.  Also photographed a few of my own weddings on the side.  Decided to leave the photo fields and re-pursue my talent in drawing and painting.  It started out as therapy and became my favorite  hobby again.” Todd tries to sell his artwork to fund his 311 habit. “I might also splurge when I’m not supposed to. But, I gotta live my life. My family never traveled much when I was younger and I couldn’t really go to concerts till I was an adult and on my own.” 

Todd is developing his own style of artwork which combines his talents and skills in sketching, drawing, and inking, plus also painting and spray painting. Another talent Todd had was that he used to play piano. “I quit when I was younger but I have been thinking about going back.” 

Something most people know about Todd, if you know him personally, is that he is obsessed with Spiderman. However his guilty pleasure he said is Star Wars. “Been a fan all my life.”

When not listening to the sounds of 311, Todd also enjoys Slightly Stoopid and Stick Figure, two of his other favorite bands. He also likes the classic alternative like Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains, Nirvana, Primus, and Stone Temple Pilots. “I was a 90’s teen.” 

To 311, Todd would like to say: “Thank you 311 for all you’ve done and what you continue to do. And please DONT STOP.”

Now his message to all the 311 fans:

“Be patient. No matter what.

Promote what you love , don’t bash what you hate.

Love always wins.

Believe in Unity thru music.

Stay positive Love your life

May the force be with you

Eat tacos.”

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Well said Todd! Thanks for sharing your story with the 311 fan community. Now everyone go be awesome and keep spreading that positive light throughout your week! 

Much Love – The Runt

It’s a new week 311 nation which means it’s time to meet the new fan spotlight. This week we learn all about Saralyn Revello! 

Flash back to 1995. Saralyn heard “Down” on the radio and ran out to buy the blue album. At the time she was growing up Long Beach, New York, what she calls a California-like beach party suburb of New York City. “My girlfriends and I used to stumble down the boardwalk on summer nights belting out songs obnoxiously loud. Down and All Mixed Up were two of those songs although Im sure we butchered the lyrics. Those two will always remind me of that carefree time in my life.” 

While Saralyn listened to the radio hits and saw the band every time they came to town, it didn’t really take a firm grasp on her until the year 2011. Saralyn’s daughter was born two months early and she almost died during childbirth. “It wrecked me emotionally. She was 3.5 lbs and ended up in the NICU for a month. During that brutal month Universal Pulse was leaked and it was a staple during our walks to and from the NICU. It was also the year that Beautiful Disaster was in the MLB video game soundtrack, and at the time that game was played nearly every night in my household. For a while after that the Universal Pulse songs gave me PTSD flashbacks to those NICU days and I had trouble listening to it, so since Spotify and Pandora were pretty popular by then I started catching up on the 311 that I missed over the years. Uplifter particularly helped me through that postpartum depression/PTSD few years. I was happy to find some positivity and I knew I wanted more of it.” Saralyn’s daughter Emily is now 7 years old and a little excitable of course! “She’s an amazing creature!”

Then when Stereolithic came out Saralyn really became hooked. “I was driving a lot for work and for months I couldn’t listen to anything besides that album. The music and lyrics, especially The Call and Boom Shanka, but really the whole album, spoke to me in a way that no music had since before my daughters birth.” She realized that 311’s music had really been by her side since the first time she heard “Down” and she now couldn’t get enough of the positivity and gratitude that 311 embodied. “Summer of 14 I saw a few shows and it grew from there and I joined the Familia very specifically in hopes I would find others like me – who saw the connection and wanted the same things out of life. Although I was on a work trip on the opposite coast I nearly jumped on the boat in 15. And then I vowed to be at 311 Day in 16. And it was kind of like taking a ride on a cosmic trip from there. I’ve done at least 10 shows a year and both 311 days and Cruise 5 since then, with no desire to slow it down any time soon. They’ve truly been my constant companion and I could never thank them enough for waking my mind up and not giving up. I literally out loud asked the universe for unity consciousness and it answered with 311 and the 311 commUNITY.  I mean literally even a dude with a UNITY tattoo; it was so clear written down on his skin. I wasn’t missing the message this time.”

While Saralyn is unsure of her exact show count for 311 live, she believes it’s somewhere in the 40 range. She is pretty sure her first 311 show was at the Roseland in New York City back in 1997. While it’s hard to pick which show or event was her favorite so far, she said she’d probably have to go with 311 Day 2016 in New Orleans. “It was my first major 311 event and travel show and I connected so heavily to the 311 commUNITY in Nola and it really felt like I’m finally home (I see a lighthouse ☺ ) and finally found my soul tribe. There’s so many magical memories of that weekend that literally rearranged my life, especially dancing in the rain to Simplify and Sun Come Through on Bourbon Street at 3am with Jessica Pursley who I give much credit to for seeing the energy shining all around us and connecting a whole seemingly random bunch of excitables together. I’ve met some of my favorite people in the world thanks to her.” 

Some of her favorite songs include “Sun Come Through,” “Face in the Wind,” “Omaha Stylee,” “Unity,” “Full Ride,” “Get Down,” “Still Dreaming,” and “It’s Getting Ok Now.” There are a ton of lyrics that stand out to Saralyn and she said they are the basis for a lot of her crafting. If forced t chose just one, she’d go with “Do as you will, do as you wish, follow your bliss.” “It’s simply the number one mantra I try to live my life around on a daily basis. If I ever get a tattoo that’ll be it.”

Saralyn, as mentioned earlier, was born in New York and she is still living there 37 years later. “But for most of my life I’ve felt like I was born on the wrong coast. I am grateful for the accessibility of New York; especially concerts and experiences and food. But Im over the pace and energy of New York and I crave the Cali vibes – my heart is in San Diego.” She’s worked in the flower industry for 14 years and has dealt with everything from designing to sourcing to new business development. “Because about 80% US commercially grown flowers come out of California, I am lucky enough to get to visit various parts of the state at least 2x a year and I travel globally a fair amount as well. I love traveling and I love bringing the sweetness of the flowers to the people to help remind them that were nothing but a walking sack of earth!! But seriously I am beyond grateful to have amassed a really specific niche resume in my field and I hope to continue contributing positive change for the industry at large. Even on the worst days I just remember that the whole reason my job exists is to make people smile; from birth to death and hopefully more in between, flowers and plants are always with us.”

Saralyn grew up Jewish but she really doesn’t really practice organized religion anymore. She went to a very religious Yeshiva from nursery until 8th grade. “I had to wear long skirts every single day and still cannot bear to wear skirts at all, especially long ones. Sundresses are cool though.” Talent for Saralyn is that she’s very creative and can pick up pretty much any craft with just basic instructions. Obviously she’s done flowers for events and weddings, but she’s also run a photography side business and has an Etsy store where she sells random crafts. “I’ve been making my closest excitable crew event specific shirts and such since Nola ’16. If 311 is ever looking for a merch girl .. I got a head full of ideas, let me tell ya, that you wouldn’t believe!” Guilty pleasure for her is food related – appetizers! “I love appetizers and would be perfectly happy never ordering a main course again for the rest of my life. Ill order 5 diff apps just to have a little taste of everything. Its gluttonous but I love it. Im dangerous at a cocktail hour. I’ve literally had dreams about being in situations where I can just have a little taste of everything. But I think it kind of speaks to my feelings on earthly human life… I kinda just want a little taste of everything!! Except 311. Im always feeling famished for a 311 sandwich and would take that as a main course any day ☺.”

To 311, Saralyn would like to say: “I could never thank you guys enough for being the guiding light walking this earth beside me assisting with my greater ascension (cause I was born to elevate), spreading the love and the good karma, creating, living and rocking the songs of my soul and bringing me home to my tribe… and you never turned your back on me; even if it took about 20 years for me to realize!! Can’t nobody do it like 311!”

Now to all the other fellow 311 fans:

“Well I’ve got a clique but its WAY more like a family; through this commUNITY I’ve met some of my favorite people on this human journey, I have truly found my soul family within this fan base and I am eternally grateful to have this connection and abundant flow of love, light and pure momentum. Thank you for accepting me – even though I arrived fashionably late. I never feel more myself than when I’m standing at the rail living and rockin with all of you spirits on the run. Let’s keep it all together, its only getting better!”

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Thank you Saralyn for sharing your story of how you discovered and came to love 311! Gratitude goes out to all the other fans who keep reading about their fellow Excitables too of course. You are all wonderful creatures who keep the light alive on this planet! Go be awesome as always! 

Much love – The Runt

Happy 4th of July week excitable nation! While we kick off the holiday week, et’s read all about another fellow member of the 311 community.  Meet Dewane Dean! 

MTV is where Dewane first discovered 311 when the video for “Down” was being shown in heavy rotation. “All I could remember was, is this real? P-nut high stepping with the bas s guitar, and the pause in the song with Chad on the drums. It felt like 3D. I was hooked. I was drawn to the fact that they were fun and the music was positive. Also the fact that their song was being played on the very same station that the band was dissing. Down- “ And the Channel whatever that wack show Real World is on”. I thought it was bold and ingenious at the time.  Then came ALL MIXED UP, mind blown lol.”

First show for Dewane was at the Lakewood Amphitheatre in Atlanta back in 1997 when 311 played with Fishbone. “I was working there as an usher for a event staffing agency and when I heard 311 was playing I had to be at that show. One of my best memories and I was hooked on their live shows every since.” Show count for him is at 65 and he’s seen them play all over the country. Favorite event so far was the cruise to Jamaica in 2015. “It was my first cruise and Soundsystem is my favorite 311 album, so it was perfect.” He also mentioned the 10th anniversary show where they played Grassroots in its entirety and then all of Music. “Epic moment!”

The song “Electricity” means a lot to Dewane. “The words in that song changed my life! It’s rarely played but it’s super special.” Aside from the lyric, “Stay positive and love your life,” one of Dewane’s favorites comes from “Purpose” – “I believe in your Purpose baby, coming up to the surface and maybe I’ll never see you again, then again who knows.” He even has a tattoo on his arm with this lyric. 

Originally from Detroit, Dewane moved to Atlanta in with his mom in 1993  at the age of 17.  “The South has to grow on me because of where I’m from I wasn’t used to people being so damn nice. You know, Southern Hospitality and all. After my first year in Atlanta I decided this was the place for me. I’ve always been a positive person with ambition to get out of a tough environment. I found that peace of mind in Georgia.” In 2013 his job moved him back up to the Midwest and he was in Chicago for 18 months. “It was the best experience of my life besides the weather of course.” From Chicago Dewane then moved to Houston for a short time but then made his way back to Atlanta because he was homesick. “Atlanta is a special place for 311 fans. Every 311 fan new and old should experience the 2 night concert event at the Tabernacle. Definitely one of the best venues to see the boys. To fund my 311 habit I work for an airline, free flights.”

Some talents Dewane has is that he is a great singer, and he is also very calm and patient in most situations. Guilty pleasures for him include the movie “The Devil Wears Prada” and the T.V.  show “Real Housewives of Atlanta.”

Interesting fact about Dewane is that he likes country music as well as rock and roll. He also said he is a gentle giant who just loves people! When not listening to 311 he can be found grooving to Incubus, Deftones, OutKast, Jay-Z, Nas, RDGLDGRN, Pearl Jam, Iration, The Green, Radiohead, Rage Against the Machine, Kendrick Lamar, Jack Johnson, Traffic, LED Zeppelin, Otis Redding, Donnie Hathaway, The Roots, Rebelution, Queens of the Stoneage, Band of Horses, Eminem, J Cole, and The White Stripes.

To 311 Dewane would like to say: “Thank You with everything I have for raising us as fans with your music. I am around the same age and I feel like I’ve grown up with you guys. When Soundsystem came out, I was in a dark place in life, I listen that album today like it is the first time. Also, Mosaic and Stereolitic are some of your best work and we are truly blessed to have you guys together after 28 years.”

Now his message to the 311 fan community:

“I look forward to meeting everyone on the Cruise, 311 Day or the many cities I visit during the tours! Say Hi when you see me. I’m so kool 🙂 We are so fortunate to be apart of a community like this, so enjoy this ride cause Life’s Not A Race 😁”

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There you have the story of Dewane Dean! Much gratitude to Dewane for being a part of the spotlight and to all of you who keep reading. Go celebrate life and love, be awesome and spread the positivity! 

Much love – The Runt