Hey there 311 nation! Who’s ready for the new fan spotlight? Take a break to read all about Joe Young!

It was on a local radio station in Denver, Colorado, where Joe first heard the sounds of 311. They were playing the song “Homebrew” and it instantly caught his attention, so much that the next day he went out and purchased Grassroots and was hooked from there. “It was a few days later when I was filling out my birth date on a form that I made the connection that my new favorite band had the same name as my birthday March 11th. I knew it was meant to be!”

As far as show count, Joe really hasn’t kept track but knows he is somewhere in the 50-60 range. First show was in 1999 at the Ogden Theater in Denver. “After seeing their energy on-stage, I knew it wouldn’t be my last show. Seeing “Freeze Time” played live blew my mind at the time.”

While there are several events that Joe has attended and that are all unique, he said one that stands out to him is 311 Day 2016. It was there that he met his now fiancé and they spent the show together. Since then they’ve seen 311 together 15 times. “Now not only is 311 Day extra special to me because it’s my birthday, but it’s also our anniversary as well.”

Picking a song that means the most is tricky for Joe because he said they are always rotating. A few that stand out to him though are “Homebrew,” “Eons,” “Welcome,” “Light Years,” and “Uncalm.” As far as a lyric that stands out to him, one of his favorites is, “The songs I sing, they don’t mean a thing if you’re not there to hear it. But then soon is the time, you’ll be by my side.”

Estes Park, Colorado, is where Joe was born and he’s lived in various places throughout the state all of his life. He says he really couldn’t imagine living anywhere else and currently lives in Aurora. He works as a produce clerk at King Soopers.

Joe loves music and seeing live shows. Going to concerts has always been one of his favorite hobbies. “Starting from when I was young, my mom took me to see classic bands like, The Four Tops, Johnny Rivers, and The Beach Boys. Then later, while I was still young, going to see others like MC Hammer, LL Cool J, TLC, and Naughty by Nature. By the time I was a teenager, I was going to a few concerts every month ranging from classics, to metal and hip-hop. By now, I’ve been to quite a few hundred shows, but still have a few bucket listers out there. Other than 311, some of the other memorable bands I’ve seen live are: Muse, Stone Temple Pilots, Pantera, Faith No More, Beck, Beastie Boys, and Redman and Method Man(my 2 favorite MCs).” Joe said he really will listen to just about any type of music and some of his other favorite artists include Run the Jewels, Grouplove, Snot, Gogol Bordello, Duran Duran, Garbage, The Offspring, Weezer, Tool, N.W.A, George Michael, Korn, and Die Antwoord.

Fun fact about Joe – he loves dressing up and making his own costumes whenever he can! “Whether it be for Halloween, Comic-Con or the cruise. One of the most memorable costumes I’ve made is Mugatu from Zoolander. This Halloween, I was The Vision from the Avengers, and my fiancé Mandee, was the Scarlet Witch. It makes it even funner now to have someone who loves making costumes as much as me!”

Joe has a few other hobbies that he loves including sculpture, painting and cooking. For unique talent though, Joe is famous for doing the dance move “The Worm” whenever he’s at an event where the DJ plays “It Takes Two” by Rob Base. “I once got into a “worm-off” in the smoking section at the Salt N Peppa/Vanilla Ice concert and was declared champion by all spectators.” Joe said guilty pleasure is complicated because there’s not much he is ashamed of or gets embarrassed by. He did say that people usually cringe when he mentions that he enjoys trashy VH1 reality shows like “Flavor of Love.” “The trashier, the better.”

To 311, Joe has one request: “Can you guys PLEASE play Reggae Got Soul?”

To all the other fans out there:

“I love that in our Familia we have people from many different backgrounds that love all different types of music but the one thing that brings us together is our love for 311 and that’s what makes us all brothers and sisters. If you ever see me around at a 311 event (or any event) come give this ginger a high-five or hug because I’m always passing them out!”

———————

Thank you to Joe Young for sharing his story! That was a fun one to write and kick off the cruise week with. Much gratitude to all who read each week. Next post will be on the wonderful 311 Day…stay tuned!

Much Love – The Runt

Hello again friends in 311 nation! Shall we get right to it? This week the spotlight takes aim at Denise Rattray!

How Denise found 311 was thanks to her listening to Reel Big Fish and Mighty Mighty Bosstones a lot and then discovered 311 somewhere around 1994. “I loved the mix of different beats that they were throwing down and loved them ever since.”

For show count, Denise is somewhere between 70 and 80. Her first show was in Orlando, Florida. As far as favorite show or event, she said hands down it was Pow Wow in Live Oak, Florida back in 2011. “311, camping, DJ’s…these are a few of my favorite things!”

One song that stands out as special to Denise is “Beyond The Grey Sky.” “Reminds me of a dear friend that suffered from depression and eventually took his own life. I tear up every time. The words are just so powerful… as if i wrote the lyrics myself.”

Favorite quote from a song for Denise is “Fuck the naysayers cause they don’t mean a thing.”

Denise was born in White Plains, New York. She also lived in Florida for many years. Then she decided to go against the grain and move to Virginia. She’s been there for a year now and is starting to think about her next place to move. “I LOVE a good adventure!”

Interesting fact about Denise is that she played classical music for 10 years and was in symphonies for 6 years! Something that she loves is any sport that is death-defying. She said you can count her in for those!

Motto for Denise is, “I don’t live to work, I work to live.” So for her, she works, saves money, and attends as many concerts and festivals that she can, and travels as much as possible! “Hey, someone has to do it!”

Other music that Denise loves includes heavy metal. “I’m a true metal head. Metallica is my first metal band love. Any band that is heavy metal is my jam.” She also is Jamaican so she loves reggae and holds it dear to her heart!

Denise has this to say to the band: “311, I’m a ride or die. There til the very end.”

To all the other 311 fans:

“It doesn’t matter how untraditional you want to live your life, always live your true self.”

———————

There you have the story of Denise Rattray! Thanks to Denise for sharing her tale. Of course, thanks for reading the fan spotlight! Have an amazing week!

Much Love – The Runt

Welcome one and all to the next edition of the 311 fan spotlight! Let’s kick off February 2019 properly and read all about Mike Maurice!

The time was the mid 1990’s and Mike’s ex-wife took him to his first 311 show, she was already a huge fan. “311’s sound & vibe was so infectious, I could just not turn back and have never stopped grooving and following them since.” He said he’s now a much bigger fan than she ever was and he doesn’t see that ending any time soon. “311 Life!”

Show count for Mike he isn’t quite sure on, but it’s somewhere above 100. His very first show was in Long Beach, California at The Long Beach Arena. He’s been to every 311 Day since 2010, as well as all of the cruises. He’s about to embark on his 6th cruise in less than a month! Mike said that by far his favorite events have been the cruises.

The song “Creatures (For A While)” is one that connects with Mike on many levels. As far as lyrics, he said there are many that he loves. However, one in particular that stands out to him is, “Emotions are elastic, they stretch out and back. Sometimes, they just snap.”

It was the Lakewood/Long Beach area of California that Mike grew up in. He lived in a middle income home that his almost 91 year old father still lives in. He was fortunate enough to go to school with Snoop Dogg and Bradley Nowell, way before they became famous. “I attended many backyard kegger parties as Sublime jammed…nobody had any idea how epic they would become! We just wanted to party and enjoy the music!”

After school, Mike went through the pipe fitters apprenticeship and he is now a construction project manager for an energy company. “I get to travel around a lot with a lot of flexibility. Love my job!” Aside from working, Mike was blessed with four children-a 25 year old daughter, a 14 year old daughter, and twin sons that are 13. He said they all LOVE 311!

Mike loves to travel. He has a second home on the Colorado River, south of Las Vegas. He also loves to go to concerts for various types of music. He’s a big hockey and football fan, loves the Rams and the Kings. He also enjoys boating and off-roading. “My river house is by far my happy place. Everybody that knows me, knows this!” Guilty pleasure for Mike is the movie The Sound of Music. “It’s the only movie I can watch time & time again.”

311 is by far Mike’s favorite band and he has one arm that is sleeved with all 311 ink. Some other artists Mike enjoys include The Dirty Heads, Rebelution, Stick Figure, and Iration. He said in high school he jammed out to The Who.

Mike’s message to 311 is this: “You have brought so, so, so much joy/emotions/good times/incredible & amazing people into my life! You have no idea! To this day they are my real/true friends! They get me!”

Now his message to all fellow fans:

“I just want to say that I’ve been blessed in my life to do many things, go to many places and have many experiences but have never met so many positive and amazing people in so many places as I have since following 311. It’s more than a clique, it’s a Familia! Time of my life! Long time friends! Never too old to stay positive & love your life.”

——————

Well friends, now you know the story of Mike Maurice! Thanks for sharing Mike and much gratitude to all continuing to read each week. Love all of your beautiful souls!

Much Love – The Runt