Welcome all to the latest edition of the 311 fan spotlight! It’s time to read all about Carly Schramm!

It was Carly’s best friend in high school, Jay (who is also her current roommate), who got her hooked on 311. She said one day it just clicked! “I remember going to Homers in downtown Omaha and buying every 311 cd they had. I was hooked in the best kind of way!”

Show count for Carly is currently at 55. Her first show was in 204 at Omaha’s 150th birthday. “It was a free show in memorial park with over 40,000 people. 311 shows instantly became home for me.” While it’s hard to pick just one show as a favorite, Carly said that it’s a tie between New Orleans 311 Day 2014 and the cruise to Jamaica in 2015 since both of those events are what brought she and Mike (Taylor) together.

There are many songs that Carly connects to, but one in particular that she loves is “Tune In.” “My sister and I used to sing it to each other all the time and it got her coming to 311 shows with me!” One of her favorite lyrics comes from “Life’s Not A Race”: “The world whirls around your mind in a golden spiral, The natural way that things organize. You can’t stop entropy so why even try, Observe the conscious flow and don’t mystify. Life’s not a race.”

Omaha, Nebraska, is where Carly was born and raised. “I think I connected with the band a lot because of that.” In 2011 she moved to Orlando, Florida, and lived there for 5 years, making tons of connections with some of her closest friends in the 311 community. She moved up to Rochester, New York, in 2016 before venturing to where she is now in Evergreen, Colorado. “Who knows where I’ll land next!” Carly is a bartender and has been working in the service industry her whole life. “I have always had a passion for cooking and feeding delicious food and drinks to my friends and family. I’ve been vegan for six years now and It’s one of the most fulfilling things I’ve ever done.”

Interesting fact about Carly is that she took guitar lessons for 5 years but said she can’t play guitar! “I really want to get back into it though. My attention span is a lot better now.” What makes her unique is that she’s a total goofball! “I like to think my greatest talent is making my friends laugh. What do you call a hippies wife? Mississippi.”

Guilty pleasure for Carly is that she turns on music and gets lost in painting or drawing. “It’s like I can shut the world off when I’m letting go in my creations.” Other music she loves aside from 311 include many artists, although one of her favorites right now is a reggae band called The Late Ones.

Carly’s words to 311 are: “Thank you for saving my life countless times. Thank you for leading me to my favorite people I’ve ever met. Thank you For everything!!”

Her words to the rest of the 311 fan base:

“I’ve grown up with you guys. It’s hard to believe I’ve known some of you for almost 15 years! Thank you all for helping me become the person I am today. “I’ve got a clique but it’s more like a family!!” 

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There you have the tale of Carly Schramm! Thanks you to Carly for sharing and to all the readers each week. Have the best week you can have and continue to be amazing!

Much Love – The Runt

Hello my friends! Welcome again to the next edition of the 311 fan spotlight. This week let us meet Daniel Schrader!

A random set of events is how Daniel found the tunes of 311. First off, he actually first saw them on February 1, 1992. “I went to Wayne State College in Wayne, NE and friends of mine that I met at Wayne had a band and some of the band members were from Omaha. A bunch of us piled into a few cars one day and drove down to Omaha that Saturday to go see some of their friends play in a band at Peony Park (it was 311!) I dug the sound and had a blast (at least from what I can remember) but didn’t ever see or hear anything about them again until 1993.” At that time Daniel was working in Des Moines, Iowa, on a construction crew. One of the guys on the crew showed him a tape that was 311 and asked if he knew the band since Daniel is from Nebraska. “I didn’t put 2 and 2 together until I listened to it. It was Music and I was hooked for life.”

For show count, Daniel’s exact number is uncertain. We know his first show was in 1992 at Peony Park, but he didn’t really keep count after that. He believes is somewhere between 30-40. Favorite of those though is 311 Day 2018. “That was my 1st 311 day and when I actually connected with the 311 community. I had been wandering around for my whole 311 experience basically by myself. Once I connected with the community, it opened up the world for me.”

While it’s hard to pick just one song that means the most to him, Daniels has a list of favorites that really stand out to him. “Paradise is always in my top 5, usually #1, Beyond the Grey Sky honestly has saved me more than once. Too Late hit me hard at just the right time in my life. Honestly, in my opinion, Voyager is one of 311’s best albums lyrically. Not their best, but that album is so well written and the lyrics so poignant, many tracks have moved into my rolling top 10. With Stainless being one of my favorites.”

A couple of lyrics that stand out to Daniel as favorites include: “”A shortcut’s a self-defeating means. If you cannot do it clean, you’ll never reach your reward.”; “Not for the faint of heart. It will not be painless. You’ll take your licks and you’ll never come out stainless.”

Daniel grew up in “The Middle of Nowhere” Nebraska. He’s an only child. His parents were always listening to music, including artists like The Beach Boys, The Ventures, and Dick Dale. “Some of my earliest memories were when they took me to concerts at the Nebraska State Fair every year as far back as I can remember. I’m sure that’s where my love for music came from.” Daniel stayed in Nebraska until his early 20’s and then found himself doing construction work for a few years. Then in 1996 he went to work for a door to door sales company on the west coast. “We lived in shady ass hotels and basically traveled up and down the West Coast. I lived in Palm Springs, Anaheim, L.A., San Francisco, Portland, Seattle and Spokane. It was a legit company and taught me so much about myself and was actually the 1st time in my life that I was exposed to personal development. Something that would set my life in motion in a way that I never even imagined.”

In 1998 Daniel moved to Colorado, where he lived in Vail for about 4 years and was a ski bum. “I was a snowmaker and drove snowcats. In the summer I worked on the mountain building trails and operating heavy equipment on various projects.” Then in 2002 he moved to Denver, which is where he would meet his wife. “We’ve been together for almost 16 years (our 11 year anniversary is actually on September 20th). We have two children. Our 1st son Felix would be 9 this year. He was only with us for six days due to some very unfortunate, and completely unnecessary complications at his birth. This was my “Master Reset” and was the darkest time in my life. I’m fully convinced that without 311, I might not have made it through. When I was having a super shitty day, the perfect 311 song would always come on my iPod and lift me back up. Sometimes, just enough to get through that day. Fast forward 15 months after we lost Felix and our 2nd son, Simon was born. He’s in 2nd grade and will be 8 this year and keeps us very, very busy. He’s starting to really enjoy, appreciate, and understand 311 and that makes my heart sing! He actually asked me a month or so ago when we could go see a 311 show together. Queue heart melt.”

For work, Daniel owns a couple of businesses. The first is one in the tech space with a software company for real estate. The second is an entrepreneurial coaching space. “Both are just slightly past start-up and are taking up a lot of my time (and money) right now. I’ve been an entrepreneur my whole life and with the exception of a few different periods in my life I’ve mostly been responsible for my own well-being with my own businesses. I love this lifestyle and wouldn’t be able to make it any other way. My soul is too free. And, I just can’t do the 9-5 grind.”

Interesting fact about Daniel is that he wanted to join the military, for as far back as he can remember. “Both of my grandfathers served, my Dad served and almost all of the men in my extended family have served or continue to serve. When I was in high school I was already well on my way to going active duty basically the day that I graduated but I broke my ankle skateboarding. I broke it in such a way that it permanently disqualified me from being able to fly helicopters, specifically the AH-64 Apache, which is what I had all of my hopes and dreams in the military set on. It still bothers me to this day that I didn’t get to serve but at the same time, I’m grateful for being right here, right now. There is no other place I want to be (obscure 90’s one-hit-wonder reference).”

Unique attribute for Daniel is that he’s a beast on the racetrack! “I’m talking road racing not Nascar or drag racing. I started auto racing about 6 years ago and immediately was very, very good at it. Maybe it was all of those years of go-kart tracks and playing Gran Turismo on Play Station? The 1st race that I drove in I had the fastest lap on our team, having never competed in a wheel to wheel race before or driven that car before. Most races since that I’ve raced in I’ve had our teams’ fastest lap or damn close to it. I love racing and love that community. Such amazing people with pure passion. Much like another group of people that I know!”

Guilty pleasure for Daniel is the 311 merch exchange, or the MX and waffles. “I LOVE me a good waffle and absolutely love collecting 311 stuff. Prints, hats, stickers, picks, whatever! I’ve got well over a hundred prints (I don’t really know how many) and want them ALL!!!” When not listening to 311, other artists he loves include: Beastie Boys, Rage Against the Machine, Jurassic 5, Old school West Coast Gangster Rap, old Metal, etc. “I’m loving all of the new music that I’ve been exposed to from 311 over the years with RDGLDGRN, Iration, and Bumpin’ Uglies at the top of that list. My approach with music is that if it’s done well, with great musicians (not just performers), then I’ll add it to my playlist.”

Daniel has these words for the guys in 311: “Thank you! Thank you for never giving up and for always continuing to explore yourselves to give us this amazing gift of MUSIC!!!”

Now his message to all the other fans out there:

“Embrace the community. Embrace every bit of it! Share the music with everyone that you meet. You never know who needs to hear that one song, that one lyric, that one note. You just might change the world! And, seriously Fuck the Naysayers, cuz they don’t mean a thing! We live our lives worrying so damn much about what other people think and quite frankly, that’s none of our business! Stay POSITIVE and Love YOUR Life!!!”

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Thank you Daniel for sharing your story of your love for 311! All my friends who read each week, many thanks to you as well for the continued support. Until next time, have an amazing week & go spread the positivity!

Much love – The Runt

Welcome back friends! We are back with a fresh new fan spotlight. Let’s kick the week off and learn the story of Adrian Lopez!

When Adrian was a teenager, he and his father had a ritual of cruising around San Diego on the weekends, hitting every comic book store that they came across. “I always had my head in comic books as a kid and that passion has continued to this very day. But in those days, it was our way of bonding. We would drive everywhere while rocking out to our favorite local radio station, 91x.” In late 1999, the station started playing songs from Soundsystem. “I remember the day my dad and I were heading around town looking for a particular issue of the X-Men when I heard the beautiful echoing sound of the Flowing intro for the first time and my jaw dropped. That sound followed by the explosion of guitar, bass, and drums that came after hooked me instantly. I remember looking at my dad saying, who was that?!”

Adrian was still in high school at the time and wasn’t working, so he didn’t have a ton of extra money to go buy 311 albums. “But it was the good ole days when the Wherehouse still existed and they accepted trade in CDs for store credit. I took some of the old pop CDs I had that I wasn’t listening to anymore and traded them in to grab my first 311 CD, Soundsystem. To this day, it holds the biggest place in my heart. I wore the hell out of that CD to the point where it developed so many holes it couldn’t be played anymore.” What really attracted him to the band was their ability to weave in and out of different genres of music. “I love that they can make some harder songs, yet they still maintain the positive demeanor and chill sound. They are versatile musicians and songwriters who have an innate ability to compose songs that appeal to many people. Within their catalog, there is something for every kind of music listener. And I love their energy!! They are capable of helping me to unwind, but they can simultaneously get me pumped and ready to dance and jump.”

Current show count for Adrian stands at 40. He just hit this number at the Salt Lake City show. “I had the chance to spend time with some of my absolute favorite people in the world. It was such a great time and a fantastic experience for my 40th show.” Between 2004 and 2015, he had seen 311 occasionally, when they played in or near San Diego. His first show was in 2004 at the RIMAC Arena at UCSD. “The first show was mind-blowing! I reflect on that setlist sometimes and realize how incredible of a first show it was and how happy I was to finally see them.” His love for them was growing so much though that he started traveling to see them so he could see new places, meet new people, and stretch out beyond his comfort zone. “A very big moment came when I decided to travel to Chicago in 2017 and ended up at a barbecue thrown by some amazing friends whom I had never met in person. I walked out of that night forging lifelong friendships. As I have met more and more people, my love and fandom of the band have only intensified.”

Choosing a favorite event or show was a tough question to answer because Adrian said he has been to some amazing events.  He loved 311 Day 2016 in New Orleans because it’s where he got to meet the band for the first time. Then he also loved this year’s cruise, even though he suffered a broken foot on day 3 and had to power through the rest of the trip on it! His absolute favorite event though, he chose Red, White & Boom in Las Vegas in 2016. “I almost didn’t go because I’m an introverted person and a little shy, so I didn’t meet a lot of people in New Orleans that same year, so I was hesitant to make the trek to Vegas. But I am very glad I did! It led me to meeting one of my best friends and it became the first real event where I made many new friends and truly felt the love and unity. Not to mention, I fell in love with the Mandalay Bay Beach venue. It is very much one of my all-time favorite places to see 311. Those two shows were so much fun!!!”

A song that means a lot to Adrian is “Flowing,” as it’s the reason he was introduced to 311. “If I had never heard that song play on that fateful day, who knows if I ever would have gotten into them? That one song caused a domino effect that would change my life forever.” He also feels a very strong connection to “Beyond the Grey Sky.” “It is a song that means quite a bit to me having been through some tough times both in my own personal life, battling depression and anxiety along with having seen friends attempt to take their own lives.”  He also really loves “Use of Time” because he loves the guitar solos the Tim Mahoney does in that song. “I feel those in my soul.” New song that he fell in love with is “Born to Live.”

As far as lyrics, he loves this one from the song “Don’t Dwell” – “Set you free, break the shell, to your demons farewell, I tell you, don’t dwell.” Another one is from “Strong All Along”: “You could make a mean hand out of what you’re being dealt.” A couple other lines he loves from other songs include, “This moment is a gift, that’s why it’s called the present,” and “No I’ll not renounce my views do what others do, I’d rather drink the hemlock than be like you, to my soul untrue.”

San Diego, California, is where Adrian was born, and he was raised in the Chula Vista area. He has lived there most of his life but also briefly lived in Wisconsin and Colorado. He’s lived in San Diego for 36 out of the 37 years of his life and he grew up in the same house for 23 of those years. “My family has always been a very musical family, so I had the pleasure of growing up in a house where great music was often being played particularly classic rock of the 60s and 70s. My parents raised me on a steady diet of The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Who, Rush, Blue Oyster Cult, Boston, and so on. And this love of music from my parents manifested in both of them playing instruments. My father played the guitar and my mom played the piano so I would say music is in my genetics as I myself learned to play the violin at a young age as well as the cello and the drums.”

Adrian had a lot of hobbies growing up including playing football, baseball and hockey. He was also a member of the drama club because of his love for movies. Then he began playing drums in high school as a reserve member of the marching band. “I have been actively playing drums for about 19 years.”

Over the years, Adrian has had quite a few jobs in both telemarketing and retail. “I have worked for a research company called Luth Research, Longs Drugs Stores, a few gas station attendant jobs, as a Department Manager for Target, as a Manager for Hollywood Video, and most recently as a Manager for Walgreens. Out of High School, I enrolled in Southwestern Community College in Chula Vista and was going to school for Film-Making. It was always my fondest dream to become a great Film Director, but I ended up dropping out of college in 2004 and just decided to work. I got laid off from my job in 2010 and took the opportunity to return to school and re-enrolled in that same college where I would graduate with honors with an Associate’s Degree in Philosophy and would transfer to San Diego State University where I would graduate Summa Cum Laude in 2016 and earn my Bachelor’s in Philosophy with a minor in Religious Studies. While I have not gone on to teach as I had wanted, graduating from college is something I am immensely proud of as I did it more for myself. To say that I finished something.”

Something cool that Adrian enjoys doing and provides him some extra funds for 311 fun is putting his skills in graphic design to good use. “I self-taught myself Adobe Photoshop many years ago, having had the privilege of designing a campaign poster for the local offices of the second Obama campaign. I now use them to design and create custom merchandise such as wristbands, shirts, and stickers. It is a lot of fun for me to do as I love showing off my creativity and it makes people happy which is something I love doing. I have created 11 wristbands and plan on doing more as they are so much fun to pass out at shows or send to people online. The designs get people excited and they tend to be really good icebreakers for meeting new people. I love that my wristbands were recently worn on stage by Nick’s daughters during their performance on the cruise.” When Adrian has some free time, he loves to spend it volunteering in his community for various causes such as homelessness, animal care, and domestic abuse/violence. “I had the privilege of being a volunteer for the San Diego Humane Society for a year where I had the chance to feed and wash so many animals. I got to feed cats, dogs, and they even had a piglet that I got to take care of. It was one of the best experiences of my life as I am a huge lover of animals. Animals are one of my favorite things about being alive.”

Fun fact about Adrian is he’s a former 6^th grade California state spelling bee champion! “I began competing in local spelling competitions when I was in 6th grade and found out I have a talent for it, particularly the memorization. I was gifted with a near photographic memory so spelling came easy to me. I went on to compete on a national level and placed in the top 10 spellers in the country.” Another talent that Adrian has is his gift for writing poetry. He’s been published in numerous poetry anthologies across the country and won three amateur poet of the year awards. “It comes natural to me to transfer what I feel onto paper. And it goes hand-in-hand with another talent I have actually become quite known for throughout the 311 community, which is my talent for handwriting. If you ask anyone who has received Excitable Mail from me, they would say that the handwriting is gorgeous. Some of my friends find themselves unable to throw away the envelope! Ha-ha! That is a talent that was cultivated at an early age by my mother, who herself has beautiful handwriting, and was furthered developed by my interest and study of Calligraphy.”

Aside from 311, Adrian is also into music genres such as punk rock, ska, reggae, hard rock and some metal. He loves most music with the exception of country and most current popular music. “I can actually handle some old school country like Johnny Cash or Patsy Cline as my parents listened to it.” Some other bands he loves include The Offspring, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Incubus, Save Ferris, Bad Religion, Stick Figure, and Papa Roach. Lately he’s really been listening to an old favorite metal band of his called Nonpoint. “I have been listening to them almost as long as I have 311 and they are among my top 3 favorite acts.” A guilty pleasure for Adrian is also a band – he loves The Spice Girls! “I can’t help it! I have just always found their songs so damn catchy and fun! I know the lyrics to many of their songs and can actually be seen singing along in bars. I always had a crush on Baby Spice!” Another guilty pleasure for him is the movie 10 Things I Hate About You. He also is a huge fan of karaoke! “This is no secret to some of my friends as I often post karaoke videos of me singing along to 311 songs. I am super passionate about my karaoke! I even had the chance to perform live band karaoke with the Unity All-Stars on the last cruise, which was so much fun!”

To 311, Adrian has these words: “We love you guys so much for all the great vibes you have brought to our lives and for the unity you have achieved through the message in your music. Thank you for bringing us all together!”

Now his message to all his fellow 311 fans:

“I could have never imagined that I would know so many wonderful people that I now call family. I would have to say thank you to all the friends I have made in the 311 community. Many of you have helped me through rough times, when I felt the world crumbling around me. You have helped pull me from the brink time and time again. And for that, I can never thank you enough. I feel so grateful for the opportunity to know every single one of you. In the moments that I have spent with you guys, please know that my heart has never been happier. Go out into the world and change it for the better. Live with integrity, strength, love in your heart, and no regrets!

“Be excellent to each other… and… PARTY ON, DUDES!”

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There you have the awesome story of Adrian Lopez! I hope you all enjoyed his words and I can’t thank you all enough for supporting the blog! Thank you to Adrian for sharing his story to the world. Now go have an awesome week and don’t forget to keep being amazing!

Much Love – The Runt