Hello again my friends out there in 311 nation! We are back to meet another awesome fan. This week the spotlight takes aim on Derek Fey!

It was Derek’s older brother who would play the music of 311 in his room all the time, but it wasn’t until his younger brother got into them that Derek really became interested. ” At first, I couldn’t stand 311 because my younger brother loved the band (it’s what jerk older brothers do – dislike all things the younger brother likes). But he kept playing it and I really started to dig it.”

Then in Derek’s French class at Westside in Omaha, Nick Hexum’s brother Zach sat next to him. “It was 1996 when 311 was exploding and a lot of people in class were bothering Zach about how his brother was so much more successful than him (which I thought was crazy because he was an amazing jazz musician already), so I started to listen to 311 more just to see what it was all about. When I heard the lyric: “f the naysayers because they don’t mean a thing,” I was hooked.”

As for seeing them live, Derek hasn’t been able to get to as many shows as he would like to. His show count is 4, with his first being in 1997 with his 2 brothers in Lincoln, Nebraska, which he said was really cool. As for favorite show, Derek chose the 25th anniversary show at Sokol Auditorium in Omaha, which he went to with his younger brother Adam. “It was really special to go with my brother who really got me into the band – 311 definitely brought me closer to him. And the place was jam-packed on the floor it was jamming.”

As for song that means the most to him, Derek said it’s “Beyond the Gray Sky.” “I just love the idea of seeing beyond negative situations and look at the positive. Find a way to get through life – and help others to get beyond the gray sky as well. And sometimes it doesn’t work out unfortunately.” One of his favorite lyrics also comes from the song: “One day you’ll see the clear blue.” He also loves the lyric, “Fuck the naysayers cuz they don’t mean a thing.” “I love the idea of not letting what others think of you get to you. Ignore the haters.”

Omaha, Nebraska, is where Derek was born and raised. As mentioned before he attended Westside High School, where a few of the members of 311 also went to school. He has lived in or around Omaha his entire life. ” I teach high school social studies at Westside, so it’s pretty neat to be at the school where it all started for some 311 members and where I graduated. I also am the Head Cross Country-Assistant Track Coach at College of Saint Mary in Omaha. And I do contract work timing cross country and track and field meets in the area. Now that I have a good chunk of my bills paid, I’m hoping to use my free-time and funds to get to more 311 shows – starting with a show in Lincoln, NE this September!”

Fun fact about Derek – he works with a friend in Arizona during the summer “catching” reptiles for the state. “We run into rattlesnakes, Gila monsters, and other venomous things all the time. Pretty wild stuff. Pun intended.”

When not listening to 311, other artists that Derek enjoys include The Urge, Pearl Jam, Hoobastank, Dave Matthews, REM and…”I might lose my 311 card for this, Celine Dion (yikes).”

Unique attribute for Derek is that he was gifted with the talent of running. “I’ve run 8 marathons, was one-minute off the Olympic Trials. I’ve done really goofy stuff with running – attempted to run across the state of Nebraska twice, ran an 81-mile ultramarathon in California, ran a marathon on a track (105 laps)…so yeah, running has been in my blood for quite some time.”

While Derek said running is sort of his guilty pleasure, he also thinks that pranking his teaching colleagues is another. “Whether it is using Photoshop to create compromising pictures or putting fake notes on teacher desks from the principal, it makes teaching interesting and fun.”

Derek would like to relay this message to the members of 311: “You guys are an inspiration – keep on grinding!”

Now to all the other 311 fans, here are his words:

“There is no show like a 311 concert and it’s because of the fans – I hope to meet more of you down the road! Stay positive.”

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Many thanks to Derek Fey for sharing his story, it was a great one to write! Of course, thank you so much to all the readers out there. Have an amazing week, sending so much positive energy to everyone.

Much Love – The Runt

Hello all out there in 311 nation! Another fan spotlight is here. Time for the story of Walter Vining!

Like many 311 fans, Walter’s story starts with hearing “Down” play on his local radio station. “I was instantly hooked. From there, I heard ‘All Mixed Up’ and fell further in love. Took my next several paychecks from work and went back and bought Music and Grassroots.”

First show for Walter was in 2014 at the South Side Ballroom in Dallas. “I was a SUPER late bloomer to 311 shows. I tweeted the band for WEEKS asking them to play Visit at the show, Visit being my favorite song of all time.” Total show count for him now is at 12.

Favorite show for Walter is 311 Day 2016, day 2. “The vibe was amazing, the music was amazing. Got to see the live WORLD DEBUT of Island Sun, what an amazing tune.”

Mentioned earlier, “Visit” is Walter’s all time favorite song, but other than that there isn’t one single song that means the most to him. ” I have often told my kids that 311 has saved my life, to which I expand upon and let them know that they have drug me out of some of my deepest lows. That being said, ‘Large In The Margin’ has been one of my best songs to help bring me out of lows, and now I have both ‘Dodging Raindrops’ and ‘Lucid Dreams’ to add to that.”

As for favorite lyrics, Walter chose a few that really strike a chord with him: “There’s no way to avoid listening, you’ll always end up listening. Here’s hoping the voices aren’t too unkind, here’s hoping the voices are benign. It’s easier when you hear it, there’s no reason to fear it;” “All mixed up, don’t know what to do, next thing you turn around and find the person is you. Thought a freak might be the thing, but the first could be the last, so just get off of your ass. All mixed up, you don’t know what to do;” and “Life is not quite the way it seems, I don’t feel like I did in my lucid dreams.”

Aubrey, Texas, is the small town U.S.A. where Walter grew up. After that he lived in Houston for 3 years before moving back to North Texas around 2001. He has roamed around the Denton and Dallas area for the “last infinity.” “I work for a bank, where I update correspondence that we send to homeowners. As a hobby I race RC Cars, and for a while I had a stash of stickers with numbers on them where I would cut out the numbers 3 and 11 and put them on my car!”

Interesting fact about Walter is that he has a unique set of scars on his chest from when he played junior high football, he got stepped on by a player. “Their foot got stuck under my shoulder pads and left a few spots from their cleats.” Something that makes Walter unique is that he tries to stay low key. ” I don’t really like getting called out for things publicly. Private acknowledgement means more to me than being publicly known, so I guess being humble?”

Other musical loves for Walter, he said he used to be really heavily into Korn and Limp Bizkit. Now though he mostly just listens to 311 and The Toadies. “Smatter in mostly 90s music and some new alternative stuff, as well as some old school hip hop and other random stuff that makes me move.”

Guilty pleasure for Walter is the movie Poooty Tang! “What a terrible movie, but IT’S SO GOOD!”

Walter would like to send this message to 311: “Thank you so much for all of the music, the positivity, the energy, the fun, and most of all the indirect support that you have given me for most of my life.”

Now his message to all the other 311 fans out there:

“No matter the struggle you are going through, remember you have been strong all along. There is light beyond the grey skies, and there are always enjoyable sunsets in July. When things seem bad, sometimes you just need to go on a visit and get some island sun. If you ever feel like you need a reset, don’t be blue, go back to your grassroots, get some music, find your universal pulse and replace the transistors in your mind.”

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Many thanks to Walter for those lovely words and sharing your story! Much gratitude per the usual to all the readers each week. Go be awesome and spread some positive light into the world!

Much Love – The Runt

Hey there 311 nation! It’s about that time, new fan spotlight time! Start the week off properly by reading the story of Chris Stevens!

It was hearing the song “Down” on the radio, like many others, that first introduced Chris to 311. He really liked the riff and thought it was a tight sounding four piece band. “Then I saw them on Late Night with David Letterman and realized it was a five piece and became more of a fan and then I bought the Blue CD and got involved.”

First show for Chris was in 2018 at the House of Blues in Orlando. He’s only been to 3 live shows so far, but thoroughly enjoyed the live streams the past few months. One of his favorites was the Soundsystem stream. For favorite show he saw live he said it was the one with RDGLDGRN at the House of Blues.

“Sever” is the song that Chris chose as one that means the most to him because he can really relate to the lyrics personally. Some of his favorite lines from their songs include: “Oh there’s a clock in my head, and despite what it says, another one on the wall, they don’t agree at all,” “In my unconscious mind, the door is open unto every kind, eyes open wide, never see what I expect to find,” “Played a track from your record collection, it’s your mix, congratulations,” and “Not an even field to be on, feels like standing still.”

Chris was born in New Jersey, living in various cities until he was in the 6th grade when he moved to Columbus, Ohio, to live with his father. In 1989 he left and joined the U.S. Navy. “I was stationed in Norfolk, San Diego and Guam until 1995, moved back to NJ/NY area until 2005 when I moved to Tampa, FL. I really miss being overseas and getting to see different cultures and meet people. Sometimes because of the language barrier communication was soley music.”

Fun fact about Chris – back in 1991 he turned 21 twice. How you ask? “Because of the time zone difference flying from NY>LA>HI>Guam.” Something that makes Chris unique is that he loves to beatbox.

Other musicians that Chris loves include Jane’s Addiction, The Cure, Deftones, Public Enemy, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Pink Floyd, and Jimi Hendrix.

Guilty pleasure? Chris doesn’t really feel too guilty about anything he enjoys doing. “Maybe in the 80’s when I brought over a Duran Duran cassette to my cousins house who was a metal head, he laughed and said what’s wrong with me. I still like them.”

Message that Chris has for 311 is this: “Thank you for 30 plus years of music and dedication. Can you please play “Sever” more live?”

Now his words to all the other 311 fans:

“I have met some of you out there and looking forward to meeting a lot more. I have made some lifelong friendships through the 311 comm-unity :)”

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Thank you Chris Stevens for sharing your 311 story! Many thanks as always to all the readers and supporters. I hope you all had a great Independence Day and have an amazing week!

Much Love – The Runt