Well hello again my friends in 311 nation! Hope you all had an amazing 311 Day last week. Let’s get to it and meet the latest fan spotlight. This week we learn all about Jenna Kimlinger!

Jenna was only about 6 or 7 and her older sister Nadia had been a big fan of 311 since 1996. “Being the younger, nosier, sister, I would sneak into her room to try to read her diary and see what she and her boyfriend were up to. (She was definitely on to me, and I couldn’t find it a lot of the time). However, in her boombox, was the Blue Album. ‘All Mixed Up’ hooked me. They have forever been a staple in my life, but found a resurgence before the birth of my first child thanks to Mosaic.”

Show count for Jenna is 34. Her first show was in 2002 in Milwaukee at Summerfest. “I was in high school, second row, and truly thought I was going to die. It was the first and last time I crowd surfed, and it was mostly so I could breathe.”

As for favorite show, Jenna said there is something magical about every single show. “I love just being in it, you know? You look around and you’re like yep – these are my people. This is my happy place. I have been so incredibly fortunate to see them in so many places – 311 Day in Vegas, Cruise (shout out 1st timers in 23!), Red Rocks, The Tabby in Atlanta, Chicago, and some of the smaller venues on the East Coast. The Milll & Mine show in Knoxville in 2017 was just incredible. I remember it was the first time I heard ‘Purpose’ live and I literally smacked my friend next to me a dozen times. SA noticed how excited I was and just gave me a huge smile. My first 311 Day hits hard, too. How does one pick a favorite 311 show? Each one gets better than the last. 311 ages like fine wine, especially with Nick Sexum… I mean Hexum at the helm.”

The song “Evolution” has always been Jenna’s jam. “I would walk home from the bus stop bumping Soundsystem on repeat. Evolution got a million replays, easily. It was light, brought joy to my life, and was a great way to bring energy into the dreary midwestern winters.” She also loves the song “Island Sun.” “Reminds me of the place that saved my life – Camp Onaway. When Mosaic came out, I was at a pivotal moment of my life – I was finishing grad school, about to be pregnant, and needing some grounding. As soon as I heard the lyrics, I was like yep – that’s camp.” As for a favorite lyric? “The jaded ones will whither while the optimistic grow. “I have it as a poster in my classroom. Great discussion for youth.”

Jenna was born in Atlanta, Georgia, to Canadian parents and they migrated north “to the land of beer, cheese, and the Packers.” She is the youngest of 3 sisters, who are 10 and 7 years older than she is. “I married my spouse (who has only seen them once with me [2nd in Kansas City in April]), moved to Asheville, NC and just relocated to be near family in Minnesota. Why I live here, is still beyond me, but the summers are great and this winter has been hella mild.”

As for what Jenna does to fund her 311 habit? “I always say: HAVE 311 WILL TRAVEL. My spouse and I do not do gifts for holidays or birthdays. Instead he says, “you have 311, happy merry birth/christma/day.” I guess I do a bit of girl math. Lol – For 311 Day this year, I guessed the dates they planned to play and booked a hotel super early and got a great deal. I scour the internet for flights and sometimes, well, the credit card just takes a hit. It’s always a family reunion when 311 plays. My clique, more like a family (had to) calls me the 311 Welcoming Crew. I had glow sticks and headbands to give away at Red Rocks this summer. I gave them away and in return got earrings, cash, and one of the best pieces of pizza ever. I wasn’t in it for any of that – just the Unity, but do you know how COOL it was to look out into that crowd and see the 40 or so people I interacted with and gave them things that glow? It’s like sending out the friendship beam! Welcome to this groove, am I right?”

Interesting fact about Jenna is that she is an amateur cake decorater! “But my creations turn out pretty well.” Something that makes Jenna unique is that, in her words, she speaks fluently in song lyrics, Office Quotes, and or PUNS. “What can I say? I’m a punny gal!” Gulity pleasure for Jenna? “I aspire to be the “Queen of Halloween” on my block. Yearly, my halloween collection grows, most notably, the 12 foot skeleton. His name is Al Cabone.”

Other musicians that Jenna can be found cranking tunes from include the following: “Little Stranger is going to blow up music and become our generation’s Beastie Boys. Mark my words. Bumpin Uglies – Brandon was so kind to say hi to me on the cruise Tropidelic – shout out to my Everwild People – I’m a newbie this year so come say hi! Also, that lineup! Imagine Dragons – seriously – such showmanship. CAKE – have only seen them once but want to see them again.”

To 311, Jenna sends out this message: “Thank you for being the consistent, transformative existence in my life; I am eternally grateful.”

Here is Jenna’s message to all the other beautiful fans out there:

“My people?! What’s up?! Thank you to everyone who I have met. To the lifelong friends, the inside jokes, and the forever evolving Facebook Chat group with what feels like a million different names – thank you. To Nadia, to Tish, Cabin 9066 – forever stay Strong All Along.”

Super big thanks to Jenna for sharing her story with us all! As well as my eternal gratitude to all who read and participate in this little blog. Can’t wait to see some of you this summer on the Unity Tour! Have a fantastic week!

Much Love – The Runt

Hello my friends out there in Excitable nation! Happy 311 Day!!! A new fan spotlight is here. Let’s meet Ed Caba!

Fall of 1996 is when Ed first heard 311 thanks to his roommate at Florida State. “I can’t say it was a pleasant experience to be honest. He played Music and Grassroots on a 24 hour a day repeat as loud as he possibly could, In all honesty, I probably didn’t give them a fair shot at the time. In hindsight I think I was more mad about the volume while I was trying to sleep/study. Now things started to change a little in the spring semester of 97. I had moved into a different dorm with different roommates. When I would go to the student union to eat in the cafeteria, they had some tv sets scattered around playing a variety of different music videos. It always seemed to play Down every time I was there to eat. I didn’t realize it was the very same band my previous roommate had annoyed me with. It was a catchy song. When I came home for the summer, I found out my sister had bought the Blue album. At first I was thinking to myself that I couldn’t escape that band (I was still thinking about that first roommate at Florida State). She swore by the album so I gave it a chance and fell in love with Random, All Mixed Up and Don’t Stay home. So I decided to revisit Music and Grassroots another chance and did a deep dive into those albums. With time and separation from that roommate, I viewed those albums in a whole new light. I immediately loved Hydroponic, Visit, Omaha Stylee and Six. I was hooked and I haven’t looked back. To think I almost missed out on a lot of great experiences and friends because of a roommate.in 1996 . When I gave those early albums another chance, I think it was just the sounds and the pacing of the albums that really brought me into the fold. When Transistor came out, that was it. I was a fan for life after that album and not long after came my first 311 show. It’s still my favorite album from the catalog.”

Show count for Ed is around 20. First show for him was in December 1997 in Columbia, South Carolina, during the Transistor tour. “Beautiful Disaster was my favorite song off the album at the time and I lost it when they played that live. I had floor tickets, Sugar Ray opened and it was a hell of a show. 4 of us went. To this day, I can’t remember who the 4th person was in that crew lol.”

As for a favorite show, Ed is always torn between three different ones when trying to decide. “One show was at the House of Blues in Myrtle Beach, SC. I went through a hell of contest at a bar to win those tickets and ride on a Jack Daniels party bus. Then there was 2018 in Charlotte at PNC with two of my old fraternity brothers. And finally 311 Day 2020. Not only was it my first 311 Day but it was the 3 day show for the 30th anniversary. I’d have to say 311 Day 2020 for the reasons I’ve already mentioned plus some of the people I met and became friends were instrumental in me keeping my head on right when I was going through some stuff in 2022.”

While Ed said he could spend days trying to figure out what his favorite song is, he went with “Freeze Time.” “Every time I listen to this song (and it’s a lot). I think about these little moments I’ve had over the years that I wished I could freeze in time if you will, the little moments that have meant a lot to me (not all are 311 related). Moments like the very first time that I held my daughter, the first time she said daddy, the first daddy/daughter dance we went to, my wedding and various family trips. Of course the 311 moment I cherish and hold onto is the very first I saw them play live, Hive. I could go on and on with this because there are so many little moments that I cherish from over the years.”

For some lyrics that really resonate with him, Ed picked some from the song “Tranquility.” “The first verse has always stood out to me, “Journey in peace now, you don’t have to be afraid, though mistakes have been made, journey in peace now.” My journey through life has had plenty of speed bumps, potholes and whatever other metaphors someone could come up with. That verse (and song as a whole) is a constant reminder that those regrets, the pain I’ve had shouldn’t define who I am and that I shouldn’t hold on to them. The lyrics help me realize that things happen and in order to make this journey through life in peace that I can’t dwell on those mistakes, that I have to keep moving forward and just try to learn from those mistakes and be a better person. When I was finally able to let go of some of those mistakes and make peace with them, my journey became a lot more peaceful.”

Columbia, SC, is where Ed was born in 1977. His dad was in the military so they didn’t stay there long. Shortly after his birth they moved to Germany and he actually ended up living there two times. “Of course, I was too young to remember anything about living there the first time. I think we lived there for 3 years or so before relocating again to Kentucky where my dad was stationed at Ft. Knox. I do remember some things from that time. Being a kid, playing with friends and disappearing until it was dinner time. Watching football with my dad and trying to tackle him only to get dropped on my chin lol. I remember getting exposed to Kentucky Wildcat basketball and loving it (still my college bball team to this day). My sister was born while we lived in Kentucky. After Kentucky, we moved back to Germany. I couldn’t tell you where my dad was stationed but we lived in military housing in the Bad Nauheim area and I went to the American elementary school of the same name. My parents had some friends whose oldest son went on to play football at Florida State. They would send us tapes of games that he played and that turned me into a Florida State fan. After Germany, we would move one final time. It was back to where it all began. Back to Columbia, SC. It was once we were back in Columbia that I really fell in love with sports and music. The music was heavily influenced by a girl I used to catch a ride with to high school. The music would ultimately define my taste in music going forward. I mentioned earlier about my experience at Florida State University. I also attend the University of South Carolina in Columbia. Currently I’m working as a Materials Manager at a plant in a small town in SC. It pays well enough to fund my 311 trips and all my bills.”

Fun fact about Ed is that he can function on very little sleep! “It’s not pretty every now and then but I can do it. lol I mean, I am almost 47.” Something else he thought people might not know is that he’s pretty introverted but he can also make friends in any given environment. “It’s easier if there are a few beers involved. lol. I apparently have a lot of people fooled. A lot of people that I’ve known for a long time would describe me as extroverted. An introverted social butterfly if there is such a thing.”

A talent that Ed used to have is drawing. “Throughout middle school and high school (with a little college thrown in), a couple friends and I had our own little comic going on. I did most of the drawing for it. We had a nice little following for a while. TIme went on and we all kind of went our own directions in life so that faded away. I still drew on and off again for a while until work really took hold. My daughter inherited that talent. She’s really good at it. I hope she maintains that or pursues it a lot better than I did.”

Guilty pleasure for Ed is the video game Destiny 2. “I guess I would call it a guilty pleasure because a lot of people that I know in my age bracket certainly don’t and kind of look down on it. But I don’t care. I made some good friends over the years doing it. I enjoy reading Star Wars books as well as another hobby, again, not sure I would call it a guilty pleasure. I’m trying to teach myself how to play guitar as I’ve been inspired in recent years seeing 311 to do it.”

Ed’s taste in music he said is heavily influenced thanks to the girl who gave him a ride to high school every day. “Pearl Jam, Nirvana became some of my favorites. From Pearl Jam and Nirvana, spawned my interest in Alice in Chains and Stone Temple Pilots. I was certainly heavy into the grunge type music. Still to this day. I love some Foo FIghters as well. I’m seeing them for the first time this year. I can’t wait to see them. The Movement, Tropidelic, and Sublime are some of my others that I enjoy.”

To 311, Ed chose these words: “Thank you for the music you’ve made and the community you’ve built because all of it has helped me get through some dark times in my life. Your music has had such a positive influence on my life that I go out of my way to find a positive in any situation that I encounter and I try to bring a little positivity to all those I meet along this journey through life.”

Now here is his message to all those other awesome fans out there:

“Thank you for being such a fantastic community of music fans. I feel somewhat blessed by the opportunities at different shows to have met such fantastic people. I love the energy and the welcoming attitudes. It’s nice to go somewhere and feel like no one is a stranger, where there is an instant connection through a shared love for the same band. I look forward to seeing a lot of you again soon and to meet more of you for the first time.”

A huge thank you to Ed for sharing his story with us all! As always and forever, my love and gratitude to all the readers each week. I hope you all have an excellent 311 Day!

Much Love – The Runt