Another week is here and I welcome you all back excitable 311 nation! Are you ready for the next fan spotlight? I am! Let’s meet my local friend, Caitlin Nash!
The year was 1997 and Caitlin’s boyfriend at the time asked if she wanted to go to a concert. She said sure why not and that show just so happened to be 311 with De La Soul opening back on August 23, 1997 in Connecticut. She’s been hooked ever since. “Although the relationship didn’t pan out, the love of 311 music did and we still keep in touch. Ironically it will be exactly 20 years this summer that I started my love affair with 311 and coincidentally my last show of this summer tour will be in CT…It is the circle of life.”
Show count for Caitlin is around 85. She said she tries not to think of all the money she has spent on 311 shows over the years, and there are some years she goes to a bunch of shows and others where so only gets to see one. “I try to plan it out and coordinate logistics with other friends. Other times I just a buy a ticket and go. It also kind of depends on the location. I have had to adult and not go to shows before. Not my favorite thing to do but sometimes it has to happen. I will be honest, I have racked up so CC debt at times to support it but it is always so worth it. When I make memories with friends new and old I have no regrets on my spending.”
Every summer when Caitlin goes to see 311, she has a group of friends that she has had since college and her very first job that she meets up with at a show. “We do road trips and fly around to see them. It is always a blessing to find people you connect with and share so many memories with the. I think it has been about 13+ years with the same people going to shows. Although life happens we always find ourselves rooted in 311.”
Favorite show so far for Caitlin is 311 Day 2008, with the band returning to New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. “I road tripped from MA to NOLA with my friend Greg and we met our friend Todd there, we all met up with lots of people excited to be back in NOLA and celebrate. It was also the year I had one responsibility and it was to bring the tickets to the show. Before we left the hotel, they asked if I had the tickets and I said I had them. When we got there I did a ticket check and…YES…I FORGOT THE TICKETS TO 311 DAY 2008. Biggest concert fail I have ever had. Luckily, I left them in the hotel right where I put them to remember to bring them with me. We were fortunate to have Todd with us who was a Rockstar and made it to and from the hotel in record time! Let’s just say the running joke is for me to remember to bring the tickets…even if they are not going to the same show as me LOL .” The first 311 cruise is another memorable event for Caitlin since it was a whole new way to experience her favorite band. “And who doesn’t like to be contained on a boat at sea with likeminded people? It was amazing and took my 311 love affair to a new level. Cruise 1 was also when met Chrissy Martin…although it would take about 4 years later to reconnect again. Along with a few other friends I have met over the years we did make cruises 4 & 5. This is now a staple for me like 311 Day is…assuming my wallet allows it to be.”
Favorite song to rock out to for Caitlin is “Creatures (for a while)” and it is her ringtone for most of her 311 friends. The song that speaks to her most though is “Crack the Code.” “All songs have different meanings to everyone and to me this song helped me get through some crazy medical stuff. It helped inspire me to keep trying to figure out what was wrong and not give up trying. It took 9 months to crack the code and I have been in remission for 9 years. When I hear this song it reminds me to not give up and makes me feel invincible!” As far as specific lyrics, there are too many that speak to Caitlin in various ways to narrow it down.
Born and raised in Wilton, Connecticut, Caitlin was raised in a family that included her mom, dad, and older brother. She spends most of her family time now at their house in Maine and she credits her appreciation of music to her brother. “He can always enlighten my ears with new music or classics I may not have been familiar with.” Her family razzes her for all of the 311 shows she attends, but it’s all in good fun. “I always laugh when I tell my mom and dad I am going to see a show because they instantly ask me “Is it that 3-1-1 band you like?” I won’t even correct them because it is just so great to know that they know me so well.”
Caitlin went to Merrimack College in Massachusetts for her undergraduate and graduate degree (although there was a 13 year gap in between the two). She liked it in MA so much that she decided to settle down just outside of Boston. Since college she has worked in retail and mostly office jobs. She’s been managing service and support teams and has been with her current job for two years. “I love It because I get to travel back and forth to LA. as half of my team is based in MA and half in CA. This allows me to work some fun into my trips whenever possible. It also helps fix my travel bug as I can’t afford to travel overseas. However, when I can, I will go back to Iceland and see the Northern Lights under a glass igloo.”
During college Caitlin was able to work abroad in Sydney, Australia, and Dublin, Ireland. She was actually in Australia when 9/11 happened and was on one of the first international flights back to the U.S. While in Ireland, she ended up living in a hostel for a little over four months and worked at a pub. “Hostel living at that time was sooo much fun and meeting so many people every night was my highlight. I still talk to most of the people I met while traveling. That had influences on me to always put myself out there and try new things…except skydiving….my feet belong on the ground.”
Something you may not know about Caitlin, she loves to play 3-D Dodgeball. “I was on a team at an old job and now play just play whenever I can. I wish I had more people close by so we can form a team and join a league. I like working out and not thinking I am actually working out. It is a great substitute for a gym membership in my eyes. Besides, who doesn’t like being a kid and then add a trampoline in…it’s so fun!”
When asked what makes her unique, she say it’s a hard question to answer, but she’s really good at drinking beer and enjoys it! “I am an IPA girl but try to try other beers I may not always like or think I won’t like.” She also made a resolution for 2017 to see 1 show a month and try 1 new beer a month. “I am having a very successful year thus far.” Guilty pleasure for Caitlin? “Oh this is easy…NKOTB and anything reality TV…no need for me to elaborate LOL.”
As far as other music, Caitlin grew up influenced by all types such as Pink Floyd, The Grateful Dead, and various classic rock. “Mix that in with the everyday music playing at any given time with a lot of 80s and 90s music, Pearl Jam, Nirvana and boy bands. I am very open to all genres of music although I gravitate to some genres over others.” She enjoys the jams of Widespread Panic and My Morning Jacket, as well as orchestral modern music like the Vitamin String Quartet, Lindsey Stirling and Apocalyptica. She also said over the years 311 has brought new music into her life via the cruises and tours that have become new inspirations to her. “ There have been so many over the years that I have enjoyed and come to follow. I have really opened my eyes to other bands that I may not have known about without 311 or even the 311 fans.”
Caitlin said that throughout her travels she has met many wonderful people and has been able to grow her concert buddy list tremendously. “Through 311 I have already check some venues off my music venue bucket list. I can’t wait to see what the future holds. As my good friend, Lisa says we are “Making Memories.”
To 311, Caitlin’s message is this: “As common as it can be to say, I would say thank you. Thank you for being you and doing what you all do. Hopefully followed by hugs and letting the conversation flow from there…maybe about beer, music, future collaborations etc. However, I can get all fan girl when I meet them and not even say one word because I am in such awe of being in their presence.”
Now her message to all the other fans out there:
“I ask everyone to spread P.L.U.R. and happiness. You never know when you can make ad difference in someone’s day or life by something as small as a smile or high-five. I have not been to a 311-related event, gathering or show in which I never felt these feelings. I have travelled to show by myself and felt welcomed and loved. It is so rare to find this type of community and family. Thank you all for being a part of it!”
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And that is the story of Caitlin Nash! I hope you all enjoyed meeting her or learning more about her. Thank you to all who keep reading every week! You all make this happen and I’m so proud to be a part of this. Now go out and conquer the world with the PLUR.
Much Love – The Runt