Welcome back my friends in 311 Nation! It’s that time again, let’s get the story of another fan! This week we meet the one & only Ricky Rappa!
It was thanks to MTV that Ricky first found 311, when the video for “Down” debuted. There was also a local alternative rock station called “The Buzz” that played their music a lot. “Having an older brother that typically influenced my musical interest, this was one of the first bands I remember discovering on my own. The space theme and alien stuff drew me to them even more, besides the catchy riffs and dope lyrics!”
Show count for Ricky is 62. He’s been to five 311 Day events (2006,2016,2018, 2022, 2024) and one cruise in 2017. His very first concert ever, of any musician, was 311 during the Transistor Tour back in 1997. “My brother got me the new Transistor CD (my all time favorite album) and a pair of tickets to take me to see them the following month!”
As for which show of the 62 means the most to him, he said it’s hard to pinpoint. “The cruise is obviously special, but that seems like a cop out answer. It’s definitely something you have to experience at least once! I’ve been to Red Rocks to see them 4 times now, and each one is better than the last. That place is heaven on Earth and my absolute favorite venue I’ve ever been to. 311 day is always a good time, seeing lots of old friends and making tons of new ones! The Chicago double album show stands out tho, two of my favorite albums in their entirety, with some of my favorite people and friends I’ve made in this community, in the awesome city of Chicago! I always regretted missing the Pow Wow, so this was my redemption! We had a huge airbnb with like 14 of us in this crazy dope maze of a house, it was a good/memorable weekend.”
For song that means the most to him, Ricky chose “Love Song” because it’s he and his wife’s wedding song. As for a favorite lyric, one of his faves is, “I cannot handle all the negative vibe merchants.”
Ricky was born and raised in South Florida.He’s lived there his whole life and has never had the chance to live anywhere else. He works for himself as a box truck driver and delivers freight in the South Florida area. “I’m married to my beautiful wife Brooke and we have 2 kids, Lilliana (11) and Roman (5) and we have a yorkie named Geno! I help run the 311 Merch Xchange Facebook group and I like to host “waffles”, I enjoy connecting people in search of/selling/trading/buying 311 merch.”
Ricky has a talent – he’s good at helping people find the 311 merch they are searching for! “I’m known for hosting waffles in the 311 Merch Xchange group, it’s a labor of love, but I really enjoy it! When I go to shows, people recognize me now, it’s still weird to me, bc I’m just another fan!” Guilty pleasure for him, he is a Marvel nerd! “The comics, the movies, all of it! I Always have been! I Collected comic cards more than baseball or football cards as a kid, long before I collected 311 posters and merch!”
Other musicians that Ricky likes he said are mostly a byproduct of going to 311 shows. The list includes Sublime, Slightly Stoopid, Dirty Heads and The Movement are probably my favorites besides 311. I also like Stick Figure, Little Stranger, and Pepper. He’s also into some local bands such as Artikal Sound System, Seranation and Cloud 9 Vibes.
For his message to 311, Ricky has these words: “Thank you for being the soundtrack to my life!”
Now here is his message to all of the other fans out there:
“I appreciate all the friends and family I’ve made in this community! There are way too many to thank personally, but the memories I’ve made with yall are some I will cherish forever!”
Thank you Ricky for sharing your story with all of us! As always, my gratitude to all that read these. Hope you all have an amazing week and keep spreading the positivity!
Much Love – The Runt