Hello 311 family! This week we have a very special guest as our 311 fan spotlight. You may know him from a fantastic band called Ballyhoo! It is my pleasure to introduce you to Mr. Howi Spangler!

Sure Howi is in a band and a rockstar himself, but he is also a fan of 311 and been lucky to have toured with them. Howi said that he remembers seeing the blue album cover in stores back in the mid 90’s, but didn’t really know the bands name or pay much attention to it. Then at some point in 95 or 96, JR (Ballyhoo’s bass player) played the song “Don’t Stay Home” for Howi. “I think I really liked the riffing between Pnut and Tim, and of course Nick’s vocals sounded like butter!” Howi then heard “All Mixed Up” on the radio and it prompted him to buy the album.

Of all the songs in the 311 catalog, Howi mentioned that “Do You Right” is a song that he really loves. “It’s so festive. It takes me back to being a teenager driving my friends around so they could skate. It just really encompasses what 311 is about.”  And while “Do You Right” might be one of his favorite songs, the lyrics that mean the most to him are “From chaos comes clarity.”  Howi said those words are just “so true” and I completely agree!

Howi thinks it’s been about 16 times total that he has seen 311 live. The first time he saw them was back in 99 at the HFStival in D.C. He then remembers seeing them again in 03 and two more times in 05. Then it was 2008 before he was able to see them again, and it was because Ballyhoo got to open for the band! How amazing is that? As Howi says, “I’ve been lucky enough that every time I see them now, I’m usually playing with them. I always catch their show when they have us on the bill. Never gets old!”

One of the most amazing events Howi attended was the Pow Wow Festival. He mentioned he had friends that came back from that event saying the trip changed them inside. However, it was the 311 cruise that Howi said really stood out to him as the coolest event he’s been to. “It’s an experience to say the least. And there’s roughly 3,000 people on the boat that show my band a lot of love. The drinks flow constantly. I have a feeling the 2015 trip will sell out really quickly. Word has gotten around and people are really jealous when they see the pictures on Facebook. We’ve done two of them and it’s been a rager both times.”

I asked Howi when it was that he knew he wanted to be a musician. He said it was early on in his childhood that he knew he wanted to be in a band. “My dad took Donald and I to see Ratt, Poison, Tesla & Def Leppard a couple times in the late 80’s. Watching ‘Behind the Music’ made so much sense later. I was there watching during that crazy period in hair metal. Those guys were having the time of their lives and I wanted to do that.”

One of Howi’s favorite bands is Green Day (any of you who are familiar with Ballyhoo! might know this, as you can hear the influence in certain songs). Howi credits Green Day for being the band that made him “get serious and start the band.”  He bought a guitar and started to teach himself how to play and write songs. He was the ripe old age of 13 when he wrote his first one! As he says, “It was really bad.”  Howi has only ever been in the band Ballyhoo! and has devoted his life to making music with the rest of the guys. “I’ve always been so driven and focused on my time with Ballyhoo!”

Howi was born and raised in Aberdeen, Maryland where he says his childhood and upbringing were pretty normal. While he had a good childhood, he went through a tough time when he was 8 and his parents divorced. Howi mentioned that the songs he writes, he writes for himself first, but then they record them and give them to whoever will listen. “I know we’ve helped people through their dark times and that feels really good.” Howi went through his own dark time when he lost his mother to cancer when he was just 15. He mentioned that the couple of years after that were tough for him. However that may be where he says “some of my more ‘emo’ lyrics come from” but in my opinion some of the music that connects the most with fans are born from a songwriters personal experience. The music that Ballyhoo! creates clearly connects with their fans on many different levels and we thank you for that Howi!

While we mentioned Green Day as one of Howi’s favorite bands, he also mentioned that he has a love for UB40 and Sublime. Some new artists he is in to are The Neighbors and Arctic Monkeys. “I try to mix it up!”  But for long drives Howi likes to put on old dub reggae. I asked Howi if there is one interesting thing we don’t know about him and he confessed, “I love hidden object games. I am a geek.”

I’ve been lucky enough to have met Howi a few times at various shows and also on the 311 cruise. One of the funniest moments I can remember is from the third cruise and my husband and I were walking up the stairs and ran into Howi. Like my husband and myself, he was out of breath. He looked at us and said, “Don’t let this lanky frame fool you, I’m completely out of shape.” I couldn’t help but crack up! Those personal moments are part of what make Howi, and the rest of the guys in Ballyhoo! so great. They love their fans, love making music for us, and take the time to give us each personal moments with them. I have to thank 311 for bringing Ballyhoo! into my life, and thank Howi for making amazing music and opening up to all of the excitable that read this blog!

I leave you all with Howi’s personal message to you:

“Thanks to everyone who’s every been to a show or bought an album or t-shirt. You’re the only reason we can keep doing this. Don’t let life pass you by!”

Thanks for reading everyone! As always, stay positive & love your life!