Hi again my excitable friends! Welcome to another edition of the 311 fan spotlight! This week we meet Emilie Hernandez!
Emilie calls herself a late bloomer when it comes to finding out how awesome of a band 311 is. She knew the songs “Down” and “Come Original” but never really knew who sang them. In 2005, a friend burned a CD for her with some 311 on it, “Amber” and “Champagne.” She said it wasn’t until 2009 though that she realized just how much she loved those songs. “I know go ahead and laugh! I felt like I could really relate to those songs at that time in my life. I asked a friend of mine who was singing on that CD and they told me it was 311. After that, I bought the 2004 New Orleans DVD and it was OVER after that! My boyfriend at the time burned me all of their CD’s and I was hooked. One year later the cruise was announced and even without knowing a soul in the 311 community, I signed up and that’s all she wrote!”
The exact count of how many shows Emilie has been to is a little hazy but she believes she’s somewhere in the twenties range. She’s been on all four of the cruises and her first 311 Day was in 2012. She says her favorite event so far was the second cruise. “Being in the water with all my friends while my favorite band played for us was a life changing experience.”
The song that really pulls at her heart is “Beyond the Grey Sky.” “I have it tattooed on my right side and tear up when I hear it at times. It speaks so loud to me in regards to losing someone you love, it’s unreal.” Some favorite quotes of Emilie’s are “Time is precious,” Stay positive and love your life,” and “It’s all about the company you keep.”
Emilie is an only child, born and raised in San Antonio, Texas. Music has always played a major part in her life and she started playing the violin when she was just 8 years old. She continued with it up until college and is classically trained. Growing up Emilie spent most of her time with her mom, but both of her parents always made sure music was present for her no matter what. “My parents exposed me to many bands growing up but I gravitated towards “west coast” reggae in college. Once 311 came into my life full force, I found every way to get on all of the cruises and as many shows as I could.” Emilie is currently a private chef in San Antonio but she says, “I still find time for our boys!”
While Emilie was in college, aside from taking classes she used to box! As far as guilty pleasures, she said hers is Netflix all the way, which I’m sure many people can relate to. Besides 311, Emilie can be found listening to bands such as Tribal Seeds, The Hip Abduction, Slightly Stoopid, The Dirty Heads, Lefty at the Washout, The Movement, One Drop, and Stickfigure.
Emilie’s message to 311 is a simple one: “You guys changed my life.”
To all the fellow fans out in the 311 universe:
“Pretty much I know I’m a late bloomer when it comes to loving 311. But that doesn’t mean my love is different than anyone else’s…just took me longer to figure it out. I don’t think it’s the number of shows you’ve been to or how much memorabilia you have…it’s about what the band has done for you in your life that matters. I love our boys. I don’t know where I’d be without them .”
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The story of Ms. Emilie Hernandez my friends! I hope you all were entertained by it and enjoyed meeting yet another awesome member of this fabulous fan community! Until next time, thank you as always for reading and keep on spreading that positivity!
Much love – The Runt