311Merch.com

311 BANNED T-Shirt

2011-02-16T13:02:00.000-08:00

During the decade of the 1990's various schools across the country banned the wearing of 311 shirts by their students. Usually the ban stemmed from rumors surrounding the meaning of the name of the band. For many years the band, when asked, were elusive as to the origin of their name. In the absence of any direct discussion, rumors began to form. Unfortunately some of the rumors were that the name either indicated a racist affiliation, or one based in violence. Mostly the rumors were spread and believed by ignorant non-fans of the band. On more than one occasion, misinformed school administrators banned the wearing of 311 shirts to school based on this bad information.
So the band began to talk.......
They have explained that Three-Eleven's name actually comes from an incident during the highschool years of the band members, when a friend of theirs was arrested while skinny dipping without permission in a private pool. When arrested, the friend was charged with a violation of code ( or statute) #311, which in that jurisdiction pertained to pool-hopping while naked and trespassing. Nothing more, nothing less. Any actual fan of 311 knows that their lyrics and messages are ones of PEACE AND UNITY, and that the membership of the band itself includes diverse ethnic backgrounds. To say that 311 condones racism or violence was ignorant beyond belief, and happily these rumors have not been circulated for many years.
This shirt was banned for a different reason....

311 | Laminated All Access Pass

2010-05-08T10:48:00.000-07:00

311 Backstage pass

311 Backstage Pass

The Laminate - The backstage pass, the Talisman and the Punter

At any concert, one of the most coveted items are backstage passes. Every fan, of any band, wants to get closer to the artist(s) and their entourage. Radio stations and fan clubs have contests and winners often get "after-show" passes, which allow them into the backstage area, only after the show has finished. The band members need identification to move about from their buses to the dressing rooms and the stage. In between the band and their fans there are all manner of entourage, support staff and security who work hours before and after the concert and need access and passes.

Some bands that I have worked with like Guns 'n' Roses used to hold elaborate after-show parties which would last for hours after the music was done being played. In fact on the stadium tour that G'nR did in the late nineties with Metallica and Faith No More, there were several semi-tractor trailers on the tour, that converted into dance floors and one that would fold out into a hot tub patio. Each night after the show, hundreds of friends, fans, industry types, radio station employees, contest winners, touring personnel and local strippers, would get to know each other, and the bands better during themed parties. Sometimes the themes were toga parties, or Hawaiian nights, and there were circus shows, and beach parties. Elaborate was the goal, and that tour (for me) topped them all. Most concert productions, and their after shows, are more understated affairs.

Other than the "after-show" pass there are many other levels of backstage credential that concert production companies rely on, to keep some semblance of security around the working crew and the artists. Some passes are laminated, some are stick-on cloth. The artwork is often beautiful, related to the current album, or startlingly irrelevant.

There are various types and styles of tour passes chosen by a band and their production company before most tours start.

Laminated Types:

"Artist" for the band members (these are very rare, most bands use the same "ALL ACCESS" laminates that their road crew and management use.)

"All-Access" which allows for complete access to any part of the venue, including the stage, and usually reserved for the band and their traveling crew.

"Guests"- Often given to family members of the band, and family of the crew. This pass may allow complete access to the venue, catering rooms, dressing rooms, and the stage.

"VIP " reserved for record executives, some radio station employees, and other local promoters. These allow for restricted access to many parts of the backstage areas, but normally not the stage, or dressing rooms.

"Support" Often a designation given to the warm up act and their management and crew. These passes almost never provide sufficient access to the opening band, and are constantly being contested by the band and their crew because sometimes over zealous local security misunderstands where, and when a support act is allowed to be.

Sticky Cloth Passes types:

"Working Crew" These are normally given to the local, non-touring stagehands, which the production company employs at each venue for the day. This pass normally allows complete access to all areas including the stage, all day.

"Photo" Allows for limited access to the front of the stage and side stage during the first few songs of the concert only. Given to photographers, who are normally allowed to shoot photos only during the beginning of the show and hopefully before the performers get too sweaty or their clothes or makeup too disheveled.

“Catering” Given to the local kitchen crew.

“Security” Provided to local security.

The surprising thing is that most of the time, once backstage very few people are asked about their credentials. Unless someone is very obviously in the wrong place, or acting inappropriately, they can walk around the backstage area, unquestioned. Part of the reason for this, is that there are people working for many different facets of the production , venue, and facility. If I see someone that I don't recognize, I'd assume that they work for the local crew. If the local crew sees someone that they don't recognize, they assume that they work for the traveling crew. Especially early in the morning, the skeleton security crew has not yet been given the “pass list” which describes and pictures all of the various credentials which will be used during the day. One reason for this is to limit the possibility that a local person could take the pass list before the event, and print counterfeit passes. In fact not until the day of the show does the touring staff manager decide what color/code the local sticky passes will be for the day, for this very reason. Additionally at some point before show time, the passes for the aftershow are determined, dated, and sometimes further altered by hand with letters or numbers indicating that they are being used only for that particular day. On one 311 tour that I was a part of, the daily passes were routinely garnished by the production staff with cryptic random words like “tulsa” or “retnup” (which backwards spelled “ a slut” and “punter”) The band was never consulted nor apprised as to the meaning of these letters.

During my early days on the road, there were times when I would be in a town where there was another show happening, and I could walk right in through the backstage door, with a laminated pass from a completely different show. In Las Vegas one year, my wife and I drove a rental car into the parking lot of an outdoor arena where the Grateful Dead were performing, by simply flashing a lanyard full of laminates to the parking lot security guards. After parking our car near the backstage entrance we headed for the nearest door. From across the parking area, a local security person could be seen waving frantically to us. Figuring that we had been caught, we began heading toward him, excuses racing through our heads. As we got closer to him, we understood him to be saying that we had missed the backstage door and that to get backstage, we needed to go the other way! We thanked him from a distance and headed right backstage. On another tour when we were traveling by car, while driving between cities, we heard on the radio that Paul McCartney was playing a show in a town we were passing through. On a lark, we pulled off the highway and headed for the venue. Again, with nothing more than a pile of laminates from various tours around our necks, we drove right backstage, entered through the artist gates, walked right to the front of the stage and sat down in a VIP booth. When approached by a local usher we hesitated, and smiled. She offered to bring us champagne, and we graciously accepted.

The moral of these stories is that much of the laminates magical power lies in the way in which it is worn. One of the easiest ways to misuse an illegitimate laminated pass is to walk confidently toward a security person and ask “which way is the production office?” Since the production office is where the whole show is run, anyone without business there would be a suspected fool to venture toward it needlessly. Simply by seeming to have pressing business at hand, and a laminated pass around ones neck often was enough to be directed politely toward the general area, whereupon one could easily fake left and dodge right into any less secure portion of the venue. If anyone approached to challenge your presence with a “may I help you?”, a confident reply along the lines of -“Sure, why don't you run along and get me a bottle of water” could be enough to deter them from asking further questions. Of course once backstage, it'd still be quite difficult to successfully end up partying with the band. But if one simply wanted to use a clean bathroom, get a free beverage, and see a free concert, a laminated pass goes a long way toward being the magic talisman of the rock 'n roll world.

This laminated pass is from the 2006 311 tour. It was worn by me rarely during this tour, and has very minor scratches and evidence of light use. There were approximately 100 of these made for the production crew, and is therefore very rare. While I don't recommend that you use it for anything other than as a prized part of your collection, I can neither confirm nor deny that, with the right mindset it could get you into some very interesting places.

~E. H00K

311 Summer Chaos Tour 02

2009-05-02T13:37:00.000-07:00

311 | and Merch and ising

2009-04-03T14:39:00.000-07:00

I just shipped my first 5 auctions since taking a long break, and it was a breeze. It has been over a year since I have sold any of my "roadie" collection on eBay. Yesterday, It sure is different than it was when I first sold 311 Memorabilia on eBay! , and /or on the INTERNET for that matter.

In 1995-6 the band Three Eleven had TONS of stuff that they had accumulated after years on the road. It seemed as though they'd barely ever wasted a shirt. They had some good designs like the 7-11 Logo, and the “new” oval logo that they had just put on the Blue Album.
The problem with a lot of it was that the art was printed on a multiple of different shirt colors. So any given design may ( or may not ) come in particular sizes or colors......... which is “real blast” at the t-shirt stand of a concert when someone is looking to buy a shirt that fits , in the color or style they want ( imagine!?) At this point most of the venues Three-Eleven were playing were still auditoriums or basketball courts, so the music was often deafening at the t-shirt table. Anyone familiar with Monte Python will imagine the Cheese Shop Sketch where they never have what is asked for ( “cheddar ? , Not much call for cheddar, round these parts...”)
It was my job, to clean this mess of swag up and sell it, and get some new items for sale since the band had had most of this stuff on the road with them for years, and the old-school fans ( circa. 1995) were definitely ready for more diversity of product. The first order of business, was to isolate the single most popular shirt, and get it in stock in all sizes ( but not colors!)
That shirt ended up being the blue oval logo cloud shirt ( from the album artwork), and we decided to print it on Navy blue. During those years, that shirt sold more than any of the other shirts ( 15 or more styles at a time) COMBINED. So, that helped to settle down the mayhem that was the merchandise stock truck at the time. But as we toured that winter, the single “down” was blowing up, and the merchandise was selling better than ever before. So by the end of that run, we still had a lot of old 311 merchandise that I never wanted to bring on the road again.........

As the tour ended, 311 fired most of their road staff of lights, sound, techs, box pushers, and the like are fired till the next album tour comes up....
I had been on the road, more than off for the past 4 years or so, and I didn't want to go look for another band to tour with. For this reason , and the fact that AOL ( yes, America Online ) had just connected to the INTERNET. ( 1995, again ) That I proposed that I post pictures on my AOL account space and offer to send fans t-shirts if they'd mail in a check, after printing some bunk looking order form from my AOL page on the Internet !
It worked phenomenally well. 311 fans were some of the first music fans to be on the INTERNET back then. By the time the band went back on tour, a year later, we had sold all of the mix-match batch of merchandise, and we ordered, tons of new stuff for the upcoming release of SoundSystem.

But thats is a different story. eBay! has changed a lot since a year ago, and I like the changes that I've just noticed today. The changes during the past 13 years of selling 311 merchandise has been incredible. Please check out my latest Auctions
Respect ~ UNITY~ and ♪ ♪ ♫ ♪ ♫ ♪

ERlK H00K

311 | Omaha Sessions

2009-03-29T15:40:00.000-07:00

311 Omaha Sessions

311 | Hawaii

2007-09-21T06:09:00.000-07:00

In 1995 I began working for 311. During the eleven years that passed after that , I had the opportunity to travel with them all over this country, including Hawaii. Generally when the band visited Hawaii they would rent Harley Davidson motorcycles and spend at least a day cruising the island. Being that they were somewhat novice riders, management would often encourage these joy rides to take place after the show, so that any accidents would not interfere with the concert. Most of the band equipment was shipped in days before the concerts, including the merchandise for the shows. The promoter would hold the stuff until the first show, and then we would rent a small airplane to island hop the gear between shows. Some of those small cargo planes were incredibly rickety looking, and rusty. The band and crew took commercial planes, or sometimes helicopters between islands.
Promoters are allowed to print posters to advertise the show. Some of these are done with more artistic talent than others. All of these promo posters become collectible. Very rarely, the bands photograph is included in the art. These posters are distributed to record stores, bars, nightclubs, and schools in order to advertise the upcoming show.
On March 24th 2006, Three-Eleven performed a show at the Kona Brewing Company, in Hawaii. The promoter was allowed to incorporate a photograph of the band in its Promo poster.
I am auctioning this RARE poster, with a portion of the proceeds to benefit Habitat for Humanity.

311| Sticky Aftershow Pass

2007-09-20T10:34:00.000-07:00

This authentic and unused 311 backstage after show pass comes from the Soundsystem tour of 2000. I don't remember what the marks CS stood for back then. These after show passes are generally reserved for attractive audience members, radio station personnel and contest winners. Unfortunately, a pass like this guarantees nothing other than being held at bay by a local security guard, while the band showers, eats, parties with friends, and then maybe stops by the meet and greet area, hours after the last note of the evening has been played.

To be sure, in some venues, it is a different story altogether. If the promoter offers a room, and staff, catering and couches the parties can, and do rage. Most often, promoters are trying to save money, and contribute nothing to the after show party on the 311 tour.

Most of the after show meet and greet happens on one of the bands 3 tourbusses, only a few of the people sitting in the house holding pen, get invited onto a bus.

In 1993 I toured with Gun's and Roses during their tour with Faith No More and Metallica. They brought 3 semi-tractor trailers full of after show equipment (one of which was a patio that unfolded to accommodate three 8 person hot tubs) which were used to build tents around the enormous after show parties at every venue.

There were over 30 trucks that carried the G'n'R tour around. 311 generally travels with 3 trucks max.

311 | 711

2007-09-19T13:19:00.000-07:00

In 2000, 311 was touring to support The From Chaos Album. I traveled with the band sporadically on this tour as more and more mail-order/Internet business was pouring in at home. Many shirts have been popular over the years but one that stood out was the 311 7-11 logo. It was one of the most popular. Whenever I ordered it though, in the back of my mind, I thought I wonder what 7-11 thinks of this. Well one day in October of 2000 we found out. The 7-11 corporation hired an attorney in New York, to contact us to say that they did not like us selling a shirt that looked so similar to their logo. They asked us to cease and desist selling the shirt, and to send them all the remaining shirts. We sent them a few boxes with an apology. Since we had just ordered hundreds of them we tried to unload them quickly at shows in New York, Pennsylvania, and Boston, at $5 each. They sold like crazy at $5 a pop, but soon we got another letter from 7-11 claiming damages. At this point, we decided to use them as giveaway shirts to local crew at the end of each night. Again, threatening letters came from their lawyers. At this point we just sent the rest to the lawyers and walked away from one of the best selling 311 shirts of all time. During the shows where we sold them for $5 some fans bought dozens at a time, and I still see them being auctioned on eBay from time to time. The venues who we asked to sell $5 HATED doing this, since it was equal work for ¼ pay. One venue hated it so much that they counted us back several dozen bootleg Jessica Simpson shirts slipped in with our returns for the evening, thereby increasing their profits. Merchandising is a cut throat affair, that any band who is popular is blessed by the curse of.

311 | Second Itinerary

2007-08-29T14:48:00.000-07:00

311 Itinerary

Rock tour itineraries are often called the book of lies by the road crew. Three-Eleven's were no different. The problem stems from the fact that the production manager is trying to get so many things ready for the upcoming tour that the information about dates that won't happen for another 2 months always seem to change after the book is printed. Nonetheless, a tour itinerary, and a laminated pass are tools that all national tours rely on. Generally touring personnel are given 2 books. One for themselves and one for their home or home office. The itinerary I am auctioning on eBay, traveled with me and the band during the tour of 1997, I kept notes in this copy , so this one being auctioned has lots of road wear, notes and scribbles. I imagine some fan might like to see the specifics of different venues, hotels, and promoters that the band encountered on this national tour. Also listed are the names of the touring personnel, promoters, times for sound check, breakfast, lunch and dinner, as well as warm up act information. Any non- public information about the band or its touring crew has been redacted for privacy.

The cover art is beautiful. Soon I will post some old tour laminate passes and gold record awards for auction. A portion of the proceeds from this auction will benefit Amnesty International.

In unrelated news:
Check out http://www.thelesssaid.com/

AND CHECK OUT THIS PHISH STUFF

311 | 911

2007-01-30T10:18:00.000-08:00

On the morning of September 11th 2001, I was in Las Vegas, on the "From Chaos" tour with the band 311. I was training our new road merchandising guy, Alex. The show was to be at the Hard Rock Casino and Hotel's club- the Joint. My hotel room window at the Hard Rock provided a view of the Maccaran Airport tarmac directly below, and the mountains to the distance. The crew and I arrived early on the morning of September 10th, after a bus ride from California following the show the night before in Fresno. The band slept at home after the Fresno show and flew in to the Hard Rock later that day. From my bed on the night of September 10th, I could see the long lines of planes on the runways waiting to take off , the long lines of planes on the horizon, waiting to land, and the general hustle and bustle of Las Vegas' biggest airport.

At about 6 am I was awoken by a phone call from my wife, in Boston. She told me that the same flight that I had flown several mornings earlier, Flight 11 from Boston to Los Angeles had, this morning, crashed into the World Trade Center in NYC. I, like most of the rest of the world, was stunned. We stayed on the phone as the other planes crashed that day, and cried. It was terrifying. As I stood next to the bed, 2,500 miles from home, watching the sunrise, it was announced that all air traffic in this country was being grounded. Out of the corner of my eye, and almost in unison , I saw all the planes outside of my window halt right where they were. Some were in line to take off, some just landed, some were mere feet from reaching their gates. Many hours later, I could see some of the planes, letting people off onto the runway, right where they'd stopped, sometimes by scaffolding stairs, ladders and emergency ramps.

As the morning wore on, that nights concert at the Joint was cancelled. It is the first and only Rock show that was ever cancelled on the day of show in my then 8 years in the business. It practically never happens. The band had a meeting to discuss whether the tour should be postponed, or cancelled and decided that it shouldn't because it would be giving in to terrorism. My flight home from San Francisco was cancelled by the national ban on air travel, so I instead was resigned to continuing with the tour and spending a few more days training Alex. When we left for San Francisco late that night the planes were still exactly where they'd stopped hours earlier.

The laminates and tour books for the Three-Eleven "From Chaos Tour" were given to band and crew on September 7th. The designs were laid out weeks earlier. Five days later, they had to be completely revised and reprinted. The one with buildings and fire was the original theme. The "lady liberty ala flag" was the revision. None of us could believe the irony of the initial choice.

I am currently auctioning this pair of ALL ACCESS laminates from that early September tour, over 5 years ago. Although the laminates are in great shape as collectibles, their true value is in the history and story of their production.

311 | Tour Jacket

2007-01-29T18:17:00.000-08:00

This Jacket is a Flight Bomber Style with beautiful embroidery front and back. Under 100 of these were made and given to 311's road crew, key players, support, and management during the 2006 tour. Tour Jackets are amongst the most highly prized possessions of any roadie, and is even a more rare addition to a die hard fans collection.
This wearable collectible has never been worn for more than a minute, and is made of heavy duty construction.
The band 311 was EXTREMELY involved in every area of the design and production of this gift to their road crew. Sometimes they would revise an item of merchandise 12 to 40 times before it was ready for production, this was no exception. The size of the embroidery on this jacket is what proved to be the biggest challenge though. We were able to cut the stitch count down from 575,000 to 65,000 by using a white underlay cloth. This also reduces the amount of disfigurement when this garment gets wet or is cleaned. Three-Eleven was VERY happy with the final outcome. It was by far one of the most expensive gifts they had ever given their road crew.

The jackets were barely ready in time for the last show before Christmas. Band and management were freaking out that they'd have nothing to give their crew before the holiday break. I got calls and emails hourly for days. The band during this time also expressed that they were looking forward to presenting these jackets to the crew personally when they arrived. The problem is sometimes the band does not arrive to a venue, until most people in the crew are knee-deep in work, making presentation hour rather pipe dreamt. Anyway, when the Jackets finally DID arrive in the nick of time on the last day possible, my new employee took it upon herself to hand them out right away. I had to call her and explain why I'd asked her to call me the minute that the jackets were delivered, which she didn't. She ended up hanging up on me, and (I later found out) retrieving all the jackets from those she'd given to, so that the band could " surprise" everyone at dinner with these gorgeous gifts. I heard later that every one of the recipients put in a fine performance of surprise and gratitude.

I am auctioning the one that they made for me, I am sure it'll find a good home with a 311 fan.

311 | Backstage Passes

2007-01-27T16:00:00.000-08:00

Backstage passes on 311 tours and on all national Tours in the United States for that matter come in basically two varieties, sticky or laminated. The sticky pass can further be broken down into 4-10 types, depending on the tour and the venue that the show is being played in. On the Three-Eleven tour, laminated passes are worn by the band, their crew, the production staff, the merchandiser, and travelling representatives of the sound and lighting companies. Sticky passes generally change color for each city that the tour visits. Additionally the date is written on the colored pass of the day, and then another word or code is also written to prevent counterfeiting, and fraud. Sticky passes are used on the day of show with the following designations in order of importance: Working, Local Crew, Guest, VIP, Photography, and After Show. The After Show pass, only gets you partially backstage after the show. Depending on the promoter, the show , the band and the city, the after show party can range from a group of fans being held in what looks like a detention room by a number of local security, to a half naked orgies in the bands dressing room or buses. On a recent tour, the two production assistants were women. The secret code written on the after show passes, in addition to the date was "TULSA", backwards for "A Slut" . These women were terminally jealous that they were invited less to the after shows than the local fans. Most of the after shows were fun, and respectful parties though.
Laminates and Sticky passes make great collectibles. The art is often some of the nicest representations of the current Cd's artwork.

311 | Auctions

2007-01-25T14:08:00.000-08:00

I've started listing some of my OLD 311 stuff on eBay! and can't believe how little the stuff is auctioning for...... An original RIAA certified PLATINUM record award with a COA from me, and a ton of provenance just went for $150! with 9 bidders! Oh well, at least it went to a good home. Next up? Some super rare laminates and itineraries.

311 | Awards

2007-01-10T15:38:00.000-08:00

When I received this from the band 311 almost a decade ago, it was the first award any band had ever given me. The merch guy on concert tours of any size generally works for a big merch company to which the band has signed over its tour merchandising rights to. I had worked for one of those companies and had never been recognized for my efforts on the road promoting a current album like this before. I am sure that the companies I worked for received awards from some of the artists sometimes, but not the road guy. I could not believe it! I was so pumped. Later I learned from Yonnie ( their tour manager) what a big deal it was getting the management to agree to send them to any of their road crew. I know that everyone who got one really appreciated it. I also know that over the years , those who did not, came to resent it. Any band relies on many people to help in the promotion, production, and distribution of a CD. To thank ALL of them whenever a CD goes Platinum, would be a major expense ( one which the band would pay the cost of. ) The band goes on tour to promote their CD and over the course of a few years ends up living with the road crew more than the "home" crew. So it makes sense that they'd want to thank the road crew in a very special way, like this. Since, I was one of 311's partners in a newly formed merchandise company called 311merchandising, and not just a swag guy from "Winterland/Brokum/NiceMan/FEA Merchandising" I really was honored by the fact that they'd thought of me too. Of course, for many years one hung in the greenroom hallway at the Howard Stern Show in NYC also. I guess he probably did as much a Trevor Cole to promote the Blue Album.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220070418342

and also http://stores.ebay.com/merch311days-Store

311 | Itinerary

2006-12-11T08:48:00.000-08:00

Tour itineraries are often called the book of lies by the road crew. The problem stems from the fact that the production manager is trying to get so many things ready for the upcoming tour that the information about dates that won't happen for another 2 months always seem to change after the book is printed. Nonetheless, a tour itinerary, and a laminated pass are tools that all national tours rely on. Generally touring personnel are given 2 books. One for themselves and one for their home or home office. The itinerary I am auctioning on eBay, traveled with me and the band during the tour of 2006, although I kept notes in my second copy , so this one being auctioned has very little writing and is in very good shape. I imagine some fan might like to see the specifics of different venues, hotels, and promoters that the band encountered on this national tour. Also listed are the names of the touring personnel, promoters, times for sound check, breakfast, lunch and dinner, as well as warm up act information. Any non- public information about the band or its touring crew has been redacted for privacy.

The cover art is beautiful. Soon I will post some old tour laminate passes and gold record awards for auction. A portion of the proceeds from this auction will benefit MAPS. Never heard of MAPS? Please check out the auction.

check out our StonerWear(tm)

311 | Shopping

2006-11-25T04:43:00.000-08:00

Well, well well, how time flies. I anticipate finding a digital camera in the next few days and starting to auction my 311 collection of memorabilia. In the 11 years that I worked for 311, I collected an enormous amount of stuff. Here is a list of some of the items I am considering parting with.

Gold and Platinum RIAA record awards.
Crew Tour jackets 1997, 2001, 2004, 2005.
Tour laminated passes 1995-2006 (voided)
Cloth passes 1995, 2000 more(voided)
Crew Tour itinerary books. 1995-2006 ( all non public information redacted)
Crew t-shirts , local and touring.

I'll most likely post these on eBay and put lots of information both here and there when I do. I will also donate a portion of the proceeds to benefit NORML and Habitat for Humanity- New Orleans.

311 | Ventura

2006-10-09T17:22:00.000-07:00

After touring with Bryan Adams for 3 years as well as the Allman Brothers, Blues Traveler, The Spin Doctors, Sugar Ray, Shaggy, Sass Jordan, James Taylor, and Guns and Roses, among others, I was psyched to be heading out on the 311 tour.
The year was 1995 and a song called "Down" was being played all the time on the radio.
"oh that's 311 !"
Somehow I hadn't heard very much of 311's music, but everything I'd heard about them sounded great. Most of the artists I'd traveled with played practically, if not exactly the same set of music, night after night. I liken it to Chinese water torture. I had heard that 311 was different. Down, sounded good, although at the time, I think I still really liked Blues Traveler and Phish, and remembered fondly the days in the of the late '80's ,when I would spend a week or so following the Grateful Dead. I, at that young age, was not as “dead” a “head” as were so many whom I partied with during those summers. I didn't know the stats of the last time they played “St. Stephen”, when they apparently did, at Saratoga Springs NY one night. Jerry Garcia, was always gray when I'd seen the band. Still, those were some of the BEST road trips I'll barely remember. Those trips were made in the company of old friends, girlfriends, and usually new friends met at the last show. We had no backstage access, and traveled in an 1972 Dodge Econoline with a couch that was moved to the roof of the van at each concert parking lot. Those were the last summers that places like Oxford Plains Maine ever let, people camp for days around festivals, or the Grateful Dead to come back. Those were the best fireworks I have ever seen in my life.

I'd heard that 311 played a different set every night, that their music was positive and full of energy and power, and that people followed the tour.

When I arrived in LA, the first crew member I met , was Yeti. He was in the lobby of the hotel waiting for the bus to arrive. He wanted to be sure to beat Scotch (Ralston), Trevor, and the other crew to a good bunk. (A good bunk is an arguable matter. Though the top bunks do have their disadvantages, at least no one is ever using the edge of your bunk to climb, thereby wiping their nasty tour-toe cheese on the edge of your bed.)
Yeti immediately gave me an extra 311 laminate he had on his lanyard from the last leg of the tour, which was very generous and unexpected. I appreciated his immediate friendliness. Yeti was about 200 lbs and covered in tattoos, shaved head, and looked as though he could tear my head off with a backhand. He was in contrast kind of a gentle guy. Though an avid mouth breather, I think he was smarter than many of the others of 311's early crew. In retrospect, I think Yeti, always honest, wanted to make a gesture of good will toward me with the laminate, after divulging his otherwise covert intentions of beating the rest of the crew to the brand new tour bus. He knew I was no “bunk” competition as the new guy, especially since I'd be driving the truck. He also knew that I was now in charge of all the cool swag that 311 carries on tour. Having the last tours laminate was an unusual gesture to a new guy from another crew member. I liked collecting the tour passes I had gotten over the years, and rarely if ever acquired one from a tour I had not been on.

The next day was my first show with 311. I arrived driving a 24 foot Ryder truck, packed the night before by Yeti, Trevor, Yonnie, and others full of 311's gear and merchandise. I arrived at 8 am for a 9 o'clock load in. I walked out on the beach at the Ag. Center in Ventura and bought some coffee. I noticed some fans hanging around already. I went inside and met the local crew chief. I told him I expected the the bus with 311's crew to arrive soon, before 9 am................
At 9:20 20 local stagehands were standing on the stage doing nothing (being paid by 311 and the promoter ), and asking me where 311's crew was. Other than t-shirts, I had no idea, where any of the road cases were supposed to go. Additionally, I did'nt know the local stagehands any better than I know 311's crew, and I'd be damned if I was going to be blamed if anything came out of the truck and went missing on the first day, probably paranoid, but nonetheless. I waited......I decided at 9:45 to back the truck up to the stage, and sit on top of it, and watch the cases be rolled off by the locals and try to keep an eye on all of them. Soon there after came Yonnie, Adam, Yeti, the rest etc. late, and relieved that the truck was being unloaded. Adam (311's manager) turned to Yonnie ( 311 tourmanager) and said “he's hired”. Yonnie, stearnly retorted- "I Already hired him." It was so close to a "thank-you" that I have always remembered it.

The show that night was breathtaking to me. The crowd was so friendly, and in love with the band. The band played amazingly. After the show, the crowd waited patiently in line and bought a ton of merchandise. I heard many people mention how they had been fans of 311 way before "Down" was popular. They were the "Grassroots". Yet they seemed to welcome the new comers with smiles. They smelled like patchouli sometimes, but seemed to not mind Korn and Rage.
This was truly a different band, and their fans.
And so my trip began.

CHECK BACK SOON FOR SOME VERY RARE AUCTIONS OF 311 COLLECTIBLES FROM MY PRIVATE COLLECTION.

311 | Smoke

2006-09-29T14:11:00.000-07:00

In 1995 I had heard of 311, but had never actually heard their music. The closest I had come was earlier that year, while touring with Sugar Ray as they warmed up for Korn. The Korn tour was brutal. The band Korn, especially Munkey, were really nice, but their fans were self-mutilating black holes. Sugar Ray's Mark McGrath never wanted to play their pop hits in front of this crowd. They played a lot of their speed metal unknown set ( ala Shrinky Dinks), even though Lemonade and Brownies was the CD they were touring to support. While I sold their merchandise , many Korn fans asked what to expect of the warm up band, who they'd never heard. I would explain that they had a DJ, and fans would often then ask " oh, are they like 311?" When I'd admit that I'd not heard 311, they would describe that there were two singers and one of them scratched. Often it'd be mentioned that they were a stoner band. Years passed before I'd hear of 311 again. In the middle of October 1995, I sat in a Days Inn Motel Phoenix, Arizona and waited for a call from Yonnie, 311's tour manager. The night before, my boss at the entertainment merchandising company, explained that they wanted me to drop the tour I was currently on , in order to drive the back line for 311 and sell their merchandise. The company was called Brockum and they handled many musical acts merchandising rights and distribution. The year before , they had convinced 311 to allow them to sell one shirt to retail. Now 311's new road manager (Yonnie) had decided that him and the bands Manager (Adam) could no longer handle the road merchandise in addition to their other duties. They called Brockum to inquire if any road guys were available "a la carte". They already had their own road merchandise printed, and also were in the market for someone to drive their band gear. Yonnie figured that they could get a two for one, by letting the merch company think that they had a chance of taking on the whole tour by hiring one of their people on a trial basis. The only problem for me was that my boss at Brockum told him I would do it for $600 a week. I had just come from Shaggy, were I made $600 per week, sold about 10 t-shirts a night, and rode comfortably down the road on a half million dollar tour bus. Now they wanted me to sell mountains of merch, and count the money into the wee hours of the night and then drive a 24 foot truck an average of 300 miles to the next gig, for a morning load in. When was I gonna sleep? The telephone rang. " Hi this is Yonnie, 311's tour manager." "Hey, dude. I was expecting your call" I said. "Great, then you know why I am calling right?" Yonnie asked. "Yep," I said, "you need a road merch guy and someone to drive the band gear right?" "True that" , Yonnie said," for $600 a week, plus per diem, hotels etc." "Well I was hoping for more like $750, its a lot of driving." I said. " You have a computer right?" asked Yonnie. " I do. I'll keep meticulous track of your merch. You'll get reports each night. " I said. " $750 sounds alright. Meet us in LA on the 16th of October. Do you smoke?" Asked Yonnie. " Smoke! I smoke like a fiend, as a matter of fact you wouldn't believe it but I am out on this Shaggy tour for the past month or so. The bus is stuffed with Rastafarian lookin dudes, but I am the only one who puffs. It's ridiculous! I am loosing my mind out here." I busted. Yonnie, cut me short- " I meant cigarettes. Should I put you down for a smoking room at the hotel in LA?" "Oh", I stammered. OOPS, I thought. " yes, smoking please". Yonnie laughed," P-nut and I are sitting here rolling a blunt. You will like this tour better, I am sure." I, at the time, wasn't sure what/who "peanut" was, but I was happy to hang up with the job that night. The next day I flew to Los Angeles. CHECK BACK SOON FOR SOME REALLY RARE AUCTIONS OF 311 COLLECTABLES FROM MY PRIVATE COLLECTION.

311 | Times

2006-09-26T13:31:00.000-07:00

In the Autum of 1995 I worked for a multinational entertainment merchandising company. One of thier clients was Shaggy. I had been on the Shaggy tour for about a month, travelling with the band and crew of 12 on thier bus. During Shaggy's show, the merchandise booth was normally set up in the back of the bar, next to the "shout out" table, or the photography vendor, or bathrooms. Shaggy sold very little merchandise.
No one on the Shaggy tour smoked, except for me.
One night I got a call from my boss.
"311 needs a merchandise manager and backline truckdriver, asap. We still have not worked out a deal with them, so you'll be paid directly by the band until we land the contract. Please do your best to persuade them to let us handle all of thier merchandise. We currently only have the rights to one shirt (the blue cloud logo/ alien ONC on back) in retail. The band has thier own inventory on the road. The road manager's name is Yonnie, he will be calling you tonight. get all of your stuff off of the Shaggy bus, and tell his road manager that we'll send a new guy to the next city.....