Hello friends! Welcome back for the new 311 fan spotlight! This week we meet the other half of last weeks fan spotlight. Let me introduce you to Chris Wood!

It was thanks to Erika that Chris became a fan of the band. They started dating in early 2002 and she had made it very clear to him how much music meant to her, in particular 311. “She used to have lyrics from her favorite songs all over her room and so I made a point to get more familiar with their albums.  Erika ended up buying me a couple of their albums, Music and From Chaos.  I remember jamming out in my car to those CD’s and just enjoying the fusion of the rap and rock.”

Show count is at 43 for Chris. His first show was August 12, 2002 at the House of Blues in Las Vegas. “It was one of our first getaways as a couple and I was definitely not quite sure what to expect show wise.  But it was made memorable by the fact that we managed to meet the entire band after sound check, which I didn’t think would be possible being that it was Vegas and I was expecting more security for some reason.  We stood out in the blazing sun for close to 4 hours with no water along with a couple other fans.  At one point, Erika was starting to feel a little light headed, so I went inside to get some water from one of the shops inside the Mandalay Bay.  Once we guzzled down our $8 bottled water, the band began coming out one by one and started chatting with us.  Erika had never actually met the band before, so it was fun to see her dream come true.  We managed to get a few pictures and a couple of cd liners signed.  The show itself was fun, we were sitting in the upper level of the House of Blues.  I remember at one point, they played Champagne and there was a bubble machine that was supposed to go on.  But it never did during the song.  It ended up kicking on during Wake Your Mind Up instead and I remember Nick just looking up and laughing.  That was one of the few shows that I’ve been to where Nick did his stage dive during Feels So Good at the end of the set.”

Chris & Erika have been to every 311 Day since 2010, on the cruises in 2013, 2017, and 2019, as well as Red, White, & Boom in 2015 and 2016. If he had to pick one of these as his favorite, he’d go with Red, White & Boom from 2015. “It was just a fun weekend of music and actually meeting a lot of people that Erika and I had seen at other events like 311 Day.  We both came away with a lot of new friendships and appreciation of the 311 experience as a whole.”

There are many songs that mean a lot to Chris and have resonated with him over the years.  A few of those include “Use of Time”, “Stealing Happy Hours”, “Creature Feature”, “Uncalm”, “Sun Come Through”, and “Speak Easy”. However it’s the song “Boom Shanka” that he’s become particularly attached to. “It actually came at a very dark time for me. In the beginning of 2014, I was going through a rough stretch in my life personally and professionally, so I was feeling very lost, angry and depressed.  We were close to cancelling our trip out to New Orleans for 311 Day, but in the end we did go since we were going to meeting up with some friends of ours.  Shortly before our trip out to NOLA, I had managed to find a leak download for the new Stereolithic album and put it on our phones to listen to on our way there.  The track list wasn’t quite in order, but once I got to Boom Shanka on my playlist, it literally made stop what I was doing at the time and I just remember listening very carefully to lyrics in particular.  Once I had a chance to really let it sink in, I started to rethink a lot of things and not let my emotions get the best of me.  Since then, things have been great and I’ve been a little more appreciated of what life has thrown my way.”

Some lyrics from songs that he love include: “Be positive with love, just see the good in everybody,” and “Now I’m ready to turn the page on yesterdays and forgive them. Now I’m willing to disengage, to seize the day and move on.”

There are two places that Chris grew up: Lake Tahoe and Santa Cruz. His parents divorced when he was just 3 years old, so he spent the first 7 years of his life in the Lake Tahoe area until his mother moved them to Santa Cruz. “I split time with my parents, spending time with my dad during the winter breaks, major holidays and summers in Tahoe.  The rest of the school year was spent in Santa Cruz, so it wasn’t a bad way to grow up all things considered.  I was there for the Loma Prieta Earthquake in 1989, which was a more than a little scary as we were close to epicenter of the quake.” Once Chris graduated high school in 1999, he stayed for one more year attending college before deciding to move back to Tahoe to live with his dad. “I spent the next two years working and going to school full time at the local community college in Tahoe, where I met Erika.  We ended up moving to Reno in the fall of 2002 and we’ve been here ever since.  I work for a local family owned paper company in nearby Sparks, which helps to fund our various 311 adventures. And yes, it’s a lot like the tv show, the Office. It’s a little scary just how accurate that show is with my workplace. Recently in the last couple of years we adopted two little shelter dogs appropriately named after 311 songs, Cali Soca and Unity, so they have brought Erika and I a lot of fun and mayhem.”

Interesting fact about Chris is that he has a half brother whom he didn’t know about until he was around the age of 15. “We’ve kept in touch over the years and we actually met up recently in Vegas during the Unity Tour 2017.  I got the chance to meet my nephew for the first time and he’s just the coolest little kid.  Fun fact, he was actually born on 311 Day 2015, so Erika and I make sure to wish him a very Happy 311 Day each year.” Unique element for Chris is that when he drives somewhere new, he tends to memorize the whole route in his head by looking at landmarks, etc. “So the next time I’m heading to the same place, I don’t have to rely on a map or GPS for directions.  It can be something as simple as just going into a new neighbor or just a new city in general.  But it’s like a weird muscle memory thing or something like that.”

Guilty pleasure for Chris is comic book collecting. “It’s been something very meaningful to me since I was a kid and it’s been interesting to see how mainstream it’s become over the years with all of the various movies and tv shows.  I’ve literally got thousands of books of various superheroes, but mostly Spider-Man books.”

Other music that Chris loves includes The Dirty Heads, Queen, the Skints, No Doubt, David Bowie, Foo Fighters, Led Zeppelin, BB King, and Stevie Ray Vaughn, just to name a few.

To 311, Chris would like to simply say: “Thank you for all that you do for the fans, no matter how big or small the gesture is.”

To the fans:

“Stay true to yourselves and enjoy this wild ride we call life.”

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Thanks Chris for sharing your story! As usual, thanks to all the readers out there. Be strong, be beautiful, and have a kick ass week!

Much Love – The Runt

Hello again 311 nation! It’s a new week and time we learn about another awesome fan. Let’s meet Erika Wood!

It was a complete accident that Erika became a 311 fan. It was during her sophomore year and she was getting ready for school when she turned on MTV the video for “Down” just happened to be on. “That was that, I was hooked and picked up the blue album that weekend, which was difficult to do in Tahoe because all we had at the time was a Kmart and they were very selective about what albums they carried. Then the following weekend I ordered the rest of 311’s albums through BMG (totally dating myself).”

Show count for Erika is 47 and she has a spreadsheet. She’s been to every 311 Day since 2010 and went on the cruise in 2013, 2017, and 2019. Her first show was on October 9, 2000, at the Warfield in San Francisco. “I bawled like a baby at the end because I thought it was so amazing and that this one show was the only one I’d make it to. Little did I know what it would turn into.”

Favorite event for Erika is 311 Day 2012 and she said she’s not sure how she survived that second set list. “It was opened  with  Down, Rock On, Grassroots, Hive and my favorite Sever.” Another one of her faves is the first concert she went to with her husband which was in Vegas on August 12, 2002, at the House of Blues. “I had noticed a tour bus pull into the Mandalay Bay from our room at the Luxor and I was positive it was them, of course Chris thought I was insane but we booked it outside and low and behold Tim was there just chatting with fans, it took about 4 long HOT hours, but we met the entire band, needless to say that’s a day I’ll never forget.” She also said that this years cruise was epic and they had so much fun every day of it. “The best part was meeting Harlow and Nick in our reindeer costumes and for the rest of the cruise every time we ran into Nick he said there are my bad ass bitches.”

The song “Speak Easy” now has a special place in her heart because of the loss of the beautiful Renee. “I don’t think I’m ever going to be able to get through that song without tearing up.” She also will always love “Down” as it’s the reason she found 311. The lyrics “Stay positive and love your life” are ones that have gotten her through some really tough times. “I just repeat and repeat it to myself until I eventually talk myself out of being sad or depressed.” She also said that “You can’t be let down if you don’t expect the world” really resonates with her. “There’s been so many times when I’ve, let’s say, expected more from people and have been disappointed in the end, so I’ve learned what ever happens happens and not to expect too much from people.”

Erika grew up in South Lake Tahoe, California. She hasn’t moved very far as she now lives in Reno, Nevada, which is only an hour away. She said it’s sad but there really isn’t an alternative music scene in that area. “Last year when 311 came here the billboard was down before the show even started.” She says she has no idea how she hasn’t gone into serious debt during all of their 311 adventures over the past 17 years, but she works hard and saves money so they can do it and even managed to squeeze in a trip to Hawaii in 2012. “Music has just become such an outlet for me, it makes me happy to be in a pit among my excitables, however any other concert I’m so anxious and on guard the entire time it’s ridiculous.”

In 2002, Erika and Chris had been living together for only a month when they lost everything in a house fire. They were devastated. “Poor Chris was only worried about finding any of my 311 collection in the rubble. In the mist of our grieving my dad decided to reach out to Joan and about two week later I got a package from the HIVE, I carefully opened it ( I still have the manila envelope) and there was a hand written letter, some guitar picks, cds and an autographed picture. From that moment that was it I was an excitable through and through, funny thing is I brought the letter to the Fresno show in 2003 in the hope I could thank the guys in person, and once again we met them (again it was super hot) and I was bawling poor Nick was like yeah I remember doing that in the moment I believed him, but who knows if he truly remembered but after losing everything that meant the world to both of us.”

Erika said that in her normal, everyday life, she’s a really shy and anxious person, which is a side that no one sees when she’s around the 311 community. She said being shy, she tends to like animals more than people – they have 4 cats and 2 dogs. Another interesting fact about Erika is that she has 17 tattoos and 6 of them are 311 related. “the others are all related to meaningful events in my life and family members I have lost. I have the Renee flower on my shoulder which make me feel like she is always with me.” Another interesting fact about Erika is that she has zero interest in skiing, for good reason. “In 5th grade during the ski week on the second day, I fell just right and tore my ACL, another ligament and fractured my tibia. So no more skiing for this girl.”

Something interesting about Erika and Chris – at least one point every day, they both have the same exact song in their heads at the exact same lyric. “I guess that’s what happens after being together for 17 years sharing so many concerts together. I must admit though it’s been a wild ride.” Guilty pleasure for Erika is that she’s a reality T.V. junkie. “It’s so bad that when we are in an area where a reality show is filmed I have to go, we’ve been to Carlo’s Bakery in Hoboken, NJ we have also visited the bakeries in Time Square and Las Vegas. I’ve dragged Chris to every ATM fish tank we are in the vicinity of and we went to Gold and Silver pawn shop from Pawn Stars when we were heading out of Vegas in December.”

Other musicians that Erika loves include No Doubt, Gwen Stefani, P!NK, Dirty Heads, Garbage,  and Sublime, just to name a few.

Erika has these words for 311: “I would just like to just thank them for their music and the beautiful people they have brought into my life and for helping me through rough times.”

To all the other fans, her message is this:

“I truly care about everyone in the 311 community, when I see some of you at these events I really really want to go up and say hi but my shyness stops me in my tracks every time. I’m truly grateful for all of you and I’m privileged to be part of such a positive community.

Stay positive and love your life ❤️”

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Much thanks Erika for sharing your story with everyone! Thanks to everyone for coming back and reading each week. I truly hope you all have an amazing week!

Much Love – The Runt

Why hello there 311 fans! Welcome back for the latest edition of the fan spotlight. Kick this week off properly and read all about Christine Dantonio!

When the song “Down” was released, Christine remembers hearing it on the radio in Philadelphia and she instantly loved the energy, originality, and mix of the musical styles. “I love music with feeling and 311 has a lot of that!” It wasn’t until college when she made a friend from the west coast who introduced her to the albums Music and Grassroots that her love for them expanded. “The addiction grew from there.”

Christine has been to 19 shows and she has shows 20 and 21 planned for this summer. Her first show was November 20, 1997, at the Bryce Jordan Center at Penn State University. “I was a senior in college at the time. This is the only show I’ve been to that I still don’t know the setlist!”

She chose this years cruise as her favorite event, it was her first time going on the cruise. “  It was so awesome being with friends I met because of 311, meeting new friends, and experiencing something so special with other fans who “get it”.  For those who were OTMFB with us, I was the one handing out the 311 temporary tattoos!” The photo above was taken at the port just before they boarded the ship. The back of her Eagles jersey says “Stony Baby” and her husbands says “Homebrew.”

Speaking of “Homebrew,” that is one of Christines favorite songs. “My husband and I walked into our wedding reception with it playing!!  The lyrics describe some very fond memories of when we were young and super crazy.  “It was Independence Day, I’ve seen the other side and I say, Oh, I’ve been insane.”  We still jam to this song whenever it comes on now.  If only we could turn back time and be young again.” A few of her favorite lyrics include, “Music’s what I need to keep my sanity,” “The fish who keep on swimming are the first to chill upstream,” “I’m a perfect example of not giving a fuck about the catty rude people that just suck,” and “I was 19, I’d do anything. Shit like that now scares me, but I’d like to do it again.”

Coatesville, Pennsylvania, is where Christine grew up. It’s a small steel city just about 35 miles west of Philadelphia. She attended Penn State and obtained a bachelors degree in Labor Studies & Industrial Relations. After graduation and working for a year, she then put herself through law school. She attended Roger Williams University in Rhode Island for one year and then moved back to Pennsylvania to attend Villanova. “I have been in the Philly area since then, currently living in Norristown, PA for the past 13 years.  I work at a wonderful law firm where my practice focus on defending local physicians, nurses, and hospitals.  I am constantly learning new things about medicine which keeps it interesting.  If I had the money, I would go back to medical school.”

Christine met her husband when they were in high school. They dated on and off for about 5 years, separated for 1 year, and then gravitated back to each other in 2000. In 2001 they got engaged and then they married in 2003 in Montego Bay, Jamaica. “We bought our first home in 2005 and our only son, Taylor, was born in 2006.  Some thought Chris and I would never last (he’s the bad boy, I’m the good girl) and now we laugh in their faces.  Strong All Along!!!”

Her husband Chris has been to every single 311 show with her and they just took their son to his first show last year at Festival Pier in Philly. “I had been trying to meet one of the band members for 20 years and Taylor got to meet Nick Hexum at his first show!!!  I also caught one of the drumsticks used during the band’s Applied Science drum solo at that show.  Now Taylor is hooked and trying to get his middle school friends to join the 311 family.” Going to live shows means so much to Christine and makes her the happiest person she can be. “I try to go to a show every chance I get.  There is nowhere that I have more self esteem and feel more accepted than at a 311 show.”

Christine’s love of music has inspired her to learn the guitar. She just got her first one at Christmas and is teaching herself using YouTube and internet lessons. “It’s not a fast learning process, but I have the rest of my life to learn.  The first song I learned was Three Little Birds by Bob Marley.  Hoping that some day I can play like miT.” When not learning guitar she also likes to go road cycling. “I got into it about 4 years ago when I decided to get active and realized running was not for me.  I ride for fun and do charity rides.  The longest ride I have done is about 70 miles from the Ben Franklin Bridge in Philadelphia to Atlantic City, NJ to raise money for the American Cancer Society.  I will be doing my third ACS Bike-a-Thon on June 9 (the day before this spotlight posts).  Someday, I hope to do my first century ride (100 miles).  I have actually designed some 311-inspired cycling jerseys and may get one or two of them made.”

Something cool about Christine is that she is a true Libra, born right in the middle of that Zodiac sign. “As everyone knows, the sign for Libras is the scales.   The scales are also prominent in my work – law.  Ironically, I have the worst physical balance (working on that by doing yoga), but my spiritual balance is unwavering. It is in my nature to see both sides of every story and promote peace and compromise.”

Christine is stonybaby311 on Instagram, but she said she needs to do a better job posting. “I enjoy living in the moment too much to worry about snapping pics all the time.” Guilty pleasure for her is that she loves binge watching TV shows. “I always feel guilty for being lazy, but I just get so caught up in them!  I tend to push myself to the limit, and then want to do nothing at all.  So, I watch shows.  I gravitate toward dramas, with my favs being Breaking Bad, Weeds, Sons of Anarchy, West Wing, Grey’s Anatomy, The Walking Dead, and Game of Thrones.” Some other musicians that Christine loves include Dirty Heads, Slightly Stoopid, Rebelution, Tropidelic, Smashing Pumpkins, Tool, Jane’s Addiction, and Sublime.  “I am really a product of the 90’s grunge era.”

Christine has this message to 311: “Thank you for giving all of us great music, positive energy, and please never stop doing what you do!!!!”

Here are her words to all her fellow fans:

“I am so grateful to be a part of the 311 family!!  You are my brothers and sisters!!  Respect and love each other’s differences, be kind to each other, speak positively, and rock on!!”

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Thanks everyone for reading all about Christine Dantonio! I hope you all have a magical week. Keep it positive always!

Much Love – The Runt

Greetings friends out there in 311 nation. A new week has arrived which means it’s time for the next edition of the fan spotlight! Let’s meet Joe Solomon!

When 311 released the blue album Joe was young, but his brother was listening to the band and Joe really liked their sounds.  Flash forward to the 2000’s and Joe made some friends that all they listened to was 311. “I’m like really digging their music. In 2002 I went to my first show, 311 Day. It was my 21st birthday, and I’ll never forget.”

Show count since that wonderful first show is at 89 for Joe. His favorite even so far though has been the cruise this year. “It’s a different experience all together.”

Song that Joe loves is “Galaxy.” “SA’s rap and lyrics are on point!!” While he loves their music there are no particular lyrics that come to mind as favorites, he just loves it all.

Joe grew up on the west side of Cincinnati, Ohio. He was born and raised there but left for about 10 years to work as a traveling nurse. He then returned because it was where he has his biggest support network. “I’ve lived in Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, all while working on the Navajo Reservations as a nurse. Now I serve the local neighborhood as an Americorp Volunteer. I work with at risk kids. I live my life in service be it professional or personally.”

While Joe’s 311 habit makes him poor in the summer months, he tries to to squeeze in a few local shows because it brings him together with the great friends he’s made thanks to this band. “Because of 311 I have built some really solid relationships. I feel blessed because of that!! I’m also blessed to be alive.”

In 2012 Joe became disabled and fell into a coma. “Basically if the brain senses trauma, it shuts down. I had a reaction to anesthesia, and my life drastically changed at that moment. I’ve been on the mend since, but sometimes it’s a real struggle. If I didn’t have family or friends that have carried me along, I wouldn’t be where I am. I appreciate each and every one of them!! I’ve overcome a lot, and refuse to let it kill those positive vibes!!”

What Joe is most excited about right now is that he is going to embark on a kayaking adventure, traveling the entire Ohio River in August and September. “I’m doing an awareness paddle to raise awareness about mental health in America and am all about sharing my story. I feel blessed to be able to do this and create a buzz around it! It’s been a real positive experience, and is only getting better. Being a volunteer, we have a month off between assignments, so I decided to do an awareness paddle this year. Last year I traveled through the New England states, and met some really amazing people in my travels. You only live life once, so I try to make the best of it!!”

Since you now know about Joe’s kayaking adventure, it’s no surprise to know he’s an endurance distance kayaker. You can follow along on his adventure at Kayaking 4 a Cause (https://www.facebook.com/goingthedistance2019/). Something you may not know though is that Joe once lived in a hotel for 4 years in the middle of the Navajo Reservation. Guilty pleasure for him is watching the National Geographic channel. When not listening to the sounds of 311 you can find him jamming out to bands like Rebelution, Dirty Heads, The Green, Iration, Tribal Seeds, The Movement, and Ballyhoo!.

His message to the guys in 311 is pure & simple: “Thank you for all the great memories of my life!!”

To all his fellow fans:

“Don’t give up the fight to stay alive!! I’m living breathing proof that fighting pays off in many ways. I will fight to be an advocate for mental health, because if we have support we have a chance! Bless up to all the fighters out there. Just don’t give up!!”

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Thanks for that awesome story Joe! Of course, thank you to all who keep reading also! Have an amazing week!

Much Love – The Runt