Hello again my excitable friends!  Hope you are all staying well. Shall we get to the next fan spotlight? Let’s meet Danielle Woods! 

Anyone remember the show on MTV “120 Minutes?” It was 1996 and Danielle used to stay up late to watch it. “I would have a VHS tape ready in the VCR to tape my favorite music videos, when 311 came on with Down, I immediately fell in love with them and their unique sound. I also had a teenage crush on all of them! When Transistor came out, I was blown away by the futuristic sound in their songs and I loved that they believed in aliens!”

Total show count for Danielle is somewhere between 50 and 60. First show was in St. Paul, Minnesota, at the Roy Wilkins Auditorium on November 15, 1997. “My best friend and I were waiting to get into the venue and it was 20 degrees out so it was COLD!!! We met some of the guys from Incubus who let us in early and gave us passes. I couldn’t believe I would soon meet everyone from 311, my dream come true!” 

Favorite show so far was the sail away show on cruise number 6. “Between sailing off into the sunset and them playing all my favorites (a lot of heavy ones), it was just an unbelievable experience!” Another one that is memorable for her is partying one last time with fellow fan Jake Smith at Red Rocks in April 2019, plus this years 311 Day. “The energy all 3 nights was something that will keep me smiling through all these unpredictable and scary times.”

Many songs brighten Danielle’s day when she hears them, but the ones that mean the most are the ones she listens to with her kids. “There’s nothing better than dancing around, holding my 4-year-old, listening to him say to me “My heart sings when I think of you” …UGGHHH, I couldn’t feel more loved than I do at that moment! My favorite song changes monthly but currently I would say I get most excited to play “Livin’ and Rockin.” Her most favorite lyric comes from the end of “Wildfire” – “And when the morning comes, you know I’ll still be here, one thing you should not fear, whatever things that come. Through the rain, and the sunshine and the pain, we’ll look back and smile, when all is said and been done, when the song is sung.” She said the lyrics are calming and help leave all anxieties behind. 

Danielle grew up in a small town called Wahpeton in southeast North Dakota, population 7500. “I was a complete nerd growing up, which I think shaped me into the caring person I am today. I always had 1 friend from each of the “groups” in high school so I got a nice perspective of how to mesh with everyone’s unique personalities. Music helped me get through tough times like bullying and not feeling cool enough.” She was a cross country and track runner throughout high school and spent a lot of time training for her next big race. 

Twenty years ago Danielle moved to Fargo, North Dakota. “I HATE the winters but realized it’s a good place to raise kids and my family is close by. I’m pretty much a stay at home mom right now, trying to raise our 4, 6, and 8-year-old without a daycare bill. I squeeze in two days a week as an operating room nurse. My hubby funds our 311 obsession by staying busy selling various types of insurance. I’m shy when meeting new people, but find conversation flows effortlessly with other 311 fans. I’ve met some of the kindest, most non-judgmental friends at the shows. I look forward to seeing 311 at the shows, but even more, the friends I meet up with that I’ve met over the years. I think it’s so cool that if we travel to another state, I could call up a 311 friend to go have some drinks with.”

Fun fact about Danielle? All three of her kids birthdays land on the 18th of their birth month! Talent for her is that she can guess the artist of a song within the first 10 seconds of hearing their voice. “It’s won me a lot of prizes on music trivia nights!” Guilty pleasures, she said she has a lot. “Hobby-wise would be playing bingo and scrapbooking, movie-wise would be Labyrinth, TV show would be Vanderpump Rules, and band-wise would be late 80’s early 90’s rock ballads.” 

Other artists that Danielle loves include Deftones, Finch, Kottonmouth Kings, The Used, Breaking Benjamin, The Movement, Slipknot, Orgy, and anything 90’s alternative. “I like chill bands but also need a little heavy screaming music when I’m working out or on a long drive.”

To 311, Danielle would like to say: “Thank you for giving up so much of your personal and family life to keep entertaining us over all these years, and making us all feel like you truly care about us.”

Her final words to all her fellow 311 fans:

“I love meeting you all and I’m proud to be involved in a group with such positive people. I can’t wait until we can all see each other again at the shows!”

———————

That’s Danielle’s story my friends! Many thanks to her for sharing it and to all the readers each week! Go be well, stay safe, and keep being positive! 

Much Love – The Runt 

Hey there my excitable friends! I hope you are all safe, well, and kicking off your July in a positive way. Shall we get to the latest fan spotlight? Let’s hear the story of Stacy Walker! 

Stacy’s best friend is Kelli Stephens, who was the last fan spotlight, so we’ve already heard the story of how they found 311. They were in the living room and “Down” came on MTV and they were instantly in awe. “They became a huge part of our lives after that. The positivity, the beats, Nick <3 All of them. It just became a lifestyle.”

Show count Stacy stopped keeping track of after number 50 and that was a few years ago. Her very first show was in August 2006 in Indy at White River. “It was life changing! The tickets were a birthday present from Kelli!” 

Choosing a favorite show proved difficult as Stacy loved them all for many different reasons. She wanted to choose the first cruise because well, it was the first. However, she was torn because the beach show on cruise number two was so incredible. Plus the cruise where the 5-timers got a special party and then there was Pow Wow. “I’ll just say all of them have been my favorite so far!” 

For the song that means the most to Stacy, she chose “Do You Right.” “It’s always been my favorite, but I used to have this mixtape (yes, actually a cassette tape my friend made) that had do you right, then when you hit the flip button it would be Apache rose peacock from the Chili peppers… I spent an entire summer driving only listening to those two songs! (Until the cassette player ate it.)”

Lyrics that resonate with her, well she has them tattooed on her forearms and it’s from “Speakeasy.” “If there’s a shadow in your life then there’s sunshine,” and “Just rewind, it’s all in your mind.” Then there is the lyric “The Earth has not swallowed me yet” that also stays with her. “ Like, I still have time cause I’m not in the ground. Really all of them hold a special place in my heart at different times of my life.”

Stacy grew up in the township of Tonkel, Indiana until she was 7. “No, not a town, a cluster of farm houses and a church.” Then she moved to the “big city” (population 8000 or so) and stayed there until she was 20. “Surrounded by rebel flags, farmers and misfits (I was a misfit), then I got a job where I traveled the country which had me in a different city every week. I lived out of a suitcase, saw the ocean for the first time ever, expanded my horizons! It was AWESOME and eye opening!!!” After a few years of that she moved back home for some personal reasons and then she moved to Fort Wayne with Kelli. “I’ve been here ever since! Now I just work and go to school to get my Masters of Communications (After being a high school dropout) I teach public speaking as a GTA (Graduate teaching assistant, not stealing cars) and I fund most of my adventures with student loans. I’m gonna pay them for the rest of my life anyway, I may as well have some good memories and not just crying over monster energy drinks at 4 am fearing finals.”

If you’ve been on the cruises, you may have received a necklace from Stacy! “I make necklaces to pass out on the boat every year. The first five cruises I was really drunk so I probably didn’t introduce myself. So I’m that frizzy haired drunk girl that handed you a ball of hemp necklaces and then danced away.” She claims she has no talents (hello, she makes necklaces!), but she has been told that she’s really easy to talk to. “I think that’s really important for someone who needs someone to listen to them.” 

While Stacy doesn’t feel guilty about anything that gives her pleasure, she said the one thing she gets ridicule from friends about is her love for teen drama shows. “Like One Tree Hill or The OC. I JUST LOVE THEM!!!!” 

Other artists that Stacy can be found listening to include Prince, Dirty Heads, Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings, Simon and Garfunkel, Me First and the Gimmie Gimmies, Allen Stone, Lil’ Dickie, Childish Gambino, Sublime, Alabama Shakes, TOOL, NIN, Blind Melon, Lake street dive,  and Al Green. She really just loves music and could go on for days. “So many bands that i met on the cruise for the first time, like RDGLDGRN, PROF, etc…..  I could keep going forever. Pretty much anything that grabs my soul I’m down with.”

To the band, Stacy would like to send out these words: “Thank you for providing the soundtrack to this awesome life, and for providing places to go enjoy it!”

Her message to all the other 311 fans out there:

“Hey guys! What a year!  I miss seeing all of you at shows, and hope we can dance together very soon! Hopefully on cruise 7! (Please let there be a cruise seven!!!!)”

—————

Thank you Stacy for sharing your story! Virtual hugs to all the readers out there. I miss seeing you all too and can’t wait until we can gather together again. Until next time, go be awesome and spread the good vibes! 

Much Love – The Runt