Well hello again 311 nation! Another week is upon us, hopefully you are all staying safe & healthy. Let’s get to it and meet the new fan spotlight, Candy Ant!
The age of 12 is when Candy first heard the magical sounds of 311. She was on a family trip and had gone to the hotel pool with a friend. They met a boy there who was listening to his walkman and she asked what he was playing, so he shared his headphones with her. “That moment started a life long obsession. I had never heard anything like this sound in my life before. The bass line, the plucky guitar.. “it kind of sounds like hip hop, but it’s definitely not?” It was a very Jack Skellington “What’s this?!” moment. It was All Mixed Up.. and I needed more. To this day, I couldn’t tell you what that boy’s name was. All I knew was I needed that CD. Once my family returned home from our trip, I used every dollar I had stashed away and went to the store and bought every 311 cd I could find – 311, Music and a censored copy of Grassroots… I spent every single day the rest of that summer in my room listening to those cds, reading the lyrics over and over – pretty heavy and thought provoking stuff for a 12 year old kid – and I was hooked.”
For show count, Candy said she lost track of the number. She has seen them every year at least 2-3 times, with the exception of 2018 because she had just given birth, and then this current year because of the pandemic. Her first show was in Asbury Park, she was in high school, so she skipped school that day so she could sit outside the venue to try and meet the guys. For favorite show or event, Candy had this answer: “Am I lame if I said “I love them all?” Because I do. 311 shows are like holidays to me – an opportunity to celebrate, be happy and be with the ones I love the most, my friends. 311 has brought so many amazing people into my life and we usually only get to see each other at shows and events, so each one is kind of special to me. If I had to pick one, I’d say the double night Tabernacle shows in 2014. The energy and the crowds were simply amazing those two nights; plus we had Stereolithic in the set list. I’m still waiting for those jams to come back into play.”
Song that means the most to her, she said they really all have meaning to her in one way or another. “Like a lot of others out there, their music has really pulled me through some rough spots in my life and each album has soundtracked a different chapter as I’ve aged. My go to jam though is Flowing. I’ve always found solace in the relatability of that one. But the majority of their songs, the real existential ones, the ones that hit on equality and love, those are the ones that mean the most to me because they’ve helped guide and navigate me.”
There is a lyric that Candy used as her high school year book quote and she said she will use it to help raise her daughter: “The fish who keeps on swimming, is the first to chill upstream.” “I always took this as “getting through life is hard. It feels like a never ending battle, like the struggle to swim upstream and against the current, but you have to. You have to to survive and you have to to find peace. Keep swimming. Get there. It’s going to be ok.”
Candy said she’s been a little bit of everywhere. While she grew up in central New Jersey, when she was 19 she decided that she wanted to “visit the world” and started her nomad lifestyle. “I moved out to the desert in California, spent a little over a year there and then headed back east to coastal NC. Spent 5ish years there and headed back to the desert. I lived less than 2 miles from the entrance gate to Joshua Tree National Park… it was by far the most beautiful place I had ever seen in my life and I needed to go back. I felt the most free in the open desert – some of my fondest memories are driving as fast as I possibly could through the open desert, blasting Evolver as loud as my car speakers would allow and just enjoying the freedom, being in the moment. But then after another year of blistering heat, I moved back east to Massachusetts. I have a deep-seated loathing for the New England Patriots, so staying up there was no longer an option for me. (I’m kidding… mostly.) I moved to Pennsylvania in 2008 and have been here ever since. While I left my heart somewhere on the left coast, I prefer the 95-corridor simply because it makes traveling to see 311 that much easier. I can hit 5 shows in 3-4 states over as many days.”
Interesting fact about Candy? “I’m Batman, and I can breathe in outer space.” Something unique about Candy is that she has a radio show. “I’m on hiatus right now because of COVID, but for the last 7 years I’ve had a radio show where I primarily feature 311 songs. The show is usually anywhere from 2-4 hours live and I’ll play 311 2-4 times per hour. Everything in between is what I like to call an “eclectic grab bag” and I’ll play anything and everything, including live requests. I use a “stage name” for on air, so most people don’t even know I’m the same person, so it’s always funny to me when I get a random message from someone telling me 311 is on the radio right now and I’m like “yes, I know. I’m the one playing it” lol.”
Want to know what Candy’s guilty pleasure is? “ I listen to Ricky Martin and drink wine with a straw. I also play way more xbox than one should admit to.” When not listening to 311 or Ricky Martin, she can be found listening to pretty much anything due to her eclectic taste in music. However she draws a hard NO line at country music or Gregorian chant. “But honestly, I really do love all varieties of music. Aside from 311, my “all time favorite band of all time” would have to be the Beatles. I pretended John Lennon was my junior prom date and wore a yellow dress and used a Yellow Submarine lunch box with a rose tied to it as my purse. I was a weird kid. But my day to day playlist can include anything from Madonna, to Bowie & Prince, RTJ, the Misfits, the Unseen, Buddy Holly, Lady Gaga, Bill Withers, Dolly Parton, junior MAFIA… really, anything. If I were to throw my shit on shuffle right now, there’s a good possibility we could get GHOST or the Slap Chop auto tune remix by DJ Steve Porter… it’s really a toss up.”
To 311, Candy has this simple message: “Thank you!”
Candy has these words for all the other fans out there:
“It’s getting OK now!” I can’t wait until things are back to normal and I can hug and see you all again. All the love and all the missing.”
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There you have the story of Candy Ant! Thank you so much to her for sharing her adventure and to all of you for your continued support of the fan spotlights. Have a safe, healthy, and happy week!
Much Love – The Runt