Happy July my Excitable friends! Who wants to meet a new 311 fan spotlight? Let’s get the story from Steve Ghio!
Steve heard the blue album singles on the radio and that was his intro to 311. While “Down” was overplayed on the stations, he never got tired of the other singles. “Saw the video for Homebrew on RAGE TV Boston and it was different in a cool way. Enjoyed the singles I heard from Transistor and Soundsystem. Once I heard “From Chaos” I finally decided I needed to see them in concert.”
Steve recently did a count of shows attended and he believes he’s at 99. First show for him was October 4th, 2001, at the Tsongas Arena in Lowell. As for his favorite show/event, Steve said that 311 Day 2014 was truly a turning point in his life. “I went solo only knowing of one other person going and made so many new lifelong friends. 4 strangers sharing a groove on Bourbon Street ended up sharing a cabin on Cruise 4. If it wasn’t for meeting JP, Ryan and Mimi I may not have gotten hooked on going on the cruises. The main reason I made my first trip to Colorado to Red Rocks in 2019 was due to meeting Eddie, Preston and the Utah crew on Bourbon Street in 2014. I was walking around solo a day early and they were the only other 311 people that were also there early. They welcomed me into their crew and it really set the tone for the trip. Flash forward to 2019, I had tickets but nothing else planned for Colorado. Eddie was going and reached out to me. He picked me up from the airport, gave me a place to stay and we also saw some awesome street murals in Denver. This is how welcoming the fan base is. Whenever someone is on the fence about going to a show solo whether a local show or a big event I will always say go. You are very likely to have a great time and make new friends.”
Picking just one song that means the most to him proved difficult for Steve. He loves “Still Dreaming” and really loves hearing it live. Another choice for him is “There’s Always an Excuse.” “Initially it wasn’t a favorite but when they played it at 311 Day 2008 that changed my outlook on the song.”
Some lyrics that resonate with Steve include “From chaos comes clarity” and he said it got him to buy his first 311 show ticket. He also loves “Stay positive and love your life.” “Great overall message.”
Worcester County, Massachusetts, is where Steve grew up. The local radio station WAAF 107.3 really shaped his musical taste, along with another station WBCN 104.1. He started going to concerts in 1996 and was hooked after his first show, which was Localpalooza in 1996 with God Lives Underwater. “In order to fund my concert adventures I got my first job as a bagger at Market Basket. I graduated college from Clark University and got a job as a computer programmer for a medical software company. I am very fortunate that my job is very accommodating to my 311 related vacation requests. My main hobbies are going to concerts and photography along with hiking, geocaching and bird watching.”
Fun fact about Steve, he tries to take at least one photo every day. “I have done this every day starting June 1st 2011. However I have not posted/uploaded all these photos.” Something that makes Steve unique is his laugh. “I am not sure how it came to be but it’s something that is noticeable about me.”
Steve’s main hobby is going to concerts. He also helps run a Facebook group called Ticket Presale Codes, which helps people find the universal presale codes for events. ” I also have a Youtube channel called “Steve’s Concert Corner” where I post a good amount of video clips from all the concerts I go to.” For guilty pleasure. Steve is hooked on older shows from the Fox network. “I didn’t have cable growing up so I got hooked on FOX TV shows like “Married with Children”, “The Simpsons”, “In Living Color” and “Beverly Hills 90210”. I recorded about 95% of the Married with Children on VHS and had an episode checklist. Favorite episode is “I’ll shop around.”
For other musicians besides 311, Steve loves the sounds from Sevendust, Deftones, Nine Inch Nails, Tool, RATM, RHCP, QOTSA, Green Day, Alice in Chains, Soundgarden, Audioslave, Incubus, Foo Fighters, Faith No More, RdGldGrn, Tropidelic, Korn, Limp Bizkit, Letters to Cleo, Beastie Boys, Godsmack, Papa Roach, Linkin Park, Shinedown, Royal Blood, Dilated Peoples, Evidence, and many many more.
To 311, Steve has this message: “Keep going. As long as you keep touring we will see you on the road.”
And now here is his message to all his fellow fans:
“In 2012 I randomly met Kelly and Keith in the parking lots at a Godsmack / Shinedown concert. I was wearing a 311 shirt and Kelly was rocking some 311 wristbands. We became instant friends and they introduced me to the 311 facebook community. This also included inviting me to the 311 New England group. Joining these communities has led to so many friendships and for that I am always grateful. Special thanks to all the friends I have met in this community.
My best advice to any 311 fan is to get connected with the 311 community and seek out the local 311 groups where you live.
Also, If you get a chance to go to a 311 Day / 311 Cruise or another special 311 event, go!. Go to any of the preparties and if the Unity All Stars are playing check them out.”
Super big thanks to Steve for sharing his story with us all! Always, my gratitude to anyone who reads this little blog each post. Hope you all have an amazing week and hope to see some of you at a show soon!
Much Love – The Runt