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