Welcome again my friends in 311 nation! I hope you all are doing well & staying safe. Let’s get to it and meet the latest fan spotlight, Crystal Decoteau!
Crystal remembers being on the bus in elementary school and hearing 311 on the radio. She has two siblings that are 5 and 7 years older than her, and she would hear them playing the songs as well, but it was just the mainstream songs at first. “Fast forward to high school, my older boyfriend at the time played them for me and I remember being like “oh hey, I loved that song when I was a kid.” So he burned me a few cd’s but I only listened to them sporadically. It wasn’t until my first 311 show at 16 that I got hooked. I was in a dark place at the time dealing with severe depression and suicide. My friend had an extra ticket to the Download Festival at the Tweeter Center in Mansfield, MA and made me go. I hadn’t really listened to them too much, but I went to the show because I wanted to see The Wailers and Dropkick Murphy’s and it was going to be my first music festival. I remember the intense energy of the crowd along with 311 when they stepped on the stage. It was something I had never felt before. There was a huge thunder and lightening storm that temporarily stopped the show and when the show continued the energy was even more crazy. After that night I started listening to them constantly, wanting to feel what I had felt during that show. I started really listening to their lyrics and felt like it hit home. The first time I listened to “Beyond the Gray Sky” I cried and realized I wanted to fight my depression and not let it consume me anymore. I became obsessed with 311 and relied on their music and their positive message to get me through everything. I tell people 311 saved my life because their music literally uplifted me and helped me change my point of view on everything. I was so hooked that I had bought every single album and listened to them nonstop. I went to every single show possible after 2006. But it wasn’t until 2015 that I talked to someone at a show and they asked if I was part of the “Familia”. I had no idea what he was talking about (I was never much of a social media person) so after the show I went home and checked it out. I had no idea there was such a huge group of like minded, loving and caring people. I have terrible social anxiety so I never really talked with anyone at shows besides the random sharing of blunts. Suddenly I learned about 311 Day and the Cruises and saw all these strangers coming together for the same love of 311. I fell in love with 311 all over again! It has become more than just music to lift my spirits when I’m feeling depressed, it has become a way of life for me. “
Crystal never really kept track of the number of shows she attended because when she started, she didn’t realize how much of a relationship she was going to develop with 311. “I see people hit milestones on show counts and wish I had kept track. I didn’t start keeping ticket stubs right away either. I tried going through them the other day and realized how many I’m missing. I’ve seen them at least once every year since I was 16, so theoretically I’m around 30 shows including the 2019 Cruise and 311 Day 2020. My first show was the Download Festival in 2006 in Mansfield, MA.”
As for favorite, Crystal said that each show has it’s own special moment for her. If she was forced to choose just one though it would be the cruise. ” I had tried to go on a 311 Cruise for years and was never able to get OTMFB. I finally got a spot with my sister and fellow slinky Krista. We celebrated my 30th Birthday, so the first show as we set sail was out of this world. It was a dream come true to finally be in that moment. And to share it with my sister (who doesn’t understand my obsession and love for 311) was amazing.”
Just like Crystal said that every show has a special meaning to her, so do the songs. However “Beyond the Gray Sky” she says is a song that helped save her life. It was the lyrics, “Don’t give up the fight to stay alive, and even if you have to find the reason of another’s pain if they lose you, if not for yourself, then those around who care like I do” that really hit her. “Although I have a hard time listening to it now. I don’t want to dwell on the past, I want to continue to stay positive, love life and more forward.”
Some other lyrics that Crystal loves include: “I’m the perfect example of not giving a fuck about the catty rude people that just suck;” “To be alive is lovin’:” “You can’t be let down if you don’t expect the world;” “Fuck the naysayers cuz they don’t mean a thing;” “Lovely life I thank you for the reason to see the pain through;” “I’d like to stay here just like this, it’s just a momentary bliss, that’s all we can hope for, that’s the reason to cope for, this life, this life and no more;” “Life could slip away in absent minded numbness;” and “You wanna get free cause you dwell under the spell of negativity, and when the world is crashing down crumbling at your feet, just lean into it.”
Crystal was born and raised in Southern New Hampshire, which she said has pretty small towns with not a lot to do. She’s only moved four times in her life and it was always 1-2 towns from where she was. “Living in small towns there was never really anything to do so pretty much everything revolved around music. Whether it was sitting in my room painting, doing chores, roller blading, going to open mic nights, everything I did involved jamming out to music. I never went anywhere without my walkman/cd player and headphones. Every family vacation as a kid I would just sit there listening to music. When I was 13 I taught myself how to play guitar, but found it hard to find the time to play with school and work once I turned 16. Once in High School, driving around with friends listening to music is basically all we did (while smoking weed of course). My parents were pretty strict so that on top of living in a place with nothing to do made it pretty boring. But occasionally me and my friends would sneak out to the local underground spots where small bands would play.”
Crystal said she spent most of her childhood isolating herself because of her depression, so once she graduated high school and started loving life more, she realized how important her family was to her. “I wanted to make up for the time I lost pushing them away. So even though I’ve always wanted to pack up and move to a new place in the world, I don’t want to be far away from my family. So now I just try my hardest to save money to travel the world. I went backpacking in Europe with my sister and visited her in Morocco (she’s lived on 4 different continents).”
At the age of 16 is when Crystal got her first job, and she said she’s just been working hard ever since to fund her concert life and to make money to travel the world. “I go to about a dozen shows a year, it’s really all I do for fun. Concerts/music is my form of therapy. I’ve worked in customer service my whole life. Started in retail and ended up in the restaurant industry. Which is kind of ironic cause I was always super shy growing up and still have intense social anxiety.”
Crystal loves to spend time with her family, she loves animals, and she loves to go on adventures and try new things. “Ever since I found a new love for live, I’m pretty much open to anything.” Fun fact about Crystal is that for the last 4 years she has managed a craft cocktail bar. “It’s won a few awards for their cocktails. People tell me all the time that I’m an amazing “mixologist” (I don’t see it, but again self reflection/confidence is something I’m still working on). I do love bartending in a craft cocktail setting. It’s way different then regular bartending. Being able to play with different ingredients like pickling spices, ginger, lavender, etc. and come up with a cocktail that tastes good and blows peoples mind is fun. It’s like chemistry, but with a sense of creativity.”
Guilty pleasure for Crystal? She loves getting stoned and coloring. “I love to just relax and let my mind float away. I’ll put some music on and just color for hours. That and blasting music and dancing. If you ever see me at a show, I’m usually wearing sunglasses just dancing my heart out as if I’m the only one in the room.”
For other artists that Crystal loves, they are as follows: Tropidelic, Fortunate Youth, Rebelution, Tribal Seeds, The Elovaters, Stick Figure, Slightly Stoopid, The Movement, Iration, Atmosphere, Incubus, Jurassic 5, Deftones, Tool, Glass Animals, CHVRCHES, Citizen Cope, Snakehips, Chet Faker, Led Zeppelin, Cream, Halsey, Alessia Cara, and Lorde. “But seriously, I listen to everything. I have a favorite band/artist for every genre.”
To 311, Crystal has this message: “Thank you for saving my life! Your music has helped me in so many ways I can’t even begin to put it into words. It has become more than just music for me, it has become a way of life. Keep spreading the love and positivity!”
Her message to all the other fans out there is this:
“Thank you for being so great! I don’t really know anyone and have yet to get over my social anxiety, but I know I can call each and every one of you a friend. I can’t wait till we can all be at a show together again!”
Thank you Crystal for sharing your story and love of 311! It was a pleasure to write it and I send so much gratitude to all those supporters out there! I hope you all have an amazing week, keep being awesome!
Much Love – The Runt