Christine Havrilla

Christine Havrilla
(March 5, 1970 - May 14, 2025)

Christine Havrilla was a self-taught musician celebrated for her “well-built, catchy, smart tunes” (Upstage Magazine) that resonated with audiences everywhere. Her distinct "trash guitar" style and gritty vocals, combined with live looping, captivated listeners across the nation and fostered a devoted fan base known as "The Rillage."

A native of Pottstown, PA, Christine was surrounded by musicians from an early age. Among many others in the family, her father, John, played guitar in a gospel band and went on to record an album with Grammy-nominated producer/engineer David Ivory. When she was 5, Havrilla taught herself how to play guitar. “I’d sneak in and get my father’s guitar from under his bed,” she recalled in 2008. “When he was playing, I always wanted to touch his guitar.” Though she never formally studied music, Christine became a formidable multi-instrumentalist and singer, as well as an accomplished producer and composer, receiving two grants from the National Endowment for the Arts “Meet the Composer” series.

Christine's influences included U2, Sheryl Crow, Indigo Girls, Shawn Colvin, Jonatha Brooke and older idols like Bonnie Raitt and Joni Mitchell (“who paved the way for girls to play the guitar”). Unable to classify her own sound, she categorized it as “Neofunkadelicfolkpoptwangrock.” “Deep down, I’m a rocker,” she admitted. “I have that energy, but I can also play solo with my guitar. It gives me flexibility at different venues or towns.”

After releasing her first CD in 1996, Christine saw that many independent artists were touring and working out of small studios. “I decided I’d write songs, have a band, go for it—and struggle,” she says. “As I played out more, I came to realize I was doing what I was supposed to be doing. It’s about writing songs and sharing.” 

Over the course of her career, Christine released seventeen albums of music and toured for over 25 years. She was an official Takamine Artist and worked for TC Helicon as an equipment demonstrator. She shared the stage with an eclectic list of acts including KT Tunstall, Brandi Carlile, Jeffrey Gaines, Chely Wright, America, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Jill Sobule, Trigger Hippy, Janis Ian, Antigone Rising, Michael Glabicki (Rusted Root), Grey Eye Glances, Train, Melissa Ferrick, Susan Werner, Catie Curtis, Don McLean, Patty Larkin, Michelle Malone, Indigo Girls, David Wilcox, Dixie Chicks, Heart, Christopher Cross, Karla Bonoff, Sara Lee, Cris Williamson, Holly Near, Tret Fure, Dave Mason, Firefall, Kyler England, Adrianne Gonzalez (AG), Davy Knowles, Willy Porter, Bitch, Barnaby Bright, and Sally Taylor. 

In April of 2020, Christine was diagnosed with stage four metastatic breast cancer. For the next five years, she continued to write, record, and perform nationally - both solo and with her band Gypsy Fuzz. On May 14, 2025, she passed away at her home in Milton, DE with her wife of 8 years, Brooke Havrilla-Downes, their two dogs, Prancer and Comet, and their cat, KiTTen by her side.