After a change of surroundings and new gear, disc jockey Shawn Solo discovered rejuvenation in his work by performing within the bar scenes in Tahlequah.

Shawn Pendleton, also referred to as DJ Shawn Solo, has been on this planet of DJ’ing since 2000, when he ran sound for a Stephen Ray Vaughan tribute band in Dallas.

The bass participant of the band, Texas Flood, participated in disc jockey work and helped Pendleton discover his footing within the enterprise.

“It started off very small, and I got into a couple of venues in Dallas, and then got in with a production company and just started doing weddings and events, just as a side business,” Pendleton stated. “I’ve been in the medical field for the majority of my career, but DJ’ing was just a nice business on the side. It’s been a lot of fun.”

The first gig Pendleton was part of was a big wedding ceremony in Dallas, which he stated was nerve-racking.

“I was freaking out. I was stammering over my words, and I was just hoping that the music I played, even though it was what some of the bride requested, I was just worried they weren’t going to dance the whole night,” Pendleton stated.

While some reveals nonetheless trigger Pendleton to get nervous, his expertise has helped him to hone his musical talents and share his data with others.

“I’m more than just the guy that shows up and plays music and facilitates it,” Pendleton stated. “I’m actually, almost, like a mini wedding coordinator when it comes to events.”

Pendleton moved to Tahlequah about three years in the past, and has continued his disc jockey work at Kroner and Baer and Dewain’s Place. Pendleton has not solely labored at a number of weddings this 12 months, however has now created the Rebel DJ Alliance – a small DJ band that performs occasion hits from disco to hip hop to deal with music.

“[I’m] trying to bring something new and different to Tahlequah, where we’ve got four DJs up on stage, and just basically making it a club night,” Pendleton stated.

One of the toughest facets of DJing that Pendleton has discovered is staying updated with gear and never getting in a “rut” of solely performing older songs and nothing recent. Before Pendleton moved to Cherokee County, he stated mixing music and being a DJ was simply not thrilling anymore, as he was simply going via the motions.

After receiving new gear and software program and getting concerned with the bar scene, Pendleton stated it helped to rejuvenate his wish to carry out.

“Like I’ve said, I’ve been doing it for a long time, but this past year and a half, almost two years, I’ve been like a kid in a candy store again,” Pendleton stated. “It’s been a lot of fun. It’s been making me practice a whole lot more and trying to do new things with actually making mashups of songs and different types of mixing, and it’s not quite production yet, but just a lot of that fun stuff.”

Pendleton stated he by no means had a objective of constructing his disc jockey work a thriving enterprise, as he moved to Tahlequah to return to highschool and attempt to get into optometry faculty. The DJ stated he believes he has acquired extra alternatives to carry out in Tahlequah than when he was in Dallas.

“Now before I start school again, if that even happens, I may decide to just go ahead and start growing it and haved a couple DJs under my belt, and actually, have a production company or entertainment, where I’ve got two or three DJs, and we can look at events and that kind of thing,” Pendleton stated.

What’s subsequent

DJ Shawn Solo can be acting at Kroner and Baer on Thursdays at 7 p.m. and Dewain’s Place on Saturdays at 9 p.m. He can even be performing on the Help In Crisis Masquerade Ball Oct. 13 on the Cherokee Casino Chota Center at 6 p.m.