ENTERTAINMENT SPOTLIGHT: Disc jockey adds to resume with bar scenes

Sep. 3—After a change of scenery and new equipment, disc jockey Shawn Solo found rejuvenation in his work by performing in the bar scenes in Tahlequah.

Shawn Pendleton, also known as DJ Shawn Solo, has been in the world of DJ'ing since 2000, when he ran sound for a Stephen Ray Vaughan tribute band in Dallas.

The bass player of the band, Texas Flood, participated in disc jockey work and helped Pendleton find his footing in the venture.

"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 said. "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 a part of was a large wedding in Dallas, which he said 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 said.

While some shows still cause Pendleton to get nervous, his experience has helped him to hone his musical abilities and share his knowledge with others.

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

Pendleton moved to Tahlequah about three years ago, and has continued his disc jockey work at Kroner and Baer and Dewain's Place. Pendleton has not only worked at multiple weddings this year, but has now created the Rebel DJ Alliance — a small DJ band that plays party hits from disco to hip hop to house 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 said.

One of the hardest aspects of DJing that Pendleton has found is staying up to date with gear and not getting in a "rut" of only performing older songs and nothing fresh. Before Pendleton moved to Cherokee County, he said mixing music and being a DJ was just not exciting anymore, as he was just going through the motions.

After receiving new gear and software and getting involved with the bar scene, Pendleton said it helped to rejuvenate his want to perform.

"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 said. "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 said he never had a goal of making his disc jockey work a thriving business, as he moved to Tahlequah to go back to school and try to get into optometry school. The DJ said he believes he has received more opportunities to perform 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 said.

What's next

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