We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Damion Saunders. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Damion below.
Hi Damion, thanks for joining us today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?
As a child I was always involved with some type of music wether it was singing in the choir or playing an instrument. Growing up I tinkered with the clarinet, keyboard, and drums It wasn’t until 2017 that I found my true passion and pursued a career as a professional dj
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
Well to start my name is Damion Saunders and I go by Dj Madsticks. I am a 47 year old father of four as well as three step children. When not djing I work full time as a Mate for Trader Joe’s. One day will sitting with a few buddies in the garage they began djing on different devices and well I was feeling a bit left out. That night I knew I wanted to dj and went out and purchased my first dj controller. I quickly began to polish my skills and the rest was history. Going into year seven I have had the opportunity to work with some great artist as well as venues. I wouldn’t be where I am today without them giving me a chance. Recently I have become the official dj for four different artist Tip Vicious, Master Kingdom, Spare Time Heroes, and Meteorita. These are four artist who I’ve worked with in various capacities and now have the pleasure of always rocking the stage with them. I also owe my success to the three guys that I call brothers. Lance “DJ L Boogie” Carter, Comedian Dru Burks, and Bobby “Kid” Reed who have mentored from the very start and have also given me my start with shows. Without these three brothers I wouldn’t be the dj that I am today. As I dj I try and provide a unique show one that people will remember. For me it is never about money but a bout seeing a hurting society come together for one night and enjoy music together. Wether it’s a wedding, a show, backyard boogie , whatever the occasion may be my goal is to see people dancing putting all differences aside and having a great time.
In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?
Society can best support artist and creatives by first supporting their friends and family. I’ve dj’ed local shows where they may be a few people in the audience and it’s their friend or family member performing. They don’t show up but will go spend hundreds and even thousands of dollars to go see a main stream artist who probably will never know their name. Showing up and supporting is key. With social media it’s makes it even easier to support. It’s as simple as clicking a button and sharing content. Again we share videos of random things all day long but won’t support a local artist that probably lives right next door.
Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
My main mission is to continue to bring society together by the one common thing we can all relate to and that’s music. Without music the world would be a terrible place. Music relaxes and heals. Music is therapeutic and can change a person entire day with the right song. I’m a firm believer than music can truly save a persons life.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @djmadsticks
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/madsticks2020?mibextid=LQQJ4d