We recently connected with Shannon Blowtorch and have shared our conversation below.

Shannon, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What sort of legacy are you hoping to build. What do you think people will say about you after you are gone, what do you hope to be remembered for?

I love to learn from, and teach younger folks the craft and business. When I started DJing, there was less than a handful of folks DJing that were not cis men. My goal has always been to change the industry. Take power away from the toxic masculinity of the industry. I have a ton of DJ children and I have their backs, and help them out all the time. I don’t do it for money or recognition, I do it because I want to see the industry change and young people to get through the obstacles quicker with a helping hand.

Shannon, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My name is Shannon Blowtorch. I’m now 47, and I’ve been in the music biz since I was 18. I’ve done just about every position too, promoter, bartender, stage hand, sound engineer, bar back, door person, security, DJ, artist, band member, touring, booker, publicist, teacher, artist relations, ect. I got in to the DJ biz because I was part of a team of folks who opened a bar in MN. I learned to DJ watching the others I would hire, and started to dabble as a sound person too. I saw Pam the Funkstress (DJ for the Coup) one time at First Avenue nightclub, and I was blown away. I was like I wanna be a DJ now. Over the years Pam and I actually ended up being really good friends until she passed away, Rest in power Pam.
I’m pretty proud of doing my best to provide as safe of a space as I can in a public setting. I always watch over the crowd when I’m DJing on stage. I’ve been known to stop the music and shut it off if I see someone getting harassed of messed with in the crowd. I’ve also helped many people get started as a DJ. I wanted to biz to change, and realized none of these dudes were gonna do it, so I had to. I’ve watched the scene change locally and it makes me so happy.
When I’m DJing I’m there to create a vibe and experience. I read a crowd like a chess board and try to anticipate the next fews songs or where I think the crowd many want to journey to. My job isn’t to show off so I can hear myself, my job is to create a flow and vibe for the customers to have a great experience. I’m pretty good at reading any crowd at all, even if I don’t know what I’m walking into.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Well gatekeepers keep me going lol. There’s still plenty of dudes in this biz that are gatekeeping and trying to keep myself and others out of their DJ circles or keep us out of their gigs. I just remain professional, and still get hired where they are gatekeeping. It makes me try even harder so that others in my shoes don’t have to.

Also sometimes the way people treat DJs is insane. If I’m accessible during the gig, some people can feel very entitled, like I’m their private jukebox. Usually those folks are requesting a song that would totally kill the vibe and I won’t do it. Or if they’re being rude I won’t do it. They always try to throw you off afterwards or act like you work for them. Truth is I work for myself, and I’ll walk away from the gig if the venue doesn’t have my back. I’m always professional at work, but I won’t tolerate BS.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

The more gigs you do the better I had to unlearn. I used to take all the gigs even if it was for $100-$300. I was working 3-4 gigs a week and burning out easily. I thought I had to build that way. Well turns out if I don’t that, and I charge more per gig, it all adds up the same. I’m working smarter not harder.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.shannonblowtorch.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/blowtorch
• Facebook: facebook.com/djshannonblowtorch
• Twitter: twitter.com/msblowtorch

Image Credits
Darin Kamnetz