Today we’d like to introduce you to Marcus Shaw.
Hi Marcus, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I go by Lefty which is my DJ alias. I was born in Austin Texas on June 13th, 1990. I am about to be 32 years old. My first passion in life was skateboarding at the age of 13. I remember my mom Loretta, would make me put a towel in the back of my pants to keep me from hurting my butt when I fell down. I also wore pads and a helmet of course. I have continued to skateboard my whole life and I have never broken a bone. I also grew up being a swimmer and was on the swim team when I was young. I enjoyed exercising and being active at an early age but as I got older and adolescents and rebellion kicked in I reframed from team-managed sports. I was never good at any of the regular sports like football, basketball or soccer. In high school, I never really made good grades. I remember in elementary school I always thought that I was weird and different from everyone else. My parents were also kind of protective and somewhat distrusting of other people or families. That defiantly rubbed off on me in one way or another. I had my first ever birthday party after 5th grade. It was the first time I realized other kids at school actually liked me. I remember it being a big deal because it was the first time my parents allowed other kids from school to our house.
In middle school, I became more social and being open with classmates and I made more friends. I turned into even more of a social person by wanting to have fun with my friends and enjoy more experiences life had to offer than being a kid in school. My friends and I would do and try all kinds of things like jump into bushes, jump out of them, and scare people, sneak out at night, TP our friend’s houses, moon people, & make pranks calls. I was never the best skater in the group when I was younger but I loved everything about it. Skateboarding is a way of life. It’s something you choose to do on your own. It’s a pass of freedom and righteousness. It was a very rebellious thing to do at the time as well which I loved. I never thought I would become a professional simply because I never progressed as fast as others. I grew up in Westlake & I went to Westlake High School. My mom is black and she is from Colombia Missouri, My dad Greg, is white and he is from Austin Texas. I was like 1 out of 5 black people at Westlake. As a Freshman in High School, I still knew I was a weird kid but I had noticed how well I get along with peers and students around me. I had friends in all the different groups and clicks in school. I felt overall accepted by people around me except for maybe teachers. I was most likely considered a bad kid but not necessarily the class clown even though I thought I was funny. I remember owning a video camera and filming my friends and I skateboard & having fun with wreck-less behavior.
Eventually, I grew out of that lifestyle but continued to skate. I played French horn in the high school band and I was terrible. I was always the last chair. My parents were always huge music fans and music lovers. My dad loves most rock n roll & my mom loves pretty much most good singers, songwriters and they both just like good music and with good taste. I thank my parents for my musical taste and talents. Midway into High School, I started thinking more about what I wanted to be good at or wanted to do or be in life. I remember buying my first pair of drumsticks and playing with them all over the house. Tapping on anything my parents would allow me to which was pretty much everything. I had some neighbor friends down the street who were twins named Andy & Max and they both played guitar. I remember seeing our friend Daniel play drums and being so amazed with how he would play. I setup up cans in my garage like a drum set and would beat on them. Eventually, my parent got me a drum set and a couple of at home lessons from a guy my dad knew. My dad Greg, has been the bar manager at Gueros Taco Bar for over 20 years. I remember my friends and I would Jam in the garage. Some neighbors would come over and complain and my mom would basically tell them to f*ck off, It was so righteous. My parents have always had my back and raised me well, always. I was a part of a couple of different bands in high school.
I also taught myself to play guitar and sing, even though I wasn’t that great at either. When I was 17(2007) still in High School I attended my first Rave that some friends outside of my school had told me about. At the age of 17, I was already hanging out with older people who were in college and more experienced than me. I remember going back to class after the weekend and telling all my friends about Raves and how they had to come check it out. After attending my first rave I realized how much I loved dancing to electronic music like House or Dubstep. 2008 is the year Dubstep became this international phenomena. It was this new UK electronic music genre that had landed itself into your headphones if you were a heavy music downloader. I remember AOL. I remember downloading music and movies onto my parent’s computer when I was 16. I loved learning about music and movies at home on the internet. I would research and study movies a lot because I was always so fascinated by some of the films I would watch at an early age. I would also rent movies from Vulcan Video with my dad all the time. They knew him there and would basically rent for free. I realize now that I have always had a thing for film and even music for that matter. I think some people would say they go hand in hand. It’s all history and it’s all connected. The phenomena of Dubstep arising definitely concreted my passion for EDM(electronic dance music). I was hooked. I picked up Raving, Dancing, DJing, & Event planning/throwing all within one year. In 2008 I successfully threw my first Warehouse Party in Austin.
After High School, I didn’t go to college. I already knew what I wanted to do even though I didn’t know I would really still be doing it today. I was a young 18 year old party animal aspiring to be a legit DJ in the Austin Music Scene. During these 15 years of DJing, I have accomplished and learned a lot through experience in my career. I know people who have gone to college and don’t use their degrees. I know plenty of people who have died and many drug overdoses. I know there are peers, teachers, parents, & even friends who maybe thought I wouldn’t amount to anything. That because I didn’t go to college I wasn’t smart or mature. Life really isn’t what you think it is when you are a kid. Growing up and being an adult is all perspective and your future only pertains to your past and what you have learned along the way. I for one will always be the boyish mind in the grown man’s body. I have a young sense of humor and I love to have fun, be silly, and laugh. Life is what you make it and I have somehow found a way to make my life work for the best, for me. I am a Full-Time DJ at the age of 31 going on 32. I have always strived for my goals and I’m obviously not a quitter. I like to swim and skateboard as often as possible just like I did when I was a kid. I love getting exercise and doing outside activities. I love to sweat. 2020 was a rough year for everyone including myself. I was a successful full-time DJ in 2019 after quitting my managing position at a local Pizza Food Truck called Via313. My DJ gigs went out the window and at one point I picked up a shift at Via313 during the pandemic but I had gotten used to working for myself, it just wasn’t the same. I lived off the money I had saved up during the beginning of the pandemic. I also had lots of free time to discover new things and rediscover old things.
In 2020 I gave up drinking alcohol for almost six months. I picked up running and working out and became a healthier human being. With all the free time from being a working DJ, I started finding new hobbies. I picked up photography which is something one of my brothers Maverick, had been a professional at for many years. He was also an Artist and Actor. My love for entertainment and pop culture facts have slowly grown and become something I connect with in life, probably from my previous knowledge about film. At one point before the pandemic, I started really getting into comic books and graphic novels. I also slowly became more fascinated with horror movies specifically. I remember the moment I became obsessed with the Walking Dead TV Show and I remember the exact moment I also became obsessed with the Walking Dead graphic novel. These obsessions only fueled my urge to become more familiar with the world of horror. During the pandemic, I would be on Instagram a lot and I was always being influenced by some of the things I would see from the pages I was following. I always try to use social media apps to my advantage and use them as a positive outlet. I started coming across these female models who would dress up or wear the clothes of their favorite horror movie characters or monsters. I call them “horror babes”. I noticed that some of these models had their own VHS collection of their favorite horror movies. I remember being so intrigued that there was not only hot girls but people in 2020 who were collecting VHS tape and taking pictures with them, and showing them off on Instagram. I immediately started ordering and looking to find places I could start collecting them myself. Plus I had all this time to myself so why not become a collector. It became a big thing for me, I would get on the Facebook marketplace and find these lots(boxes) of VHS tapes in and around Austin that people were giving away for free or selling for very cheap. I would go to goodwills and half-priced books also looking to buy VHS Tapes.
Again I became hooked to something overnight. My roommates and friends began to wonder and ask me what was I going to do with all the VHS tapes. Watch them all? They were curious if I would be able to resell them. At first, I never thought about selling VHS tapes to make my money back or profit but soon enough a light bulb went off in my head. I could see there was a market for VHS tapes online and at the same time places like iheartvideo, a movie rental shop, had closed down for good. I met other local tape heads in the community. There are specific markets we like to vend at that people will buy our VHS tapes, places like The Ballroom formerly known as Spiderhouse. My love for movies has come back full circle and I have actually turned my knowledge about movies into a profitable side hustle. It’s the summer of 2022 and all I can say is Time Flies. I still have so many interests and hobbies without enough hours in the day to get everything I want to do. Even today I feel like I am rushing to fill out these interview questions while also knowing I could tell you stories about my life for days. The fact of the matter is life is work and fun, I have managed to accomplish what I like to call Fun Work. I do what I love and I always will until the day I die I am once again a full-time DJ with multiple gigs every weekend in Austin. I buy, sell, & trade tape on the regular with people all over North America. I try to be healthy and exercise as much as I can and I try to always be good to the people around me and in my life, I love the life I have created for myself and I wouldn’t trade it with anyone. Thank you for letting me tell a piece of my story and thank you for wanting to know who the real Lefty is.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I would say out of the last 15 years the pandemic has been one of the biggest setbacks for me simply because of how much I felt like I had going for me at the time. You think you are on top of the world and then a global pandemic happens and you realize you are just the small little spec in mother nature and it’s her world and you really know as much as you do which isn’t a lot. Your life is a small fraction in this uncontrollable universe that can always throw you for a loop. I traveled to Europe for my first time in October 2019 and when Covid broke out I was so thankful that I went on that trip. I’m not getting any younger and going to Europe was something that I slowly realized I needed to visit as soon as possible. The timing on that trip could not have been any more perfect. I came back to the U.S. with so much new experience and inspiration. It’s cheesy to say but going to Europe changed my life. Now that things are starting to feel more like they used to, things are actually starting to pick up and I’m getting busy again and getting lots of paid gigs I can see my career reforming and taking shape. There’s lots of fresh opportunities out there, especially in Austin and especially because I am from here. It really gives me the up on things when it comes to resources and I’m able to connect dots that others couldn’t or would have trouble with. I try to always have a good head on my shoulders and keep a positive mindset. You only live once so you have to make life worth it.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am a Professional DJ born & raised from Austin Texas. I have been DJing since 2007/2008 & in 2019 I quit my Managing position at Via 313 Food Trucks to be a Full-Time DJ. The music genres I currently specialize in are Minimal House, Deep House, & Deep Tech. I can DJ any genre, play to the crowd, and I bring the vibes. I’m known for DJing in Austin but I have DJed outside of Texas many times. People know me as Lefty and lots of people call me Lefty every day. It’s my DJ name but it has worked well as my Nickname. I’ve noticed that I really get all kinds of DJ gigs. I’m playing my first bachelorette party soon. Earlier this year I DJed an Office Party for Home Depot. Sometimes we will set up DJ gear at Zilker Park or Commons Ford by the lake. On top of all that I DJ downtown every weekend at venues like Coconut Club, Neon Grotto, Cheer up Charlies, Higher Ground, Native Hostel, & Empire. I want to say that my DJ & Music skills aren’t the only reason I’m able to get so many consistent gigs. I want to say it also has to do with who I am as a person and what I stand for and what I’m all about. A 1/3 of my bookings come from me reaching out to play a gig, another 1/3 is someone reaching out to me to play a gig, and the last 1/3 is someone else recommending me to someone they know who needs a DJ. You can find me DJing somewhere in Austin every week. Check out my Instagram @djleftyatx.
I’m at a point where I’m shipping out orders of VHS tapes all over the U.S. every week. I also know a lot of people in town who will buy them. I have a niche clientele and I become more familiar with my buyers as time goes by. I will look for specific VHS tapes that people are looking for and then I will locate and supply them specifically. I have an Instagram account for my VHS business as well @VHS_Recovery where you can look at all my movies for sale. I also run a side business with my homegirl Megan, @Tapegiirll, where we clean mold off of the reels in the VHS tapes for people. I defiantly see myself continuing to collect and provide people with VHS tapes for the next few years. The market is good, business is good, and the people in the community are great.
I get paid to do Digital or Film photography from time to time and editing but really it’s just something I like doing. Photography is really fun and not something I want to take too seriously career-wise but I really respect it and the people in the industry. I will continue to create through photos and editing. I will continue to collect Film Cameras and shoot in Film.
If I have time or need to make ends meet I will deliver food for Uber Eats, but I haven’t been needing do to that lately.
I think what I am most proud of is my ability to make things work. The way I have paved my lifestyle and career to go hand in hand. I have so many interests which keep life interesting and keep things moving in a direction where I always feel like I am getting something done rather it’s small or big. I think the little things tend to add up to something big you didn’t expect. In life, you just have to go for whatever it is you want to do. I will say that when I started DJing I didn’t know where it would take me or how long I would really be doing it or that it would turn into my Full-Time Job/Career. I’m proud of myself for making the choice almost 15 years ago to start playing shows at such a young age and never giving up. Knowing when I was younger deep down that I was meant to be on stage, on that side of the music industry and not just a fan in the crowd. Knowing that I loved music so much that it needed to be a huge part of my life no matter what. Here I am living that little dream and every day making it who I am.
I would say the thing that sets me apart from some of the peers in my craft is purely based on experience. I’ve been DJing for a while now and I’m still young. In a world where Electronic Dance Music & DJing is constantly growing and everyone’s mom is a DJ, I have some years under my belt and a lot of experience to go with it. Experience is just putting yourself in the position to fail and learn how to do things the right way, from just giving it a try. Once you spend enough time learning the ins and outs of your craft eventually a lot of things will come natural from preparing yourself with patience and confidence. You can’t give up on yourself and you have to go with that gut feeling that you love what you do.
“Study Life”
(that just popped up in my head haha)
What does success mean to you?
For me, now that I’m older I defiantly see money as a big part of personal success. You are putting a dollar sign on something you love to do, something you were born to do. When you realize your talent, and hard work, you do realize that time is money. Most people know what it’s like to have to work for what you want. It’s a simple concept and if you have parents that teach you to be a hard worker then it sticks with you. Not only that but again back to being older now, you just realize how important it is to have and save money, you need a foundation and you want to be able to do things when you want and how you want.
When you have a passion like, Music, Photography, Acting, Painting or Creating. You really just want to be immersed in a culture or art forum that you yourself are a fan of. I’m in the Music Industry because I love everything about Music. When you actually create a name for yourself in a scene that you will always love and appreciate, that’s the feeling of success. Accomplishing something that you wrote down on a notepad one day as a goal you were setting for yourself, that’s the feeling of success. Smoking weed at the end of a long hot day in Austin Texas in your house with the AC blasting, that’s the feeling of success.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/djleftyatx/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Leftyatx
- Other: https://www.instagram.com/vhs_recovery/
Image Credits
The first picture of me DJing was taken by Steve Souza
