DJ’s touring the pacific northwest all believe recreational cannabis is having a positive impact on the electronic dance music (EDM) scene. Spoken Bird believes it’s lessening the impact of unregulated street drugs in the venues. Duffrey believes cannabis has always gone hand in hand with electronic music, but the fact that it’s widely accepted makes for a safer and carefree experience. Morgan M. Lindsey who goes by Radikill on stage has his own unique perspective about how cannabis and music blend together to expand listener’s horizons. “It’s not one person that just listens to techno anymore,” Lindsey explains. “Weed, in general, has always brought people together and when you combine that with music…”
Lindsey got his start playing in the Pullman and Moscow, ID college scene, which was small. Moving north to Spokane’s music scene provided its own set of challenges. While the music scene was larger, there weren’t that many production companies putting on shows and there was more competition for spots from a larger pool of local talent. “I try to stay out of that,” he said hesitantly. He has fond memories of opening for artists like Doctor P. and Nightmare at past venues like the Pin, but was eager to leave eastern Washington. “I like to travel and play as many shows as possible, so anything outside of Spokane is always fun.”
Spokane has been a city on the rise in recent years and the EDM scene is benefiting from the city’s economic upswing. Lindsey has noticed more shows, better equipment at the venues, and a competitive Gordan Gecko spirit that’s bringing the scene alive. “I think for the most part Spokane’s growing and it’s nice to see.”
Radikill Settles Into Scene
Within Spokane’s blossoming scene are several dope venues that rival any across the country, like the Knitting Factory in particular. “I think my favorite venue I’ve ever played would be the Knitting Factory,” he said. “It’s got a 1500-person max compacity, good elevated stage, and they treat the artist’s well, green room and hospitality-wise.” he raved. “I’ve never seen anything like that before, that’s pretty tight,” he fondly remembered the room like it was a well-kept secret.
It’s one of the many benefits afforded to a touring feature act. Lindsay has come a long way from being an anxiety-riddled youth that had a hard time making friends. Getting good enough at performing music so people would approach him after shows allowed him to wade through the social waters with much more grace.
“It’s totally been a 180 on my social life,” he explained. “I still get shy and nervous around people but it’s always a really good ice breaker when people come up to me and say, “
Lindsay feels like he’s more respected in the music scene since he’s contributing to it, rather than just getting wasted as shows. While he still enjoys some adult beverages after performances, a personally inflicted accident in 2015 spurred Lindsay to make better decisions with his health. He fell off a three-story building and shattered his pelvis, part of his back and neck. His whole left arm had to be reconstructed.
Luckily, news of a full recovery right out of the gate made it relatively easy to stay positive during the recovery process. Although he still has pain issues, he’s been trying to live a healthy lifestyle by infusing healthy habits into his life like working out and cutting the back on the cigarettes to start. It’s easy to make smarter decisions when your job is to perform for the caring culture the EDM scene is known for.
“Everybody kind of helping each other out.” if someone falls in a mosh pit everyone helps each other up. “everyone kind of looks out for each other for the most part.”
