He could feel the perspiration running down his hands, slick as grease. He was on edge. It was a late school night, where this little eight-year-old boy from Ithaca New York would do something no one expected. Gavin Waight emerged from his family’s table at The Lost Dog and nervously approached the well light stage full of seasoned jazz musicians.

“I approached the stage full of these old jazz musicians they told me to grab the mic. Everything felt numb, I almost had tunnel vision I was so dialed in on the singing, It was so nerve-racking I began scat singing and the words began to flow out of my mouth without me knowing.” Once I saw the crowd’s reactions everything changed.”

Waight completely made up lyrics on the spot with a band that consisted of George Reed who played alongside Louis Armstrong and Dave Davies a local legendary jazz musician. Even at a young age, Waight had proved he could keep up with the best of them.

At that moment the little eight-year-old boy discovered a love for entertaining and hyping up large crowds of people. Music has been an essential part of Waight’s life for the better part of 2 decades. He vividly recalls car rides with his father, where the CDs would consist of every genre of music ranging from Rage Against the Machine to Biggie or John Mayer.

Waight has an appreciation for all types of music and believes the inspiration for a new beat can come from any era or type of music.

“I look up to any artist with a really creative mind who can manipulate and twist music in a way you can never imagine, it’s just honestly inspiring,” Waight said. “Anyone who stands out from the crowd like Tyler the Creator, he is different and edgy he’s creating his own spotlight.”

His early music educational days consisted of attempts at the violin with an eventual progression to the snare drum in the fifth grade.

During Lacrosse Season in middle school, Waight recalls the first exposure to becoming a DJ/Emcee. An older teammate was extremely interested in Djing and would bump mixes he made in the locker room before practice. His fellow teammate recognizing Waights love for music offered to show him mixing programs and gave him a crash course into the complex world of Djing and creating your own beats.

The following Christmas Waight’s father, an avid supporter of his son’s musical dreams, gifted him a USB- turntable.

Waight joined Music Production Club at his local high school and his passion continued to grow.

“Although the students in the Production Club were labeled as weird, I fell in love with the atmosphere surrounding them,” said Waight. “It opened my eyes to a whole new world, where even the nerdiest kid could create the sickest beats and the best trap song.”

Waight spends his free time in the studio creating when he isn’t creating, he is watching videos like how Kanye or Mac Miller created their beats.

Waight’s roommate experiences the effects of his creative passion daily. “Most of the time when I come into the room he’s playing music, and if he’s not playing it, he’s making it,” Marcus Grabowski, Waight’s roommate.

Waight quickly transitioned to Djing for his friend’s pre-games and smaller parties both on and off campus. His mixes on Soundcloud were gaining traction he was averaging 400 streams per mix, but now it is nearing over 1,000 listens per song.

Last spring, two members of DJs on the Boulevard, a local bar within a mile of Le Moyne, were handing out flyers in the parking lot of the Athletic complex at College. Waight casually began a conversation with the representatives from DJs and quickly determined that they were, in fact, searching for a DJ to perform on weekends. Although his friends gave him encouragement and a gleaming recommendation, it did not appear that this opportunity would pan out.

Waight, realizing his dream and passion for music was right in front of him, decided he was not going to take no for an answer. He began hanging out at DJs on a regular basis and started to offer tips to the DJ who was currently working the weekend shifts. The owner took notice of Waight’s interests and persistence and offered him a job on the spot.

His biggest break came in 2018 when a local group, Smacked Records, contacted him about providing Djing services for performances at the 2018 Grassroots Festival in Ithaca New York. This is where Gavin met Jordan Bishop aka G0Drive, a stranger at first, but now someone who has become a fan and collaborator with Gavin.

“Gavin’s attention to detail is incredible. He’s creatively unique in his approach and listening to his work, you can tell he is a student of the sound,” said Bishop. “He’s deeply passionate about music and the sky’s the limit for him.”    

Waight hopes to bring his love for music and entertainment to more than just the Djs on the boulevard crowd. He has been meeting with Le Moyne administrators to work to bring more music to the school.

“I have been talking to the school and next fall seems to be the ideal time to have a concert here at Le Moyne,” said Waight.