For passionate music lovers, settling on weekend plans can sometimes be an ordeal. It can be a bit of a gamble choosing between the various musical offerings that vary from week to week. But those seeking a fun dance party vibe can always rely on Saturdays at Night Owl.
As patrons cram into the modestly sized bar on downtown Spokane's east end, there's an unmistakably effervescent force manning her proverbial throne. Below the neon Night Owl sign on an elevated platform and stationed behind the turntables, a pink-and-purple coiffed soul can pretty much always be found spinning house music and bouncing around her little stage with unabashed glee.
This is Priestess' pulpit.
"So much of what I want to imbue on people is that we're here to have a good time," Priestess, aka 29-year-old Lauren Lofton, says. "We're here to have fun. Come dance with us. Let loose. Shake off some of the 9-to-5 worries. Let go of the issues that plague you."
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Night Owl Residency, Aug. 17
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While Priestess has established a clear foothold in the local EDM scene with her upbeat and energetic sets that blend a house music base with disco, techno and bass sounds, she's also been spreading the reach of her Spokane sound with multiple appearances at Boise's Treefort Music Fest as well as festivals in Seattle. While DJing had long been a dream in her mind, the speed at which things have blossomed in real life has even surprised herself.
A Louisiana native, Lofton spent a good chunk of her childhood growing up in the Tri-Cities. A band kid by nature, she discovered electronic dance music the same way many great artists find their muse — on a Taco Bell run.
"We were hanging out after school before band practice. I remember so clearly, it's kind of crazy. We drove to Taco Bell," Lofton says. "And the guy driving, played 'Centipede' by Knife Party. Very heavy bass, intense EDM. And I just remember being like, 'What is this?''"
Despite that initial spark, it took a while for Lofton to find her way behind the decks. After high school she moved back to Louisiana hoping she'd find something that resonated with her vibes there. But it didn't take. After moving back to the Tri-Cities and also finding a lack of resonance, she packed up and moved to Spokane in 2017.
It wasn't until 2019 when things really got rolling. That's when she met Scott Allen, who DJed as Allen Fitz, and straight up asked him to teach her how to DJ. Lofton would hang at his house learning the craft and meeting other simpatico folks like Eben Adkins (who DJs as EBEN). Lofton credits Allen for laying the groundwork for her musical journey — including selling her his decks — and Adkins for helping mentor her further skill refinement.
Lofton became laser-focused on improving her skills when laid up on bedrest in early 2020 after tearing her ACL, only to soon have everyone else join her general lack of mobility due to COVID precautions. As the year wore on and her abilities improved, she began doing little party sets for her roommates and their isolated friend pod.
As things began to open up again in 2021, Allen helped Lofton get her first public DJ gig at Red Room Lounge. Her approach to DJing is largely focused on finding the right flow and vibe for each crowd, stating that she "freestyles about 95% of her sets." The response was immediately positive, eventually landing other gigs including Night Owl, where Priestess now has a weekly Saturday residency.
Earlier this year, Lofton quit her day job to do music full-time and has been diving into creation platforms like Ableton to further hone her chops. In some ways, Priestess has already achieved her dreams to be a DJ. Now — like a Priestess set — it's only a matter of how much dreamier things can get.
"You know, Facebook does those memories? I was on randomly recently, and one of those came up from the start of my senior year of high school," Lofton says. "I had posted in November 2012: 'If all else fails, I want to be a DJ.' And I did not remember posting it. When I saw it it was just a shellshock moment where I was like, 'Oh my gosh, I did it!'"
