Meet Will Martinez | Musician and Founder of Will Call Presents

We had the good fortune of connecting with Will Martinez and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Will, how do you define success?
Success is all about trying, failing, and finding the little wins in your life. If a day goes by and all you’ve done was make it to the next one. That’s a win! You’ve got yourself another day under your belt and you have a new opportunity to try again tomorrow. My entire career has been based off of silly little actions, whether it be going to a show, or getting dinner with a friend, having bizarre and beautiful consequences that led me to new friends, places, and experiences. You cannot anticipate the way life will reward you for just moving forward and following your gut but I find it’s best not to try and judge how your day, week, month, year, has gone because all roads will lead you to the place you need to be, and that place sure as hell won’t be the one you expected it to be! It’s going to be cooler than that, it just will.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I think from the get-go my purpose has always been to share my love of art with those around me. When I found myself fresh off my first gig. I was super antsy to get back on stage, and now to go explore other people’s live music. I knew that I didn’t want to have to rely on other people to set up shows for me. I wanted to provide a space where my favorite local artists and I could share our music with people who truly care. Over the past 11 months of running shows, we have brought hundreds of people to little DIY venues all across town and we have built a supportive community who have shown such love to the over 15 artists that we have hosted at our shows. I think that has to be my favorite part of what I do, I love how much joy and connection I can bring just by creating a supportive and safe environment for artists and audiences alike! As we speak we are planning our summer shows and I cannot wait to share them with you guys, the latest info can be found on Instagram @willcallpresents if you are ever looking for a night of brilliant local music.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
For me, it all starts with food. Tacos we got Angels Tijuana Tacos. For sandwiches, we got Larchmont Village Wine and Cheese. Breakfast Burritos at Cafe Los Feliz, and finally sushi at Noshi Sushi. As for places to go catch a show, I love all LA venues, but some in particular El Cid, Hollywood Forever Cemetery, and the Lodge Room are always a good time. The last little one I’ll throw in there, my inner child is most truly at peace every October at Halloween Horror Nights, I am obsessed and have spent dozens of nights hanging out at the event, if that’s up your alley, I recommend, and you will likely run into me there!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
The obvious but most crucial answer is my parents. They have been by my side supporting me throughout every step of my life, they are the first to support me when I am feeling discouraged and the first to congratulate me when there is a new win no matter how small or big. There are also my good friends Michael Isaak and Matt TC Lucas. Michael was instrumental in getting my foot into the door, giving me my first-ever gig playing bass in his band. He has helped me open up creatively and gain confidence in my abilities as a musician and artist, no way in hell would I be where I am today without him. As for Matt, he is a ridiculously talented musician and one of the hardest-working people in the industry. His friendship has been such a joy as he is an incredible role model of work ethic and passion for music but also he is one of the kindest people I have ever met.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/willrmartinez/

Other: https://www.instagram.com/willcallpresents/

Image Credits
Ryan Gomez, Maleah Pasasouk, Jackie Konyu