Track-by-Track: Tony Martinez Takes Us Through His Inspired Record ‘Everywhere West’

In putting together his debut full-length, there was no shortage of material or inspiration for Tony Martinez. The rising star is set to release the album, titled Everywhere West, on August 16th via Slumerican. Co-produced by Martinez and country hip-hop artist Yelawolf, the album features 13 songs that chronicle his miraculous journey to this point in his life. The album title is a tribute to Martinez’s father, Rick, who wrote the song many years prior. The elder Martinez taught his son how to play guitar while working a 9 to 5 job and playing music at the clubs nearly seven nights a week.

Born and raised in Colorado and Phoenix and now based in Nashville, Everywhere West is very personal to Martinez. At age 30, he began to lose his eyesight while on tour with Whitey Morgan. He was diagnosed with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD), and the prognosis was not good. Doctors gave him about five years to live. When the tour with Morgan finished, Martinez underwent intensive treatments for months. He then was stung by a scorpion, which ended up curing his NMOSD symptoms. If all of this wasn’t enough, he became addicted to opioids during the pandemic. With diligence and resolve, Martinez overcame this as well.

Martinez himself joins us today to discuss Everywhere West and its unique circumstances and give an exclusive Track-by-Track rundown of each song on the record.

1. “Aint Nothin’ Gonna Slow Me Down”

“This was written in the studio (Blackbird). Yelawolf and I had a few ideas before this one stuck, and I was able to write the rest of it. I had just made up the hook line of the song on the spot, and we got to talking about how we saw our fathers work their asses off while growing up and how it was instilled in us, and just like dad, nothing is going to slow me down either.”

2. “Someone Else”

“The music was written in the studio (Blackbird). Didn’t really have a concept in the beginning, just a feeling. I completed the lyrics while driving in the pouring rain from Flagstaff to Phoenix. I guess it’s kind of just a made-up story about being in a toxic relationship. Kind of left open to interpretation like most of my songs.”

3. “Crazy”

“This one is pretty self-explanatory. It was written on my front porch around 4 am. I was seein’ this gal and caught some feels, so I opened up and was completely taken advantage of and lied to while some of my personal belongings disappeared also. This one just fell out in five minutes. One of those ones. Ha!”

4. “White Label Lies”

“One of three songs written immediately after a very intense nine-gram mushroom journey. I was at a bar with my buddy Alex Lyon, who is the sole bassist on the album, and mid-conversation I saw a liquor bottle with a white label that said ‘Truth’ on it. I said, ‘Yeah right, that’s a bottle full of lies,’ and voila. And I instantly thought of how I grew up, my father’s trials and tribulations with the bottle as well as my own and also that of my friends and other family members and the song was born.”

5. “I’ve Lost More (Than What I’ve Got Today)”

“This was written to a different tune originally while I was on the road with Whitey Morgan and the 78’s years ago. During tracking at Darkhorse, Wolf was in a super creative mood while standing next to a large wooden support beam in the control room of ‘The Lodge.’ He hit said beam with his hand, and it made a big deep bass note, and we all looked at each other like… whaaaat? We found out it was in the key of A.

“Peter Keys and I came up with the intro riff right then and there, and I realized my old lyrics for this new tune, so we ran with it. It’s more or less about just losing more throughout your life than whatever it is you now have in the present. Whether it be material items, people, or love. Pretty literal this one.”

6. “Try”

“I wrote it when I was 19 and all torn up about a breakup with a gal that I liked since middle school. I’ve got two previous recordings of this song. We decided to track it solo acoustic. We put a mic on my guitar, set up my vocal mic, and cut it live at the very end of the day. It’s one of those songs that makes folks tear up every time.”

7. “Believe I’ll Be Leavin’”

“Wrote this one when I was with Whitey Morgan and the 78’s touring 250+ dates a year. It’s about gettin’ done with the show and the party and going back to the hotel alone and calling your significant other way too late time after time after time and the toll it takes on an already rocky relationship.”

Tony Martinez ‘Everywhere West’ album artwork

8. “Back To the Wall”

“I wrote this about eight years ago during a very rough time in my life. I guess it’s about when all the chips are stacked against you, and it seems like there’s nowhere to go, you have to turn around and face everything you’ve been running from head-on. Fighting the good fight.”

9. “Wrong Like The Weatherman”

“This one is one of my self-deprecating favourites. They say you can’t predict the weather. It’s about the challenges you experience during the storms of life. I don’t know about you, but I’ve been wrong a lot!”

10. “See You On Broadway”

“This song was written by Fefe Dobson. Wolf and she pitched the song to me a few weeks before tracking at Darkhorse, and I absolutely loved it. I kept Fefe’s original chord progression and put my spin on it, and it really came to life. It’s definitely a breakup, get back together, and break up again song. There’s always that one person in your life you just can’t help but love with all of your heart no matter what happens.”

11. “Alabaster Rose”

“This one was tracked at East Iris along with ‘Wrong Like The Weatherman’ and ‘White Label Lies.’ It’s more or less about someone seeing more in you than you see in yourself and helping you through thick and thin so you can reach your full potential. But of course, there’s a lot more to it than that.”

12. “Everywhere West”

“My father wrote this one over 35 years ago. Wolf didn’t know my dad was a musician until I showed him I used my dad’s old guitar strap while tracking at Darkhorse. I then showed him this song, and we decided to put it on the album. I wanted it to be the title track to pay homage to my biggest influence. It’s about progress, change, and becoming obsolete, much like how the railroad industry started shipping cattle, taking the cattle drive away from the American cowboy.”

13. “I Won’t Say No To You”

“This was written while tracking at Darkhorse. Again, Wolf was standing by that wooden support beam in the control room and hit it and got a big old bass note. He continued to play that beam and started singing the intro lick. I grabbed the guitar, and the music was created right there. I finished the words a couple of weeks later. It could be about a substance or a woman. God knows I haven’t been able to say no to either one in the past. We put it at the end of the album to kind of leave things up in the air. Like, what?! Wonder what the next album holds!?”