Today we’d like to introduce you to Will Larson.
Hi Will, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I grew up in Lincoln, NE in a musical household. My dad is a professional jazz piano player who currently teaches music composition at the University of Nebraska. I started playing guitar around age 10 after discovering the Beatles and other bands of that era. I had a lot of great musical role models in my life, my dad of course being the main one, but I also had great guitar teachers in Lincoln like Steve Hanson and Peter Bouffard, and my uncle Ted was in a funk band that would occasionally let me sit in.
When I got to college I couldn’t imagine studying anything else besides music. I don’t think music school is for everyone or always necessary for a career in music, but I do appreciate the structure it gave me. I moved to Boston and went to Berklee College of Music, and I am very grateful for the experience. I learned a lot and also laid the foundation of relationships that would be a big part of musical journey. Most of all I was pushed out of my comfort zone, which is probably the most important thing it did for me!
After college I moved to Nashville with no job and almost no connections there. It was a pretty crazy thing to do in hindsight. Everyone says Nashville is a 10 year town, and for me it definitely has been at least that! After about a year I got my first touring job playing for an artist named Derryl Perry, who showed me the ropes of what it was like to work for an artist. I’ve been more or less doing some variation of that ever since, working regularly with and filling in with a variety of artists such as RaeLynn, Love and Theft, Drew Baldridge, Chase Rice, Nate Smith, and too many others to name!
Since 2023 I have been working with Avery Anna, who just won ACM new female country artist of the year. We even got to play on the show, which was my first time playing on a big national TV broadcast. I feel very lucky to work for her, she is extremely talented and a ton of fun to be around. It’s the gig of a lifetime!
Outside of music, I have been married for about 3.5 years to my wonderful wife, Connie. We have an amazing son named Liam that is nearly a year old. It has gotten harder to be away from home, but so far we have managed with the help of grandparents. Connie is very patient with how demanding my job can be with my time, and I am so grateful. I am very lucky to have two things in my life that bring me a lot of fulfillment, my home life and being on the road making music!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Being a professional guitar player/touring musician is one of the hardest careers you can choose. Everyone struggles financially at times, everyone has it effect their personal life, and everyone gets fired from gigs. I am no exception, of course! It takes a certain kind of resilient person to decide this is all worth it-or maybe it’s just plain stubbornness! Over the last year of course the biggest challenge has been balancing working on the road with being a dad. I am very fortunate that Connie and I have had Liam’s grandmas available to come to town and help us out when we need them.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’d like to be known as a guitar player that works with artists-it’s what I moved to Nashville to do and the thing that brings me the most fulfillment. With Avery Anna I am the band leader, which means it’s my job to help when needed with things like bringing in personnel, building the show/day to day setlists, and just in general doing anything extra when possible to make the artist feel comfortable. When you get to a certain level any guitar player would LOVE to play for the artist you work for, that artist is paying you to be there specifically because you have built that relationship with them and they trust you!
Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
Probably the best thing anyone in music can do is to build relationships. I have gotten more gigs from being recommended by other guitar players than any other way! I also firmly believe that everyone should have a mentor. When you meet someone who is doing what you want to do someday, it can be a huge asset to have them both in your corner and available to offer advice when you find yourself in a challenging moment.
I would also implore people to try to think in both the short term and the long term! Obviously we all need to make money, which is one of the primary challenges of this career. But if you focus only on short term money, you may miss the chance to invest in long term career opportunities. Those opportunities can be few and far between, and there will never be a shortage of people in line to take them if you say no!
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/wtlguitar
