5 Questions with DJ Ashton Martin

 

By: Jacob Elyachar

If there were an award for Most Valuable Player in the Kansas City entertainment industry, it would probably go to Ashton Martin.

He is one of the city’s most popular and recognizable DJs that has gained a following across the area and lead him to take the stage at major events ranging from the Kansas City Power & Light LIVE! Stage to opening up for country superstar Luke Bryan when the All-Star Game hit Kansas City.

I recently sat down with the entrepreneurial DJ for this edition of 5 Questions where he talked about some of the biggest highlights of 2012, his thoughts on social media and shared three tips that will help everyone enjoy going out on New Year’s Eve.

Jacob Elyachar: 2012 has been a very busy for you.  What are some of your highlights of the year?

Ashton Martin: I was selected to play at the MLB All-Star Game pre-party/after parties/galas, which was awesome.  On top of that event, after being approached, I agreed to only play the bottle service clubs located in the Power & Light District, which would gain me the backing to travel to the other LIVE districts across the country, which is pretty exciting.

JE: Could you share your past summer schedule with my readers?

AM: My normal schedule during the summertime was that I was off Monday and Wednesday.  I rotated on Thursdays between Zocalo and Mosaic but the weekends were really long, but fun.

Fridays started with me playing at Woodside Health Club and Pool from 3:00 to 6:30 p.m. and I would go directly to a club whether it would be either Mosaic, the Well, Hotel or Sol Cantina.    Then, I would be up and playing at the Jones Pool every Saturday and I literally go home to shower and eat then I would head straight to one of the clubs that I mentioned earlier.    I was averaging five to nine gigs a week non-stop.   I did 36 shows in July and that was pretty trying.  I am very fortunate to have those clients and I have not slowed down since the summer.  I enjoy a full plate.

JE: Ashton, can you please share some party tips to help everyone needs to know so they can survive these big events including New Year’s?

AM: There are three different categories of partiers.   There are professional partiers that I see week-in and week out.  They go out to have fun and are seasoned partiers that are successful people during the day but they like to go out.  However, everyone goes out during the holiday season.     A good example is the person that goes out a few times a year for instance they would go down to the Plaza Lighting and out on New Years, and of course Halloween.

In the industry, we call this amateur hour.  One piece of advice that I have for your readers is know your limits.  Make sure that you have a safe ride.    A lot of places on New Years have all you can drink specials but please know your limits, do not start fights and please do not be “that guy.”    We see it week in and week out…. Don’t yell at the bartender; don’t yell at the DJ or the door guy.

We are all out sacrificing our night.   I could be at home on New Years and out with my friends on New Years but I am choosing to entertain you so do not be a dick, an idiot or an all around doucebag for lack of a better term.    If it’s an all you can drink bar, tip your bartender because I can tell you now that the bartenders will probably not make as much money as they do on New Year’s Eve as they do on a regular Saturday.  They just won’t because it is all included and people could bring only $40 with them during the event, so please tip your bartenders, be cordial and take care of them.

JE: How has social media helped you this year?

AM:I have my website, my Twitter, my fan page and my actual Facebook account.   What I have not had time to do yet is to separate my fan page from my normal page.   My normal page that I have had for eight years is still getting inquires and I always push them to my e-mail.   I probably book a 100 shows a year off of Facebook roughly by just the hype that you can build through likes.

I like starting threads and I think it is fun, even if you are poking fun at something.  For instance, I would post a random picture and say “Tonight” and I would have that picture be a unicorn and that what I was for Halloween.  The reason why I had to dress up as a unicorn is that somebody called me out and asked me: “Are you dressing up as a unicorn?”   So I am running around dressing up as a unicorn and posted a photo on my social media on Halloween night at Ernie Biggs.

Some people get onto these sites like Facebook and post “these are my shows.”  I do that but I also try to create a “What the Hell is he doing now” shock factor moment.  Shock value is awesome to me and I think it is funny all the way around.   I use that to give people a reason to go to my page.

JE: What can we expect from you in 2013?

AM: Be looking for me to be traveling a bit more!   While I will be traveling every four weeks, you are going to see my focus still be to Kansas City.   KC has always supported me and I have always supported this city.     You know who you are!

There are a few things coming around sponsorships.  I am working with a T-shirt company called Green Screen Tees in Westport and we will be doing some graphics with my logo and create some T-shirts.    I want to something that is not a clothing line but something cool and something different.

Nothing is really going to change for me.   It is a constant grind with doors opening up all over the place but I am not going to slow down.   However, there are definitely surprises coming in 2013 and I will be bringing solid nights to the nightlife of Kansas City.

To connect with Ashton, you can visit his website: http://www.djashtonmartin.com/