Today we’d like to introduce you to Colin Poulton.
Hi Colin, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I grew up in a musical family and started playing guitar when I was 13. I was initially inspired by progressive rock and heavy metal, as I got older I played in punk bands while also taking jazz guitar lessons. I moved to Nashville in 2008 to attend Belmont University where I studied Commercial Guitar. While at Belmont, I helped two bands that played locally and regionally for the next few years – Clorange, a psychedelic doom/stoner metal band and Montezuma Fire Machine, a jam band with inflections of progressive rock and world music. I eventually started playing with a funk group called Funkonauts which led to my first “gig” gig with the Chris Weaver Band. We toured the country and filmed a live DVD in Brazil. After leaving CWB I started freelancing and played any style I could get my hands on. I played in wedding bands, Lower Broadway acts, and original artists. I often would race to a club like The Cobra or the Five Spot after finishing a 6-10 shift downtown and be prepping wedding band material alongside music my friends and I would be performing. After COVID I decided to pivot toward focusing on getting more involved with the wedding band scene and to releasing original music again. I’m now one of the bandleaders with Music City Sound and released by debut EP as a jazz artist in June of 2025.
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?
Freelancing was full of struggles. Most musicians in town are familiar with the concept of feast or famine and I went through that at various points along the way. I also struggled and still do with work/life balance as a husband and father of two. There’s unspoken social pressure to be out and about and to be “seen” at gigs or jams or hangs and it can feel like you’re missing out and losing touch with the scene when you aren’t making it to events. The balance looks different for everyone and I feel like I get better at finding it the older I get.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I’m a professional guitarist. I specialize in wedding/private event gigs as well as jazz. I’m really proud of the EP I released earlier this year – my first original project in over 10 years. There is a lot of work in this town for people who can play their instrument well but often times we end up in situations where we’re ultimately disposable as an artist’s direction or needs shift. While my focus at the moment is on gigs and performing, it’s really satisfying to know that with this release that I’ve planted a flag in the ground and have put something out in the world that I think sounds like me. My music is harmonically and rhythmically inspired by Latin Jazz, particularly bossa nova and samba.
What matters most to you?
Taking pride in what I do and playing music that inspires me with people with whom I share mutual respect is really important to me. Its easy to spend time showing up to gigs just to cash the check or to stay in situations where you don’t feel appreciated or like you’re being being utilized just to be able to tell people that you’re a musician but I really believe its possible to do gigs and make music that mean something to you with good people. As a bandleader, creating an environment where people feel appreciated and supported is really crucial to a successful performance and maintaining long term working relationships with people.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.colinpoulton.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/colinpoulton
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@colinpoulton
