Sam Poll

2019 Bitter Jester Honorable Mention (3rd Place) Winner

The year is 2004. Skinny jeans are in and The Spongebob Squarepants movie has just been released in theaters to critical acclaim and commercial success.

One screening in particular inspires a young kid - let’s call him “Sam” - to pick up the guitar in hopes of someday making it big in the music business!

You see, the film ends with Spongebob playing guitar and beating the villains with the power of music! This inspired our intrepid “Sam” to purchase his own guitar and, after years of lessons, start writing and recording his own songs on his laptop.

Fast forward to 2021 and Sam Poll is pursuing a degree in music business at Drexel University. He has also performed as tech and talent at The House of Blues in Chicago and Viper Alley.

Additionally, Sam is a long-time competitor in the Bitter Jester Music Festival and can’t wait to complete his butterfly-like metamorphosis from Solo Act to Band Member to Original Song Competition Participant (with his composition "Never Wanna Die"), to the most lofty of Bitter Jester roles: a Grand Finale Judge! Sam bypassed the Friday Nights and took the fast train to the Finale where he can’t wait to be faced with the near-impossible task of selecting the top three bands out of 24.

“I’ve performed at the Annual Bitter Jester Music Festival virtually every summer since 2013. Needless to say, performing this event quickly became thought of as a right-of-passage amongst myself and my musical peers.

Without BJMF I’d be in a much different place than I am currently. It has afforded me professional performance opportunities, the chance to record in professional studios, and given me unprecedented networking resources within the music and arts community.

When I initially began studying music in college, I quickly noticed how truly spoiled I was by BJMF - most of my peers at university were in awe of just how much the event provided! BJMF is a truly unique and moving experience I wish all young musicians had.”

-Sam Poll