Jeremy Poland has Santa to thank for his music career

A sandwich slinger, puppy owner, and sock mater. Jeremy Poland is a chameleon in his environment, but shines as a musician by trait.

Before Mankato was a part of his life, the 30-year-old grew up in a small town in Alabama called Sylacauga. This was before IV Play, before the Jeremy Poland Band, before being a sandwich slinger. His journey as an aspiring musician began at the tender age of five-years-old after “Santa” had brought him his first drum set.

“My dad was a drummer,” Poland said. “I played those to death, and I remember around the age of 12 was when drumming really took off for me.”

At this point in his early career he began to play in church and even in a few bands with his friends. Drumming will always hold a special place in Poland’s heart, as that was where it all began. However, after a few years of solid progression in drum playing, Santa once again gave Poland another special gift. At 17-years-old, he received his very first guitar and continued to teach himself to play.

Just a few short years later, Poland had felt confident in his newfound talent to apply to a radio contest. However, not just any radio contest. Poland had to upload a video to YouTube of an original song. After, the videos with the top five most views would be called to the festival and play it in front of judges. The winner (in this case, Poland) had the chance to open for Switchfoot.

“Opening for Switchfoot was one of the coolest things ever,” Poland said. “It was the first time I had ever played a stage that big and I couldn’t hardly see past the second row because of the lights, but when I got done the crowd was yelling. I knew I was meant to do this.”

Poland continued his career thereafter and has traveled his way from Alabama to Florida and, finally, Minnesota. As fate would have it, his roommate in Orlando was from Mankato. Through Poland’s natural compulsion to help others, he had helped his roommate move back to Mankato and fell in love with the city.

“I had a couple of shows booked here,” Poland said. “Luckily for me some amazing doors opened a short time later.”

Poland has dedicated much of his time working with IV Play and this is where he found Lantz Dale, who is an extension of The Jeremy Poland Band.

“[Dale] was the first to start playing solo shows with me, and the first time he did, I pretty much conned him into playing a show with me because I was sick,” Poland said. “Two albums and a ton of shows in between, here we are.”

In 2015, The Jeremy Poland Band debuted their first album, Southbound Heart. It’s a mixture of love, heartbreak, and simple life lessons. It’s essentially the soundtrack of most 20-year-somethings that will help with coping and celebrating life. The latest 2016 album Timeless Soul, features more aged lyrics that can be relatable to anyone who listens. You will find that listening to both albums, Poland varies in style and genre. He acknowledges the myriad of styles, and credits his family’s influence.

“My mom is full-blooded Mexican and my dad is about as country as they come,” Poland said. “My sister is very edgy and walks to her own beat and own path, and I’m a mix of it all.”

Poland also gets a lot of his inspiration from Bruno Mars, Ed Sheeran, John Mayer, Otis Redding, Boyz II Men and Underoath, to name a few.

Poland can be found “chilling” in his favorite sweat pants, going to shows, and enjoying playing some video games on his rare days off. However, if you want to keep up with The Jeremy Poland Band and their music and a chance to catch a show, you can check out jeremypolandmusic.com.