Sam Bam Koltun
My name is Sam “Bam” Koltun. I’m a guitar player based in Los Angeles, CA and a recent graduate of Musicians Institute with a Bachelor’s Degree in music performance. I am currently playing for GabrieLa, Knee High Fox, Evol Walks, Red Devil Vortex, & more, and have previously played for Budderside, Hillbilly Herald, & More.
I am originally from St. Louis, Missouri. I found music, more specifically guitar, when I was 10 years old. After seeing a music reality TV show called RockStar INXS, I was inspired by Rafael Moreira, the guitar player in the show’s House Band. I got my first guitar and started taking lessons from a local music store. By the age of 12, I was playing the local clubs regularly and hitting every “Jam” around town
When I was 16 years old, Buddy Blaze saw a YouTube video montage that had been posted on Twitter. Buddy is man behind the paint job of “The Dean from Hell” guitar (made famous by his good friend Dimebag Darrell) as well as the builder of the guitar known as “The Nightswan”, made famous by Vivian Campbell when he joined Whitesnake. Buddy invited me to become a part of his guitar family, and I have proudly endorsed his amazing guitars ever since.
With the encouragement of Buddy Blaze to get out of St Louis, I moved to LA to attend Musicians Institute- straight out of high school. I was awarded the Musicianship and Development scholarships. I completed my Bachelor’s Degree while touring in the US and consistently playing around Los Angeles and St. Louis.
I have been very fortunate to have been able to tour/play shows on the same bill with artists such as Vince Neil, Queensryche, Poison, Tesla, Powerman 5000, Europe, Nuno Bettencourt, Richie Sambora, Orianthi, & more. I have also had the privilege to take part in a local Los Angeles Event known as Soundcheck Live. Created and directed by Steve Ferlazzo [Avril Lavigne, RSO], Soundcheck Live features top well-known touring players as well as studio musicians and takes place at Lucky Strike in Hollywood, CA. Ferlazzo has invited me to play as the resident band guitar player on multiple occasions, which has been such an honor.
I am extremely thankful and eternally grateful for the opportunities I have been given, for the “encouragement & support” that I have received from some of the best musicians in the world, and for the companies that support my musical endeavors. Let’s play some music.