Idol Chatter & Voice Views

His audition: Dustin Monk, 27, of Jacksonville, Fla., auditioned with “Bright Lights” by Gary Clark Jr. His high-energy performance prompted chair turns from Adam Levine and Blake Shelton. Adam said he heard a kernel of brilliance in Dustin’s voice. Dustin opted to join Team Adam.

His background: Dustin tells us he grew up in a double-wide trailer in Georgia, raised mostly by his mom because his dad left when he was 3. When Dustin was 14, his mom became addicted to pain medicine after taking it for a back problem. Kim, Dustin’s mom, said music helped his get through that period. Also as a result, Dustin got a “drug free” tattoo on his neck. At 19, he moved to Jacksonville and joined a pop-punk band called “We Still Dream.” He toured with the group for six or seven years and “nothing much came of it.” Then he went to barber school. But he says he finds it tough to give up on music.

What the show didn’t show: On Twitter, Dustin describes himself as a “solo singer-songwriter with country/blues, hip-hop and rock and roll influences.” You might wonder how that blends together. Well, just listen to his splendid 2014 single “Lay Me Flat” (embedded below). It starts off with county twang and turns into a rocker. And before the song ends, Dustin has even rapped several lines. Impressive.

There’s plenty of Dustin’s music to check out. “We Still Dream” released a pair of albums and an EP between 2011 and 2013. And Dustin released a solo EP, “Georgia Love,” in December of 2012. You can check it out on bandcamp.com.

During a recent conference call with the media, Dustin said he grew up listening to hip-hop music. Once he started singing, he says he got into artists like Gary Clark Jr. and John Mayer.

“It was kind of crazy because when I got into the band, I didn’t know that genre,” he said. “I didn’t grow up listening to that genre of music like everyone else in the band did. So I just kind of sang however I felt my voice needed to go to the music.

“Now that I’m doing my solo stuff – which is definitely more along the lines of soul, blues, rock — with even a little influence of pop here and there — it’s definitely completely different than what the band is. But that’s why I’m so stoked that I got the chance to be on the show, and people are getting to see I’m not a one-trick pony — that I can do multiple, different genres.”

Dustin said choosing between Adam and Blake for a coach was a tough call.

“If me choosing Adam was at 100 percent, I mean, me choosing Blake was probably at 97,” he said. “I mean, it was literally that close.” But he noted that Adam turned around first. And he also turned around before the biggest note in the performance. “So that’s something else that was kind of like in my brain,” Dustin said. “I was like, ‘Wow, you kind of heard my talent in some of the not-bigger notes.'”

For links to profile blogs on every singer who has landed a spot on Season 9 of The Voice, head here.

On iTunes: We Still Dream released an album called “Chapters” in 2011, an EP called “Therapy” in 2012 and an album called “Something to Smile About” in 2013. As a solo artist, Dustin released the single “Lay Me Flat” in 2014.

Update:
Battle round: Lost to James Dupre, singing “Fortunate Son,” and was eliminated.

Keeping up with Dustin:
Facebook
YouTube
Twitter: @dustinmonkmusic

Lay Me Flat (2014) single

Georgia Love (original)

So Much Worse (with We Still Dream)

Blind audition — “Bright Lights”