Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Blind audition: Ethan Tucker, 26, Olympia, Wash., put a reggae twist on The Police classic “Roxanne” for his blind audition. The performance scored high marks for originality, but Adam Levine and Blake Shelton waited until the very last moment to turn. Blake complimented Ethan on his raspy vocals. Ethan opted to join Team Blake.

His background: He started playing shows at age 16, borrowing a car from his mom and traveling long distances to play at coffee shops or restaurants. “I’ve never been afraid of taking risks to promote my music.” At one point, he convinced the Steve Miller Band he was the opening act and wound up performing a 45-minute show before a sold-out crowd. Today, he says he’s lucky enough to make a living playing music. When he’s not on the road, he lives with and helps take care of his grandmother.

What the show didn’t show:
* Ethan told FestAmerica.com that he began teaching himself to play guitar when he was 9 and began songwriting seriously when he was about 14.
* With no formal training to speak up, he picked up music and performance tips by watching video of Jimi Hendrix, B.B. King and Bob Marley.
* He’s been touring for 10 years now and, according to his website bio, he has opened on tours for Jimmy Cliff, Buddy Guy, and The Wailers.
* According to his Voice bio, he briefly had a record contract with Capitol Records and plays about 100 shows a year.
* On Facebook, Ethan lists his genre as alternative, but he told ThurstonTalks.com that he thinks his music defies genre. “Growing up with so much different music around -– my mom listening to The Eagles, my sister playing The Cranberries, my siblings listening to rap or Metallica -– I never really thought about genre. It’s just music to me,” he told the site.
* His latest release, a 14-track album called “Misunderstood” from last year, would seem to back up that claim, featuring a wide variety of musical styles and a number of standout tracks, including “Cool Kids,” “High Time” and “This Has All Been a Dream.” I’ve embedded a couple of those tracks below.
* He also released an “Acoustic in L.A.” EP in 2014 that features a six-plus minute version of “Roxanne,” his blind audition song. You can check out the full track on his YouTube page.
* During a conference call with the media, Ethan explained his reason for joining Team Blake. “I felt like Blake is so different as far as the style of music that we perform that it would really push me to learn something new. Because you’re never going to become great if you don’t learn as much as you can possibly learn, you know?”
* He also told FestAmerica.com that his grandmother has been one of the biggest influences in his life. “As a woman who grew up in full segregation in the south one thing that she has always told me is to never let anyone make you put your head down. Always walk tall and proud no matter the circumstance. Always believe in yourself and your family.”

Keeping up with Ethan:
Twitter: @etuckermusic
Website
Facebook
YouTube