The 37-year-old Traverse City songwriter talks to Local Spins about Monday’s “blind audition,” his national TV debut and moving on to the next round of the competition. Watch a video of his performance.
For seasoned Michigan singer and musician Joshua Davis, competing on NBC’s “The Voice” qualifies as a “totally out of the box” experience in many ways.
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After all, the Traverse City songwriter and Earthwork Music artist has now rubbed elbows with Los Angeles TV producers and voice coaches, spent a month perfecting one two-minute song, performed in front of millions on network television and found himself inspired by all the young talent around him.
Amazingly, he had never even seen “The Voice” before the casting department called him to audition for the show after seeing videos of his performances online.
Indeed, his family had to sign up for cable television for the first time just to watch his “blind audition” on the popular talent-show program on Monday night.
“It’s been a trip that’s for sure,” the 37-year-old singer told Local Spins in a phone interview Tuesday after he successfully made it through to the “Battle Rounds” and selected country star Blake Shelton as his coach.
AN OPPORTUNITY TO ‘PASS THE TORCH’ THAT HE COULDN’T PASS UP
“I felt like it was an opportunity that I couldn’t pass up for this kind of experience and this kind of exposure. … It’s so totally different than anything I’ve done before. I was raised in the folk music realm and the big thing in folk music is passing the torch, making sure this music lives on. If I can reach a wider audience with some roots music that’s real and organic and that means something to me and I’m emotionally connected to it, then I’m going to do it. It’s an opportunity to reach millions of people.”
During Monday’s show, which actually was taped some time ago, Davis performed Bob Dylan’s “I Shall Be Released” and earned rave reviews from the four celebrity judges. A lifelong Dylan fan and “a huge freak about The Band,” Davis said he “felt honored to put that song out there. The song blends blues and country and soul so well.”
As for the actual performance, Davis conceded he was anxious. “But when I finally got out there, the autopilot switched on.”
The blind audition came after “a month of band rehearsals and vocal lessons and meeting with other contestants and building that community and meeting all the folks that run the show and all the crew. I’m used to playing two, three sets a night, and to have a month where I’m focused on this two-minute piece of music was totally out of the box for me. But it made me appreciate what a lot of hard work can do for a piece of music. … It made me look at my voice as being more of an instrument.”
Davis will next appear on the prime time show during the Battle Rounds which begin in mid-March.
For Davis, the “worthwhile experience” of “The Voice,” comes after a colorful and satisfying musical journey that’s taken many turns since he started playing guitar at age 13.
He became a mainstay in the popular Lansing band Steppin’ In It and old-time swing/jazz group Shout Sister Shout, has traveled the country with his songs, taught workshops, carved out a solo career as a singer-songwriter and even traveled to the West Bank for a life-changing marathon that spawned his latest album, “A Miracle of Birds,” after which he and his family relocated to Traverse City from Lansing. Davis and his wife, Ann, have a daughter, Tahlia, 9, and an infant son, Theodore.
But he’s never experienced anything quite like “The Voice.”
Davis noted he’s “not in general a fan of reality TV,” so was unfamiliar with the NBC show. But after he was contacted by the show to audition after they listened to his music online, he decided it passed the test as “good entertainment” for his 9-year-old daughter.
POSITIVE AND AFFIRMING AND INSPIRATIONAL
“My family and I watched some episodes of it and I was really surprised to find it was way more positive and affirming and inspirational than anything else out there in reality land. It’s a really positive show,” he said, noting he found the same upbeat attitude among the Los Angeles show’s producers and crews, who also treated his family well.
“It’s interesting to see the working of the industry from this angle. The culture is so positive and supportive that I never felt like this was a bad move,” he said “I was really grateful to be out there. … I’ve learned a lot from everybody there. There’s so much talent there.”
Davis got a chance to watch his network debut with his family gathered around their TV. “It was a little nerve-wracking, but I was happy with the way it turned out,” he said. “My new friends (on the show) really shined as well.”
Since the performance, Davis has been inundated with congratulatory greetings and statements of support on Facebook and elsewhere from friends, fellow Michigan musicians and fans.
Earthwork founder and singer-songwriter Seth Bernard wrote that the outpouring of support has come because Davis has “enough artistic integrity and real community support for the TV hype to not be a threat to his credibility or sanity, and he has earned it and he deserves it. We are excited and amazed by this and we are proud of Josh for being who he is and for investing his life and work in good things.”
All of this proves, Davis said, that Michigan’s music community is truly special, one that breeds camaraderie, collaboration and a supportive atmosphere.
“That’s what makes our music in Michigan so unique and so wonderful,” he said. “I’m striving to bring a little of that spirit of collaboration to this competition.”
Read more about Davis in this Local Spins Artist Spotlight. His version of “I Shall Be Released” is also available via iTunes here.
JOSHUA DAVIS PERFORMING ON LOCAL SPINS LIVE IN 2013
Copyright 2015, Spins on Music LLC
Great guy, wonderful artist.. amazing singer and player. Very well deserved!