Seattle
The Whole Package
“I still enjoy discovering new music, even if it’s music that might have come out a few years ago,” Seattle resident and The Voice alum Mycle Wastman says while surveying the list of musical luminaries that his hometown has produced. Wastman started performing as a child and continued to hone his brand of soul-influenced singer-songwriter music while serving as an Army private and, later, as a chaplain’s assistant in the Army Reserves. In 2012, he landed a spot on The Voice, where judges described him as “having the whole package,” thanks to his mix of R&B, pop and rock. (Wastman has always been drawn to acts with a similar complete set of skills, including Al Green, Michael Jackson and Led Zeppelin.) After being coached by CeeLo Green on the program, Wastman hit the road as a solo act and, upon meeting Boyd Tinsley, joined a new act the Dave Matthews Band fiddler was producing, Crystal Garden. “Boyd was at one of my shows in New York City and approached me afterward and asked if I was interested in being part of a project he was putting together.” Wastman jumped at the chance to work with Tinsley and became a member of the band, which the fiddler floats in and out of based on his DMB commitments. Wastman is also putting the final touches on his third solo album, the double-disc Funkshui/Pictures in the Attic, which showcases both his funk and acoustic influences. “While I was working with Crystal Garden, I was still writing my own music, but it was a great experience to work with a group of talented musicians.”