As Keith Paluso took the stage of his blind audition for The Voice, supportive faculty, staff and students alike sat and listened in anticipation as the UTM alum made his national musical debut.
The 2012 Environmental Biology graduate has loved music since he was a child, but ultimately he decided to follow his passion for biology while attending UTM.
Paluso auditioned for Season 15 of The Voice after being encouraged by his wife, Bethany, to pursue his rejuvenated passion for music after the birth of their son.
During his paternity leave, Bethany encouraged Paluso to write new songs about their experiences to keep his mind off of work, and even persuaded him to perform in Nashville on the weekends before eventually being invited to audition for The Voice.
“I performed at the [first] audition and almost forgot about it until I got a really game- changing phone call from Los Angeles. For months leading up to the blind auditions I would try to visualize the moment to prepare myself and my stomach would turn,” Paluso said.
“The night before, though, I just decided that I wasn’t going to think about the coaches at all. I wasn’t sure what was going to happen, so I decided that I was just going to try to play the best show of my life to the audience, live in the moment and not think about the people in the red chairs.”
“I didn’t even see Blake [Shelton] turn. I just looked over, saw him there grinning, and then immediately brought my focus back to the crowd.”
Even through the coaching and training before the blind audition, Paluso didn’t expect to be as successful compared to the other contestants.
“It’s been the fastest, most challenging, most rewarding crash course in the industry that I think anyone can possibly have,” Paluso said.
“To be very suddenly placed in a situation where I’m among such fantastically talented and successful people has been a great way to be inspired to get better and also learn how to turn the passion into a career.”
Paluso draws inspiration from his favorite musicians, such as Martin Sexton, Marc Broussard, JJ Grey and John Prine, and barely remembers anything else besides Kelly Clarkson comparing him to Broussard when his audition was over.
The standard for musicians is extremely high during the coaching process, which he has already begun with coach Blake Shelton.
“Blake has a very ‘show me what you can do’ style. He expects you to come in having put in most of the work ahead of time so that he can polish up what you have,” Paluso said.
“He’s a really great guy to work with and is far more insightful than you would think by how funny he is on camera.”
When Paluso is not performing on The Voice, he is the natural resource manager for Germantown, where he is responsible for identifying plants, animals and environmental systems in need of special care as well as building management systems for the future.
After graduating from UTM in 2012, Paluso was hired as a full-time park ranger at Mousetail Landing State Park in Perry County. He then transferred to David Crockett State Park in Lawrenceburg, where he worked for three years before moving back to Memphis this spring.
“Additionally, I’m the urban forester, so I provide a georeferenced, comprehensive inventory of every tree on city property and am charged with maintaining a certain percentage of tree canopy cover for the entire city in order to lower utility costs and safeguard property values,” Paluso explained.
“My job in Germantown has been the most fitting use of my degree so far. I use information I learned at UTM every single day on the job there.”
Paluso didn’t plan to be a park ranger when he began his education, but said that it has been an adventure that he hasn’t regretted.
However, being a park ranger has kept him from pursuing his passion for music simply because there was constantly too much work to be done. Paluso is extremely thankful that the Germantown Parks and Recreation department has been very supportive in his involvement on The Voice, allowing him to work part-time as he is stationed in Los Angeles for recording.
“I have been granted permission to drop down to part- time status with Germantown so that I can book shows and perform. Now I get the best of both worlds,” Paluso said.
Growing up, Paluso was encouraged to become a musician, but thought a more consistent and stable job would suit him better.
“I thought I had very little chance at making something of myself that way and that the best thing would be to find a career that was a little safer financially. It turns out I became a park ranger and often risked my life for very little pay, so I guess there’s a lesson to be learned there,” Paluso said, laughing.
Brandon Weber, a senior Natural Resource Management major, had known Paluso for many years before either of their journeys at UTM began.
Paluso was a Boy Scout camp director at Camp Mack Morris in Camden, where Weber attended camp multiple times a year. Paluso was in charge of teaching the wildlife merit badges and “was very passionate about it.”
“I thought he was the coolest guy ever,” Weber said. “He would always bring his guitar to the campfires and sing.” He even taught Weber how to play the guitar.
Even though Paluso followed his love of wildlife biology, he believes that there is always time to find new dreams to make the most out of life.
“What you do for a living is not necessarily who you are. You don’t need a uniform or a guitar to validate yourself. Being happy with what you do for a living is important, but the most important aspects of life are not necessarily related to occupation. Your relationships, your learning experiences and the value you place on thoroughly and deliberately being the best version of yourself hold more weight.”
photo credit / NBC
