If Ethan Tucker falls short of his goals, it won't be for lack of persistence. Signed just weeks ago to a multi-record deal with Capitol Records, the Olympia-born singer-songwriter has never been afraid to take a chance and never been too willing to take "No" for an answer.

As a teenager, the tall, soft-spoken singer took advantage of opportunities others would not have seen. He was once the opening act for the legendary Steve Miller at a Sun Valley, Idaho concert, but not because he was invited to play.

"The stage door was left unlocked," Tucker recalls. He walked in, acted like he belonged there, and told the sound engineer he was opening the show.

"I think the sound guy eventually figured it out," Tucker says. "As I was walking up on stage, he said ‘Hey, you know you're not getting paid for this, right?"

Tucker has been touring and recording his music - a mix of folk, blues, pop and reggae - since he was 16. Though he was building a growing fan base on his own, things really started to turn when his music caught the ear of superstar Michael Franti. And catching Franti's ear did not come easy.

Read Michael Swan's full feature on Ethan Tucker in Northwest Military's Music & Culture section.

The Ethan Tucker Band is one of nine bands performing at the DB Cooper Music Festival, presented by the Weekly Volcano and Exit 104 Media, at the Medicine Creek Winery Sunday, Aug. 4. For complete lineup, tickets, and more information, visit DBCooperMusicFest.com.

DB COOPER MUSIC FESTIVAL, Ethan Tucker, Clay swafford and Billy Flynn, Bump Kitchen, The Brown Edition, Brittany Kingery, The Oly Mountain Boys, Mudcat and others, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Medicine Creek Winery, 947 Old Pacific Hwy. SE, Olympia, $10 day, $15 night, $20 all access, website