Every so often, one musician can be seen at the Food Co-Op in Port Townsend, busking for loose change any willing passers-by want to throw in his guitar case.

With just an acoustic guitar and his raw voice, Kalan Wolfe belts out lyrics of his “medicine music,” he hopes will catch not only the attention of locals but on a national stage.

After countless propositions of auditioning for NBC’s “The Voice,” as well as ABC’s “American Idol,” Wolfe has decided to throw his hat in the ring.

“Pretty much everywhere I play have told me, ‘You need to audition for ‘The Voice,’” Wolfe recalled, adding it has become so regular he and his wife, Keely, decided to take the plunge, demanding online paperwork and other requirements.

He has not heard back from either competition as of yet, explaining there is usually a two-month waiting period at least for “The Voice.” If he hasn’t heard back from “The Voice,” he will pursue a spot on “American Idol” at the end of August.

From performing on street corners and local pubs, setting his eyes on the national stage is an unusual one. For one reason, Wolfe, Keely and their children, are modern homesteaders, living off the land in Quilcene as much as they can to keep bills low. Wolfe does not consume some modern commodities such as a television, giving him limited insight on what the shows he may appear on entail.

“I’ve watched a couple YouTube videos of people’s auditions, just to get an idea,” Wolfe said.

As a musician full-time, when he is not taking care of the land and spending time with his family, he is off on weekends either street performing or inside a pub for tips. Every first Sunday he can be seen Sirens vying for tips, and makes occasional appearances at Uptown Pub, other venues in Port Townsend and traveling as far as Port Angeles for Station 51 and Disco Bay Detour.

To get the attention of the producers, Wolfe recorded an audition video at the Disco Bay Detour, with The Animals’ “House of the Rising Sun,” and Death Cab For Cutie’s “Soul Meets Body,” in June. As they are both covers, he is meeting the production’s requirements.

Wolfe busks wherever he can, often with his wife and her jewelry venture, Crow Ka Jewelry, which can be found on Etsy. Wherever he performs, he has drawn plenty of attention from bar owners who invite him to take their stage. This has led to an unorthodox gig in Mount Vernon, where he will be a part of a flash mob for a marriage proposal at a mall. “I’m super excited to do it,” Wolfe said.

He also has plans to head back to Hawaii in December for a second tour and make an appearance at the Sea DandeLion Cafe and Awa Bar in Honokaa, a favorite of Wolfe’s to play, along with other spots wanting him to return from the mainland.

He will also perform on the main slot at the Okanogan Family Faire. He also wants to do a larger tour, taking up a couple weeks, as well as longer weekend tours, but with a focus of being able to spend time with his children during weekdays.

“What it takes is keeping your bills real low, keeping your expectations low, and then just shooting for the stars and not stopping until you get there. If you have the skill and talent to put up there, people will hear it and respect it,” Wolfe said.

With no other strings attached, other than the six on his acoustic guitar, Wolfe fills out the sound with a percussive beat with his style of play. Wolfe is continually backed by his father, Karl Hatton, who plays percussion on a cajon, as well as his younger sister Olivia Hatton, who contributes back-up vocals.

Wolfe’s brand of “Medicine Music” has a targeted message based in positiveness and love.

“A lot of popular music right now is focusing on emotions that really catch people. Jealousy, anger, revenge - that’s the trend in a sense,” Wolfe explained. “Medicine music is intended to uplift, bring up, keep people thinking that there’s more to it than those feelings. It’s intended to bring a message that people can get behind and find themselves in.”

He pointed toward his original song, “The Man Song,” which addresses what it means to be a man and denounces toxic masculinity.

Another original, “The Butterfly,” from his first album of the same name, is about human transformation.

“Letting yourself be transformed and awakened by the earth, elements and the energies that are all around us all the time,” Wolfe said.

Wolfe’s catalog focuses on these types of messages, such as his family and opening up views to different perspectives, while bringing a new spin on cover songs, which he is required to perform during these auditions. These wildly different arrangements help grab an audience’s attention to his style of music so he can throw in an original song.

Wolfe totes a box of his first album, in individually wrapped and decorated paper slips, with him to every appearance, with another on the way. A friend of his has an all-solar-powered home studio, who has been volunteering his time to engineer, record, mix and master all of Wolfe’s songs.

His roots in music are deep, Wolfe said, remembering when his grandfather, also a homesteader, would play guitar and sing together with the whole family when Wolfe was young. Wolfe also credits his mother, Holly Hatton, with his growing musical prowess.

What “The Voice” and “American Idol” affords for Wolfe is to give him a chance for more exposure of his music, leading him to his choice to begin this part of his career. He said it is a tempting prospect to further his music career. If he is selected for both, he would side with “The Voice,” as it is the one competition brought up to him the most.

If Wolfe had to give advice to anyone looking to advance their music careers, it would be to just start performing wherever they can. His start in performing came when he was a Sequim High School student, pulling out his acoustic guitar in a hallway at lunch.

“Even just that, it gives you that much confidence,” he said.

The habit of performing carried through college, which was one way he would pay his rent.

“If you have something people want to hear, put yourself out there and risk the embarrassment, just do it,” Wolfe said.

Wolfe’s music can be found at his website: kalanwolfe.com.