BLAKE WEINBACH ALUMNI

"This community of young artists now relies on one another, often performing together across the southeast,” Mrs Culler said of the numerous “Songwriters in the Round” shows that she’s attended “Blake is too humble to take credit for it, but it was his invitation and his heart that drew them all to NoMa Warehouse,” where six sold-out shows have taken place over the past two years, with notable attendance by many in the Hammond community

“I have a lot of singer-songwriter friends, so I just decide which two I want to bring down for the day,” he says of the three-act shows that sometimes feature other Hammond grads including Georgia Berry '21, Sarah Adams '17 and Ross Moore '17

Blake recruits the performers, then arranges for a stage to be brought into the venue, promotes the show through email and social media, manages all the money, sets up chairs and merchandise the night of the event, and takes the lead on stage behind the mic “At the beginning, it was a little rough because I’d never done it before But I love it I love the stress of it I feel like It’s really unique when you can love the good and the bad of something ”

“Lord knows I don’t have it all figured out yet,” he insists But it’s clear to all who know Blake that he’s on a very healthy learning curve “I’m college student, and at the end of the day my family is going to make sure that I’m not on the street right now! I won’t have that opportunity for very long ”

He also expresses gratitude for how Hammond helped prepare him for success: “I just think that the community here is so cool, and you really don’t realize it until you get out. It’s cool to have that community where everyone is supporting each other You can be on the guitar or on the football field and everybody is going to treat you the same ”

It’s no surprise that Blake has been back on campus so many times since he graduated, not just to perform at the fall 2020 Dance Marathon and a faculty professional development meeting, but also to support The Sentinel by sitting for an interview during our summer journalism workshop in 2022

What advice would Blake give to current high school students as they pursue their own hopes and dreams? “Pay attention to what you enjoy!” he says “It could be taking pictures, it could be playing an instrument, it could be doing some sort of social media thing, but if you really find something that you enjoy, why not chase it?”

The latest news from Blake comes to us from Nashville, where he’s currently recording his second album This new project promises a few surprises: he’s now playing with a bigger band, and his current sound has a “rock/blues/Southern-rock flair to it that captures a bit of the old soul in me! I could not be happier about the direction that this music has taken me ”