Polson musician Benny Weag debuts on The Voice

As people trickle into The Shoe in Polson Saturday night, Benny Weag and David Caselli open their set with a smooth rendition of “Come Together” by The Beatles. The familiar tune is muted by the din of people’s voices, settling in for drinks, dinner, and a little live music.

Last Tuesday, however, more than 7 million viewers tuned in to Weag’s debut on NBC’s long-running hit reality show, The Voice, where country star Blake Shelton selected him for Team Blake.

Sixth time’s a charm

Weag, whose non-stage name is Benjamin Weagland, hails from the tiny town of Garfield, Wash., population 600. The 29-year old first submitted a video for The Voice back in 2013; he tried again the following year, traveling to Denver for an open audition, and a third time in 2016.

After moving to Polson in 2020, he tried twice more, competing in open calls that spring and fall in a process developed to cope with the onset of COVID. “You sign up for a time slot, set your phone up, and have 90 seconds to introduce yourself and sing a verse and a chorus of a song,” he says. Neither effort made it through the screening process.

After five attempts, he was about to give up. But attending a concert by Luke Coombs last September in Billings inspired him to give it one more shot. Watching the country superstar “gave me that last inspirational push,” he recalls. “I thought, ‘I want to be up there on that stage performing.’”

Blake Shelton says “Yes!”

This time, he received a call back from NBC and an invitation to compete in the blind audition at Universal Studios in Hollywood before a live studio audience. Four coaches – all famous musicians – turn their backs on each performer to better concentrate on their voices, then hit a red button to select favorites to advance to their “teams.”

With his parents watching from the wings, Weag delivered a snippet of Ed Sheeran’s pop hit, “Shivers.” Shelton was the first to push the red button and spun around to face the artist, exclaiming, “Yes!”

Fellow coach Camilla Cabello expressed her surprise that Shelton veered from his usual country-music picks to select Weag for his team. “I could tell he was from Montana, just by listening to him,” Shelton replied.

“Your tone was great and I thought your pocket was really good,” he told Weag, referring to the musician’s timing and phrasing.

John Legend was curious about where Weag was performing. “For a couple of years I was working at the post office,” Weag replied. “But since earlier this year I’ve booked enough gigs that I’m performing full time now.”

Back home in Polson, Weag says that after almost a decade, the experience of actually performing on The Voice was both “super exciting” and somewhat unreal.

And now for The Battle Round

It’s been just as challenging to stay mum about the selection and competition process. In addition to his blind audition, Weag has also filmed the “battle round,” where the 56 musicians selected during blind auditions are winnowed to 36 for the live final rounds in November.

In these battle rounds, which air Oct. 11-18, the coaches pit two of the artists on their team in a singing match and then select one of them to advance to the next round. It’s a process Weag describes as both cooperative and competitive.

“It’s really tough singing a duet with somebody,” he says. “You want to build each other up and work together and have a good performance, but only one of you moves on.” Still, the process created a sense of camaraderie among performers, who were eager to help each other out.

Shelton personally mentors the musicians on his team, selecting the songs they’ll sing on the battle round, and offering vocal tips and feedback.

“Obviously, he’s a talented singer and artist and so successful in this industry,” says Weag. “But then you get to know him on more personal level, and he’s just such a good guy and so genuine. You know he means what he says and wants to help build people up and get them moving in the right direction.”

Wrestling with Myotonia

Weag says his path to The Voice has offered abundant lessons in perseverance. His parents, both teachers, were always supportive and encouraged him to pursue his passion for music. His mom introduced him to the piano at an early age, and his dad, who is also a pastor in his hometown, plays the guitar and sings.

After high school, Weag headed to Los Angeles in hopes of breaking into acting or the music industry. Out of money, he returned home and pursued other career paths. He discovered along the way that he has a rare neuromuscular disorder called Myotonia that causes his muscles to tighten up and stay clenched.

The symptoms first appeared in 2009 and took nearly a decade to diagnose. Although he eventually found a medication that helps ease symptoms, the condition is aggravated by stress, and can interfere with his ability to play guitar and piano.

“It’s a battle every day, but it’s something I’m not going to let stop me,” he says. “I’m going to keep moving forward.”

His mom, who has battled Parkinson’s disease for 20 years, is a constant source of inspiration. “Just seeing her positivity and the success she’s had in fighting her condition has been a big motivator to me to just pursue my dreams despite the physical difficulties I have to face.”

“He commands the stage”

After living in Seattle and Missoula, Weag eventually ended up in Polson in 2019, where he worked at the post office and was able to make a down payment on a house. Any hopes of pursuing a music career were on pause until he joined the New Life Christian Church and met David Caselli.

The accomplished rock drummer, who worked as a studio musician in LA for many years, has played before crowds of 10,000 at giant arenas and opened at San Francisco’s Filmore West for such venerated ’60s artists as Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Santana and Jefferson Airplane.

“We were playing at church together and I saw his talent immediately,” Caselli recalls. He booked some gigs for the two, and Weag began learning enough songs to carry them through a two-hour show. “This guy’s a maniac. He learns five songs a week.”

Caselli, who tears up talking about his protégé, believes Weag has what it takes to become a star. “It’s not only his voice. He commands the stage – he moves with the music. You can see it’s coming through his soul – it’s not just mechanical.”

For Weag, his journey has strengthened his faith and forced him to believe in himself. “I realized I was rooting my self confidence in all the wrong things,” he says.

“If you root in something that’s a roller coaster then your self-confidence can also be a roller coaster, and that provides an opportunity for insecurities to hold you back and prevent you from stepping out and chasing your dream.”

“After a span of nine years and six tries to get on The Voice, it finally happened,” he says. “The validation I received from making the team was a huge turnaround for me.”

“But I just want to say to people, don’t wait for that big validation. Just give it to yourself. Enjoy yourself, love yourself. That’s huge.”

Will Weag advance his own dreams on The Voice? “I know the outcome,” he says with a grin. “That’s the fun part – to wait and watch it unfold on TV so everyone gets caught up.”

Meanwhile, he’s busy cultivating his career, writing more original music, and posting songs and video clips on social media, YouTube and streaming platforms. Locally, fans can hear him perform from 5-7:30 p.m. Oct. 13 for the Polson Bay Med Spa’s open house, at 7 p.m. Oct. 14 at Blackstar Brewery in Whitefish and from 7-10 p.m. Oct. 19 at Finley Point Grill with Caselli, or check out his performance schedule at www.thebennyweag.com.