Blake Sennett (born September 22, 1973) is an American musician and actor who serves as the lead guitarist for indie rock band Rilo Kiley, as well as the lead singer/guitarist for his alt-rock side project the Elected. Until 2017 he led Night Terrors of 1927 with Jarrod Gorbel. In addition to being a musician, Sennett was a teen actor, appearing on the television shows Salute Your Shorts and Boy Meets World. As an actor, Sennett originally went by the names Blake Soper and Blake Swendson.
Early years
Sennett was born Blake Sennett Swendson in San Diego. He attended La Jolla High School with his future Rilo Kiley bandmate Pierre De Reeder. He met Rilo Kiley bandmate Jenny Lewis through Tara Subkoff in 1993. The two formed the band in 1998 and dated for several years, until ending their relationship after the release of The Execution of All Things in 2002.
In the early to mid-1990s, Sennett appeared in television shows primarily marketed toward teens. During this period he ended up playing two big supporting roles, Ronnie Pinsky on Salute Your Shorts and Joseph "Joey the Rat" Epstein on Boy Meets World. After Salute Your Shorts was canceled and his role on Boy Meets World was written off, Sennett switched gears and began to focus on music.
Music
In the early 1990s, when Sennett was in high school, he played drums in a band called the Caustic Truth. Future Rilo Kiley bassist Pierre De Reeder was his bandmate. Sennett was kicked out of the band, and the remaining members kept his drums.
In 1996, he composed the score for the film Don's Plum. Lewis was the female lead in the film.