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Emerging Artists At Summerfest

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Emerging Artists At Summerfest

By George Mallet

MILWAUKEE - A sea of teen girls filled the U.S. Cellular Connections venue Thursday night. They may have been there for some of the big name acts later in the night, but at 7 o’clock, they were eating up Sing It Loud. “It caught me by surprise,” front man Pat Brown said after playing an explosive set. “I didn’t really know what to expect because we’ve only been a band for a little less than a year.” Though they are new, (the oldest member is 21) Sing It Loud already has a record deal and a pack of indulgent fans willing to follow them around the country. Those fans are important to Summerfest’s emerging artist program. Summerfest’s David Silbaugh scours the nation looking for the right answers to a list of key questions. “Who are the buzz bands?” Silbaugh says repeating the query he makes to countless club owners. “Who’s working hard out there?” After hearing Sing It Loud’s volatile set and watching the crowd’s enthusiastic reaction, Silbaugh concluded the band’s future is bright. “They also have very good people behind them,” Silbaugh added. After their brief, rocking show, Sing It Loud members were packing up their rented truck themselves to move on to their next gig. “It’s good exercise,” one of the young members joked. Keyboardist Ben Peterson was asked where “Sing It Loud” goes from here. “Hopefully, straight to the top,” he said.