When Megan McManus ‘25 and Ella Cuttica ‘25 heard news of LT’s Brownstock musical performance coming back post-COVID-19 in November of 2022, the musicians had an idea. The two gathered friends with the hopes of participating in the musical showcase. 

The group began rehearsing together to cover popular songs. While the Brownstock performance was ultimately canceled due to scheduling complications, the group continued their musical endeavors beyond the LT show and began regularly practicing. They decided to title the band “Summit” after the location of their rehearsal space, which is within the summit of a local church. 

The members consist of McManus on the bass, Cuttica on lead vocals and rhythm guitar, Victoria Ziemba ‘25 on drums, and Sofia D’Antonio ‘25 on lead guitar. They became acquainted after joining the band and came from various musical backgrounds, Cuttica said. 

“We got together with a few of us and started practicing songs [for Brownstock], but then we decided to stay together because we actually loved playing music,” McManus said. 

Summit performs primarily ‘90s alternative, rock, and punk music, McManus said. Alanis Morissette, Blondie and Hole are just a few of many artists that Summit selects songs from. Summit has also recently begun crafting original songs on top of their covers. 

“When we write new music, I really like how I can just throw ideas out and play around to see what happens,” McManus said.  

The group spent their summer performing at popular locations such as Milk Money Brewing, Val’s Halla Records, and many other local businesses. Various open mic nights and block parties have also been prominent events for Summit. As a group of all girls, Summit places emphasis on female empowerment in music.

“It’s really nice to be in a band with my friends, playing songs written and performed by women,” Cuttica said.

Val Halla’s Record store recently hosted their “Women in Music Showcase” on Sept. 29 featuring Summit, The Megan Esther Band, Minji, and Hollow Bastion, all of which have majority female members. At 7 p.m., Summit took the stage and played their set. 

“We’re a girl band, so one of the coolest experiences is getting to feel empowerment from being all girls in a scene of mostly men. It’s nice to have other girls to play music with,” Cuttica said. 

Cuttica has played and sang in numerous bands throughout the years, including School of Rock. 

“There’s so much freedom in Summit.” Cuttica said. “I get to explore how a band should really work and it’s just really cool overall.”