Milwaukee singer-songwriter Patrick S. Fennelly is an inspiration to late bloomers. As his peers were beginning their training at a very young age, the theater major didn't pick up a guitar until he was 18 years old and didn't start writing songs until he began attending Marquette. The 22-year-old graduate then turned his back on the bright lights of the theatrical stage in order to pursue a career in the spotlight of the musical stage.

"I graduated as a theater and English major and decided that I really didn't want to do any of those," Fennelly says. "I guess with being a theater major I've always looked for a way to express myself. My songwriting is a way to do that."

Moving from the theatrical stage to the musical stage has been an adjustment for Fennelly. "(Playing music) is a different type of theater for me," he says. "It's more exposed. It's laying it all out in front of people. You play a lot more from the heart."

This past summer, Fennelly, armed with his powerful vocals and an acoustic guitar strapped to his side, has been expressing himself at various venues around the area, playing his folksy, sincere and enjoyable songs as if it is the first and last time they will ever be played. Blending the sounds of such influences as Cat Stevens, Paul Simon and Dave Matthews, Fennelly has been hard at work laying the foundation for his emergence into the local Milwaukee scene.

"I like to take what is meaningful to me at the moment and put that onto the page in an original fashion," he says. "Then I create a guitar melody that doesn't necessarily overwhelm but compliments the melody. I'm a minimalist in my approach to songwriting.

"I don't try to emulate (my influences) or any of their songs. I try taking little pieces of what works for them."

This seems to be working well for Fennelly. In the last few months he has gathered a dedicated fan base that seems to increase after each show. His secret is variety. For some shows, which have a unique coffeehouse feel, instruments will be added or some songs will be played differently in order to keep audiences coming back for more.

"It seems like wherever I play, they want me to return because they like my music," he says.

Fennelly can now start to reap the rewards of his hard work. His eight-track demo disk, recorded in a friend's basement studio, is selling well at shows while converting new followers in the process. In September, audiences have the opportunity to experience him several times at various venues, which not only manages to keep this artist's schedule full, but hungry for more action.

As the buzz continues to grow around this late-bloomer, Fennelly never forgets his goal when he takes the stage: "I just want to take (the audience) away and not have them worry about things for a while."

As for the future of his career, he shouldn't worry either. Success seems just around the bend.

Patrick Fennelly will play Wed., Sept. 17 at the Milwaukee Ale House at 7 p.m.; Sat., Sept. 20 at Conway's at 9 p.m.; Tues., Sept. 23 at The Pub at 10 p.m.; Thurs., Sept. 25 at Quarter's at 10 p.m.