By Dave Swanson - Summit FM Contributor

Seemingly every youth culture movement has its moment in the spotlight, its day in the sun. Sometimes it a fleeting flash, while other times it’s a slow burn that ends up lingering beyond sell date. When the 'punk' movement hit the press in, for sake of argument, 1977, it became tabloid fodder as well as a massive influence on the British youth. America, however, wasn't ready to buy stock just yet. 

Whether it was because America was too large a territory to cover the way it played out in the UK, or whether it was a general complacency or hesitancy to buy this stance outright, it was not flying in the States. Press, radio and other media showed minimal interest born more out of rubber necking curiosity than genuine interest. 

The landscape began to shift somewhat once Sire Records head honcho Seymour Stein had the idea to use the term 'New Wave' in place of 'punk rock' to describe these new acts, particularly those that were a bit more polished. By doing so, the press thought they had acquired a whole new spin on things and fans didn't have to feel embarrassed by succumbing to that evil punk music the papers and television had been sensationalizing with tales of onstage vomiting, gang mentality and a crude and inept musical approach. While there were grains of truth in said media portrayal, it was hype in overdrive.  

Once the new wave was rolling, it started to turned a profit. Acts like the Cars, Blondie, the Pretenders, Talking Heads and on and on, would gradually gain ground and sell records, and as the 1980s knocked, the door was wide open for many of these new acts. Hollywood is never far behind once cash registers ring, so why not a film based on the 'new wave' era we were now plunged into? 

Released in October 1980, 'Times Square' was a fleeting moment in time that failed to connect the dots, though it did leave a wonderful soundtrack in its wake. Produced by Robert Stigwood, fresh off the previous cinematic debacle of the 'Sgt. Pepper's' film adaptation, 'Times Square’ starred a cast of unknowns, the biggest marque name being Tim Curry who, aside from his legendary role in 'The Rocky Horror Picture Show,' had also become a recording artist of minimal success, good records though they were. 

In short, two misfit kids meet in a hospital where both are being observed for potential mental illness. Nicky Marotta (played by Robin Johnson) and Pamela Pearl (played by Trini Alvarado) become fast friends, one aggressive and outspoken, the other shy and reserved. The character of Nicky was, visually at least, based on Joan Jett who, coincidentally, screen tested for the film. “When I first saw the girl, I thought it was me,” Jett recalled in a 1983 interview. 

Meanwhile, the city of New York is under fire for becoming what, in reality it was, a rough and often dangerous place that also happened to be full of adventure, personality and excitement. Local radio dj Johnny LaGuardia (Curry) is vocal about not gentrifying the city. 

As the film unfold, the girls bust out of the mental hospital, seek refuge and purpose by forming a band and connecting with Laguardia .Calling themselves the Sleeze Sisters the duo dished out street poetry (?) with a punk attitude and songs that would be very much out of fashion and, quite simply banned in 2023. The girls hit the recording studio with "Damn Dog' and "Your Daughter Is One," whose lyrics would be unprintable by most standards of 2023.  

One thing leads to another, the girls have a falling out over ideas about their own lives, but ultimately Mr. DJ brings the two back together in time for them to announce a special free concert to be held on the rooftop of a movie theater in Times Square. With the cops searching for Nicky, following the performance, she makes a break for it by jumping off the rooftop. Oh the drama! 

The film was, and remains, a cult favorite at best. The real star was the soundtrack album. Release on RSO Records, it featured a checklist of then contemporary new wave heroes such as the Pretenders, Gary Numan, Joe Jackson, Ramones, Talking Heads, the Ruts, and the Cure, as well as a few elder statesmen like Roxy Music, David Johansen, and Patti Smith. One track, 'Take This Town' by XTC was unavailable elsewhere for many years. Other music from the film is also featured and as is so often the case, the music has a far better fate that the film cash in. 

The Summit audience was introduced to The Vindy’s when Jim Chenot invited them to perform in his “Radio Sandbox” program. The power and the passion in Jackie Popovec’s voice impressed Jim and led him to campaign for regular airplay of The Vindy’s on The Summit.

So much has changed since then. We lost Jim in 2016 but the music that inspired him continues to entertain us. 

The Vindy’s have become one of the most sought-after bands in Northeast Ohio and beyond. It’s their unique blend of alt-rock that Cleveland Magazine says, “…reminds us of The Black Keys”, and “…make us want to dance, whether we’re in a grungy dive bar or a field in Lake County.” 

This Youngstown based band is led by powerhouse singer/songwriter/guitarist, Jackie Popovec, who the Repository says “…uncannily evokes Amy Winehouse on the more retro songs while going full-tilt rock n roll on the harder moodier numbers. WKBN-TV (CBS) calls the band “…one of the hottest acts in the area…Canfield’s Jackie Popovec’s voice is a blend of Amy Winehouse and Nora Jones.” The Beaver County Times claims “…Popovec will grab you immediately. She sounds sweet and sultry, vulnerable, and persevering.”

Rounding out the band is John Anthony on guitar/harmony vocals and Rick Deak on guitar/harmony vocals. The Vindy’s “Family Band” includes drummer Owen Davis, bassist Brendan Burk, keyboardist Nathan Anthony and the Youngstown Horns featuring Kyle O’Donnell on trumpet, Brian Mayle on trombone, and Garret Kuchmaner on saxophone. All are classically trained musicians who combine their skills, Popovec as the primary songwriter, and arrangements by the band resulting in a depth and maturity in their music that is intricate, yet relatable. 

Because they are passionate about representing Youngstown as a place where the music scene is thriving their name pays homage to their roots by drawing influence from Youngstown’s daily newspaper. Here at the Summit FM, our Program Director, Brad Savage says “To me, they really personify Youngstown and Northeast Ohio. They’ve got depth and substance and are instantly likable. Their songs get stuck in your head after one listen.  

The band has performed at various festivals including WonderStruck, WonderRoad, Wonderbus, The three Rivers Arts Festival, Laurel Live, Winnetka Music Festival, Women Who Rock, and Summerfest where the band won the first day of the Emerging Artist Series selected by voters on Twitter. Additionally, The Vindy’s have shared the stage with Pat Benatar, Walk Off The Earth Drive By Truckers, Marty Stuart, Donnie Iris, The Clarks and more. 

The Summit FM reminds you that the best way to support the musicians you love is by buying merch directly from the artist!

By Dave Swanson - Summit FM Contributor

When the Steve Miller Band hit the music scene in 1968 with their debut album, 'Children Of The Future,' they were one of many bands from the San Fransisco Bay area vying for people's attention. Their mixture of blues, soul and rock and roll would prove a winning combination with just the right amount of psychedelic coloring added in, though the eternal 'freakout' was never really their stong suit, it did add plenty to those early albums. 

Five strong albums released from '68 through 1970, found the band gainind an audience with songs like 'Living In The USA' and 'Space Cowboy' as well as a reputation as a live act. By 1970, with the haze of psychedelia fading, the band settled in for a less encumbered approach, highlighting the blues and adding in a good pop sense to the mix. 

Released in 1970, 'Rook Love' was a slight misstep with Miller and Company not yet finding their zone. That would come with the next proper album, 'The Joker.' The band's eighth album signaled a new start for the Miller Band both artistically and commercially. From the first notes of 'Sugar Babe' through the ending of 'Something To Believe In,' it was clear Miller had condensed all he'd learned over the years into a potent brew, ripe for the charts. 

The album's first single, 'The Joker,' would seal the deal, hitting the Top spot on the Billboard US singles charts after being released in October of 1973. The single would not only become Miller's first major hit, but his signature song. "Shu Ba Da Du Ma Ma Ma Ma" would also play heavily on FM radio. In addition to the new found popularity, Miller pulled a twofold cae of mystery and intrigue by having people questioning why some people called him 'Maurice,' and the most significant question of all, what the hell was "the pompatus of love"?? 

These are questions mere mortals like us fail to have a concrete answer for, so instead, we shall just call 'The Joker' this week's Essential Album here at The Summit. You, the midnight toker, and Maurice just enjoy the tunes as you ponder the pompatus of love while someone shakes your tree. 

"The Joker" celebrates its 50th Anniversary this October!

By Laura Smiley - Summit FM Sales Director

By Dave Swanson - Summit FM Contributor

For three dates in February of 1963, Sam Cooke gathered up a group of musicians and held some late night recording sessions to make a record he really wanted to make.  Recorded at RCA Studios in Hollywood, Cooke, brought in pianist Ray Johnson, lead guitarist Barney Kessel, bassists Cliff Hils and Clif White, drummers Hal Blaine and Ed Hall, René Hall on rhythm guitar and a 16 year old lad named Billy Preston on organ. This ensemble would record what many critics and fans regard as Cooke's finest hour, 'Night Beat.' 

History may have forgotten, but in his prime Sam Cooke was a major force to be respected at every turn. From the late 1950s onward, Cooke delivered a long run of hits including  'You Send Me,' 'Chain Gang,' 'Cupid,' 'Only Sixteen,' 'Another Saturday Night,' Twistin’ The Night Away,' and 'Havin’ A Party,' to rattle off a handful. His smooth and invitingly soulful voice struck a chord that crossed racial boundaries without a blink and would inspire singers across the board. Rod Stewart has often said he wanted to "be" Sam Cooke. 

The idea for 'Night Beat,' was simple, Sam would assemble a core group of players he knew and record a batch of songs he wanted to record, seemingly without any thought of hit singles, formula or pleasing anyone but himself. What got put down on tape those three days turned out to be pure soulful magic. Not that his prior catalog of records aren't great, but the addition of strings and other extras could, at times, distract from the main attraction, Cooke's beautiful voice. 'Night Beat' let's Cooke's vocal shine alone ni the spotlight. 

Some songs written by Cooke, others by a variety of writers, and all seamlessly fitting together and though not a 'concept album' as such, in a way, it is conceptual musically as it evokes the late night sessions with some of Cooke's purest vocals atop a hybrid of blues, soul and pop that allowed Sam's vocals to be front and center. 

In a Goldmine magazine feature, the legendary Al Kooper said, "Each song is like another moody painting always in the appropriate, tasteful frame," adding, "This is intimate Sam Cooke and his favorite musicians having some genuine fun in the studio, with obviously no eye toward ramming up the pop charts." The sessions were engineered bby RCA staffer David Hassinger, who would later make a name for himself working with the Rolling Stones, Jefferson Airplane, Grateful Dead and Frank Sinatra among others. 

The world weariness he puts forth on "Get Yourself Another Fool" is a lesson in how to put one's heart on the line in song while his take on Willie Dixon's 'Little Red Rooster' adds a gallon of soul the the blues classic, creating one of the most unique and powerful versions of the much loved blues standard. The album was released at the tail end of summer, 1963. In 2007, the Guardian included 'Night Beat' on its list of '1000 Albums To Hear Before You Die,' noting that Cooke always "brought a spiritual intensity to every cute mainstream confection he recorded, but his beautiful voice was never more mesmerizing than on this hushed and gracious album." 

Sam was very pleased with the way the record came out, and signs pointed to the possibility of doing another in this style, but that was not to be. Cooke was killed on December 11, 1964 at the Hacienda Motel in Los Angeles by the motel's manager, Bertha Franklin. The story behind that involved with Franklin and Cooke entwined in a heated argument in the motel office, and as the two struggled, Franklin grabbed a gun and shot him. 

Sam Cooke left behind a wonderful catalog of recordings from his early time with gospel group the Soul Stirrers on through is pop chart success, but arguably his purest recordings are found here, on 'Night Beat.' 

By Ryan Humbert - Summit FM Contributor

The Americana Music Association was formed in 1999, and since that time has helped American roots music assume an elevated and secure place in the artistic and commercial life of the nation. What began as an informal gathering of dedicated colleagues has grown into a movement endorsed by major media and iconic artists. The Recording Academy added the category of “Best Americana Album” in 2009, and Merriam-Webster included the musical term into the dictionary in 2011.

The Americana Music Association has not only been a refuge for artistry in a time of tumult for popular music, but as well, a resource for hundreds of upcoming artists, songwriters, musicians, and producers. Today, Americana is one of the best selling music genres according to Billboard’s Top 20 album charts - with artists like Mumford & Sons, The Avett Brothers, The Civil Wars, The Lumineers and more, becoming the mainstream and not the exception.

The highlight of the associations' annual AmericanaFest (happening this week in Nashville, TN) is the Americana Music Awards, taking place at the historic Ryman Auditorium.

Here are the five songs nominated for "Song of the Year" at this year's awards. Enjoy!

Don't forget to tune into the Americana Roundup, every Sunday morning from 9 to 11AM on The Summit FM -- hosted by Ryan Humbert, lead singer of the Shootouts. For more information, visit AmericanaRoundup.com.

By Dave Swanson - Summit FM Contributor

After parting ways with Genesis in 1975, vocalist Peter Gabriel anxiously set off on his own path. Many critics, and some fans, assumed the band would fail without Gabriel, but for most fans there wa a sense of excitement wondering what each camp would come up with. While time would show the grand commercial success of Genesis over the post-Gabriel years, it also shone a bright light on the artistic rise of Gabriel as a solo artist. 

With his debut album in 1977, Gabriel scored a modest hit with 'Solsbury Hill,' toured the world and proved he was not stuck in the past, adopting a new look and streamlined sound while showcasing many great songs. With album number 2 a year later, he continued on course expanding the parameters of 'pop' with such songs as 'On The Air' and 'D.I. Y.' This was 'Art Pop' for an era embracing many new sounds and in many circles turning its collective back on the past. Gabriel was one of a handful of the progressive rock brigade that was able to escape the wrath of the punk generation by showing his interest in new sounds and styles. 

Though he has had an incredible career, one that continues to this day, for many it is his third solo album which, like the first two, was titled simply 'Peter Gabriel,' that still stands as his greatest moment on record. Released in 1980, it had a very modern sound that has actually aged quite well. Produced by Steve Lillywhite, and engineered by Hugh Padgahm, this young duo had only recently been responsible for the album 'Drums And Wires' by XTC, a very modern sounding record with a unique drum sound.  

That drum sound, using 'gate reverb,' would go on to be exploited and become 'the' drum sound of the 1980s used on countless records including 'I Know There's Something Going On' by ex-Abba star Frida and most famously , Phil Collins' 'In The Air Tonight'. That approach can first be heard on the opening track of Gabriel's third, 'Intruder.' It is a powerful assault of sound. In addition, it was Gabriel's idea to have the drummers on the album forgo use of cymbals, thus presenting a clean and direct rhythm with no flourishes, a very unique approach. 

The album is full of amazing songs including 'And Through The Wire,' featuring guitar by the Jam's Paul Weller, 'I Don't Remember,' with Dave Gregory of XTC on guitar, and 'Biko,' the classic tale of South African activist Steven Biko. 'Games Without Frontiers,' was a Top 10 hit throughout Europe and Canada, but just failed to hit the US Top 40, though it is undisputedly one of Gabriel's classics and includes none other than Kate Bush on backing vocals. 

Since its release 43 years ago the album regularly shows up on various 'all time classics' or 'best of the 80s' lists. It is a seamless journey through Gabriel's artistic vision at the time that holds up incredibly well all these years later. It’s a rare case of an album that at once sounds like the era from which it came, and yet, there is something about it that still sounds modern, if not futuristic. A very unique slab indeed and we are happy to call it a Summit Essential. 

By Marc Lee Shannon - Summit FM Contributor

Wellness can be achieved by virtue of completing a journey and maintain a lifestyle. But it can also be magnified by our ability to appreciate and be thankful for the things that we already have! Summit Wellness continues to hum the melody of connection between feeling good and feeling grateful!  

Gratitude is a monthly feature contributed by Matt Anthony, Digital Media Producer and on-air host for the Summit FM. Matt reflects on instances where we might uncover more ways to appreciate what’s in front of us, and how those instances might contribute to our overall health and well-being. 

"Four Walls and a Roof"
By Matt Anthony - Summit FM Contributor

Our house is a very, very, very fine house 
With two cats in the yard 
Life used to be so hard 
Now everything is easy 'cause of you. 
“Our House” – Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young 

There was a night this past winter where I simply couldn’t sleep. This is rare for me, as I usually hit the REM-cycle as soon as my noggin hits the pillow.  (Donna jokes with me that my love-affair with my pillow is legendary. And I usually respond that if she weren’t in my life that I would probably propose to it. I love it that much.) 

But nothing was moving me towards la-la land. I thought of work. I thought of the past. I thought of the future. I even tried to hum a song, count sheep, even meditate from a horizontal position.  But my brain was moving in about 72 different directions. 

So, I inhaled deeply, and then I exhaled. And I tried to arrive at focusing on something for which I was grateful. And it suddenly occurred to me, wrapped up there in thick blankets, in a warm bedroom in the middle of an Alberta Clipper, lying next to the woman I adore and my head resting on the other love of my life: I have everything I need. 

“Just know you’re not alone 
‘Cause I’m gonna make this place your home.” 
“Home” – Phillip Phillips 

I thought of homeless people. I thought of families that live together in large numbers, congregating in small, crowded rooms that they might be forced to share. I thought of someone who might be alone after the death of a loved one, the space in that bed now empty. I thought of someone lying awake, waiting for the headlights of a vehicle to pull up in the driveway. Maybe the driver is a long-haul trucker who has been on the road. Or maybe that person lying awake can’t sleep because the person coming home is a serial-abuser or someone with substance-use disorder. 

Our home, as a building, is far from perfect. This was my mother-in-law’s home. She had it built on the far east side of Akron. The realtor at the time told her, “You’ll have the best view of Akron”. And then three months later they built a 9-story apartment complex, a square, un-attractive behemoth that blocked that million-dollar view. 

The bedrooms are small. The floors need refurnished. It’s lodged in a working-class neighborhood where the crime-rate isn’t exceptional. And while moving into it 13 years ago from St. Louis, I kept muttering to myself that this house wouldn’t exactly qualify as my ‘dream-house’. 

“If we make it or we don’t we won’t be alone 
When I see your light shine I know I’m home.” 
“We’re Going Home” – Vance Joy 

But lying there in the warmth of that back bedroom, I suddenly became appreciative for the things that we did have. We don’t have granite countertops. But we have a corner-lot, a much-desired attribute for new homebuyers. We don’t have a ‘media center’. But we have a dry basement, one that can easily house my photography gear, my video set-up, and my audio recording-studio. And we don’t have the square-footage and the amenities that dominate every episode of HGTV. But we’re on a hill, therefore we stress a bit less about heavy rainfall. 

We also have a mortgage that is less than some pay for monthly for that new truck. 

Solid, old-school construction. Good bones. And on that frigid Tuesday night, with temperatures in the single-digits and descending? Warmth. The gratitude surrounded me and covered me like Grandma’s comforter. 

By Dave Swanson - Summit FM Contributor

The Sex Pistols were a shooting star -- a momentary flash of lightning -- however you wish to analogize them. They appeared, exploded, imploded, and were gone. Obviously, the aftershocks have been felt ever since to varying degrees. Despite any cliché’s the band were wrapped in (assembled by management, media exploitation and somewhat manufactured angst) the world had never seen anything quite like them before and only copy cats since.

Steve Jones, Paul Cook, Glen Matlock and John Lydon aka Rotten were cobbled together by manager/huckster Malcolm McLaren who initially saw this ragged lot as competition for the Bay City Rollers, at the time, the hottest teen sensation on the charts, so much so that he tried to mold them, in part, after the Scottish heart throbs..

“We chatted, and he asked me all sorts of questions about the Rollers, the image, the tartan, the fans, how we did our hair," recalled Rollers guitarist Stuart Wood in an interview with Rock & Roll Globe. "Eric (Faulkner, other Rollers guitarist) and myself had the spiky hair. We didn’t think it was such a big deal: Bowie had the spiky hair, it was just something you did back then. Eric would cut my hair and his own hair himself; we never had a professional do it. And it certainly looked like we cut it ourselves. Malcolm seemed interested in that.” 

From such simple origins to worldwide outrage over the Sex Pistols, especially in their native England, the band was doomed from the start. Ah yes, but what a lovely noise they made in that brief period of time. A handful of classic singles and one triumphant LP, and they were gone. Follwing the ill-fated American tour in 1978, Rotten quit/was forced out of, the band. There was talk, however brief, of Johnny joining Devo (also signed to Warner Brothers and also in their own highly original mode of rebellion. As interesting as that could have been, one meeting proved that to be a non-starter.

Left to his own devices, Rotten, now Lydon, decided to form a new band. That band would take the energy of the Pistols, mixed in with a more cerebral  stance, still defiant but less cliché perhaps, and change up the musical template to include all sorts of sounds from atmospheric guitar textures to ghosts of dub and reggae all set atop driving, circular rhythms. Public Image Ltd. was born.

When asked in a 1979 interview how he saw music changing in the 80s, Lydon replied, "Hopefully getting better, in that many attitudes will be accepted, not just one way. Punk became like facist. The pathetic conclusion of that movement was one load of a--holes were replaced by another load. Nothing was achieved"

Lydon recruited guitarist, and original Clash member Keith Levene, Jah Wobble on thundering bass, and Jim Walker on drums. Interesting side note, one of Levene's previous jobs was as a roadie for the band Yes. It was this line-up that would record their startling and dynamic debut sing in July of 1978. 'Public Image' b/w 'Cowboy Song' was released by Virgin Records in October of that year to unanimous glowing reviews. The band had succeeded on the goal of marrying the spirit and emphatic drive of the original punk sound with something truly other, and in the end, somewhat helping to invent 'post-punk' music. 

Bands like Magazine, Siouxsie & the Banshees, Wire, Joy Division and many more would all fall into that circle in some way or another as they all too from those punk roots and pushed and reshaped the boundaries that followed. The gut punching bass and brittle shinning guitars set the mood while Lydon's snarl is still intact, but delivered in a more unique way, with darker tone and, perhaps, a more focused and vitriolic anger. PIL could never have existed were it not for the Pistols, however, had the Pistols stayed together, there’s no way they would have ever arrived at the sound of PIL.

"I think 'Public Image' states the case absolutely clearly," Lydon told interviewer Damien Love in a 2018 interview. "I do love a sentence that tells you exactly what it is, although I can verbalize from time to time, but on certain songs, the more direct approach is better. I had somewhat of the feeling that I’d been dumped from the Pistols, and I wanted this thing to do much, much better than I’d ever done before, and I think I did that. In a weird way I was competing with myself."

Their debut LP, 'First Issue,' blew many a mind upon its release, and has continued to do so for decades. It combination of sounds and general approach has gone on to influence everyone from U2 to Arctic Monkeys and beyond. ‘First Issue’ was released that fall with their even more groundbreaking second release, 'Metal Box,' following one year later.