By Dave Swanson - Summit FM Contributor

After several years of haunting the clubs of the world and issuing a variety of albums, in September of 1983, Tom Waits found his true voice with the release of his eighth album, 'Swordfishtrombones.' 

He began his professional musical journey in as the '60s wove into the '70s. Adopting a displaced beatnik style, his persona matched his music in a blend of ragged, dusty and jumbled chords and words and attire. Taking much inspiration from the original Beat movement of the 1950s, Waits stood out in the crowd where Bukowski, Kerouac and Ginsburg weren't the flavor of the day. 

His down and out persona was matched by his down and out balladry and storytelling, most often with piano as his sole accompaniment, Wait's songs struck a chord with those who heard him, gaining him an enthusiastic, if offbeat, following in the early 1970s.  

Songs like 'The Piano Has Been Drinking,' 'Pasties and a G String,' and 'Heart Of A Saturday Night' all became trademark songs, showcasing his unique take on blues, folk, jazz and vaudeville all rolled into one. This was a true trip through the underbelly of America, tales told of the back alleys, desolate streets, and gutters of America, sung is his trademark grave and gin soaked voice. 

Early underground succes with albums like 'Small Change' and 'Heart Of Saturday Night' got people interested and by the end of the decade, 'Blue Valentine' and 'Heart Attack And Vine' had critics cheering and fanbase building. It was at that point when Waits made a brave move. Change up the formula and sail into uncharted water! 

Released in September of 1983, 'Swordfishtrombones' stood apart from its predecessors, somewhat glaringly. Gone were the seedy streets of the city, replaced by more surreal terrain. This was Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht riding with the blues. Waits’ voice was now a stunning mix - one part Howlin' Wolf, one part Captain Beefheart and one part carnival barker. This was a tragic run down circus from the 1930s with gritty blues flowing within twisted jazz and Waits' own version of rock and roll. This was an abstract trip through the American psyche, an album Waits said was based on "journal entries from an exotic odyssey." 

For as many of the old fans as it may have confused, it turned as many or more onto this offbeat character, but where did he fit in? It wasn't found among any other flavors of the day. It didn't sound like jangly guitar 'college rock,' or punk, new wave, heavy metal, post punk. It really was beamed in from a distant world and perhaps not fitting in helped him find his audience. 

The album moves on from his signature piano and vocal template to include a small combo and a variety of instrumentation. We get horns, organ, electric guitars, harmonium, marimba, synthesizers, various percussion and other effects to create the unique style of sounds. "I was trying to find musical instruments that were more nightmarish or dreamlike," Waits said in a 1983 interview. Meanwhile, the lyrics twist together flashes of comedy, surrealism, desperation, joy and abstract thought into the tales told. 

Rolling Stone called the album "so weird that Asylum Records decided not to release it, but it’s so good that Island was smart enough to pick it up," noting that most of the songs had "gorgeous Waitsian melodies, which haven’t been collected in such quantity since his ten-year-old debut album. 

'Sworfishtrombones' was the first of what one could call a ‘holy trinity’ within Waits' catalog. He would follow it with 'Rain Dogs' in 1985, a more fleshed out and more rocked out take on this album, followed by 'Frank's Wild  Years,' continuing the tale of Frank, started here, and inflating the approach significantly in sound and story. A live album and soundtrack would come next before Waits unleashed what is arguably his signature statementt, 'Bone Machine' in 1992. 

Tom Waits has also played roles in a long list of films and continued to make record, though nothing since 2011's 'Red As Me.' He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame in 2011 by Neil Young. From playing the almost cliché beatnik role in his early years, through the development of the Tom Waits we’ve come to know, this is a significant point in that journey. 

By Chad Miller - Summit FM Music Director

What's everyone been listening to out there? So much new music coming at us, so little time! However, these songs that might fly under the radar to most are what I've been diggin' these past few weeks!

Like what you hear? Please email me at chad@thesummit.fm and let me know what you think!

By Dave Swanson - Summit FM Contributor

Santana exploded onto the rock scene in a literal purple haze at the legendary Woodstock Festival in August of 1969. Having been gifted a fairly large dose of LSD from the Grateful Dead’s Jerry Garcia, lead guitarist Carlos Santana settled in for a long trip before he and his band were set to play. Shortly thereafter, the schedule got rearranged and Santana were told they were up "next." The then high-flying guitarist understandably freaked out at the idea of going onstage in front of half a million people while tripping on Owsley's finest. Keep in mind, Santana were a brand new band that had yet to release their debut album. 

The performance went down famously and has long been considered one of the festival highlights. One week later, the debut album from Santana was released to universal acclaim, thus starting the ascent of this unique band that were more than adept at combining rock, blues, soul and psychedelia with Latin influences to make an unforgettable sonic adventure. 'Evil Ways' hit the US Top 10 as the band gained ground. 

One year later, September 23 1970, they unleashed 'Abraxas,' their second LP which pushed their musical exploration even further. Carlos, and company, had continued to refine their sound and style as they applied it to two vastly different songs, making these outside compositions truly their own. 

'Black Magic Woman' was a 1968 record by England's Fleetwood Mac, Written by Mac guitarist Peter Green and released as a single in early 1968, it quickly became an early Mac classic despite never being a chart hit. Santana would change that, taking their version into the American charts as their second Top 10 hit.  

'Abraxas' featured another choice cover version, a song originally written and performed by Latin music hero Tito Puente back in 1962. A classic Latino pop song revamped by Santana connected with US record buyers, sending it to No. 13 when released as a single in early 1971. Over time, it has become one of Santana's signature songs. 

There is more to 'Abraxas' than the two major hits however, 'Mother's Daughter,' written by keyboardist Greg Rollie, was a straight ahead rocker that showed off not only some ace guitar playing, but also what a brilliant rhythm section the band had, while 'Samba Pa Ti' and 'El Nicoya' dove deeper into the Latin groove while keeping the acidic glow intact. 

Though perhaps not as triumphant as their debut, 'Abraxas' was a strong effort, hitting the top of the US LP charts, and helped secure Santana's standing in the early '70s music scene.  So enjoy this week's 'album essential,' an album that was able to breakthrough to the masses in an era that was wide open, before everything, every band, and everyone had to be labeled. They were just, quite simply, Santana! 

September marks National Recovery Month. The tagline, “Every Person, Every Family, Every Community,” emphasizes that recovery is possible for everyone. Treatment can save a life and can help people with substance use disorders recover from addiction’s powerful effects on their brain and behavior. Treatment and recovery make it possible for individuals, families, and communities to heal and thrive.

Since 1989, Recovery Month has been held every September to promote and support new treatment and recovery practices, the nation’s strong and proud recovery community, and the dedication of service providers and communities who make recovery in all its forms possible. Visit SAMHSA’s National Recovery Month website.

Recovery Month celebrates the gains made by those in recovery from substance use disorder. Read the CDC feature which promotes and supports understanding treatment and recovery options.

By Dave Swanson - Summit FM Contributor

Television - a device that allows a variety of entertainment into one's living room day after day after night after night. What a concept! From the earliest days of family entertainment up through cable and the countless streaming services and 'plus' programming, there is a lot to pick from. The days of shared viewing experiences and moments are long gone. You can watch what you want to watch at any given time. 

What some see as freedom of choice others see as too many cooks in the kitchen. As the great philosopher George Carlin once stated, "Too many choices! It's not healthy!" At one time, the boundaries of what you could say or get away with on TV changed, but in 2023, the boundaries have simply been washed away. Everything is fair game, and frankly, that's pretty boring. 

Forget the remote, get up and change the dial, if you will, to ABC, Feb. 5, 1969 if you want a real jolt. That was the debut and finale of one of the shortest lived and oddest shows in television history, 'Turn On.’ It was created by producer George Schlatter, who had come up with the hit series 'Laugh-In' two years earlier for NBC. Schlatter's next venture was a continuation, of sorts, from the gauntlet thrown down by Laugh-In, presenting social commentary, observation and comedy rolled into one tightly wound ball. 

‘Laugh-In,’ however, had interaction with the hosts, the guests and the viewer, 'Turn-On' adopted more of a barrage of ideas approach, hurling one bit after another at the viewer with speed and precision. Comedian Tim Conway was chosen to host the first episode. A few other familiar faces pop up including Teresa Graves, Hamilton Camp and Mel Stewart (soon to show up as 'Henry Jefferson' on 'All In The Family.' 

Like 'Laugh-In' and 'The Smothers Brothers,' 'Turn-On' was aimed at a younger audience, but also an audience open to over stimulation. The soundtrack was all generated synthesizer sounds, in hopes to give it a futuristic edge of sorts. It was originally conceived as "the first computerized TV show," and the look of it was somewhere between pop-art and retro-futuristic. References and one-liners were there and gone in a roller coaster ride of sorts and 29 minutes later, it was all over.  

"It was actually a hell of a television show,” recalled series creator George Schlatter on his website. "It all happened inside a white ball, with shadowless light, that gave us ‘infinity’. There was no audience; the 'audience reaction' was all done on a device that was brand new called the Moog synthesizer, instead of the normal applause and laughter." Even before its ill-fated airing the network had reservations and questions for Schlatter and crew, concerns over sketches pertaining to birth control, the Pop, and the Vietnam War. The episode, as well as a second unaired episode, only recently appeared online. 

"It was way ahead of its time," recalled Tim Conway in a PBS interview called 'Pioneers Of Television.'  "It aired first in New York and we were waiting for the reviews. As it came across the country, it was being cancelled. When it got to Ohio, they shut it off after fifteen minutes! We had the coming out party and the cancellation party in the same night!" According to Schlatter, a panicked viewer in Cleveland, Ohio kept calling the affiliates to complain about the show, without ever seeing it, his main goal being to keep Peyton Place on the air. 

The public had spoken and the show was indeed cancelled after one episode out of a scheduled 13. Though very short lived, the instant reaction made ABC a little gun-shy on future prospects. As the story goes the controversy surrounding 'Turn-On' led ABC to reject a new pilot whose lead character was a "foul mouthed bigot." That series, of course, was 'All In The Family,' which ended up on CBS, and the rest is history. 

By Marc Lee Shannon - Summit FM Contributor

Minus The Alien is a hip-hop recording artist, songwriter, and producer from Akron, Ohio. His passion, unique voice, creative lyrics, catchy hooks, soulful harmonies and vocal arrangements -- combined with conscious subject matter -- sonically provides a formula that can be embraced by all ages. He was recently named as one of the 2021 top ten Akron rappers to check out by OkayPlayer.com. He is also the founder of a grassroots non-profit organization called Alien Arts, Inc. which teaches youth about the positive side of hip-hop culture.

Minus The Alien has had the privilege to open up for legendary hip hop pioneers such as Rakim, Souls of Mischief, Whodini, Slum Village and Casual. He has performed at various venues throughout northeast ohio including Jilly's Music Room, Canton Football Hall of Fame, The Bop Stop, The Odeon, Grog Shop, Lock 3 Live, Akron Civic Theatre, Blu Jazz, Musica, Canal Park Stadium, Akron Art Museum & Zimmerman Symphony Center. He has performed at several music festivals including Porch Rokr, Square Fest, Global Village Fest & Big Love Fest.

Minus The Alien has appeared on "Around Akron with Blue Green" which airs on PBS and has had several write ups in the Akron Beacon Journal, The Cleveland Plain Dealer and Spectrum News Ohio. His music can be heard in regular rotation on The Summit FM. 

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

Hard rock is a true thing or beauty! That perfect balance of the almighty riffs put in motion by Chuck Berry and the other elder statesmen amped up in attack and volume to drive it all home. AC/DC took that approach, recast in their own unique spirit and truly transformed the genre. The great British band Status Quo can probably be credited with pioneering this approach, but AC/DC took it and ran with it. 

Formed in 1973, AC/DC consciously avoided the trappings of all rock that surrounded them: nothing sweet, nothing mystical, nothing pretentious, just straight ahead rock and roll. Original singer Dave Evans did a fair job, but fronting this band required someone more authentic. Enter Bon Scott, a few years older than the others, battle scars and war wounds to prove it, but also the voice.  

From 1975 through 1978 AC/DC released five albums, all absolute classics and all produced by Harry Vanda and George Young, both former members of Australia's greatest 1960s export, the Easybeats! George also happened to be the older brother of AC/DC guitarists Malcolm and Angus Young. Wanda and Young created the perfect template for hard rock production, a no frills, straight to the heart sonic attack.  

By 1978 the band were at their peak, and truth be told, you would have been hard pressed to find a better live act. I can honestly say, seeing AC/DC open for Thin Lizzy in 1978 remains one of the greatest concerts I have ever seen, and I have seen a lot! Following the '78 'Powerage' tour, everything seemed in place as the band headed back to the studio. 

The major change this time out would be in the role of producer. Atlantic Records decided all that was holding them back from the big time was a more radio friendly approach to their albums and tried to match up legendary producer Eddie Kramer who had worked with the likes of Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, Peter Frampton, and Kiss. Immediately AC/DC were unhappy and when initial sessions yielded nothing, they convinced their manager to get Kramer out, ultimately going with  Robert John "Mutt" Lange, who was able to help them produce a masterpiece called 'Highway To Hell.' 

Released in the summer of 1979 to universal acclaim, radio finally came around with the title track blasting out of radios everywhere. From start to end, it's an absolute classic. 'Walk All Over You,' ' Touch Too Much,' ;Girls Got Rhythm,' 'Shot Down In Flames' and all the rest present the AC/DC style  for their die-hard fans and new converts alike to rejoice in. The album hit Top 10 in the UK and No. 17 in the states. 

Sadly, of course, the story is without a happy ending as just over six months later, singer Bon Scott was found dead with the coroner’s report concluding that Scott had died of "acute alcohol poisoning" classified as "death by misadventure.” 44 years on, let the music play loud as we present 'Highway To Hell' as our Summit FM Album Essential for this week. 

By Dave Swanson - Summit FM Contributor

When the Beatles burst into American living rooms on Feb. 9, 1964 via the Ed Sullivan Show, they altered the direction of the universe. That's no exaggeration! There was the world before the Beatles, and the world after. What we have now is the world after the world after, which is a big room in a lot of disarray, most of the old paint peeled off the wall, but a few of the original layers still able to peek through. 

The music of the Beatles startled and shook the music world to the core. Countless musicians sited that Sullivan show as the moment they knew they wanted to be a musician while others less musically inclined still pointed to it as a 'one day the world was suddenly in full color' moment. A huge reason the Beatles were not dismissed as temporary entertainment and fodder for the kids was because even those of an older generation knew there was something more to their music than a typical teenage come hither or empty calorie sugary beverage. There was, ahem, substance! 

Not wanting to seem like unhip day old bread, countless artists recorded Beatles songs who otherwise wouldn't have given a second listen to these 'long haired' kids from across the pond. Acknowledgement came from the likes of Leonard Bernstein to Frank Sinatra over time. Sinatra famously recording a version of George Harrison’s ‘Something,’ referring to it as the finest Lennon/McCartney composition. It was the thought that counted. 

Beatles songs were recorded in the mode of easy listening, country, folk, orchestral, jazz, electronic, you name it with nearly all versions succeeding at one level or another, simply because of the quality of the songs. Here then are a handful of Beatles interpretations, some to be take less seriously than others, but all sincere in their homage. Trust me, there's plenty more where these came from! 

By Ryan Humbert - Summit FM Contributor

Americana music has been around for a lot longer than most people realize, going as far back as, say, The Flying Burrito Brothers and Gram Parsons, to name just two. The biggest issue is that most folks didn't know what to call it. Alt-Country? Roots Rock? Twangcore?

While it's certainly had a mild identity crisis over the years, it doesn't matter what you call it -- it's always been a mixture of traditional American music genres -- folk, country, blues, bluegrass, soul and more.

Here are five smoking-hot new songs for August 2023 -- 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.