By Summit FM Contributor Marc Lee Shannon
It has been a long, strange trip that has led me to this small room with microphones, headphones, and a mixing console in front of my now 5-year-old MacBook Pro. The sounds of the Pretenders waft in the air from the nearby Tavoli radio as I sit in the Summit's Edit Studio B, where I am often left to write and ponder the meaning of my life—at least what my life has in store for lunch anyway.
Back to the Pretenders. The song "Brass in Pocket" takes me back to a day in Pasadena, California, in late March 1980. Just about to graduate from the Hollywood-based music school, G.I.T., I had left my home on Liberty Avenue in the west Akron neighborhood near Firestone HS (Chrissy's Alma Mater) 18 months prior, and I was searching for a post-school apartment. I found myself on a tranquil street when that song came on in my beat-up brown and tan Subaru. I remember the scent of the jasmine trees and a feeling of hometown pride sweeping over me in a way that only a dreamer of dreams can experience when he sees another from his 'burb "making it." I loved the song because it represented the hope that my dream could come true. Many years later, I still feel the same way. Exactly the same.
In the many ticks of the times since then, Ms. Hynde has proven her pedigree by sustaining a career, making authentic music, and cutting her trail in her way for over 45 years and some more than 12 LPs. Though she has now set down roots in the UK for some time, she occasionally returns to the Rubber City. At one time, she had a restaurant and condo in the downtown area of the Northside District. Her song “My City Was Gone” seems like a faint reminder of how much has changed since those days in the 1980s and how the city has morphed and changed since I left with all those great big dreams in 1979.
The tales from some of the senior staff here at The Summit FM speak of her visits and ability to be kind and… prickly. One story was of the times she would pop into town, stop by, and use her sharp wit like a wire brush on a pair of suede chukka boots. Clearing the grit, brushing the chaff, and then sharing a kind, soft compliment as a dichotomy that seemed to say, in essence, you can't predict me! She was colorful and tough, just like the several generations of folk who worked in the factories and spent their Wednesday nights knocking down bowling pins and cold Rolling Rock Beer in neighborhood strip mall joints.
Occasionally, she was available to comment or give a brief interview, but you had better be on your game and ready, Freddy.
So after all these years, why does it matter so much to all of us from this city, the ones that grew up here, migrated here by job or other chance, or the ones like me who purposefully left the big city lights to return to what our soul told us what the right place, the right path? It matters because an artist like Ms. Hynde from your hometown is made with the same stuff: a green work shirt and trousers, working-class work ethic, and sensibility, speaking a truth that only resonates with that loyal, faithful tribe of believers from the many different Akron neighborhoods and that are in fact actually the same place, Anytown, USA. It's your place, my place, a place that shares the small-town Friday night familiarity of a hamburger place at Wallhaven, a legendary pizza place in the downtown Northside district, or that family-owned restaurant with a name that no one really knows how to pronounce.
It's called home.
Home matters. Home is the same if you're a legendary singer or a local heavyweight playing at a renovated theatre in Kenmore's hopefully renewed art/music district. Home is heart; home is a memory of what you used to be and what you are now after years of faithfully rowing the river of a dream that everyone thinks is crazy, except you.
It’s knowing that there is a place for you at that familiar breakfast counter, no matter what. A place where you can live your life, strum your own song, grin that shaking-your-head smile, close your eyes, and slip back in time to a "remember-when" comforting sigh. Home is where we are all temporary strangers, waiting to discover that with a few more minutes of conversation, a few more stories, and a few more laughs, we are friends, after all.
Thank you to all who atteneded to make this the biggest and best 330 Day Concert yet, and thanks to all the folks who helped make it possible! We'll see you next year!
Setlist – Ohio’s Greatest Hits
March 30, 2025 – Akron Civic Theatre – 6:00 PM Showtime
SET ONE:
- Funk 49 – Brian Lisik
Joe Walsh & The James Gang (Kent, OH) - I Try – Katy Robinson
Macy Gray (Canton, OH) - The Sun Ain’t Gonna Shine Anymore – Cody J. Martin
The Walker Brothers (Scott Walker – Hamilton, OH) - Sway – Anya Van Rose
Dean Martin (Steubenville, OH) - The Hand That Feeds – Candace Campana
Nine Inch Nails (Cleveland, OH) - I Put a Spell on You – Willis Gordon
Screamin’ Jay Hawkins (Cleveland, OH) - Walking in Memphis – JD Eicher
Marc Cohn (Cleveland, OH) - Lido Shuffle – Jeri Sapronetti
Boz Scaggs (Canton, OH) - Time Won’t Let Me – Michael Weber
The Outsiders (Cleveland, OH) - All of Me – Emily Bates of The Shootouts
John Legend (Springfield, OH) - Shut Up and Dance With Me – Jeff Klemm
Walk The Moon (Cincinatti, OH) - All by Myself – Jackie Popovec of The Vindys
Eric Carmen (Cleveland, OH) - Amie – Alex Bevan
Pure Prairie League (Waverly, OH) - Ghost Riders in the Sky – Ryan Humbert of The Shootouts
The Outlaws (Freddie Salem – Akron, OH)
SET TWO:
- Rosewood Bitters – Marc Lee Shannon
Michael Stanley (Cleveland, OH) - Drive – Tracey Thomas
The Cars (Benjamin Orr – Cleveland, OH) - Que Sera Sera – Shanna Delaney of By Light We Loom
Doris Day (Cincinnati, OH) - Crystal Blue Persuasion – Carlos Jones
Tommy James & The Shondells (Tommy James – Dayton, OH) - My Hero – Hannah Crandall of TRUSS
Foo Fighters (Dave Grohl – Warren, OH) - Fast Car – JD Eicher
Tracy Chapman (Cleveland, OH) - Whip It – Jeff Klemm
Devo (Akron, OH) - Lonely Boy – Ryan Humbert of The Shootouts
The Black Keys (Akron, OH) - Back on the Chain Gang – Jackie Popovec of The Vindys
The Pretenders (Chrissie Hynde – Akron, OH) - Love Train – Don Dixon
The O’Jays (Canton, OH) - Grand Finale Medley – All artists
- Nobody But Me – The Human Beinz (Struthers, OH)
- Mony, Mony – Tommy James & The Shondells (Dayton, OH)
- Twist & Shout – The Isley Brothers (Cincinnati, OH)
- Shout - The Isley Brothers (Cincinnati, OH)
Thanks to our incredible house band:
Erin Vaughn – Music Director, Electric & Acoustic Guitar, Keys, Mandolin
John Anthony – Electric & Acoustic Guitar
Kevin Martinez – Bass
Dylan Gomez – Drums
Rob Rodriguez – Keys
Ryan Humbert – Acoustic Guitar, Event Producer
Ryan Humbert, Emily Bates, Jeff Klemm – Backing Vocals
Justin Tibbs, Mark Russo – Horns
By Dave Swanson - Summit FM Contributor
There is a reason why ABBA sold millions of records and why people are still talking about, listening to, and obsessing over them some fifty-plus years since their debut LP and the forty-plus years since they called it a day. The reason is, they were f'n great! They were, in many ways, the perfect 'Pop' act. Great songwriting, wonderful harmonies, and melodies performed impeccably. They had style, image, and a sense of humor and could avoid a head-first dive into saccharine-laced debris while maintaining a sense of smartness about their writing, even when it veered a bit too close to popping the gum bubble.
The band had two albums under their belt, and they had a number one hit with 'Ring Ring' and a number two hit with 'Waterloo,' which won them the Eurovision Song Contest Award for 1974. The other singles released, however, failed to light as much fire. They could have become a footnote, with their shining moment being the Eurovision win, but band leaders and songwriters Benny Anderson and Björn Ulvaeus were never going to let that happen.
On August 22, 1974, work began on what was to become ABBA’s third album, titled 'ABBA.' The album presented a 360-degree view of what ABBA was and or could be, with material ranging from the purest pop to glam rock, reggae, and a grandiose prog-esque instrumental. It was all put together seamlessly, creating a hit album and a way forward for the inspired combo.
The album starts with the now classic 'Mama Mia,' a song which looms large in the story of Abba, but more for the Broadway musical and film than the actual song or single. It was one of the seven, count 'em, seven singles released from the album over the year following the LP's release.
Elsewhere, 'Tropical Loveland' dips its toes into reggae sounds five years before Blondie would take the mix into the charts. 'S.O.S' is, quite simply, a perfect record. Engaging verse into triumphant chorus shifts from minor to major, and on and on. It did make the US Top 20, but certainly deserved a better fate. 'Australia, however, was where Abba could do no wrong. Countless Abba singles hit the top of the charts in the land down under, 'S.O.S' stayed there for 14 weeks.
You want rock action? Try 'Hey Hey Helen', with a heavy, distorted guitar riff and straight-ahead drums driving it home. I swear, this could have been a hit for Sweet! 'I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do' and 'Bang-A-Boomerang' are pristine pop, while 'So Long' stomps back to 'Waterloo'-style terrain to round out the LP.
For the remainder of the decade, and into the first couple steps into the 1980s, Abba's reputation, fame, and fortune would continue to grow alongside their artistic ambitions. History, however, has been their best friend, as in the years since they folded up shop, Abba has become more well-known and respected than they ever were in their time in the spotlight. It is an amazing catalog, and while the first two albums were nothing to sneeze at, the self-titled third is where things really came together to showcase the sound and style of this offbeat foursome. The music lasts, stronger than ever, to this day.
By Dave Swanson - Summit FM Contributor
Have you ever been to a thrift store? Goodwill, Salvation Army, and so on? Chances are, you have been, and chances are, you have seen this record there. At any given time, over any selected year over the past several decades, Herb Alpert's classic 'Whipped Cream and Other Delights' can be found practically every thrift store and record store in the USA. I'm not kidding. It might be a law somewhere on the books. 'Whipped Cream,' 'the soundtrack to 'The Music Man,' and 'The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart' were always to be found.
In the early 1960s, it became a novelty for homes to have a 'hi-fi stereo' with a handful of LPs, almost as conversation pieces. Popular soundtracks from Broadway and films, a comedy record or two, perhaps something exotic like Martin Denny or Webley Edwards doing Hawaiian music and Tiki themes, and the ever-present Herb Alpert.
Throughout 1960, Herb and the Brass released thirteen albums, only two of which missed the Top 20, while nine made the Top 10, with five of those hitting number one! Truth be told, that's pretty incredible. People were just drawn to that sound, and it was the perfect background music for parties, gatherings, a lazy afternoon, or an energized evening. Herb was everywhere.
One thing about Alperts style was it was instantly recognizable! There were imitators and other horn players who tried to steal the spotlight, but it was all about Herb and the Brass. After releasing a handful of singles between 1958 and 1961, Alpert was going nowhere, so at that point, he took matters into his own hands and started A&M Records with his friend Jerry Moss. At the same time, Herb had been inspired by the event of a bullfight and the way the music played a part, and decided to record a song called 'The Lonely Bull.' it was to be the first release on the new label, setting the stage for so much to follow. Released in the summer of 1962, 'The Lonely Bull' shot up to #6, introducing the world to this new talent.
Over the next few years, more singles and albums hit the radio and record store shelves with varying degrees of success, and they all followed a similar template. The Beatles and the rest of the British invasion were happening. Still, Herb had his niche, so it was no surprise when, in 1965, his fourth LP, 'Whipped Cream and Other Delights' hit number one with the hit single 'A Taste Of Honey,' a cover of the title song of the play and a song which the Beatles had recorded on their 'Please Please Me' album. Pop culture was truly a living and breathing thing, working on various levels back then! Wrecking Crew regulars like Hal Blaine on drums, Carol Kaye on bass, and Leon Russell on piano provided the music.
Part of the phenomenon of this particular LP, however, had as much to do with the cover art as it did with the swingin' sounds inside. The legendary sleeve features a photo of model Dolores Erickson wearing chiffon, shaving cream, and nothing else. As the story goes, she and her husband were friends of Alpert. She was 29 and three months pregnant, so she was well covered with shaving cream, used due to slower melting time rather than actual whipped cream. Though she was fully covered, the shot maintained a sexy allure that people seemed fascinated by. She was paid $1500 for the modeling gig and a lifetime of notoriety that followed.
"Whipped Cream," "A Taste Of Honey," "Lemon Tree," "Tangerine," and others all contributed to a classic LP of the era, one that has had a life all its own in the 60 years since then. After its initial release in April 1965, it remained in the Billboard Top 10 for 61 weeks.
By Dave Swanson - Summit FM Contributor
Issued in early 1992, 'Stick Around For Joy' put a shining bow on top of the pop package known as the Sugarcubes. Their third LP would be their final album after a brief five-year run. The album showcased the effervescent pop from this Icelandic combo with shining, punchy production courtesy of Paul Fox. The album focuses on the Sugarcubes calling card of upbeat, funky, shimmering pop music. It was a sound that was so much of its time and yet has been able to live and breathe over the past thirty-plus years to maintain freshness and vibrancy.
Following the one-two punch of 'Life’s Too Good,' their debut from 19888, including the hit singles ‘Birthday’ and ‘Deus’, and the sophomore offering, 'Here Today, Tomorrow, Next Week!' in 1989, the Sugarcubes had risen fast in the world of alternative sounds and college radio/MTV with the firecracker presence of Bjork front and center, stealing the spotlight with her unique style.
Bjork is truly in top form throughout, especially on tracks like 'Walkabout' and 'Hit,' both released as singles that garnered significant college and alternative radio play. By this point in their story, Bjork had become the notable center of attention for the band, and with the uniqueness and urgency of her approach, its never been any surprise. The press didn't always know what to make of this Icelandic pop puzzle. In an interview for the album, Bjork recalled the initial hurdles concerning their identity with the media.
"We went to England, and because they're very into ideology, they wanted us to save them, to bring them a new ideology that would save their heads from boredom," she said, "So they immediately forced on us some sort of ideology of weirdness, surrealism, blibber blobber...Eskimo intellectualism that we didn't really get." That may be the best description of the Sugarcubes ever!
The album, or band, was hardly a one-woman show, however, as the tight, focused attack of the band, especially the drive of the rhythm section, bassist Bragi Olafsson, and drummer Siggi Baldursson, as well as the guitar style of Eldon Jónsson. Legendary guitarist John McGeoch of Magazine and Siouxsie and the Banshees fame also lends a hand here. The album helped raise the band's profile as it simultaneously rang their death bell. Though it failed in the mega sales department, it was a hit in the UK, as well as a club hit across America. It helped pave the way for the next chapter, Bjork as a solo artist, which instantly hit the ground running.
“They used to put LSD in sugar cubes and polio vaccinations. It’s used quite often as a sweet medium for taking something medical," recalled Bjork. " I’ve had homemade schnapps in a sugar cube.”
Laura Smiley, Director of Sales at The Summit FM, brought joy to second-grade scholars at King Community Learning Center during a special reading session featuring the book "My First Dog." Laughter and shared personal experiences united the room around the universal topic of pets and the responsibilities of caring for puppies, older dogs, cats, or turtles.
"Every day at The Summit FM is unique. My job as Sales Director is to find what's awesome in our community and share it while securing the largest source of revenue for the station. 90% of my job is working with businesses and nonprofit organizations that embrace the arts. Taking time out of my day to read to second graders and engage with their young (but brilliant!) minds was the highlight of my week!" remarked Smiley after the visit.
Akron Public Schools owns the Summit FM broadcast license. However, the station has been financially independent for nearly two decades. Loyal listeners, local businesses, and foundations support the all-music, community-focused format. Independence does not mean separation. The Summit's mission aligns with APS - centering on education, community, music, and whole health wellness.
The visit entertained students while strengthening the station's dedication to educational initiatives and community connections. The bright smiles from both Smiley and the children created heartwarming moments captured perfectly on video, showcasing the positive impact when we connect with APS scholars. Also, check out the unique book vending machine available to students at King CLC!
By Dave Swanson - Summit FM Contributor
Sometimes, when you would drop the needle on an album, from those first notes, you knew you were in for something special. It didn’t take much to establish a mood and intent. One such album was ‘Horses,’ the debut long player from Patti Smith.
The somber, almost gospel-like three-chord played in repetition on the piano was all that was needed to tell you this was not your average ‘rock’ album in the mid-70s. Whatever sludge had been floating along for the past couple of years, 1975 would ultimately prove to be a significant turning point in terms of interesting rock and roll statements. From ‘Dylan’s ‘Blood On The Tracks’ and Steely Dan’s ‘ Katy Lied’ through ‘Go Girl Crazy’ from The Dictators and Aerosmith’s ‘Toys In The Attic,’ it was a wide range of sounds that, depending on your preferred genre, were all offering up something special.
Released in the fall of 1975, ‘Horses’ was the initial mission statement from Patti Smith that not only stood alone in attitude and style but was both a step into the future while simultaneously glancing back at the past. Back to those initial three chords. Just a stark piano, repeating that pattern as suddenly that voice creeps in with the prophetic and defiant line, “Jesus died for somebody's sins, but not mine.” Not your average pop lyric, to say the least. Continuing on, “Melting in a pot of thieves, wild card up my sleeve. Thick, heart of stone, my sins, my own, they belong to me, me. People said, "Beware", but I don't care. Their words are just rules and regulations to me, me!” From here, the narrative changes to more urgent concerns about love, lust, and being human.
Smith carries on establishing the tale when suddenly, those three chords are infused with vintage rock and roll power and promise, and then we have arrived. Smith’s take on the Van Morrison and Them classic ‘Gloria,’ also a US hit for the Shadows Of Knight, was like nothing we had heard before. It mixed the primal poetry and swagger of the Doors with the garage rock aesthetic of the original, all strewn together in a most unique way.
Even the stark black and white photo of Smith, by Robert Mapplethorpe, stood out among the grandiose ‘art’ of so much scattered around rock and roll at the time. Redondo Beach’ would weave reggae into the mix while ‘Birdland’ took a ‘Sister Ray’ approach, albeit without the noise and chaos, again, in large part, just piano and vocal. ‘Kimberly,’ co-written with Alan Lainer of Blue Oyster Cult fame, and ‘’Break It Up,’ a collaboration with Television’s Tom Verlaine, proved this was no one-trick horse but rather a significant new artist. I don’t use the word ‘artist’ lightly, especially since these days, the most vapid pop stars are called ‘artists,’ back then, the term meant something.
The album ends with another tour de force, ‘Land,’ which in part returns us to where it this adventure started. It is a nine-minute ramble recalling the past as it collides with the future. Another three-chord rocker in the mode of ‘Gloria,’ as she tells the tale of one ‘Johnny,’ which breaks into the frat rock staple ‘Land Of 1000 Dances,’ it is a brilliant merging of the primal urge with the poetic notion all set to an urgent rock and roll sensibility. The album was produced by John Cale, who brought out the best in the band. Critics largely drooled over the album, though some found it all a bit pretentious, likening it to a bad Jim Morrison poetry reading. One thing that couldn’t be denied is that it was a unique statement that truly stood alone at the time.
Let us not forget her band, who brought it all to life: Lenny Kaye, Jay Dee Daugherty, Ivan Kral, and Richard Sohl, who were simply visceral. The other interesting thing is that though Smith and her group were forever linked to the ‘punk’ movement they arguably helped ignite, they were just as tied to a beatnik/hippie vibe, granted awash in 1975 America. Those opening lines of ‘Gloria’ can still send a shiver to this day.
On a personal note, I still remember vividly seeing the Patti Smith Group on an early episode of Saturday Night Live, where they performed ‘Gloria’ and a cover of ‘My Generation’ complete with total Who homage in smashing up the drum kit. When I saw this, I remember thinking, this is real rock and roll. They looked cool, sounded cool, and tore it up. Smith never made it a statement that she was a female fronting a rock and roll band; she just did it! There is no need to point it out; that is part of what always made her so cool. She was just Patti Smith! It was so much about attitude. She was not going to play anyone’s games or subscribe to any set of rules, no matter what side they fell on. She is still doing this today, and we need to tip our collective hat to her, and all she and the band have brought us.