By Dave Swanson - Summit FM Contributor There are some people who literally seem like a flash in time, a moment blindingly bright, then gone just as quickly. The rock and roll role call is full of those who died too young, some by their own device, others by tragic circumstances, all sad. Among the […]
Read MoreBy Dave Swanson - Summit FM Contributor In 2002, the landscape for anything resembling rock and roll music was pretty damn bleak. The top selling albums that year included Eminem, Britney Spears, Dixie Chicks, Pink and Celine Dion. 2003 was shaping up much the same way with Beyonce and 50 Cent leading the way. Of […]
Read MoreBy Dave Swanson - Summit FM Contributor As the old proverb goes, all it takes is “three chords and the truth" for a good song. File under "less is more," "don't overthink it," and "keep it simple, stupid!" While I do love music of a more involved or complex fabric, I am always more than […]
Read MoreBy 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, […]
Read MoreBy 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 […]
Read MoreBy 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 […]
Read MoreBy 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. […]
Read MoreBy 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 […]
Read MoreBy Dave Swanson - Summit FM Contributor I've been listening to music probably every day since 1967. From transistor AM radio all the way to streaming audio, it's been a long strange trip of sounds to say the least. Countless 45's, albums and cds obtained over the decades, a laundry list of concerts attended, promoted […]
Read MoreBy Dave Swanson - Summit FM Contributor "Yes, I'm going to be a pop star. Oh mama, mama see me, mama, mama see me I'm a pop star" - Cat Stevens 1970 Pop stardom, that fickle mistress of temptation for youngsters, and record companies, never subsides. It may mutate over time, take slightly different shapes and […]
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