Staff photo / Andy Gray The Vindys, featuring Jackie Popovec, left, and Rick Deak, will make its third appearance at The Summit.FM 330 Day Concert.

After a two-year delay, there was no doubt The Summit.FM 330 Day Concert would be held at Stambaugh Auditorium.

“It was just assumed or understood among the team that we made a commitment to Stambaugh two years ago and we should do it there just as we planned,” Summit Program Director Brad Savage said.

But other details changed in the two years from when the 2020 330 Day Concert was scheduled and the 2022 event happening Wednesday.

The concert was started when the Akron-based public radio station, which is simulcast on 90.7 FM in Struthers and now in Athens, launched a digital sub-channel focused exclusively on artists from the 330 area code and the surrounding region.

Past concerts took place in Akron, Kent and Canton and featured as many as 33 local acts. Youngstown would have hosted in 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of the event in both 2020 and 2021.

With lingering uncertainty when planning started, they decided to abandon the idea of 33 acts and focus exclusively on Mahoning Valley performers.

Ryan Humbert, marketing and events coordinator for The Summit and leader of the band The Shootouts, said, “We’re thrilled about going all in on Youngstown. There are no artists from outside the area. It’s a showcase of talent in that neck of the woods.”

Each act will get to play two songs or 10 minutes, whichever comes first.

The lineup will include The Vindys, JD Eicher, Demos Papadimas, East 9th, Candace Campana, Hayden Brooke, Labra Brothers, Leanne Binder, Rolling Boxcar International and Barry Carroll.

“What we wanted to do was showcase some of the names Summit listeners know and love and also showcase folks newer to Summit listeners and artists we think they’re going to love,” Humbert said.

All of the acts have had their music played on station, and The Vindys and JD Eicher have been among The Summit’s most played local artists.

Vindys’ lead singer Jackie Popovec called The Summit’s support of local acts “vital, crucial and all the other words that apply. The community of musicians is so grateful to have them. They’re always ready and willing to support The Vindys and other groups. It is our gem in northeast Ohio.”

Binder agreed.

“The Summit has been just about the best thing that’s ever happened to original music (in the Mahoning Valley),” Binder said. “I have a lot of DJs who are friends at corporate radio, and they’re so dictated to about what they can play and what they can’t. If it wasn’t for Summit radio, a lot of this stuff by all of us wouldn’t be heard by anyone.”

In addition to the 330 Channel, The Summit always has mixed local acts among the classic and current songs in its Adult Album Alternative format. When the pandemic shut down live performances, the station expanded its local music programming by adding “The 330 at 3:30,” a half hour of local music every weekday at 3:30 p.m.

“It’s gone over so well, now it’s a whole extra job to manage all of the submissions coming in,” Savage said. “At first we just wanted to do something in the middle of the day when all of the musicians’ shows came to a halt. There was no outlet to promote their own music … Now it’s become a place where they can premiere their new songs for the first time. And we give the artists a heads up when we’re going to play it so they can cross-promote it with their fans.”

The segment has become so popular, the station has no plans to discontinue it even as live shows have resumed.

Adrian Labra of the Labra Brothers said, “The vast majority of the folks played on the Summit, especially those participating in 330 Day, they’re independent. They don’t have a big-time label advocating for them. They just have to do it on their own. That’s part of the deal. Just having The Summit give you access to that platform, it lets you access a whole new audience of listeners.”

The Labra Brothers has a new single, “Maybe,” set for release on Friday. While the funk / psychedelic rock fusion won’t work in the acoustic format of the 330 Day Concert, he said the band is deciding which of its new songs will work best at next week’s show.

“It’s a big deal for us to be on that stage at all, especially for a cool event like this,” Labra said.

Binder has a new song, “Love Just Love,” set for release two days after 330 Day, but the song needs a piano. Instead she’ll do “Tombstone Serenade,” and Binder said she and her musical partner Rajma McKenzie still are deciding what the second song will be.

Humbert didn’t want to reveal any spoilers, but the audience can expect a grand finale featuring all of the acts.

The Vindys will be making its third 330 Day Concert appearance, and Popovec said one of her favorite things is getting to see and hang out with the other acts.

“The camaraderie, just being backstage and getting to talk with all the bands and see what they’re doing,” Popovec said. “A lot of times, we’re on the road, they’re on the road and we can’t get together and see each other’s shows. It gives us a chance to tell each other how much we admire each other and love each other from afar. That’s one of the coolest things about it, it brings all of these northeast Ohio bands together.”

If you go …

WHAT: The Summit.FM 330 Day Concert Youngstown Edition featuring The Vindys, JD Eicher, Demos Papadimas, East 9th, Candace Campana, Hayden Brooke, Labra Brothers, Leanne Binder, Rolling Boxcar International and Barry Carroll

WHEN: 7 p.m. Wednesday

WHERE: Stambaugh Auditorium, 1000 Fifth Ave., Youngstown

HOW MUCH: Admission is free, but a $10 donation is suggested with proceeds benefiting the Marilyn Stroud Music Alive program. Tickets are available at

stambaughauditorium.com. Proof of COVID-19 vaccination or a negative test within 24 hours is required along with ID for entry.