AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Bangles

Artist:Bangles

Song:Hazy Shade of Winter

Album:We Are the '80s

Of course most fans are familiar with the 80s girl group Bangles and hits like Walk Like an Egyptian. This rock cover of the Simon and Garfunkel classic Hazy Shade of Winter was a top five hit in 1987. It appeared on the soundtrack of the 1987 film Less Than Zero. It was not released on any of Bangles albums. So that means it's a discography orphan. As far as I can tell, this is the only time Bangles recorded a song for a movie. The soundtrack album was on DefJam and was produced by Rick Rubin. The film was being shot around the time Walk Like an Egyptian topped the charts. So Bangles were hot at the time. And they were asked to record a song for Less Than Zero. They were asked which song they wanted to cover. This particular soundtrack had quite a few covers including Rockin' Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu by Aerosmith, Rock and Roll All Nite by Poison and In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida by Slayer. Bangles lead singer Susanna Hoffs says that she was listening to an oldies radio station one day. After Hazy Shade of Winter played, she realized that she had never heard that song before. And she thought she was a really big Simon and Garfunkel fan. So she told the rest of the band that she wanted to cover the song. They decided to record a hard rock cover. And to help with that, Rubin removed the bridge. They sang as a group and were very happy with the record. But the big surprise is that when it was released as a single, it reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100. That helped sell the film soundtrack which was certified Gold. Hazy Shade of Winter never appeared on a Bangles album. But it does appear on most Bangles comps including this budget CD. Bangles would have one big hit after that with Eternal Flame in 1989. Then they split up. Bangles reunited in 1998 and they still tour. Here's the video for Hazy Shade of Winter by Bangles.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-David Phelps

Artist:David Phelps

Song:O Holy Night

Album:The Best of David Phelps

David Phelps is best known as a member of the Gaither Vocal Band. He also has a solo career specializing in Christmas music. By my count, he has released five Christmas albums. When I listen to most Christmas albums, the artist seems to be going through the motions. Phelps puts a lot into his performances of Christmas music. It's the same audience that listens to Bill Gaither so they take their music very seriously. He was born Oct. 21, 1969 in Tomball, TX which is a suburb of Houston. His parents are both teachers. His sister Sherri sings and has toured with him. His other sister Kari plays trumpet. Phelps earned a music degree at Baylor University. He led the Baylor Religious Hour Choir. After self releasing a 1994 album, Phelps got the attention of Bill Gaither who was looking for a replacement for Jonathan Pierce in the Gaither Vocal Band. Phelps joined in 1997. He served two stints in the Gaither Vocal Band, 1997-2005 and 2009-2017. Meanwhile, he signed a record deal with Spring Hill Records. His first album was the 2000 album Joy Joy. It was a Christmas album. The album is mostly Christmas standards including O Holy Night. Phelps is accompanied by the Millar Brass Ensemble. His sister Kari played trumpet for them. Phelps usually self produces his albums. He also writes songs. After two albums on Spring Hill, Phelps signed with the much larger Word Records. He recorded several albums for Word before leaving in 2008. This budget comp covers the Spring Hill and Word recordings. That's when Phelps returned to the Gaither Vocal Band. He also signed a solo record deal with Gaither. So he toured regularly with Gaither and appeared on his TV shows. Since leaving Gaither in 2017, Phelps records for his own label. He released an album in 2024. And yes, he released a Christmas album on his own label in 2018. So he is certainly aware that Christmas music is his specialty. Here's David Phelps performing O Holy Night on the Gaither Family DVD Christmas in the Country. 

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Paul Lekakis

Artist:Paul Lekakis

Song:Boom Boom (Let's Go Back To My Room)

Album:Tattoo It

The 1987 single Boom Boom was a worldwide dance hit and it topped the Australian charts for five weeks. Paul Lekakis isn't much of a singer and the song is a standard slice of Euro Disco. So I don't know why people liked this. Lekakis was born Oct. 22, 1966 in Westchester County, NY. He grew up singing in church and took music and dance classes in high school. Lekakis moved to New York City to work as a model while working on his singing and dancing. Maybe he was looking for a career on Broadway. Instead he was sent to Italy on a modelling assignment. He was dancing in a club and producers Miki Chieregato, Ricardo Ballerini and Stefano Montin saw him and approached him about recording. They wrote and produced Boom Boom (Let's Go Back To My Room) on the German label XYZ Records. It was picked up by Polydor in the rest of Europe and that's when it started to pick up steam on the dance charts. The record topped the Australian charts for five weeks. Sire Records signed Lekakis and got Ric Wake to do a remix of Boom Boom. It reached #6 on the Dance chart and #43 on the Billboard Hot 100. Then the 1990 album Tattoo It was released. Lekakis worked with various producers including Shep Pettibone on the chart single My House. But the album didn't sell though it is still available on CD. Lekakis has never recorded another album though he has released occasional singles. A re-recorded version of Boom Boom was released in 2007. Lekakis still performs live and has appeared in a few films. But Boom Boom is his claim to fame. Here's Paul Lekakis performing Boom Boom (Let's Go Back To My Room) on Australian TV. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-The Hot 8 Brass Band

Artist:The Hot 8 Brass Band

Song:New Orleans (After the City)

Album:The Life & Times of...

The Hot 8 Brass Band is a modern incarnation of a New Orleans street band. I saw them live at the 2019 Toronto Jazz Festival. They are very similar to bands like Dirty Dozen and Rebirth. The one thing they have in common is they are very entertaining live. The Hot 8 Brass Band was formed in 1995 by sousaphonist Bennie "Big Peter" Pete, trombonist Jerome "Baybay" Jones and bass drummer Harry "Swamp Thang" Cook. This was a merger of The Looney Tunes Brass Band and The High Steppers Brass Band. The other members come and go. They record for the British label Tru Thoughts which is mainly a DJ label. You may have seen them in the 2006 Spike Lee documentary When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts and the HBO series Treme. They were playing New Orleans clubs but they started touring after those appearances. Three members have been killed by gun violence and they still continued. A remix of their 2008 cover of Marvin Gaye's Sexual Healing was a dance club hit. New Orleans (After the City) is from the 2012 album The Life & Times of... The song was written by trumpeters Terrell Batiste, Chadrick Honore and Alvarez "Big Al" Huntley. They perform a mix of original and traditional songs and they self produce. Trombone Shorty made a guest appearance. The album is available as a budget CD. They last released an album in 2019. Sadly, founding member Bennie Pete died of COVID in Sept. 2021. But The Hot 8 Brass Band still has their residency at Howlin' Wolf's in New Orleans. They will tour in 2025 and a new album Big Tuba will be released on Feb. 28. Be sure to check them out if they are coming your way. Here's The Hot 8 Brass Band performing New Orleans (After the City) at the 2012 Pickathon Festival in Portland, OR.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Pink

Artist:Pink

Song:Raise Your Glass

Album:Greatest Hits...So Far!!!

Alicia "Pink" Moore topped the charts with the 2010 single Raise Your Glass. It was her second #1 hit. It was not released on one of her regular albums. Instead RCA released it as one of two previously unreleased songs on the 2011 comp Greatest Hits...So Far!!!. So it's a discography orphan until RCA inevitably releases more Pink comps. Record companies used to add unreleased songs on comps so completists would buy them. With the increased prevalence of streaming services, this marketing strategy isn't necessary anymore. Pink continues to record though she hasn't had a top ten hit since 2016. She was born Sept. 8, 1979 in Doylestown, PA. Her parents divorced when she was a child. Pink trained in gymnastics as a child. She was in a band in high school and she started writing lyrics. She was already performing in Philadelphia clubs. She formed an R&B girl group Choice. When a demo landed in the hands of LaFace Records owner LA Reid, he asked them to audition for him. He signed them. But he needed parents consent as all three girls were minors. He eventually told Pink to go solo or go home. For her 2000 debut album Can't Take Me Home, she worked quite a bit with Reid's partner Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds. She scored two top ten hits from the album. The album was certified 2XPlatinum. Despite the success, Pink wanted more control over her music. Meanwhile, she appeared on the #1 hit Lady Marmalade with Christina Aguilera, Lil' Kim and Mya from the film Moulin Rouge. For the 2000 album Missundaztood, Pink wrote most of the songs with 4 Non Blondes lead singer Linda Perry. The album was produced by TLC producer Dallas Austin. Though Reid didn't like the album, the first single Get the Party Started reached #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and the album was certified 5XPlatinum. For her next couple of albums, she worked with different producers. But she didn't score her first #1 hit until she started working with Swedish producer Max Martin on the 2009 album Funhouse. Of course he is best known for producing Britney Spears. Martin produced most of the album including the #1 hit So What. After touring, Pink wanted to take a break. She was already married to motocross racer Carey Hart and she announced her pregnancy in 2010. RCA wanted to release a greatest hits CD. Pink didn't want to at first but she changed her mind as RCA could have released it anyway Two unreleased tracks were on the album. Raise Your Glass topped the charts. Pink wrote and produced it with Martin and Johan "Shellback" Schuster. I'm sure the song was a leftover from the Funhouse sessions. The album was certified Platinum and is available as a budget CD. Since then Pink has not been as successful probably because she rarely works with Martin anymore. One guy she has worked with a lot is Adele producer Greg Kurstin so he brings a more mature sound. She last had a top ten hit in 2016. She went on hiatus after the 2019 album Hurts 2B Human. There were no hit singles from the 2023 album Trustfall. It remains to be seen if Pink can return to the top of the charts. I have my doubts. Maybe a full scale reunion with Max Martin would help. Here's the video for Raise Your Glass by Pink.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Alice Dona

Artist:Alice Dona

Song:Une Voiture Rouge

Album:Les Annees Chansons

Alice Dona was 18 years old when she released this 1964 single Une Voiture Rouge. She was part of what was called "ye-ye" in France. Even back then she wrote her own songs. After she started a family, she had success as a songwriter. She was born Alice Donadel Feb. 17, 1946 in Maison-Alfort, France. This is a suburb of Paris. She took piano lessons as a child. She was planning to be a teacher. But then she performed with an orchestra at age 13 and studied at the Petit Consevatoire de Mireille at age 15. This led to a record deal with EMI's Pathe label. She recorded eleven singles from 1963-65 including Une Voiture Rouge. You can get all of her mid-60s recordings on this comp which is available as a digital download. In 1965, she married Bernard Ricci of the group Les Celibataires. After Alice gave birth to her daughter, she slowed down her singing career and concentrated on songwriting. She has written songs for among others Joe Dassin, Mireille Mathieu, Annie Girardot, Sylvie Vartan and Lara Fabian. After divorcing Ricci, she lived with singer Sergio Lama for over forty years. They wrote plenty of songs together. And he convinced her to start recording again. Alice last released an album in 2013 so it looks like she may have retired. Here's Alice Dona performing Une Voiture Rouge 1964. 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Piera Rodriguez vs Josefine Knutsson

Here's the fight video of Piera Rodriguez vs Josefine Knutsson from last night's UFC show in Tampa. This fight is at Strawweight. Piera is 32 years old from Venezuela. She trains at Black House MMA in Los Angeles. She's 2-2 in the UFC. She was disqualified in her last fight when she threw intentional headbutts. So she has to redeem herself in this fight. Josefine is 28 years old from Stockholm, Sweden. She's a Muay Thai coach at Allstars Training Center. She's 2-0 in the UFC. Josefine is a really good kickboxer. Piera thought that the best way to beat Josefine is to see how her takedown defense is. And that's how she won the fight. She took Josefine down several times and won the fight easily 30-27. That's how all three judges scored it. So that's what Josefine needs to work on. Enjoy the video! 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Miranda Maverick vs Jamey-Lyn Horth

Here's the fight video of Miranda Maverick vs Jamey-Lyn Horth from last night's UFC show in Tampa. This fight is at Flyweight. Miranda is 27 years old from Missouri. She trains at Pound 4 Pound Muay Thai in Denver. Her coach is former Bellator fighter Eliot Marshall. Her UFC record is 7-3. She is on a three fight winning streak. Jamey-Lyn is 34 years old from Squamish, BC. She trains at The Sound Martial Arts with Kasey and Cole Smith. Her UFC record is 2-1. She won a fight last month and came in on short notice when Miranda's original opponent pulled out. Though this was never announced, apparently the opponent was Tracy Cortez. Miranda was upset about this as Tracy is the type of fighter she needs to beat to rise in the rankings. So during this fight, Miranda behaved like a knucklehead and almost gave this fight away. In round one, Miranda unsuccessfully went for a takedown but was able to win the round by controlling the clinch on the fence. She tried to repeat this in round two but Jamey-Lyn winds up on her back. Marshall is yelling at Miranda. Jamey-Lyn doesn't have the skills to get a finish but she wins the round 10-9. Miranda finally gets the takedown she wanted in round three. She can't get a finish. But she wins the round 10-9. So I scored the fight 29-28 for Miranda and so did all three judges. Miranda admitted afterwards that she was upset and she fought poorly. And she still hasn't beaten a ranked opponent. Enjoy the video!

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Chasen

Artist:Chasen

Song:On and On

Album:That Was Then, This Is Now

Chasen was a CCM band that could have been successful if they had stayed together. The 2010 album That Was Then, This Is Now and the single On and On was very successful on the Christian charts. But they split up in 2012. Chasen was from Greenville, SC led by lead singer, guitarist and songwriter Chase Callahan. He was a worship pastor. During the summer, he assembled a makeshift band and performed at local youth camps. The bands inevitably ended when September rolled around. So he formed Chasen with Evan Silver on guitar, Doug Price on bass and Aaron Lord on drums. They signed with the CCM label OMG and released a 2006 EP followed by the 2008 album Shine Through the Stars. There was enough interest that the bigger INO label came calling. They are distributed by Sony. That got Chasen national distribution. The 2010 album That Was Then, This Is Now followed. The single On and On was a Christian Radio hit. Callahan wrote all the songs. He wrote On and On with Rob Hawkins who also produced the album. This album is available as a budget CD. So Chasen had the potential to be a big deal. But Callahan decided to end the band in 2012 to become a worship leader at a local church. He still does that today. I didn't see a reason for the split except sometimes Christian musicians can be conflicted about making a living in music. So they retreat to the church where they are comfortable. That's what this band did. None are in the music business anymore. Here's the video for On and On by Chasen.