AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Of Monsters And Men

Artist:Of Monsters And Men
Song:Little Talks
Album:My Head Is An Animal




Of Monsters And Men's 2012 debut album My Head Is An Animal was a big success worldwide. The single Little Talks was an international hit and a top 20 hit in the US. Their second album did not do as well. Of Monsters And Men are from Reykjavik, Iceland. Lead singer, songwriter and guitarist Nanna Bryndis Hilmarsdottir was recording a solo project in 2009 when she decided to turn it into a band with Brynjar Leifsson on guitar, Ragnar Porhallsson on melodica and glockenspiel and Arnar Rosenkrantz Hilmarsson on drums. Of Monsters And Men won the 2010 Musiktilraunir music competition. They added Arni Guojonsson on keyboards and Kristjan Pall Kristjansson on bass. They performed at the 2010 Iceland Airwaves Festival and that's where Seattle radio station KEXP recorded Of Monsters And Men performing Little Talks. KEXP is always looking for new bands. They signed with the local label Record Records and My Head Is An Animal was released Sept. 2011. The album and the single Little Talks was very successful in Europe. When Philadelphia's Radio 104.5 started to play Little Talks, Of Monsters And Men signed a US record deal with Republic/Universal. They released the EP Into The Woods Dec. 2011. Republic combined the EP with My Head Is An Animal and released the CD Apr. 2012. Little Talks reached #20 on the Billboard Hot 100 and it topped the US Alt Rock chart. And the album was certified Platinum. Guojonsson left in 2012. He hasn't been replaced but Of Monsters And Men hire musicians for touring. The 2015 album Beneath The Skin didn't do nearly as well. It seems the album had a darker tone that didn't catch on. Of Monsters And Men were featured in the Netflix series Jessica Jones. They are currently recording their next album. It remains to be seen what musical direction Of Monsters And Men will go. They could be at a crossroads. Here's the video for Little Talks by Of Monsters And Men.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Brian Culbertson

Artist:Brian Culbertson f/Dave Koz
Song:Hookin' Up
Album:Live From The Inside





Pianist Brian Culbertson is one of today's top Smooth Jazz artists. He has had ten #1 Smooth Jazz hits including Hookin' Up in 2005. He was born Jan. 12, 1973 in Decatur, IL. His father played trumpet and he was a music teacher at the local high school. Culbertson learned to play piano at age 8 and he also learned to play drums, trombone and bass. He grew up listening to Maynard Ferguson, Randy Brecker and Buddy Rich. He also says he was inspired by David Foster to learn to play many instruments so he could do everything in the recording studio. While attending DePaul University in Chicago, Culbertson recorded a demo which got him a record deal with Mesa/Blue Moon. His debut album Long Night Out was released in 1994. He recorded seven albums for Mesa and then he switched to GRP. Hookin' Up is from his 2005 GRP debut album It's On Tonight. And as I said, Hookin' Up topped the Smooth Jazz chart. That album is available on CD. But I recommend the 2009 CD/DVD Live From The Inside. This was recorded live at Capitol Studios in Los Angeles. The proceedings were filmed which is on the DVD. And you get a CD of the music too. Dave Koz is the guest sax player on Hookin' Up. Other guest musicians are Sheldon Reynolds, Ray Parker Jr., Michael Lington, Eric Darius and Eric Marienthal. Culbertson now records for his own label. He released an album earlier this year and he has a live DVD coming out in October. He is currently finishing up touring the European festival circuit and then he is doing some week long gigs in England and at Yoshi's in Oakland. Here's Brian Culbertson featuring Dave Koz performing Hookin' Up in Capitol Studios from the 2009 CD/DVD Live From The Inside.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Jennifer Hudson

Artist:Jennifer Hudson f/Ne-Yo and Rick Ross
Song:Think Like A Man
Album:Think Like A Man: Music From & Inspired By The Film




One of the things I like to feature on the blog is songs that I call "orphans". Let's say you are a Jennifer Hudson fan and you have all her albums. She has only recorded three albums so there is no comp CD. You might also have the soundtrack for Dreamgirls because of course she won an Oscar. Think Like A Man is from the soundtrack of the 2012 film Think Like A Man based on the book by Steve Harvey. It was directed by Tim Story and stars Kevin Hart among others. The film did well enough at the box office that there was a 2014 sequel. The soundtrack album is fairly typical of the soundtracks for these kinds of films. You have various artists with Jennifer Hudson featured because she sang the title song. I haven't seen the film so I don't know where the song appears. But the soundtrack did well and Jennifer's single did chart though it wasn't a big hit. It's her final chart single to date. She probably did it to work with Ne-Yo and Rick Ross did a rap. The song was produced by Harmony Samuels who has also produced Ariane Grande among others. Think Like A Man only appears on the soundtrack CD and it does not appear on a Jennifer Hudson album. That's why I call it an orphan. Others who appear on the soundtrack include John Legend, Kelly Rowland and Keri Hilson. So it might be a good album for R&B fans. Here's the video for Think Like A Man by Jennifer Hudson featuring Ne-Yo and Rick Ross. And a cameo by Kevin Hart.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Soave

Artist:Soave
Song:Crying Over You
Album:Kings Of Freestyle





It always amazes me how one hit song can lead to a 25 year music career. And in the case of Jeffrey "Soave" Martinez, the 1989 single Crying Over You was only a dance club hit. It didn't cross over and Martinez has never released an album. He was born Dec. 23, 1968 in Jersey City, NJ. Martinez started performing as a child. He was heavily influenced by New Edition. He even called his high school group Second Edition. He started hanging around New York clubs. He got a manager and that manager got him a meeting with Owen Soba of Micmac Records. Micmac was a leading producer of freestyle dance music. Soba gave Martinez some lyrics to sing and that got him a record deal. The lyrics were for Crying Over You. The record was a big hit in New York clubs and then through DJs it became popular elsewhere. It didn't cross over to pop but Micmac wasn't producing music for pop radio. They were producing music for dance clubs. One would expect that Martinez would have recorded an album. But he only recorded three singles for Micmac and he hasn't recorded since the 90s. Martinez says the problem was Micmac was in New York and he lived in New Jersey. He was an outsider. You can get Crying Over You on this various artists budget comp. Despite this, Martinez continues to perform. He does a lot of freestyle cruises aimed at fans of freestyle dance music. He's been able to make a 25 year career from one dance club hit. That's amazing to me. Here's a video for Crying Over You by Soave.

Frank Pozen's Big Bad Podcast Sept. 26, 2018

Asuka videos and UFC fight announcements.

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Asuka and The Miz vs Carmella and R-Truth

Here's the match video of Asuka and The Miz vs Carmella and R-Truth from last night's episode of Mixed Match Challenge (MMC). This airs on Facebook Watch which is not available in Canada and plenty of other places. These MMC matches are comedy heavy which I don't like much. Carmella has been paired with R-Truth to get her away from the title picture. He's a lower mid card comedy act. They set this match up with an R-Truth talk show pre-empting Miz TV to open Smackdown.. The Miz had to beat R-Truth to get his talk show back. Of course The Miz and Asuka won the first MMC. I don't know if they will win again but they won this match. As I said, there is too much comedy for me. But I liked The Miz's attempt to moon walk. It gets crazy towards the end but Asuka wins with the Asuka Lock. Enjoy the video!

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Asuka and Naomi vs Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville

Here's the match video of Asuka and Naomi vs Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville from last night's episode of Smackdown. The WWE has teamed Asuka with Naomi to face the Iiconics at the Oct. 6 Australian Supershow which will air on the WWE Network starting at 5AM Eastern. This is the first time Asuka and Naomi have teamed up on TV though they have worked dark matches and house shows. The match went pretty much as expected. I liked the double team kicks that they used to finish Sonya. The match was nothing special. I don't know how long this team will last. It already looks like Asuka wants to do Naomi's hair. And Naomi has invited Asuka to a family reunion. We'll see how annoying that gets. Asuka's idea of entertainment is playing 30 year old video games on her big screen TV. So I hope for an Asuka heel turn in the near future. And BTW, Today is Asuka's 37th birthday. Happy birthday. Enjoy the video!

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Sunnyland Slim

Artist:Sunnyland Slim
Song:Everytime I Get To Drinkin'
Album:1949-1951





Pianist Albert "Sunnyland Slim" Luandrew was a very important figure in the development of Chicago blues in the 50s playing with Muddy Waters and others. He also recorded as a leader. But he bounced around so many labels he couldn't get any momentum. He was also a big part of the 60s blues revival. He was born Sept. 5, 1906 in Quitman County, MS. The Sunnyland Slim name came from the song Sunnyland Train. Slim moved to Memphis in the late 20s and played Beale Street with his long time friend Little Brother Montgomery and Ma Rainey. He moved to Chicago in 1939 and for the next decade he was an in demand backup and session musician for Sonny Boy Williamson and others. Slim first recorded as a leader for RCA in 1947. Then in 1948 he recorded with Muddy Waters on the Aristocrat label. This led to Waters signing with Chess and of course Slim became part of the Chess Records house band. From 1948-56, Slim recorded for numerous labels. Everytime I Get To Drinkin' was released in 1949 on Mercury Records with Oliver Alcorn on tenor sax, Robert Lockwood Jr. on guitar and Big Crawford on bass. You can get this original recording on this CD from the French label Classics. Slim finally got to record an album for Prestige's Bluesville label in 1960. Slim's Shout featured King Curtis on sax. Later on he became friends with the blues band Canned Heat and he toured and recorded with them. They got him a record deal at Liberty. Slim continued to tour in the 70s and 80s and he recorded for Liberty, Storyville and Delmark. Slim was awarded a National Heritage Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts in 1988. He died on Mar. 17, 1995 at age 88. Here's Sunnyland Slim with Johnny Shines on guitar, Willie Dixon on bass and Clifton James on drums performing Everytime I Get To Drinkin' 1969.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Pentatonix

Artist:Pentatonix
Song:Little Drummer Boy
EP:PTXmas: Deluxe Edition




The a capella group Pentatonix became famous when they won season three of the NBC competition show The Sing-Off. They have had a lot of success with Christmas standards. Little Drummer Boy is their biggest chart hit to date. Pentatonix is from Arlington, TX. Kirstie Maldonado, Mitch Grassi and Scott Hoying grew up together and they attended Martin High School. They entered a local radio show contest to meet the cast of Glee by recording an arrangement of Lady Gaga's Telephone. They didn't win but they got attention on Youtube. While attending USC, Hoying sang with SoCal VoCals. He found out about The Sing-Off from Ben Bram who was a member of the group and the arranger. They decided to audition for the show. Maldonado and Grassi were in. Bram suggested adding a bass and a beatboxer. Hoying met bass Avi Kaplan and he saw beatboxer Kevin Olusola on Youtube. Of course they won and that got them a record deal with Sony. Pentatonix moved to Los Angeles and they were assigned to the Sony Pictures label Madison Gate. They released the EP PTX Vol. 1 June 2012. Then they released the Christmas EP PTXmas. When Little Drummer Boy reached #13 on the Billboard Hot 100, Madison Gate released a Deluxe Edition of PTXmas that included Little Drummer Boy as it wasn't on the original EP. This is their biggest hit single to date. Pentatonix has been very successful with Christmas albums. The 2014 album That's Christmas To Me was certified 2XPlatinum. They have another Christmas CD coming out in October. They record other kinds of music including original songs but they don't do as well as the Christmas albums. Though Pentatonix didn't start out with the intention of being a Christmas music group, that seems to be what they have become. Kaplan was replaced by Matt Sallee last year. Kaplan tired of the constant touring. Pentatonix will tour in December to support their new Christmas CD. Here's the video for Little Drummer Boy by Pentatonix.

Jessica Aguilar vs Weili Zhang added to Nov. 24 UFC show

Combate in Brazil reported today that Jessica Aguilar vs Weili Zhang has been added to UFC Fight Night 141 Nov. 24 at the Cadillac Arena in Beijing, China. At 36 years old, Jessica is a once great fighter who has slowed down considerably. She has trained at American Top Team for years. Her record is 20-6 and she is 1-2 in the UFC. She has also had a broken foot and a knee injury. She finally won in the UFC over Jodie Esquibel in July. But Jessica didn't look good. It's just that Jodie is worse than her. Weili is 29 years old from Hebei, China. Her record is 17-1. She won her UFC debut over Danielle Taylor in August. I thought she looked fine. She had to chase Danielle around the cage for 15 minutes. Obviously I'm not surprised she is on this show. Weili is a big deal at home. Five years ago this fight would have been a main event on a Kunlun show in China. But injuries have slowed Jessica down so much that I think she will have problems with Weili's quickness. Maybe time has passed Jessica by.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Donny McCaslin

Artist:Donny McCaslin
Song:Stadium Jazz
Album:Casting For Gravity





Sax player Donny McCaslin has been a sideman since the 90s. He recorded his first album as a leader in 1998 and he has been very successful. He is best known for backing up David Bowie on his final album Blackstar. He was born Aug. 11, 1966 in Santa Clara, CA. His father was a vibraphonist and by age 12 McCaslin was playing sax in his dad's band. He toured Europe and Japan while still in high school. He got a full scholarship at Berklee in Boston and he trained with Gary Burton among others. After graduating, he toured with Burton for four years. In 1991, he replaced Michael Brecker in Steps Ahead. McCaslin played in big bands led by Gil Evans, Maria Schneider and George Gruntz. He also recorded two albums in the group Lan Xang with David Binney and Scott Colley. McCaslin first recorded as a leader in 1998 for labels like Naxos, Arabesque, Criss Cross and Sunnyside. I guess the turning point for McCaslin was when he joined trumpeter Dave Douglas' band in 2006. He not only toured with Douglas but he recorded for Douglas' Greenleaf label. Stadium Jazz is from the 2012 album Casting For Gravity. Musicians are Jason Lindner on keyboards. He has recorded for Chick Corea's Stretch label. Tim Lefebvre is on bass. He has recorded with Uri Caine and Tedeschi Trucks Band. Mark Guiliana is on drums. He has recorded with Brad Mehldau and Avishai Cohen. You'll notice Guiliana has a solo which is why his drum company Vic Firth shot a video. McCaslin still leads this same band. When McCaslin played sax on the 2014 David Bowie single Sue (Or In A Season Of Crime), Bowie hired him to play on the 2016 album Blackstar which turned out to be Bowie's final album. McCaslin now records for Motema Music. Hos new CD Blow will be released Oct. 5. And he's touring Europe in October. Here's Donny McCaslin with Jason Lindner, Tim Lefebvre and Mark Guiliana performing Stadium Jazz at Regattabar in Boston 2015.

Ariane Lipski leaves KSW, set for Nov. 17 UFC show

It was announced today that KSW Flyweight Champion Ariane Lipsky left the promotion. Soon after, Combate in Brazil reported that Ariane will step in for the injured Veronica Macedo and she will face Maryna Moroz at UFC Fight Night 140 Nov. 17 at Luna Park in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Ariane is 24 years old from Curitiba, Brazil. Her record is 11-3 and she is on a nine fight winning streak. She won the KSW title Oct. 2017 and she defended it once. Regardless of that, the UFC is still a higher competition level that who she has fought previously. I don't think Maryna is much better than Ariane's previous opponents. But I don't like Maryna. She lacks aggression but I don't expect her keep away strategy to work against Ariane. Also this is Maryna's first fight at Flyweight after several fights at Strawweight. She's in a two fight losing streak. At least I am now more interested in this fight as I want to see how Ariane does in the UFC. We may be seeing a future title contender.

Frank Pozen's Big Bad Podcast Sept. 23, 2018

UFC Fight Night 137 review.

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Livia Souza vs Alex Chambers

Here's the match video of Livia Souza vs Alex Chambers from last night's UFC show in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Livia is a former Invicta champ finally making her UFC debut in her home town. She was supposed to debut in February but she dropped out due to a broken hand. She is an elite fighter so I didn't think she would have any trouble with Alex. Livia took Alex down and finished her with a mounted guillotine choke. That was pretty slick but obviously I would like to see Livia against better competition. Enjoy the video!

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Mayra Bueno Silva vs Gillian Robertson

Here's the match video of Mayra Bueno Silva vs Gillian Robertson from last night's UFC show in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Mayra won a UFC contract on the Brazilian edition of Dana White's Contender Series. Gillian was on TUF 26. She looked very good in her first two UFC wins. And she looks good in this fight until a brain fart hands her a loss. Gillian took Mayra down and dominated her. It was a 10-8 round. But then Gillian gets careless with seconds left in the round and Mayra wins with an armbar. And afterwards Mayra couldn't get up. She blew out her knee. So she would not have been able to continue. Mistakes are part of MMA and that was certainly a big one. I haven't heard anything about Mayra's injury. Enjoy the video!

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Randa Markos vs Marina Rodriguez

Here's the match video of Randa Markos vs Marina Rodriguez from last night's UFC show in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Randa clearly has the physical tools to be an elite fighter. But she makes too many mistakes and she is now seeing a sports psychologist to help her with her mentality. This fight is a microcosm of her UFC career. Marina won a UFC contract on the Brazilian edition of Dana White's Contender Series. She's mainly a striker. So Randa's strategy should be to take her down and submit her. But things go south for Randa after round one. Randa gets away with the dreaded head and arm takedown to get top position. For the most part, she stays on top and lands some ground and pound. Two of the judges and many fans scored it 10-8 for Randa. I didn't think Randa was dominant enough to get a 10-8 so I scored it 10-9 and so did the third judge. Round two was much closer. Much of the round was standing and Marina is much better on her feet. And Randa tried another head and arm takedown. But it didn't work this time so she gave up her back. The round was very close and I scored it 10-9 for Randa and so did one of the judges. But the other two scored it 10-9 for Marina. Round three was more clear cut. I think everyone scored it 10-9 for Marina. So I scored it 29-28 for Randa. One judge scored it the same. But because the other two judges scored round one 10-8 for Randa, the scores were 28-28. That's a majority draw. Randa again cost herself a win with mistakes. And I don't think Marina is an elite fighter either. For a change when neither fighter deserved to win, we got a draw. Enjoy the video!

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-The Nutmegs

Artist:The Nutmegs
Song:Story Untold
Album:The Nutmegs' Greatest Hits





Here's a doo wop classic that was a top twenty pop hit for The Crew-Cuts in 1955. But Story Untold was originally written and recorded by the black group The Nutmegs. It was a top five R&B hit in 1954. That kind of racist nonsense was normal back in the 50s. Plenty of radio stations refused to play black artists even though the music was usually superior. Groups like The Nutmegs never got the credit they deserved. They were from New Haven, CT led by lead singer and songwriter Leroy Griffin. Other members were Griffin's brother Sonny Griffin, Dieder Cobb and a second Leroy Griffin who changed his name to Gomez. They started out singing on streetcorners. There were plenty of doo wop groups in New Haven so guys would come and go. Griffin was replaced by Bill Emery as lead singer and that's when The Nutnegs met Charlie Johnson who recorded them but he didn't have the money to promote them. Leroy Griffin returned as lead singer in 1954. Other members were Sonny Griffin, Jimmy "CoCo" Tyson, Bill Emery and Leroy McNeil. The Nutmegs moved to New York where they met Herald Records owner Al Silver. They had already recorded four songs. They needed someone to release them. Herald released Story Untold and it reached #2 on the R&B Singles chart. But as I said, a lot of radio stations refused to play black groups. So when The Crew-Cuts recording of Story Untold was a hit, that stopped any airplay for The Nutmegs original. The Nutmegs next single Ship Of Fools was an R&B hit but they were unable to cross over to pop. The Nutmegs did work the Alan Freed tours so they were able to continue performing. The Nutmegs were also part of the early 60s New York doo wop revival. This ended when Leroy Griffin died in 1964. Attempts to continue were unsuccessful. You can get all of The Nutmegs recordings on this Collectables comp. Here's a video for Story Untold by The Nutmegs.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Dylan Scott

Artist:Dylan Scott
Song:Hooked
Album:Dylan Scott: Deluxe Edition





Dylan Scott scored two top ten country hits from his 2016 debut album. He seems to have a lot of potential. He was born Dylan Scott Robinson Oct. 22, 1990 in Bastrop, LA. His father Scotty Robinson played guitar with Freddy Fender. By the time Scott was in high school, he decided to pursue a career in music. He produced a demo which led to the 2014 EP Makin' This Boy Go Crazy. Scott co-wrote the song and the EP was produced by veteran producer Jim Ed Norman. It got Scott a deal with Curb Records. Norman and Matt Alderman produced Scott's 2016 debut album Dylan Scott. Scott co-wrote half the songs on the album including the single My Girl which reached #3 on the Country Singles chart. The single Hooked was not on the album. When it reached #6 on the Country Singles chart in early 2017, Curb released a Deluxe Edition of Dylan Scott with three songs including Hooked that weren't on the original album. Hooked was written by veteran songwriter Lindsay Rimes and singer songwriters Seth Ennis and Morgan Evans. Ennis records for Arista. Evans is from Australia. He has a new album coming out on Warner Bros. in October. And he is married to country music star Kelsea Ballerini. Dylan Scott is currently on tour. I expect he will record new music when the tour is finished. Obviously his first album was successful. We'll see if he can maintain that. Here's the video for Hooked by Dylan Scott.

Frank Pozen's Big Bad Podcast Sept. 21, 2018

Big fight announcement, UFC Fight Night 137 preview and Alexa Bliss update.

Joanna Jedrzejczyk vs Valentina Shevchenko added to Dec. 8 UFC show

Yesterday at the UFC 229 press conference, Dana White announced that Joanna Jedrzejczyk vs Valentina Shevchenko for the vacant UFC Flyweight Championship has been added to UFC 231 Dec. 8 at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto. It's obvious that this is the fight White wanted to do all along. So I don't know why he didn't do it in the first place and not bother with TUF 26. Obviously Nicco Montano was not who they wanted as champ. She told them she wasn't going to be ready in September. But they were going to strip her of the title if she didn't agree to September and Joanna vs Valentina was going to replace her anyway. So why do they want this fight? It's a money fight. These two fought in Muay Thai in Europe a few years ago. Joanna is a former Strawweight champ. But she fought at Flyweight before the UFC. As I said before, the main thing Joanna needs to do is get back to finishing fights. Her decline in the Strawweight division is because she has become a points fighter. She punches harder than Valentina so she needs to be aggressive and try to finish. Valentina is already a points fighter but she's a better counterpuncher than Joanna and that means she is better at points fighting. Her win over Holly Holm showed that. We know what Valentina wants to do. It's up to Joanna to be more aggressive at the start of the fight. Because if she goes down two rounds as she has in recent fights, she's gonna lose. Valentina can't finish Joanna. But she can outpoint her if Joanna allows it. That's the key to this fight.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-The KLF

Artist:The KLF f/Maxine Harvey and Ricardo
Song:3 A.M. Eternal
Album:The White Room: Special Edition





Today the British duo The KLF are considered to be very influential in the development of 90s dance music. Most fans should be familiar with their 1991 top five hit 3 A.M. Eternal. But they retired soon after and deleted most of their music catalog. Bill Drummond was in the 70s band Big In Japan. Then he was an A&R man for WEA Music in England and managed and developed Echo and the Bunnymen. He left his job at WEA in 1986 and released a solo album. Jimmy Cauty was in the band Brilliant who Drummond signed to WEA. The two wanted to be musical anarchists based on the novels The Illuminatis! Trilogy. They called themselves The Justified Ancients of Mu Mu (the JAMs) based on characters in the novels. Their first single was a hip hop version of The Beatles' All You Need Is Love on their own label. They didn't get permission to use any of the samples and they withdrew it and burned all the copies. Then they released Whitney Joins the JAMs based on Whitney Houston's I Wanna Dance With Somebody. Arista Records owner Clive Davis could have sued them but instead he offered them a job. They turned him down and instead released Doctorin' The Tardis as The Timelords. It's a Doctor Who mashup. It topped the charts in England. Drummond said he wanted to have a number one record to prove that he could do it if he wanted. They started releasing music as The KLF. This was mostly R&B based house music. They were very popular in British clubs. They were going to make a film called The White Room. When that didn't work out, they turned it into an album. Arista picked it up for US release and the single 3 A.M. Eternal reached #5 on the Billboard Hot 100. Singer Maxine Harvey and rapper Ricardo appeared regularly on KLF albums. The clarinet solo is by Duy Khiem. The KLF officially retired in 1992. I guess musical anarchy wasn't going as planned. Drummond deleted his entire back catalog except the Arista release of The White Room. It's available on CD with bonus tracks. Drummond and Cauty have reunited occasionally. But mostly they produce art as The K Foundation. Here's the video for 3 A.M. Eternal by The KLF featuring Maxine Harvey and Ricardo.

Frank Pozen's Big Bad Podcast Sept. 20, 2018

Asuka vs Billie and Mae Young Classic review.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Drake White

Artist:Drake White
Song:It Feels Good
Album:Spark





Drake White's 2016 major label debut Spark spawned three country music hits. So he got off to a good start. He was Born Oct. 3, 1983 in the Gadsden suburb of Hokes Bluff, AL. He grew up singing in church and he began to write songs as a teen. White continued to work on his music while earning a building science degree at Auburn University. After graduation, he moved to Nashville to work for a contractor while playing clubs at night. He self released a CD in 2011. He got the attention of producer Jeremy Stover who is best known for producing Justin Moore. They released the single Simple Life in 2013 on MCA Nashville. When that went nowhere, Stover got White a deal with Big Machine's revival of Dot Records. Stover produced the 2016 album Spark with Ross Copperman who is best known for producing Brett Eldredge. White wrote most of the songs with various songwriting partners. White wrote It Feels Good with Derek George and Phillip Pence. George was a member of Bryan White's band. Pence played bass on Spark. It reached #32 on the Country Singles chart. White has been on tour with labelmate Zac Brown Band among others. He released the EP Pieces in May. He is touring Europe in October. I expect he will record new music after the tour. Here's the video for It Feels Good by Drake White.

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Asuka vs Billie Kay

Here's the match video of Asuka vs Billie Kay from last night's episode of Smackdown. This was very similar to the last time Asuka beat Billie Kay and it was also the last time Asuka appeared on TV. The WWE has booked Asuka and Naomi vs The Iiconics on the Oct. 6 Australian Super Show which will air live on the WWE Network. So they want to build up to that. But they don't have the TV time. Typical of those boneheads, Naomi gets her entrance though she isn't in the match. It's always instructive to see what is really important to them. The match is less than two minutes long. Billie gets way too much offense including a rest hold. Whoever suggested that needs a smack upside the head. Look, if they couldn't give Asuka five minutes to do her magic, don't bother. Shortchanging women's matches is what got fans chanting "Give Divas A Chance" in the first place. Obviously they haven't learned their lesson. They need to remember a pat on the back is eighteen inches away from a kick in the pants. Enjoy the video!

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Taking Back Sunday

Artist:Taking Back Sunday
Song:Sink Into Me
Album:New Again





Taking Back Sunday had modest success recording for Warner Bros. from 2004-11. They couldn't seem to get that hit single to launch them into the top tier. Constant personnel changes seem to have hurt them. They even joke about that. Their music is similar to the very popular band Sunny Day Real Estate. Taking Back Sunday was formed in 1999 in Amityville, NY by guitarist Eddie Reyes and Jesse Lacey. Lacey moved to bass with the addition of guitarist John Nolan. Other members were lead singer Antonio Longo and drummer Steven DeJoseph. Lacey left after Nolan stole his girlfriend. Nolan brought his friend Adam Lazzara from North Carolina to play bass. Then DeJoseph left and Reyes brought in his friend Mark O'Connell. After releasing an EP, they weren't happy with Longo and Lazzara took over as lead singer. O'Connell brought in bassist Shaun Cooper. They released another EP and after touring, they signed with Victory Records and released the 2002 album Tell All Your Friends. Nolan and Cooper didn't like touring and left. Taking Back Sunday briefly considered splitting up. Instead they brought in Fred Mascherino on guitar and Matt Rubano on bass. When the 2004 CD Where You Want To Be was certified Gold on an indie label, Taking Back Sunday's management signed them to Warner Bros. Of course the goal was to have a hit single be more successful. The 2006 CD Louder Now was certified Gold but only the single MakeDamnSure charted and it didn't chart high enough to take them to a higher level. Obviously the results were disappointing. Then Mascherino left and he was replaced by Matthew Fazzi. Mascherino said the band fought over control and he didn't think that was productive. The CD New Again was released in 2009. Sink Into Me was the first single. It wasn't a hit and the album did not do as well as previous albums. Rubano and Fazzi left and Nolan and Cooper returned. After the 2011 CD Taking Back Sunday sold even less, Warner Bros. dropped the band. Since then they have recorded two albums for the indie label Hopeless. And they still tour. The criticism of Taking Back Sunday is they sound too much like other more successful bands like Sunny Day Real Estate. So when a band doesn't stand out from the crowd, it's tough to make any progress. So now I guess Taking Back Sunday is resigned to being a second tier level band and that's not what they wanted. Here's the video for Sink Into Me by Taking Back Sunday.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-The Calling

Artist:The Calling
Song:Wherever You Will Go
Album:Love Actually: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack




The 2001 top five hit Wherever You Will Go was the only chart single for The Calling. The song also topped the Adult Top 40 for 23 weeks. Though Wherever You Will Go is a one hit wonder, the song has had a long shelf life unlike The Calling who only released two albums before splitting up. The Calling are from Los Angeles. Lead singer Alex Band and guitarist Aaron Kamin started jamming together in 1996 while Kamin was dating Band's sister. They formed a band and called themselves Generation Gap. That didn't last long and they called themselves Next Door because one of their neighbors was veteran music exec Ron Fair. He got them a record deal with RCA. They renamed themselves The Calling. But they weren't a band. Fair brought in musicians and then he brought in producer Marc Tanner who worked previously with Nelson and Eddie Money. The album Camino Palmero was released in 2001. Wherever You Will Go was the first single. It reached #5 on the Billboard Hot 100. And it topped the Adult Top 40 for 23 weeks. The song was very popular with women. The album was certified Gold but it was panned by critics. The musicians hired to be in The Calling left in 2002 because they thought they were supposed to get royalties. The 2004 album Two was Band and Kamin with studio musicians. The album did poorly and after touring, The Calling split up. The main criticism of The Calling was they sounded too much like other bands like Third Eye Blind and Train. Wherever You Will Go stood out as a ballad. The song got new life when it appeared in the popular 2003 romantic comedy Love Actually. That was a very successful film and so was the soundtrack which may explain why women love Wherever You Will Go. The Love Actually soundtrack is available as a budget CD. Though it looks like Kamin left the music business, Band was featured on Santana's 2003 top ten hit Why Don't You & I. Fair signed Band to Geffen Records. Band recorded an album but Geffen kept delaying the release. So he left and started his own label with EMI distribution. Band released an album in 2010 that went nowhere. Band now leads a version of The Calling with plans to record new music. Here's the video for Wherever You Will Go by The Calling.

Frank Pozen's Big Bad Podcast Sept. 17, 2018

DEEP JEWELS 21 review.

Tomo Maesawa is the next DEEP JEWELS Atomweight Championship challenger

DEEP JEWELS 21 was held yesterday at Shunjuku FACE. The main thrust of the show was to spotlight young emerging fighters. But the main event between Tomo Maesawa and Jung Eun Park determined the next challenger for Mina Kurobe's DEEP JEWELS Atomweight Championship. In other words, it was a midcard fight disguised as a main event. So what it really spotlighted was the low talent level at DEEP JEWELS. That it was accidental only shows how out to lunch matchmaker Shigeru Saeki really is. These are not elite fighters. But neither is Mina Kurobe. Because Park is mainly a kickboxer, Tomo is more experienced at MMA. So it's not surprising that Tomo won by unanimous decision. Let's look at the rest of the card. In a Flyweight bout, Karate Komachi beat Hikari by a second round TKO. In a Strawweight bout, Mika Nagano beat Jet Izumi by first round TKO. Both are veteran fighters. Mika has been around DEEP JEWELS since they began. These days motherhood is a priority as it should be. Jet is a 43 year old kickboxer who rarely does MMA. In a Strawweight bout, Yukari Nabe beat Amiba by unanimous decision. In an Atomweight bout, Yuko Kiryu who is now calling herself Yuko S. beat Nanaka Kawamura with a first round rear naked choke. Recent marriage is the reason for Yuko's name change. As I have mentioned before, Nanaka is a member of the Masked Woman idol group. She has star potential if she can be a decent fighter. It doesn't look good. She's now 1-2 and she has looked bad against low level fighters. So I don't know how long Saeki can keep trotting her out. In an Atomweight bout, Hikaru Aono beat ARAMI by unanimous decision. ARAMI got a two point penalty for missing weight. Aono won 19-17. It looks like ARAMI won the fight but lost because of the penalty. And have I said lately how much I hate two round fights? In an Atomweight bout, Emi Sato beat Mizuki Furuse by first round armbar. Mizuki is a high school student who probably should quit fighting before she gets hurt. In a Microweight (43kg) bout, Madeleine beat Ai Takei by a first round armbar. Madeleine's real name is Madoka Ishibashi. Her record was 0-3 at Atomweight and that's why she's fighting at the lighter weight. They were going to call her Madonna but I guess they can't for copyright reasons. They are emphasizing her sex appeal. I think she's supposed to be a sexy fairy. Ai was making her MMA debut. She's a body makeup artist. If they are going to continue this Madeleine character, they will have to find some 43kg fighters. The opener had Sayuri Yamaguchi over MAO by unanimous decision in a Strawweight bout. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Messengers Incorporated

Artist:Messengers Incorporated
Song:Soulful Proclamation
Album:Soulful Proclamation





Here's a slice of obscure 70s funk that was rediscovered in recent years to the point that the band's only album has been released on CD by the British label Jazzman. Soulful Proclamation seems to be Messengers Incorporated's best known song as it turns up on a couple of various artists comps. Guitarist Charles Burton and his singer wife Barbara Burton are the leaders of Messengers Incorporated. They grew up together in Tulsa and after graduating from high school, they married and moved to Oklahoma City. For the most part, both are backup musicians. If they had lived in LA, they would have been in The Wrecking Crew. But in Oklahoma City, they are local legends who were inducted into the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame in 2001. They owned a recording studio there. Charles Burton toured with Gladys Knight and the Pips, Tom Jones and Count Basie among others. Barbara Burton sang with Brenda Lee, Roger Miller and Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers. Their son Charles Burton III AKA Tre is also a musician. This Messengers Incorporated album Soulful Proclamation was released in 1970 on the small SMI label. Along with Charles and Barbara Burton, Maurice Love is on organ. He wrote Soulful Proclamation. James "Bucky" Young is on bass and Maurice Howard is on drums. The album went nowhere at the time but it was rediscovered by DJs and the Japanese label P-Vine released it on CD in 2006. Jazzman released it on CD in 2013. Both labels specialize in obscure black music reissues. As Burton Inc., Charles and Barbara Burton released the album L.A. Will Make You Pay $$$ in 1976 on their own label featuring the same musicians. That album was also released on CD by Jazzman. After that, Charles and Barbara returned to running their recording studio and touring as backup musicians. I'm sure the revival of Soulful Proclamation is a surprise to them. But it's a pretty good song and worth a listen. Here's a video of Soulful Proclamation by Messengers Incorporated.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Barenaked Ladies

Artist:Barenaked Ladies
Song:One Week
Album:Disc One: All Their Greatest Hits 1991-2001




Unlike a lot of Canadian groups, the Barenaked Ladies had success in the US when One Week topped the charts in 1998. They are legends in Canada especially in the Toronto suburb of Scarborough where they grew up. Ed Robertson and Steven Page went to the same school. But they didn't know each other until they met at a restaurant following a Peter Gabriel concert. They became friends because they had similar taste in music. Then they started playing together while working as summer camp counselors. While attending a Bob Dylan concert, they got bored and made snarky comments to each other. Meanwhile, Robertson's band was supposed to do a battle of the bands for charity. But the band broke up. Robertson forgot about the gig. When they called to remind him, he said the band name had changed to Barenaked Ladies. Then he called Page to get him to do the gig. Like a lot of their early gigs, it was mostly improvised and Robertson was very good at improvising jokes. Then they became a band by adding brothers Andy (percussion) and Jim (bass) Creeggan. They went on tour with Corky and the Juice Pigs. When Andy Creeggan went to South America on a student exchange trip, he was replaced by Tyler Stewart. Toronto's CITY-TV had a video booth called Speaker's Corner. This is years before Youtube. When Barenaked Ladies performed Be My Yoko Ono on Speaker's Corner, they became local sensations. This eventually led to a deal with Sire Records in 1992. Before that, they released music independently including a cover of Bruce Cockburn's Lovers In A Dangerous Time and If I Had $1,000,000. And of course there was the time they were removed from a Toronto City Hall New Year's Eve concert when a staffer told Mayor June Rowlands that the name Barenaked Ladies was offensive. That nonsense made them even bigger in Toronto. Robertson says the story was big because it was a slow news week. The whole point of signing with a major label was to break in the US. But it took a few years to do that with the 1998 album Stunt and the single One Week which topped the Billboard Hot 100. Robertson wrote the song and does the rapping which is mostly pop culture nonsense. Page sings the chorus. By this time, Kevin Hearn replaced Andy Creeggan and then Hearn was diagnosed with leukemia and was unable to tour. They hired musicians for touring and Hearn returned after treatment. Though Barenaked Ladies continued to be popular in Canada, their US success was short lived. And Warner/Reprise/Sire released them after the 2003 album Everything To Everyone. You can get all their hits on this comp. Barenaked Ladies started their own label Desperation Records. And they continue to release new music even after Page's 2009 departure. He has recorded solo and he hosted the TV series The Illegal Eater. The Barenaked Ladies currently record for Vanguard and their latest CD Fake Nudes was released in 2017. And Barenaked Ladies was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in March. Here's the video for One Week by Barenaked Ladies.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Joss Stone

Artist:Joss Stone
Song:Spoiled
Album:The Best Of Joss Stone 2003-2009





When she was 16 years old, blue eyed soul singer Joss Stone looked like she was going to be the next big thing. She had success with her first couple of albums. But she had record company problems and I don't think she has recovered from that though she is still recording and touring. She was born Joscelyn Eve Stoker Apr. 11, 1987 in Dover, Kent, England. She got her big break at age 13 when she won the BBC talent contest series Star for a Night in 2001. This eventually got the attention of S-Curve Records owner Steve Greenberg. He brought her to New York. She auditioned singing soul classics. He signed her immediately and brought her to Miami where soul legend Betty Wright was brought in to help her record the 2003 album The Soul Sessions. Betty co-produced with Mike Mangini who had previously worked with Greenberg on Baha Men's Who Let The Dogs Out?. The album was soul covers. She had a couple of top twenty hits in England and the album was certified Gold. So it did OK and Joss was getting a lot of buzz. For her 2004 album Mind, Body & Soul, Greenberg decided to have Joss record original songs. Joss wrote most of the songs with various songwriters. Spoiled was written with Motown legend Lamont Dozier and his son Beau who dated Joss for a while. The album was certified Platinum but she just wasn't able to score that big hit single in the US though she had a top ten hit in England. Then Greenberg sold her contract to EMI and Joss was assigned to Virgin Records. Her 2007 album Introducing Joss Stone was produced by Raphael Saadiq. It didn't do as well as her previous albums. Then things went south with EMI. The release of the 2009 album Colour Me Free! was delayed because label management didn't like the cover. She didn't like EMI's new management anyway so she asked to be released from her contract. This comp was released to complete that contract. Since then Joss has recorded for her own label Stone'd. Her latest album Water For Your Soul was released in 2015. It's a reggae album. Joss still tours and I guess she is happy to have control of her music. But she won't be as big of a star as first expected. Here's the video for Spoiled by Joss Stone.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-David Benoit

Artist:David Benoit
Song:Linus and Lucy
Album:Masterpieces: Best of the GRP Years





Pianist David Benoit has been a Smooth Jazz staple since the 80s. He is probably best known for taking over the scoring of the Peanuts cartoons after the death of Charles Schultz. Benoit's cover of Linus and Lucy is one of his most popular recordings. He was born Aug. 18, 1953 in Bakersfield, CA. He learned to play piano as a child and he studied theory and composition at El Camino College and UCLA. His big jazz influence is Bill Evans. Benoit began his career in 1976 as an accompanist first for Lainie Kazan and then for Connie Stevens and Ann-Margret. He was also a sideman for Alphonse Mouzon among others. Benoit released several albums on AVI Records, a label known mostly for disco but they recorded jazz as well. He signed with GRP Records in 1987. But before that, he released a couple of albums on what seems to be his own label. It appears that GRP picked them up after he signed. Benoit first recorded Linus and Lucy on the 1985 album This Side Up. It has turned out to be one of his most popular recordings. This original version features special guest Ernie Watts on soprano sax. Other musicians are Grant Geissman on guitar, Jerold Weber, Michael Lang and Randy Kerber on keyboards, Bob Feldman on bass, Tony Morales on drums, Del Blake on percussion and The L.A. Modern String Orchestra conducted by William Henderson. You can get Linus and Lucy on this comp CD. Since then, Benoit has been a regular at the top of the jazz charts. And he has been an arranger and conductor for all kinds of artists especially The Rippingtons. After Charles Schultz' 2000 death, Benoit was chosen to take over the music for any future Peanuts cartoons. After Universal closed GRP and folded it into Verve, Benoit recorded for Concord's Peak label. His latest CD So Nice was released in 2017 on Shanachie. Here's David Benoit performing Linus and Lucy with an orchestra and a sax player who is not identified. There is no date on the video either. The video was used to promote an upcoming 2008 concert.

Frank Pozen's Big Bad Podcast Sept. 13, 2018

Review of this week's episode of the Mae Young Classic.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Marianne Solivan

Artist:Marianne Solivan
Song:Moon Ray
Album:Prisoner Of Love




Jazz singer Marianne Solivan was a finalist in the 2009 and 2010 Jazzmobile Vocal Competition. She has recorded a couple of albums and currently leads her own big band. She's a New York City native and she studied at Berklee and the New England Conservatory of Music. She has been working the New York club circuit since 2007. After appearing on clarinetist Darryl Harper's 2009 album Stories In Real Time, Marianne signed with the same label HiPNOTIC Records. Prisoner Of Love is her 2012 debut album. She records mostly standards including the Artie Shaw classic Moon Ray. Jeremy Pelt plays trumpet on Moon Ray and he also produced the album. Musicians include Michael Kanan on piano who has also accompanied Jimmy Scott and Jane Monheit, Peter Bernstein on guitar, Christian McBride on bass and Jonathan Blake from the Mingus Big Band on drums. Marianne released a second album Spark in 2014. Marianne continues to tour regularly. She started a big band. A female led big band is unusual but not unheard of. I think she is trying to distinguish herself from the pack of jazz singers in the marketplace. The big band has yet to record. Here's Marianne Solivan with Michael Kanan, Marco Panascia and Michael Petrosino performing Moon Ray May 22, 2012.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Coon Creek Girls

Artist:Coon Creek Girls
Song:Little Birdie
Album:Lily May, Rosie and Susie





The Coon Creek Girls were the very first all female bluegrass group. They had success mostly on the radio in the late 30s. Their style of music is best described as Appalachian. The leader of Coon Creek Girls was Lily May Ledford. She was born Mar. 17, 1917 in Powell County, KY. She was the seventh of fourteen children of tenant farmers and amateur musicians. Lily May's father taught her to play banjo when she was a child. By age 12 she was also playing fiddle. She formed the Red River Ramblers with sister Rose and brother Cayen. At a 1935 audition, Lily May was chosen to appear on Chicago radio station WLS's Barn Dance. Show announcer John Lair got her a regular spot on the show. He became her manager. Lair moved to Cincinnati to start his own radio show Renfro Valley Barn Dance. He decided to form Coon Creek Girls around Lily May with her sister Rosie on guitar, Daisy Lange on bass and Violet Koehler on mandolin. The Coon Creek Girls recorded for Vocalion in 1938. Little Birdie and Pretty Polly were among the songs recorded. They also recorded for Lair's Renfro Valley label. The Coon Creek Girls performed at The White House in 1939 for President Franklin D. Roosevelt, King George VI of England and Queen Elizabeth. Though the Coon Creek Girls were popular on the radio, they were never a successful recording act. You can get all their 30s recordings on this comp first released in 1968. It's available as a digital download. Daisy and Violet left in 1939 and they were replaced by Lily May's sister Susie. The Coon Creek Girls continued to perform on the radio. But they wouldn't record again until they released a couple of singles on Capitol in 1955. The Coon Creek Girls retired when the radio show ended in 1957. Musicologist Ralph Rinzler rediscovered Lily May and she started touring after appearing on the 1968 Newport Folk Festival. She was surprised and delighted at the crowd response to her music. She released an album in 1983. Lily May Ledford was awarded a National Heritage Fellowship just before her death from cancer on July 14, 1985 at age 68. Here's a video for Little Birdie by Coon Creek Girls.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Method Man

Artist:Method Man f/Mary J. Blige
Song:I'll Be There For You/You're All I Need To Get By
Album:Icon




Rapper Clifford "Method Man" Smith scored a top five hit in 1995 with I'll Be There For You/You're All I Need To Get By. He is a member of Wu Tang Clan and he is also an actor. He was born Mar. 31, 1971 in Hempstead, Long Island, NY. He split his childhood living in his father's home in Long Island and his mother's home in Staten Island. Staten Island was where he met the other members of Wu Tang Clan. Wu Tang Clan signed with Loud Records. The members of Wu Tang Clan were allowed to sign solo deals anywhere. So Smith signed with Def Jam. His name was from the 1979 film Method Man. The other members were on board with this as when Wu Tang Clan was first formed, the original plan was for Method Man to be a solo act. Smith's 1994 debut album Tical was produced by Wu Tang Clan leader Robert "RZA" Diggs. All I Need is on the album. The hit single was a remix by Sean "Puffy" Combs and retitled I'll Be There For You/You're All I Need To Get By featuring Mary J. Blige on vocals. You're All I Need To Get By was written by Ashford and Simpson and it was a hit in 1968 by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell. Method man's recording reached #3 on the Billboard Hot 100. The remix was only released as a single but you can get it on this budget comp. To date it is Smith's biggest hit. He continues to record solo occasionally. He continued to record with Wu Tang Clan and as a duo with Redman. He also got into acting mostly on TV. He starred in the films How High and Soul Plane. His TV credits include Oz, The Wire, CSI and others. His Fox sitcom Method & Red did not do well. Currently Smith hosts the TBS series Drop The Mic. He has a recurring role on the HBO series The Deuce. And he will be in the upcoming reboot of the film Shaft. Here's the video for I'll Be There For You/You're All I Need To Get By by Method Man featuring Mary J. Blige. This is the remix and it is not on Youtube.

Method Man feat. Mary J. Blige - I'll Be There For You (You're All I Need To Get By) (Remix) from Jul!aAl on Vimeo.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Midnight Oil

Artist:Midnight Oil
Song:Beds Are Burning
Album:Essential Oils





Midnight Oil were very successful in their native Australia in the late-70s. But they had worldwide success in the 80s especially with the 1987 top twenty hit Beds Are Burning. Midnight Oil are from Sydney, Australia. They started out as the cover band Farm in 1972. Lead singer Peter Garrett was studying law in Canberra and performing part time with Farm. When he moved to Sydney in 1976 to complete his law degree, Farm was turned into a full time band and the band name was changed to Midnight Oil. The name comes from the Jimi Hendrix song Burning of the Midnight Lamp. Several names were placed in a hat and Midnight Oil was chosen. Original members were Rob Hirst on drums and Jim Moginie in bass. Garrett joined in 1976 followed by guitarist Martin Rotsey in 1977. By the mid-80s, Midnight Oil was very successful in Australia. The 1987 album Diesel and Dust was their international breakthrough. The album was certified Platinum in the US. Beds Are Burning was an international hit. It reached #17 on the Billboard Hot 100. I think most music fans know the song. Like many songs Garrett wrote for Midnight Oil, the song has political and social significance in Australia. Some of their other songs charted but Beds Are Burning was their biggest hit. Midnight Oil continued to have success as an album band until the mid-90s. This 2CD comp covers their Columbia recordings. Garrett left Midnight Oil in 2002 to get into politics. He was elected to the senate in 2004 and he was Minister of the Environment among other things until he left in 2013. The other members worked on various projects. Midnight Oil reunited a couple of times. Then they reformed and toured in 2016 and did a world tour in 2017. They have yet to record new music. Midnight Oil are legends in Australia. Here's the video for Beds Are Burning by Midnight Oil.

Frank Pozen's Big Bad Podcast Sept. 9, 2018

UFC 228 review and my thoughts about Nicco Montano.

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Irene Aldana vs Lucie Pudilova

Here's the match video of Irene Aldana vs Lucie Pudilova from last night's UFC show in Dallas. Usually when we see two low level women fighters in the UFC, they are usually very tentative and it turns out to be three rounds of light sparring. But Lucie is an aggressive fighter so she actually wants to win the fight as opposed to not lose. The problem is her defense is awful. And that's the opening Irene needed to use counterpunching to win the fight. Irene won by split decision. I scored it 29-28 for Lucie. To win the fight, all she had to do is keep her hands up. Her defense was non existent. I know this won Fight of the Night and fans really enjoyed it. But it didn't make me think that either fighter can beat anyone good. Enjoy the video!

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Tatiana Suarez vs Carla Esparza

Here's the match video of Tatiana Suarez vs Carla Esparza from last night's UFC show in Dallas. this is another fight that turned out as I expected. Carla is a former champ on her way down. And Tatiana is heading for a title shot after recovering from knee surgery. Tatiana mauled Carla for more than two rounds. She finally got the TKO finish in the third. Carla is a good wrestler. She was an All American in college. But she looked like a rank amateur against Tatiana's Olympic caliber wrestling. It was a beat down. Because Jessica is likely to get the next title shot, Tatiana will probably want to fight someone else to keep active. One possible opponent could be Claudia Gadelha if she wins her next fight. Tatiana will be tough to handle regardless. Enjoy the video!

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Jessica Andrade vs Karolina Kowalkiewicz

Here's the match video of Jessica Andrade vs Karolina Kowalkiewicz from last night's UFC show in Dallas. This fight turned out as I expected. I didn't think Karolina could handle Jessica's constant pressure. Not to mention that Jessica punches harder and she has a good ground game if she needs it. A points fighter like Karolina was unlikely to last three rounds. Of course the one punch knockout was very dramatic. But Jessica had already rocked Karolina so the finish was coming. The big question is does Jessica get a title shot and when will that be. When I find out the answers, I will let you know. Enjoy the video!

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-M/A/R/R/S

Artist:M/A/R/R/S
Song:Pump Up The Volume
Album:The Best Dance Album In The World...Ever!




Not only is Pump Up The Volume a one hit wonder but it was the only single recorded by M/A/R/R/S. The man behind it was 4AD Records owner Ivo Watts-Russell. In 1986 there was an alternative rock group in England called A.R. Kane. They were under contract to One Little Indian Records. Alex Ayuli of A.R. Kane was unhappy with the label's promotional support. So he asked Watts-Russell to release his next record. After a confrontation between the label owners, 4AD released an A.R. Kane EP. Watts-Russell suggested that A.R. Kane could record with his electronic music duo Colourbox. The name M/A/R/R/S were the initials of the guys who recorded the single; Martyn and Steve Young of Colourbox, Ayuli and Rudy Tambala of A.R. Kane and Terminal Cheesecake founder Russell Smith. Unfortunately the two groups didn't get along in the studio. 4AD house producer John Fryer was brought in to referee. He sent them to separate studios to create a song each. Colourbox came up with Pump Up The Volume featuring an Eric B. and Rakim sample. A.R. Kane created the B-side Anitina. A.R. Kane added some guitar to Pump Up The Volume. And DJs CJ McIntosh and Dave Dorrell added samples and scratch effects. Martyn Young wanted Pump Up the Volume released as a Colourbox record. Watts-Russell refused mostly because he didn't want Young to work on the song anymore. And he released it as M/A/R/R/S. As a result, Colourbox left 4AD. The record was released to British clubs July 1987. A remix of Pump Up The Volume was the hit version. There were many samples added. Island's 4th & Broadway label released Pump Up The Volume in the US. It reached #13 on the Billboard Hot 100. You can get it on this 2CD various artists comp from Virgin. The song turned out to be very influential because of the sampling. But M/A/R/R/S never recorded again. Colourbox wanted to use the name but A.R. Kane wanted 100,000 pounds for the use of the name. They didn't like that their guitar part was deleted on the remix. So though it was a hit, I don't think Pump Up The Volume was a very good experience for the record's creators. Here's the video for Pump Up The Volume by M/A/R/R/S.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Laura Benanti

Artist:Laura Benanti w/Antonio Banderas
Song:Unusual Way
Album:In Constant Search of the Right Kind Of Attention




Laura Benanti is a Tony award winning actress who has had her greatest success in Broadway musicals like the 2003 revival of Nine. She won a Tony for the 2008 revival of Gypsy. She has also done a lot of TV. Most should know her from playing Melania Trump on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. She was born Laura Vidnovic July 15, 1979 in New York City. When her mother remarried and moved to New Jersey, Laura took her stepfather's name. She was very interested in musicals as a child. But her parents wouldn't let her audition for anything until she graduated from high school. Her first big role was as Maria Von Trapp in the 1999 Broadway revival of The Sound Of Music. She got Tony nominated for Swing! in 1999 and Into The Woods in 2002. She suffered a neck injury while on stage. She tried to work through it but was forced to have surgery. She returned in the 2003 revival of Nine co-starring with Antonio Banderas. Maury Yeston based Nine on the Federico Fellini film 8 1/2. Raul Julia starred in the original 1982 production. The revival was very successful and Laura was Tony nominated. The original cast album of Nine is available on CD. But Laura performs Unusual Way in her one woman show which was released on CD in 2013. Laura continues to appear on Broadway. She won a Tony for the 2008 revival of Gypsy. Next month she will begin playing Eliza Doolittle in the Lincoln Center revival of My Fair Lady. Laura has also done lots of TV. She was in the 2013 TV production of The Sound Of Music. She also had recurring roles on Nashville and Supergirl. Currently she appears on the TBS sitcom The Detour and she plays Melania Trump on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. But she is mainly known for Broadway musicals. Here's Laura Benanti with Antonio Banderas performing Unusual Way 2003.

Frank Pozen's Big Bad Podcast Sept. 7, 2018

Kairi Sane, Meiko Satomura, UFC 228 preview and new fight announcements.

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Meiko Satomura vs Killer Kelly

Here's the match video of Meiko Satomura vs Killer Kelly from the first round of The Mae Young Classic. It is certainly surreal to see Meiko in a WWE ring especially when Michael Cole yells "It's Meiko Time". But they treat her like the legend she is. And she does a great job in this match. Killer Kelly is billed as from Portugal. But she is an NXT UK signee. I wasn't impressed when I saw her on June's NXT UK broadcast. She looked good in this match because Meiko made her look like a million bucks. Kelly probably got in more offense than necessary. But like all the joshi wrestlers, Meiko is very generous. Look, she could have done a squash if she wanted. She wants her opponent to get over. Of course in the end Meiko won. Kelly looked very appreciative of getting to work with Meiko. It's a good match. In the other matches, Tegan Nox (Nixon Newell) beat Zatara. Zatara is from Chile but she works in Mexico a lot. Tegan looked very good. Rhea Ripley beat MJ Jenkins. I liked Rhea last year but she is now a heel. MJ looks good but I don't think she is much of a wrestler. She is under an NXT contract. And Lacey Lane beat Vanessa Kraven. Vanessa is a veteran monster heel. She's 6'2". Lacey is a Team 3D trainee who recently signed with NXT. She's very tiny but athletic. She tries to do too much in this match and as a result, it's a rough match. Someone needs to tell her that less is more. Enjoy the video!

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Kairi Sane vs Trish Adora

Here's the match video of Kairi Sane vs Trish Adora from this week's episode of NXT. There's nothing much to the match as they wanted to get to the post match angle. Kairi comes out and takes her belt from a treasure chest and she gives golden coins to the crowd. The fans go nuts for this. Kairi's presentation skills are outstanding. Trish is a Team 3D trainee and they said on the broadcast she is a former rugby player. Of course she can't keep up with Kairi. Kairi gets her stuff in and wins with the Insane Elbow. Afterwards, Shayna Baszler comes out and tries to intimidate Kairi. She knocks over the treasure chest and attacks Kairi with punches and a clothesline. Kairi really sells the clothesline. But when Shayna tries to continue her attack, Kairi fights back and hits a spear to chase Shayna away. So now we just have to wait for the rematch. Enjoy the video!

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Goat

Artist:Goat
Song:Gathering of Ancient Tribes
Album:Commune





Goat's music is frequently described as experimental rock. I would describe them as neo psychedelic with world beat rhythms. What is unusual about Goat is they are an anonymous band. As you will see in the video, they all wear what seem to be tribal costumes and masks. They have even created an origin story. Goat are from Gothenburg, Sweden. They claim to be from a town in Sweden that has a history of voodoo worship after a witch doctor lived there. They claim to be more of a commune than a band. Supposedly there have been several versions of Goat over the years. They say there are three core members of Goat and they add musicians for touring. So if this is all fiction, what is the truth? My guess is Christian Johansson is the man behind the music. This is based on an interview he did in 2014 with John Freeman of The Quietus. He stuck to his fictional story but he seemed to know all the details about Goat's background. It's likely that he's a studio musician who doesn't want fame. Goat released a single and that got them a deal with the British label Rocket Recordings. They are on Sub Pop in the US. Gathering of Ancient Tribes is from the 2014 album Commune. Their latest CD Requiem was released in 2016 though they have released some singles recently. They've performed at some big music festivals. And recently they opened for Foo Fighters in their home town of Gothenburg. I don't know who is in Goat but they are professional musicians because they sound great. Here's Goat performing Gathering of Ancient Tribes at the 2015 Glastonbury Festival in England.

Antonina Shevchenko vs Ashlee Evans-Smith added to Nov. 30 UFC show

Ariel Helwani of ESPN reported this afternoon that Antonina Shevchenko vs Ashlee Evans-Smith has been added to The Ultimate Fighter 28 Finale Nov. 30 at The Pearl at the Palms in Las Vegas. This fight will be at Flyweight. Antonina is 33 years old and of course she is the older sister of Valentina Shevchenko. Her MMA record is 6-0 but like her sister, she is a kickboxer. They train together so they are very similar. But Antonina isn't as experienced at MMA. Antonina won a UFC contract with a win over Jaimee Nievera on Dana White's Tuesday Night Contender Series. Jaimee was a late replacement when the original opponent was injured. It's hard to tell from that fight if Antonina is any good. Ashlee is 31 years old. She trains at Team Oyama in California which is also home for Carla Esparza. Her record is 6-3 and 3-3 in the UFC. She won her Flyweight debut in Apr. with a win over Bec Rawlings. All her other UFC fights were at Bantamweight and she fought at Featherweight before she came to the UFC. The reason a fighter would want to drop that much weight is she has a size advantage at Flyweight. She has only had one fight at Flyweight. I think it's too soon to tell if she will be better that she was at Bantamweight. She hasn't been impressive so far.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Deadstring Brothers

Artist:Deadstring Brothers
Song: You Look Like The Devil
Album:Silver Mountain





The Deadstring Brothers are an alt country band that started out as a Rolling Stones tribute band. They are from Detroit led by Kurt Marschke. He was performing as a solo act and decided to form a band in 2001. By 2005 they signed with the leading alt country label Bloodshot Records. The band has moved around a lot. So Marschke has been the only consistent member over the years. You Look Like The Devil is from the 2007 CD Silver Mountain. The main members at the time were Ross Westerbur on keyboards, Phil Skarich on bass and Eric Hoegemeyer on percussion. Though Marschke writes most of the band's songs, You Look Like The Devil is a Leon Russell song that was recorded by Willie Nelson on the 1973 album Shotgun Willie. As I said, Marschke moved to Nashville for the 2013 album Cannery Row. So this was a completely different band. Then Marschke moved to the Pacific Northwest. The Deadstring Brothers continued to tour. But Cannery Row was their final album. They officially retired earlier this year. Alt country fans should check out Deadstring Brothers. Here are the Deadstring Brothers performing You Look Like The Devil at the 2004 Take Root Festival in Assen, The Netherlands.