AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Thursday

Artist:Thursday
Song:Understanding In A Car Crash
Album:Full Collapse





Thursday is a very influential post hardcore band. They paved the way for more popular bands. The 2001 album Full Collapse is probably the best place to start. Thursday are from New Brunswick, NJ. They were formed in 1997 by lead singer Geoff Rickly. The rest of the band for most of their history is Tom Keeley on lead guitar, Steve Pedulla on rhythm guitar, Tim Payne on bass, Andrew Everding on keyboards and Tucker Rule on drums. The only changes were when Pedulla replaced Bill Henderson in 2000 and Everding joined in 2004.Thursday's main influence was Joy Division. They are best described as screamo so they are an emo band with screaming vocals. After releasing an album on a local label, Thursday signed with punk specialty label Victory Records. The 2001 album Full Collapse was their first album on Victory. It did well enough that Thursday signed with Island Records. The band didn't think they were commercial enough for a major label. They had two albums left on their Victory contract. Island paid Victory 1.2M for Thursday's contract. After the 2004 album War All The Time and the tour to support it, Thursday announced they were going on hiatus. It didn't last long as they were back in the studio recording the 2006 album A City by the Light Divided. They left Island after that album and released the live CD Kill The House Lights on Victory. For the 2009 album Common Existence, Thursday signed with Bad Religion's Epitaph label and they disbanded after the 2011 album No Devolucion. At the time it was announced as a hiatus. But Rickly admitted later that Thursday disbanded. Full Collapse is available as a budget CD. Thursday was influential but not successful because their record contract put them in a financial hole they would never escape. Rickly formed a new band No Devotion. Then Thursday reformed in 2016 and they have been touring since then. The tour will end in March 2019 and they will disband. There are no plans to record new music. Here's the video for Understanding in a Car Crash by Thursday.

Frank Pozen's Big Bad Podcast Dec. 30, 2018

UFC 232 review

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Megan Anderson vs Cat Zingano

Here's the match video of Megan Anderson vs Cat Zingano from last night's UFC show in Los Angeles. There's not much to say about this fight. It was just getting started when Megan threw a head kick and her toe cut Cat's eyelid. That's it. Cat couldn't see and Megan won by TKO. Someone asked me if it was illegal like an eye poke. Nope. It was legal. But it was also a fluke. Megan couldn't do that again in a million years. My guess is we will see a rematch in the near future. Cat didn't even go to the hospital. She's fine. It was one of those things. It was a legal move. Cat couldn't continue. The fans in the arena weren't happy. They booed. With Cris Cyborg possibly leaving the UFC, that leaves Megan as the only Featherweight who won't drop to Bantamweight. I don't know what the UFC will do with her if they end the Featherweight division which was started for Cris Cyborg. In the mean time, enjoy the video!

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Amanda Nunes vs Cris Cyborg

Here's the match video of Amanda Nunes vs Cris Cyborg from last night's UFC show in Los Angeles. This was billed as a superfight between two champs. Cyborg was favored because she had been unbeaten for years. But as I said on Friday's podcast, Amanda is a better fighter than anyone who had fought Cyborg. I thought if Amanda got off to a quick start she could win the fight. She couldn't allow Cyborg to settle into her usual routine. And what do you know? Amanda did exactly as I suggested and she knocked Cyborg out in 51 seconds. I guess I'm a genius. Not really. I just study patterns more than most fight analysts and Amanda's pattern is finish the fight early. She gets into trouble in the late rounds. I'll talk more about Amanda in a couple of days when I name my 2018 Fighter of the Year. As I have said in the past, Cris Cyborg's legacy is built on beating undersized fighters and tomato cans. She was never as good as she seemed. And now her UFC contract is up. I expect her to leave the UFC probably for Bellator because she can also fight for RIZIN and do boxing like she has said she wants to do. It's also the likely end of UFC's Featherweight division. They really only have one real Featherweight other than Cyborg. And there aren't enough decent Featherweights to have a decent division and there never will be. Cyborg's run was always an illusion and now that bubble has been burst. Enjoy the video!

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Joan Osborne

Artist:Joan Osborne
Song:One Of Us
Album:Relish





I bet you all remember this song. You couldn't escape it in 1995. One Of Us was the only chart hit for Joan Osborne. She's still around but I don't think she wanted to be a pop star anyway. She was born July 8, 1962 in the Louisville suburb of Anchorage, KY. She was a big fan of singers like Etta James and Ray Charles. After Joan moved to New York City to attend NYU's film school, she started performing in local clubs. After releasing an album on her own label, Joan signed with Mercury Records for the 1995 album Relish. The big surprise was when her debut single One Of Us reached #4 on the Billboard Hot 100. MTV played the video way too much. The album was certified 3XPlatinum. The album was produced by Rick Chertoff who produced Cyndi Lauper's Girls Just Want To Have Fun among other things. Joan wrote several songs on the album. One Of Us was written by Eric Bazilian of the 80s band The Hooters. He wrote several songs for the album and played guitar. Bazilian says he wrote One Of Us to impress a girl. And it worked because they are married with two kids. Joan was nominated for several Grammys. And then she didn't release another album until 2001. And that killed her career. She says now that she didn't want to be a star. Joan appeared in the 2002 documentary Standing in the Shadows of Motown about legendary musicians The Funk Brothers. She toured with them. One Of Us got a boost when it was the theme of the 2003 CBS series Joan of Arcadia. Relish is available as a budget CD. Joan Osborne still records and tours. Her latest album Songs of Bob Dylan was released on her own label last year. She was also in the band Trigger Hippy. They released one album. Joan is no longer in that band. She will tour in 2019. Here's the video for One Of Us by Joan Osborne.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Black Uhuru

Artist:Black Uhuru
Song:Sinsemilla
Album:Party In Session: The Black Uhuru Collection




The reggae group Black Uhuru have been around since the early 70s and they are still around. Their best recordings like Sinsemilla are from the early 80s. Black Uhuru was formed in Kingston, Jamaica in 1972 as Black Sounds Uhuru by Derrick "Duckie" Simpson, Don Carlos and Garth Dennis. Uhuru is the Swahili word for freedom. They split up after two unsuccessful singles. Carlos has had a successful solo career. Simpson reformed Black Uhuru in 1977 with singer Michael Rose and Errol Nelson of The Jayes. Nelson returned to The Jayes and was replaced by Sandra "Puma" Jones of Mama Africa. She was from South Carolina. That was the core of Black Uhuru until Rose left in 1984. He was not only a great singer but he wrote most of the songs. Black Uhuru started working with Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare who were successful in their own right. After a few successful singles and a performance on the 1980 Reggae Sunsplash Festival, Black Uhuru signed with Island Records and released the 1980 album Sinsemilla. It was a big success and so was the 1981 album Red and the 1982 album Chill Out. They toured with The Rolling Stones. Keith Richards played guitar on one of their singles. Then they won a Grammy for the 1984 album Anthem. But Rose wasn't getting along with Simpson. He left in 1984 and he was replaced by Junior Reid. Black Uhuru signed with RAS Records and they veered towards dance music with producer Arthur Baker. Sly & Robbie left and the new music alienated existing fans. After Sandra died of cancer in 1990 and Reid couldn't get a US visa, Simpson reunited with Carlos and Dennis. They were successful until they split in 1996 and Simpson won a legal battle over the Black Uhuru name. The new lead singer was Andrew Bees. He left in 2003 and Simpson reunited with Rose. That didn't work out and Simpson sang lead for a while until Bees returned and that version of Black Uhuru released an album a few months ago and toured the US to support it. This 2CD comp from the British label Spectrum covers Black Uhuru's Island years. It is a must for reggae fans. Here's Black Uhuru performing Sinsemilla at The Rainbow in London 1981.

Frank Pozen's Big Bad Podcast Dec. 28, 2018

UFC 232 preview and Io Shirai.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Slowdive

Artist:Slowdive
Song:Alison
Album:Original Album Classics





The British band Slowdive had modest success at home. Attempts to sell them in North America were aborted when they split up in 1995. They have reformed in recent years. Slowdive are from Reading, England. Neil Halstead was the main songwriter. He and Rachel Goswell sing and play guitar. They were childhood friends. They had a band called The Pumpkin Fairies. When that band split up, they formed Slowdive with drummer Adrian Sell, bassist Nick Chaplin and guitarist Christian Savill. They are named after a Siouxie and the Banshees single. They sent out demos and signed with Creation Records in 1999. Sell decided to go to university. He was replaced by Neil Carter for the 1990 EP Slowdive. And then he was replaced by Simon Scott after his band The Charlottes split up. Slowdive toured with labelmate My Bloody Valentine, a band they were frequently compared to. Their debut album Just For A Day was released in 1991. It was released in the US by Capitol's SBK label and they did play in the US. When Creation rejected recordings for a second album, Halstead asked Brian Eno to produce them. He helped them in the studio and two songs came from it. Alison is from the 1993 album Souvlaki. It did OK but they were criticized for having an outdated sound. And they were having problems with SBK. Scott was replaced by ian McCutcheon for the 1995 album Pygmalion. Slowdive split up after Creation dropped them. Creation is now distributed by Sony who have released all three Slowdive albums in a box set. Halstead and Goswell formed a new band Mojave 3 and they signed with 4AD. Both also released solo albums on that label. Mojave 3 went on hiatus and Slowdive reformed in 2014. And after touring, they released an album in 2017. They are currently touring. Here's the video for Alison by Slowdive. There were two videos for this. This is the original British video that is posted on Slowdive's Vevo account.

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Bianca Belair vs Io Shirai vs Mia Yim vs Lacey Evans

Here's the match video of Bianca Belair vs Io Shirai vs Mia Yim vs Lacey Evans from this week's episode of NXT. The winner gets a shot at Shayna Baszler's NXT Women's Championship at January's NXT Takeover show in Phoenix. This match is pretty good. It's worth checking out. The stars of the match are Bianca and Io. Io does some of her trademark spots including her moonsault. One notable spot has Bianca on the floor. Mia hits a suicide dive. She actually lands a little short but Bianca does a good job of catching her. Then Lacey whips Io into the ropes. And instead of coming off the ropes, Io leaps through the ropes onto Bianca. That was spectacular because it was unexpected. The end comes after Io hits her moonsault on Lacey. Bianca breaks up the pin with her hair whip. After tossing Io and Mia out to the floor, Bianca finishes Lacey and gets the title shot. It should be a good match as Bianca is a beast along with great charisma. Enjoy the video!

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Dan + Shay

Artist:Dan + Shay
Song:Speechless
Album:Dan + Shay





Speechless was the first #1 country hit for Dan + Shay in 2018. Their music straddles the line between country and pop. Before they net in Nashville in 2012, neither Dan Smyers or Shay Mooney were in country music. Smyers was born Aug. 16, 1987 in Wexford, PA. He was in a couple of rock bands. Mooney was born Dec. 27, 1991 in Natural Dam, AR. He had a record deal with T-Pain's Nappy Boy Entertainment before moving to Nashville. After they met, Dan + Shay got a publishing deal with Warner/Chappell Music which led to a record deal with Warner Bros. Their 2013 debut single 19 You + Me reached #7 on the Country Singles chart. The 2014 album Where It All Began was certified Gold. They have continued to have success. Speechless is from the 2018 album Dan + Shay. It was their first #1 country hit. It also reached #33 on the Billboard Hot 100. Dan + Shay write and produce their own music. Smyers produces with veteran producer Scott Hendricks. Smyers and Mooney wrote Speechless with Jordan Reynolds and Laura Veltz who both wrote other songs on the album. The video for Speechless was shot at the weddings of both guys. Dan + Shay are currently on tour. Here's the video for Speechless by Dan + Shay.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Charlie Daniels

Artist:Charlie Daniels f/Aaron Tippin
Song:Christmas Time Down South
Album:A Christmas Collection





Country music and bluegrass fans will enjoy this collection of Charlie Daniels Christmas albums. When Daniels was popular in the 70s he recorded a mix of southern rock and country. Now he is strictly a country artist. Daniels has released four Christmas albums and this box set contains three of them. They are not available individually. Daniels recorded his first Christmas album Christmas Time Down South in 1990 for Epic. Unlike most Christmas albums, most of the songs including Christmas Time Down South are originals. Daniels wrote that song about his childhood. His second Christmas album A Merry Christmas To All was released in 2002 on Daniels' label Blue Hat. This album is mostly Christmas standards. The 2009 album Joy To The World is billed as Charlie Daniels & Friends as it has several guest performers. Christmas Time Down South features country music star Aaron Tippin. The mandolin solo is by veteran session musician Aubrey Haynie. Other guests include Terry Eldridge of The Grascals, Kathy Mattea, Jewel, Dan Tyminski of Union Station and Evelyn and Suzanne Cox of The Cox Family. The original release of this album came with a DVD but the album is out of print and the box set doesn't have the DVD. Daniels released a fourth Christmas CD in 2012 in a promotion with the restaurant chain Buffets Inc. It seems to be out of print too. Here's Charlie Daniels featuring Aaron Tippin performing Christmas Time Down South from the Joy To The World DVD.

Frank Pozen's Big Bad Podcast Dec. 25, 2018

UFC fight announcements.

Macy Chiasson vs Gina Mazany added to Mar. 2 UFC show

BREAKING: Another women's bantamweight fight has been added to UFC 235, an event that is expected to actually take place at T-Mobile Arena. @GinaDangerAK returns to actionhttps://t.co/QyEaAt9HTc

— Adam Hill (@AdamHillLVRJ) December 24, 2018

Adam Hill of Las Vegas Journal Review reported yesterday that Macy Chiasson vs Gina Mazany has been added to UFC 235 Mar. 2 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. This fight is at Bantamweight. Macy won TUF 28 which was for Featherweights. She is 27 years old from New Orleans. She is 3-0 and 1-0 in the UFC. All her fights have been at Featherweights and she fought most of her amateur fights at 155. So why is this at Bantamweight? I assume the UFC wants to keep her active while they figure out what to do with the Featherweight division. My guess is if Cris Cyborg leaves the UFC after her contract ends later this year, they will discontinue the Featherweight division. So they want to see if Macy can fight at Bantamweight. I liked her when I saw her in Invicta. So I was not surprised that Macy won TUF 28. I picked her to win. She's 5'9" which is tall for a Bantamweight. Gina is 30 years old. She trains at Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas. Her brother Dave Mazany is an EFC champ. Both are also pro wrestlers and they frequently work as a tag team. Gina's record is 5-2 and 1-2 in the UFC. After an unsuccessful tryout for TUF 18, Gina got into the UFC as a late replacement Feb. 2017. She is not a UFC caliber fighter. We don't know if Macy can make 135 or if she will be the same fighter at the lighter weight. I guess we will find out.

Accuradio Song Of The Day-Dexter Gordon

Artist:Dexter Gordon
Song:Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
Album:Gotham City





I am always asked about jazz Christmas albums. So I thought I would do this classic by jazz legend Dexter Gordon. The only problem is it was never released on one of his albums and there's an alternate take which only confuses matters. As many fans are aware, Gordon moved to Europe in the 60s. He returned to the US in 1976 and signed with Columbia Records. Of course Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas is a Christmas classic first performed by Judy Garland in the 1944 film Meet Me In St. Louis. Gordon recorded it in 1980 around the time he recorded the album Gotham City. But it wasn't recorded for that album. It looks like it was recorded for the 1981 various artists Christmas jazz album God Rest Ye Merry Jazzmen. The musicians are different too. Musicians on Gotham City are Woody Shaw on trumpet, Cedar Walton on piano, George Benson on guitar, Percy Heath on bass and Art Blakey on drums. The band on Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas appears to be Gotdon's touring band at the time of Kirk Lightsey on piano, David Eubanks on bass and Eddie Gladden on drums. This band also appears on the 1982 album American Classic released on Elektra Musician. Gordon recorded a shorter alternate take that appears on some various artists comp. When Sony re-released Gotham City in 2012, they added both versions of Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas as bonus tracks. The album is available as a digital download. It was soon after this that Gordon began to have health problems. And he also starred in the 1986 film Round Midnight which got him an Oscar nomination. He died on Apr. 25, 1990 at age 67. Here's a video of Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas by Dexter Gordon.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Company B

Artist:Company B
Song:Fascinated
Album:Club Classics





The girl group Company B topped the dance charts and crossed over to pop in 1987 with Fascinated. They were part of Miami's Freestyle scene. The group was led by producer Ish "Angel" Ledesma. The group members were interchangeable which was not unusual for a group like this. Ledesma was born Oct. 2, 1952 in Cuba but he grew up in Miami. In the early 70s he was a session musician at TK. He played guitar on Gwen McCrae's Rockin' Chair. In 1976 he formed Foxy who scored a top ten hit in 1978 with Get Off. After they split up in 1979, Ledesma released a solo album and continued playing sessions. Then he formed Oxo in 1983 and they had a top 30 hit with Whirly Girl. They only recorded one album. When Freestyle girl groups like Expose became popular, Ledesma started his own girl group Company B. The original members were Lori Ledesma, Charlotte McKinnon and Susan Gonzalez. They all wore platinum wigs. Fascinated was released on a small label. And it became so popular in Miami clubs that Atlantic Records picked it up for distribution. Fascinated topped the dance chart and it reached #21 on the Billboard Hot 100. A couple of their other songs from Company B's 1987 debut album were dance hits and you can get them on this comp. By the time Company B's 1989 album Gotta Dance was released, Lori was the only original member remaining. When the album didn't do well, Ledesma ended Company B and returned to session work. He still does that. Susan has reformed Company B a couple of times and they tour the Freestyle nostalgia circuit. Here's the video for Fascination by Company B.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Zedd

Artist:Zedd f/Alessia Cara
Song:Stay
Album:So Fresh: Hits Of Winter 2017





Anton "Zedd" Zaslavski is a producer who has scored three top ten pop hits using guest singers like the popular Canadian singer Alessia Cara. Stay was never released on an album so it's a little tricky to find on CD. He was born Sept. 2, 1989 in Saratov, Russia but he grew up in Kaiserslauten, Germany. Both of his parents are music teachers. Zaslavski is a classically trained musician. He was in the deathcore band Dioramic from 2002-2010. Then he heard the French electronic duo Justice and decided to get into remixes. His remix of Skillrex's Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites was his first chart success in Europe and that led to remixes for Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga and others. After releasing a couple of his own singles, Zaslavski signed with Interscope in 2012. He released his debut album Clarity. The single Clarity featuring Foxes reached #8 on the Billboard Hot 100. He produced Ariana Grande's 2014 top five hit Break Free. Zaslavski continued to produce for other artists. But he wouldn't return to the top ten himself until the 2017 single Stay which reached #7 on the Billboard Hot 100. It features Alessia Cara but it isn't on any of her albums. Though Stay was written for the 2017 film Everything, Everything, there was no soundtrack album. The only way to get Stay on CD is on various artists comps like this one from Sony Canada. Zaslavski should have a new album out soon. A single from that album The Middle featuring Maren Morris reached #5 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was nominated for three Grammys. Zaslavski is currently on tour. Here's the video for Stay by Zedd featuring Alessia Cara.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Carly Pearce

Artist:Carly Pearce
Song:Every Little Thing
Album:Every Little Thing





Carly Pearce topped the country charts with her first single from her 2017 debut album Every Little Thing. I guess it's all downhill from there. She was born Carly Slusser Apr. 24, 1990 in Taylor Mill, KY. As a preteen she toured with a bluegrass band that appeared on Mountain Top Bluegrass comp CDs. Then at age 16 Carly moved with her family to Pigeon Forge, TN so she could perform at Dollywood. After three years there, Carly moved to Nashville. She signed a development deal with Sony in 2012 but it didn't work out. After appearing on the Josh Abbott Band single Wasn't That Drunk, she toured with them and performed on Jimmy Kimmel Live. She was introduced to producer Mike Busbee who had worked with Lady Antebellum among others. He calls himself busbee. He produced the single Every Little Thing. After it got airplay on Sirius XM's The Highway, Carly signed with Big Machine. Every Little Thing topped the Country Singles chart in Feb. 2017 and then the album was released Oct. 2017. Carly wrote most of the songs with busbee and in this case with Emily Shackelton who has written songs for the TV series Nashville and Lauren Alaina among others. The dobro solo is by session musician Josh Matheny. Every Little Thing won a CMT Music Award for Breakthrough Video of the Year. Carly has been opening for Dan + Shay and Luke Bryan. She will headline her first tour in 2019. After that she will record new music and we'll see if she can last. She does write so she can fall back on that if things don't pan out. Here's the video for Every Little Thing by Carly Pearce.

Holly Holm vs Aspen Ladd added to Mar. 2 UFC show

Holm vs Ladd added to UFC 235 | UFC - Ready for WAR against one of the very best in the world #MMAGOLD https://t.co/pTEeGyqdtZ

— Aspen Ladd (@AspenLaddMMA) December 21, 2018

The UFC announced this afternoon that Holly Holm vs Aspen Ladd has been added to UFC 235 Mar. 2 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. This fight will be at Bantamweight. Holly's last two fights were at Featherweight. And as shallow as that division is I am surprised she is returning to Bantamweight. her win over Megan Anderson was very impressive and I don't think it would take much for her to get another title shot. And this is a very tough fight. Aspen is 23 years old. She trains at MMA Gold in El Dorado Hills, CA. Her record is 7-0 and 2-0 in the UFC. I have had my eye on her since she debuted in Invicta. I like that she finishes fights. She has finished six of her seven fights. And in her last fight, Aspen finished Tonya Evinger in the first round. That was by ground and pound but she has also won by submission. For a 23 year old, she is a very mature and poised fighter. Some might say that Holly's experience could give her an edge. But I think Aspen's quickness could tip the scales. We will know early on if Holly can't keep up with Aspen, this fight won't last very long. The winner of this fight should get a title shot.

Andrea Lee in for Lauren Murphy at Feb. 17 UFC show

Andrea Lee announced on Instagram yesterday that she will face Ashlee Evans-Smith at UFC on ESPN 1 Feb. 17 at the Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix. Lauren Murphy was announced for this last week but she has pulled out due to injury. This fight is at Flyweight. Andrea was supposed to fight on last week's UFC show but Jessica-Rose Clark got sick and the fight was cancelled. Andrea is 29 years old from Shreveport, LA. Her record is 9-2 and 1-0 in the UFC. She is a former LFA champ and an Invicta veteran. Of course she has been in the news recently after her husband and coach Donny Aaron was charged with domestic violence. I think he is still at large. I don't think Andrea has changed camps. They have other coaches there. And Andrea's best friend and teammate Atomweight fighter and RIZIN veteran Andy Nguyen lives with her. Andrea is popular because of her sex appeal and charisma. She's a midcard fighter because she hasn't beaten anyone good yet. And Ashlee probably isn't any better than her previous opponents. But at least the UFC was able to find her a fight quickly.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Cheri

Artist:Cheri
Song:Murphy's Law
Album:New York Dance Classics Vol. 1





The female duo Cheri topped the dance charts in 1982 with Murphy's Law. It was also a top 40 pop hit. The record is notable for the sped up backup vocals. This group begins with veteran R&B singer Geraldine Hunt. She was from Chicago and she began recording in 1962. She didn't have much success until she moved her family to Montreal in 1975. Her son Freddie James scored a disco hit in 1979 with (Everybody) Get Up And Boogie. Then Geraldine topped the dance charts with Can't Fight The Feeling in 1980 which Geraldine wrote and arranged. When Geraldine's daughter Rosalind wanted to get in on the act, mom suggested Rosalind form a duo with her friend Lise Cullerier. They were called Cheri. Geraldine wrote and produced Murphy's Law. It topped the dance chart and it reached #39 on the Billboard Hot 100. Amy Roslyn replaced Lise after the release of Murphy's Law. Cheri recorded three albums but they were unable to repeat the success of Murphy's Law. You can get it on this various artists CD. It also appears on the 2009 Chromeo mix tape DJ Kicks. Here's Cheri performing Murphy's Law on a Montreal TV show 1982.

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

Asuka, Io Shirai and Merry Christmas.

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Io Shirai and Dakota Kai vs Jessamyn Duke and Marina Shafir

Here's the match video of Io Shirai and Dakota Kai vs Jessamyn Duke and Marina Shafir from this week's episode of NXT. This is Jessamyn and Marina's NXT TV debut. Before this they were helping Shayna Baszler with some of her matches. This was my first time seeing them in the ring. Both are former MMA fighters and pals of Ronda Rousey. Nigel McGuiness said that they all became friends on TUF 18. While that is true of Shayna and Jessamyn, Ronda's friendship with Marina goes back to their amateur MMA days. Io is wearing new boots. For the first part of the match, Dakota is getting the crap beat out of her. When Io finally gets the tag, she cleans house using her signature moves and she pins Marina after the moonsault. So there isn't much to the match. I thought Jessamyn looked pretty good. She seems to be picking up pro wrestling well. She was a terrible MMA fighter. Marina wasn't in the ring for very long. She doesn't seem to be as advanced as Jessamyn. As an MMA fighter, Marina either knocked out her opponent or got knocked out. There was no middle ground. It remains to be seen if she develops an aptitude for pro wrestling. On next week's NXT, Io will be in a four way match with Bianca Belair, Mia Yim and Lacey Evans. The winner gets a shot at NXT Women's champ Shayna Baszler. Since this match was taped, Dakota Kai suffered a knee injury at a house show. She could be out for a while. Enjoy the video!

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Ace Frehley

Artist:Ace Frehley
Song:New York Groove
Album:The Very Best Of Kiss





Remember when the members of Kiss all released solo albums simultaneously in 1978? The most successful of these albums was by guitarist Paul "Ace" Frehley. New York Groove was a top twenty hit and the song became a regular part of Kiss concerts. Frehley had solo success after he left Kiss in 1982. He was born Apr. 27, 1951 in The Bronx, NY. His father was the church organist and his brother plays classical guitar. He was 13 when his father bought him a guitar for Christmas. Frehley is a self taught guitarist influenced by Jimi Hendrix, Albert Lee and others. The nickname Ace came from his ability to get dates with girls. He was also involved with street gangs but Frehley credits music for taking him away from that. Frehley played in several local bands. While one of those bands Molimo was recording for RCA, Frehley saw a Village Voice ad looking for a guitarist. That turned out to be Kiss. He auditioned and the rest is history. The four solo albums were part of Kiss's Casablanca Records contract. Frehley's was the most successful of the four. New York Groove reached #13 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1978. The song was written by Russ Ballard of Argent and first recorded by the British group Hello in 1975. The song was a big enough hit that Kiss added it to their set list on the next tour. Frehley's album was produced by Kiss's usual producer Eddie Kramer with major input from drummer Anton Fig and bassist Will Lee from the Saturday Night Live band. You can get New York Groove on this Kiss comp. Frehley left Kiss in 1982 and his band Frehley's Comet released their debut album in 1987. Anton Fig was the drummer. That band was successful but Frehley returned to Kiss in 1996. He appeared on the 1998 album Psycho Circus and he has toured with them. And he continues to record solo. His latest album Spaceman was released in October on eOne. Here's Ace Frehley with Kiss performing New York Groove on the Brooklyn Bridge Sept. 4, 1996.

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Asuka vs Naomi

Here's the match video of Asuka vs Naomi from last night's episode of Smackdown. The WWE announced that there would be a coronation for Asuka. But instead Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair came out to complain about Ronda Rousey costing both of them Sunday's match. Then Asuka came out and then Vince McMahon came out and told them to stop complaining and take things up with Ronda. They knew there were no rules and as of Monday's RAW, there are no immediate rematches. Vince asked Asuka if she wants to defend the title right now. Of course she agreed and Naomi came out. My only problem with this is there was no heat because Asuka and Naomi are friends. But the match was competitive and entertaining. Commentary tried to sell that Naomi could win. But I don't think anyone believed that. And Asuka should win. It elevated Naomi because she hasn't been in a competitive match for months. And Asuka made sure that Naomi looked like a legitimate threat with a couple of near falls. This is the kind of match that Asuka enjoys. She gets to put herself and her opponent over. Becky and Charlotte were ringside so I'm sure we haven't seen the last of them. We'll see if they take Vince's advice and go after Ronda. Enjoy the video!

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Pete Wingfield

Artist:Pete Wingfield
Song:Eighteen With A Bullet
Album:Hard To Find 45s on CD Vol. 18: 70s Essentials





British session musician Pete Wingfield scored an international hit in 1975 with Eighteen With A Bullet. You may have heard the song in the 1998 film Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. Not only was this Wingfield's only chart single but he only recorded one album. However he has had a long career as a session musician, songwriter and producer. He was born May 7, 1948 in Liphook, Hampshire, England. He took piano lessons as a child. As a teen, Wingfield was such a big fan of soul music, he started his own fanzine and then he wrote for the music paper Melody Maker. While attending Sussex University, he formed Pete's Disciples who then became Jellybread. They recorded a couple of unsuccessful albums for Mike Vernon's New Horizon label. Wingfield left the group in 1971 and then got into session work. He played piano on B.B. King in London and played on albums by Memphis Slim and Van Morrison. Wingfield was a member of The Keef Hartley Band and former Zombies lead singer Colin Blunstone's band. He then joined the blue eyed soul group The Olympic Runners led by Vernon. They had success on the R&B charts and in England. It was while he was with that band that Wingfield recorded Eighteen With A Bullet which makes me think that it was recorded for The Olympic Runners and maybe Vernon didn't like the song. So Wingfield recorded it for Island Records and it reached #15 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #7 on the British Singles chart. The song is obviously doo wop influenced and the nonsense lyrics use music industry terms. I can only assume the song was written as a gag. The sax solo is by Chris Mercer of the group Gonzalez. Eighteen With A Bullet got a big boost when Guy Ritchie used it in his 1998 film Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. I'm sure that made Wingfield a lot of money. The soundtrack for that film is available on CD. But I recommend this various artists CD from the oldies label Eric Records. Wingfield never recorded another album. But he has had a long career as a session musician and producer. One of Wingfield's more unusual projects was working with Mel Brooks on the music for his 1982 film To Be Or Not To Be. They wrote Hitler's Rap. When rap music pioneer Sylvia Robinson heard that, she brought Wingfield in to work with The Sugarhill Gang. Wingfield also produced albums by Dexys Midnight Runners, The Proclaimers and The Pasadenas. And he played piano on Paul McCartney's 1999 album Run Devil Run. It doesn't look like Wingfield is still active but there is certainly more to him than Eighteen With A Bullet. Here's a video for Eighteen With A Bullet by Pete Wingfield.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Dean Friedman

Artist:Dean Friedman
Song:Ariel
Album:Dean Friedman/"Well, Well" Said The Rocking Chair




Ariel was a top 30 hit in 1977. It was the only chart single for singer songwriter Dean Friedman. He went on to write jingles and music for films and TV. He was born May 23, 1955 in Paramus, NJ. As a teen he played the New Jersey wedding and bar mitzvah circuit with Marsha and the Self Portraits. He majored in music at City College of New York. One of his teachers was guitarist David Bromberg. Bromberg sent him to the New York City club The Bottom Line and owners Allen Pepper and Stanley Snadowsky agreed to manage him. This led to a record deal with Lifesong Records owned by the duo of Terry Cashman and Tommy West who recorded as Cashman and West. Friedman's 1977 debut album Dean Friedman was produced by Lifesong house producer Rob Stevens. They used session musicians like Jim Ryan on guitar, Tony Levin on bass and Rick Marotta in drums. The sax solo is by George Young who was in the Saturday Night Live band. Ariel reached #26 on the Billboard Hot 100. It is Friedman's tongue in cheek tribute to life in the suburbs of New Jersey. It could have been a bigger hit but some radio stations refused to play the song because Ariel was described as Jewish in the second verse. Friedman's second album "Well, Well" Said The Rocking Chair did well in England as the single Lucky Stars, a duet with Denise Marsa, reached #3 on the British chart. Ace Records has released both albums on one CD. Friedman continued to record occasionally on his own label. He wrote the music for the British TV series Boon and he wrote for Eerie, Indiana and Nick Arcade. One guy clearly influenced by Friedman is Barenaked Ladies lead singer Steven Page who ,appeared on one of Friedman's albums. He still performs and records on his own label. Here's Dean Friedman performing Ariel in Asbury Park, NJ July 23, 1977.

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

WWE TLC review.

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Asuka vs Charlotte Flair vs Becky Lynch

Here's the match video of Asuka vs Charlotte Flair vs Becky Lynch from last night's TLC show. This was the main event of the show. The main thing about a match like this is you want it to look as dangerous as possible but still safe. We don't need any injuries. Well, that's Asuka's specialty. Everything she does looks dangerous. That's the magic of pro wrestling especially with someone as accomplished as Asuka. The bottom line is this match delivered big time. They beat the crap out of each other but no one got hurt. Most of the spots in this match looked fairly standard for this kind of match. And of course there was the use of the kendo stick. They all got to use that. Among the more significant spots was Becky leaping off of a ladder onto Charlotte and Asuka to an announce table. She hit Charlotte but Asuka rolled out of the way. And in an ill advised spot, Charlotte placed Becky on a table, went to the top rope and did a plancha. Both went through the table. That's the only spot in the whole match that I didn't think was a good idea. I guess it could have been worse. She could have done a moonsault. The end comes when Asuka and Charlotte are on top of the ladder fighting each other. Becky puts a second ladder next to it. When Charlotte knocks Asuka off the ladder, she moves to the second ladder to fight Becky. They can't reach the belt from there so putting a second ladder there made no sense. But then Ronda Rousey came out to get the payback she teased in an interview before the match. She topples the second ladder and Charlotte and Becky go spilling to the floor. With the original ladder still in place, Asuka climbed up and grabbed the belt. Asuka is your new WWE Smackdown Women's Champion. This corrects Vince McMahon's stupid Wrestlemania mistake. Vince will be on RAW tonight to shake things up supposedly with a rumored draft of some sort. While waiting for that, check out the video.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Andy Irvine Paul Brady

Artist:Andy Irvine Paul Brady
Song:Mary and the Soldier
Album: Andy Irvine Paul Brady





These two Irish folk music legends recorded and toured together in the 70s. They only recorded one album together. But many experts hail it as an essential album. Paul Brady arranged and sang this particular song. So I will profile him and maybe do Andy Irvine at another time. Brady was born May 19, 1947 in Belfast, Northern Ireland and he was raised in the small town of Strabane in County Tyrone. His father was a music teacher. Brady played piano as a child and then learned guitar. His main influences were Chuck Berry, The Shadows and The Ventures. While attending Universty College Dublin, he played in several cover bands. Brady got interested in folk music and he joined the popular group The Johnstons in 1967. They moved to London in 1969 and then New York City in 1972. Despite some success, Brady returned to Ireland in 1974 to join Planxty. When they briefly  disbanded in 1975, Brady formed a duo with fellow Planxty member Andy Irvine and they recorded the 1976 album Andy Irvine Paul Brady. They don't actually sing together. They perform traditional songs. Some are sung and arranged by Irvine and some are sung and arranged by Brady. Mary and the Soldier is Brady's contemporary arrangement of the Scottish folk song The Gallant Soldier. Brady sings and plays guitar. Irvine plays mandolin and harmonica. Donal Lunny of Planxty plays guitar. He also produced the album. Kevin Burke of The Bothy Band plays fiddle. Though this album was highly acclaimed and is today considered to be an essential Irish folk music album, Brady and Irvine each went solo and they have been very successful as solo artists. They reunited and recorded a live album in 2014 celebrating Irvine's 70th birthday. And they toured in 2017 to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the release of Andy Irvine Paul Brady. BTW, Bob Dylan is a big Paul Brady fan. Here's Paul Brady with Andy Irvine and Donal Lunny performing Mary and the Soldier on Irish TV 1976.

Frank Pozen's Big Bad Podcast Dec. 16, 2018

Invicta FC 33 review and WWE TLC preview.

Jinh Yu Frey retains the Invicta Atomweight Championship

Invicta FC 33 was last night in Kansas City. The main event was a rematch from July. Jinh Yu Frey defended the Invicta Atomweight Championship against Minna Grusander. The rematch was because many fans and media thought Minna won and the judges went the other way. Invicta is no different than any other company. They won't acknowledge judge ineptitude but that's the only reason there was a rematch. I scored that first fight 49-46 for Minna. This fight was closer because Jinh performed better. I scored it 48-47 for Minna but I have no problem with Jinh winning by split decision. Minna needed to be dominant to win and she wasn't. In the co-main event Danielle Taylor beat Montserrat Ruiz by unanimous decision. As I suggested on my podcast, Invicta is looking to prop up Danielle for a Strawweight title shot because she was in the UFC. Montserrat is an unproven fighter who should not have been this high on the card. Danielle did the same keep away strategy that we saw in the UFC. But Montserrat couldn't keep up with her. It was predictable. They need to stop doing this kind of stuff. In a Strawweight bout, Kay Hansen beat Sharon Jacobson with a last minute armbar. Sharon was going to win by unanimous decision when she tossed Kay across the cage. Kay held on to her arm to get the submission. That was really odd. In an Atomweight bout, Alesha Zappitella beat Amber Brown by unanimous decision. Amber was the gatekeeper and Alesha passed the test. She could get the next Atomweight title shot. In a Flyweight bout, Brianna Van Buren beat Jamie Moyle by unanimous decision. This was supposed to be at Strawweight but Jamie missed weight by nine pounds. Then she looked terrible in the cage. In a Bantamweight bout, Brittney Victoria beat Sarah Kleczka by unanimous decision. In an Atomweight bout, Anastasia Nikolakakos dominated Ashley Medina and won by second round TKO. And in a Flyweight bout, Chantel Coates beat Ashlynn Kleinbeck by KO in 28 seconds. Apparently this was the quickest finish in Invicta history.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Liam O'Flynn

Artist:Liam O'Flynn
Song:The Winter's End
Album:The Celtic Heartbeat Collection





Liam O'Flynn was the foremost contemporary proponent of the uilleann pipe which is sort of an Irish variation of the bagpipe. He is best known as a member of the group Planxty but he also was a session musician and he recorded a few solo albums. He was born Apr. 15, 1945 in Kill, County Kildare, Ireland. His father was a teacher and fiddle player. His mother came from a musical family and played piano. O'Flynn was encouraged by a local musician to play the uilleann pipe and he trained with third generation piper Leo Rowsome. He was also influenced by pipers Willie Clancy and Seamus Ennis. After winning some music competitions, O'Flynn was a founding member of the popular group Planxty in 1972. When they split up in 1983, O'Flynn became a session musician recording with among others Kate Bush, Enya and Emmylou Harris. You may have heard him on Mark Knopfler's soundtrack for the film Cal. He also appeared on the soundtrack of A River Runs Through It. O'Flynn recorded a couple of solo albums in the 80s but he recorded more frequently in the 90s with producer Shaun Davey. Davey is best known for the score for the 1998 film Waking Ned Devine and the BBC TV series Ballykissangel. The Winter's End is from the 1993 album Out To An Other Side. That album is out of print. But The Winter's End appears on this Decca various artists CD that is a good introduction to Celtic music. O'Flynn's final album was in 1999. But he continued to play sessions, participate in Planxty reunions and tour and record with fellow Planxty member Andy Irvine. He died on Mar. 14, 2018 at age 72. Here's Liam O'Flynn performing The Winter's End with Shaun Davey on piano 2009.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Pond

Artist:Pond
Song:Giant Tortoise
Album:Hobo Rocket





Pond is a spinoff of the Aussie neo psychedelic band Tame Impala. Tame Impala leader Kevin Parker hires musicians for touring. Singer Nick Allbrook, guitarist Shiny Joe Ryan and drummer Jay Watson formed Pond as a loose collective in 2008 in Perth, Australia as something to do when they weren't touring. Their first couple of albums were home recordings with very limited distribution. They got more serious with the 2012 album Beard, Wives, Denim. They were now on Parker's Modular label and he was producing. Pond also played South By Southwest and other music festivals to critical acclaim. This convinced Allbrook to leave Tame Impala to concentrate on Pond. Ryan and Watson are members of both bands. Jamie Terry was the fourth member and drummer James Ireland was added in 2016. Giant Tortoise is from the 2013 album Hobo Rocket. Neo psychedelia fans should check it out. Pond now records for Universal in Australia and the British label Marathon Artists in the rest of the world. Parker still produces their albums. They released the album Sixteen Days last summer and toured to support it. Allbrook, Ryan and Watson have all recorded solo albums. Here's the video for Giant Tortoise by Pond.

Frank Pozen's Big bad Podcast Dec. 14, 2018

Asuka, Invicta FC33 preview and new fight announcement.

Livia Renata Souza vs Sarah Frota added to Feb. 2 UFC show

Combate in Brazil reported yesterday that Livia Renata Souza vs Sarah Frota has been added to UFC on ESPN+ 2 Feb. 2 at Centro de Formacao Olimpica do Nordeste in Fortaleza, Brazil. This fight will be at Strawweight. Livia is 27 years old from Sao Paulo, Brazil. Her record is 12-1. She is a former Invicta Strawweight champ. She finally made her UFC debut in September after recovering from a broken hand. She submitted Alex Chambers with a first round guillotine choke. Sarah is 31 years old from Santa Catarina, Brazil. She trains at Astra Fight Team. She is a teammate of UFC fighter Taila Santos. Her record is 9-0 on the Brazilian regional circuit. She was on the Brazilian edition of Dana White Contender Series. But her opponent was someone she has already beaten. This is a big step up in competition for her as Livia is a very skilled fighter who proved herself at Invicta. It's a tough fight for Sarah though a win would move her up the ladder. Livia fought a higher level of competition at Invicta so she's the favorite.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Jim Hall & Pat Metheny

Artist:Jim Hall & Pat Metheny
Song:All The Things You Are
Album:Jim Hall & Pat Metheny





Jim Hall was one of Pat Metheny's guitar idols and a major influence. After Metheny became famous, recording with Hall was a bucket list item. He finally got to do that in 1999 and they even did a TV show together. Of course Hall was so versatile he could record anything with anybody. And he recorded with many musicians over the years. Metheny first met Hall when Attila Zoller brought 15 year old Metheny to a club called The Guitar and Metheny played a set with Hall and bassist Ron Carter. But with everyone's busy schedule, Metheny didn't know if he would ever get to record with Hall. This 1999 album was recorded for Hall's label Telarc. Part of it was recorded in the studio and the rest was recorded live at the Manchester Craftsmen's Guild in Pittsburgh. There is no band. It's just the two of them though Metheny's bassist Steve Rodby and pianist Gil Goldstein produced the album. Apparently Metheny wanted only to record Brazilian standards from the 60s. Hall thought that would be boring. Most of the studio recordings are a series of improvisations and the live recordings are standards like the Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein classic All The Things You Are. This album is available as a budget CD. Hall and Metheny also appeared on the 2006 TV series Legends of Jazz hosted by Ramsey Lewis. The entire half hour episode can be viewed on Youtube. The CD and video should make jazz guitar fans very happy. Here's Jim Hall & Pat Metheny with Christian McBride on bass and Antonio Sanchez on drums performing All The Things You Are in the 2006 TV series Legends of Jazz.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Jo Dee Messina

Artist:Jo Dee Messina
Song:Lesson For Leavin'
Album:Greatest Hits





Jo Dee Messina had twelve top ten country hits in the late 90s. She faded by the mid-00s and she now records for her own label. She was born Aug. 25, 1970 in Framingham, MA. She sang in local clubs as a teen. After graduating from high school, she moved to Nashville. She entered talent contests while working day jobs. Producer Byron Gallimore heard Jo Dee on the radio show Live At Libby's. He was producing Tim McGraw for Curb Records. McGraw jokingly suggested to a Curb exec that they needed a redhead. That got Jo Dee a record deal. Her 1996 debut album spawned two top ten country hits; Heads Carolina, Tails California and You're Not In Kansas Anymore. Unfortunately, management problems almost forced Jo Dee into bankruptcy. Her 1998 album I'm Alright saved her career. She scored three straight #1 country hits; Bye, Bye, I'm Alright and Stand Beside Me. Lesson In Leavin' was #2 for seven weeks. The song was written by Randy Goodrum and Brent Maher and it topped the country charts for Dottie West in 1980. I'm Alright was certified 2XPlatinum. Jo Dee continued to have success with the 2000 album Burn. She scored four top ten hits including Bring On The Rain, a duet with Tim McGraw. She started to fade when the 2005 album Delicious Surprise only had one hit single. When her 2007 album Unmistakable was shelved, Jo Dee left Curb and she released that album herself as a series of EPs in 2010. You can get all of Jo Dee's Curb hits on this budget comp. Jo Dee released her 2014 album Me on her own label through eOne. She financed it through Kickstarter. She just released a single so she's still around. But Jo Dee Messina's success on the country charts are likely behind her. Here's Jo Dee Messina performing Lesson In Leavin' on the 1999 CMA Awards show.

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

Here's the match video of R-Truth and Carmella vs The Miz and Asuka. This was the second semi final of the Mixed Match Challenge. Like most of the MMC matches, this was bad but the ending was funny. The whole series has been unwatchable. But we could see last week that Asuka was getting pissed with The Miz. So during this match Carmella tried to superkick The Miz and he pulled Asuka in front and she took the kick. After she recovered, she started yelling at him. He tried to reason with her. But he should have known not to piss Asuka off. She kicked him in the head and walked away. So R-Truth and Carmella will face Jinder Mahal and Alicia Fox in the final at TLC this Sunday. The winners will be #30 in their respective Royal Rumbles. I'm just glad the MMC is over as it was really bad. Well, at least Asuka kicked the crap out of The Miz.

Frank Pozen's Big Bad Podcast Dec. 12, 2018

Asuka vs Charlotte and UFC fight announcements.

Liz Carmouche vs Lucie Pudilova added to Feb. 23 UFC show

Flyweight I am here 😈 Happy to say I will fight Liz Carmouche at #UFCPrague 🇨🇿 It’s a great honour for our country. I look forward to new challenges at 125 pic.twitter.com/vRsnCDbhCG

— Lucie Pudilová (@lucie_pudilova) December 12, 2018

Lucie Pudilova tweeted that she will face Liz Carmouche on UFC on ESPN+ 3 Feb. 23 at O2 Arena in Prague, Czech Republic. This fight will be at Flyweight. It's a big deal for Lucie as she is 24 years old from Pribram, Czech Republic. Her record is 8-3 and 2-2 in the UFC. This will be her first fight at Flyweight as her previous fights were at Bantamweight. Lucie came to the UFC as a late replacement on a 2017 European show. She lost her last fight to Irene Aldana because she didn't keep her hands up. That's a basic thing and it's not like Irene is a worldbeater. Liz is 34 years old. She trains at San Diego Combat Club. Her record is 12-6 and 4-4 in the UFC. She's 1-1 at Flyweight. She is most famous for appearing in the very first UFC women's bout vs Ronda Rousey. I have watched her since she was in Strikeforce and she was nothing special then. And injuries have slowed her down considerably. She seems to like to use lay and pray these days. That's how she beat former Invicta Flyweight champ Jennifer Maia in her last fight because Jennifer is useless on the ground. This was a case of Invicta building up an overrated fighter who looked awful in her UFC debut. So I expect Liz to go the lay and pray route again. That could be a tough slog.

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Asuka vs Charlotte Flair

Here's the match video of Asuka vs Charlotte Flair from last night's episode of Smackdown. They billed this as a Wrestlemania rematch. But it's really a preview of this Sunday's three way TLC match for the Smackdown Women's Championship. And the champ Becky Lynch was in attendance. The difference between this match and the Wrestlemania match is Charlotte is now supposed to be a heel. So she's overconfident and she thinks she can just run over Asuka. She can knock Asuka down but she can't keep her down. Of course Asuka is so good at selling offense and building the intensity of her comebacks. This leads to Charlotte getting frustrated and she makes mistakes. Asuka takes advantage of those mistakes. After Charlotte moonsaults into an Asuka Lock, they roll outside and Charlotte grabs a kendo stick from beneath the ring. She hits Asuka and gets DQd. Becky says something and tried to walk away. But Charlotte hits her with the kendo stick. Becky returns fire and while they are fighting, Asuka recovers and clobbers both of them with the kendo stick. That was quite the visual. The show ends with Asuka standing tall on the announce table. So I guess this means Becky is cleared for Sunday's match. It doesn't seem likely that Becky will retain the title. What is likely is she will win the Royal Rumble and then face Ronda Rousey at Wrestlemania. I expect Charlotte vs Asuka to continue their feud until Wrestlemania too. The TLC match should be interesting as it's the first ever women's TLC match. Who knows what crazy stuff Asuka will come up with. They don't do TLC matches in Japan. It should be fun. Enjoy the video!

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Supreme Beings of Leisure

Artist:Supreme Beings of Leisure
Song:Never The Same
Album:Supreme Beings of Leisure





Fans of trip hop groups like Portishead should check out Supreme Beings of Leisure. They had success with the 2000 single Never The Same when it appeared in a TV commercial. They are from Los Angeles. In 1996, keyboard player Ramin Sakurai, bassist Kiran Shahani and guitarist Rick Torres had the group Oversoul 7. They were mostly recording demos and doing remixes. They asked Geri Soriano-Lightwood if she was interested in singing with them. After a couple of songs appeared on Acid Jazz comp CDs, Oversoul 7 signed a development deal with A&M Records. Things didn't work out there so they signed with Palm Pictures. At the time this was a new company owned by Island Records founder Chris Blackwell. They were a film and record company. The group name was changed to Supreme Beings of Leisure. Their 2000 debut album did well when Never The Same was used in a Johnnie Walker commercial. Instead of touring, they did a virtual internet tour. The problem was they split up. Shahani and Torres attempted to reform Oversoul 7. Geri and Sakurai continued as Supreme Beings of Leisure and released the 2002 CD Divine Operating System. Then they left Palm Pictures. Eventually they returned with the 2008 album 11i on Rykodisc. They split up for good after that. Ramin records as Sonomad. Geri has recorded with the electronica group Delerium. Here's the video for Never The Same by Supreme Beings of Leisure.

Jessica Penne vs Jodie Esquibel added to Feb. 17 UFC show

Two women's matches have been added to UFC on ESPN 1 Feb. 17 at Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix. This will be the UFC's debut on ESPN as opposed to ESPN+. At Strawweight, Jessica Penne will face Jodie Esquibel. And at Flyweight, Lauren Murphy will face Ashlee Evans-Smith. All four fighters are at various stages of awful. Jessica is 35 years old. Her record is 12-5 and 1-3 in the UFC. And after her last fight she was suspended for two years for drugs. She trains at Alliance in San Diego and she also works in the office. I thought she would retire. In Invicta she fought at Atomweight. She's at a significant size disadvantage at Strawweight. Jodie is 32 years old. She trains at Jackson Wink in New Mexico. Her record is 6-4 and 0-2 in the UFC. I didn't like her when she was in Invicta. She was on TUF 23. The UFC brought her in as a late replacement last year. This is probably the last fight on her UFC contract. Lauren is 35 years old. She trains at MMA Lab in Phoenix. She is awful. She is a former Invicta Bantamweight champ. She won when her opponent blew out her knee. Did I tell you that Lauren's nickname is Lucky. That win got her into the UFC. She went 1-3 as a Bantamweight. Then she was on TUF 26 and again she got lucky when she beat Barb Honchak by split decision on the TUF 26 finale. She lost her last fight to Sijara Eubanks. She's not as good as she thinks she is. I find a lot of crappy fighters talk big and then look like crap in the cage. Ashlee is 31 years old. She trains with Carla Esparza at Team Oyama in California. Her record is 6-3 and 3-3 in the UFC. Her claim to fame was beating transgender fighter Fallon Fox in 2013. Her UFC run has been blah. She seems to alternate wins and losses. And even when she wins she doesn't look good. I favor her in this fight because she's not as bad as Lauren. But I wouldn't be surprised if they play patty cake for three rounds and it goes to a split decision.

Montana De La Rosa vs Nadia Kassem added to Feb. 9 UFC show

The Daily Telegraph in Australia reports that Montana De La Rosa vs Nadia Kassem has been added to UFC 234 Feb. 9 at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne, Australia. This fight is at Flyweight. Both fighters are former Strawweights. Montana is 23 years old from Arlington, TX. and she is 2-0 in the UFC. Her husband Mark is also a UFC fighter. Before she came to the UFC, she fought as a Strawweight as Montana Stewart. She was on TUF 26 which produced very little talent. Her wins were over Christina Marks and Rachael Ostovich. So she hasn't beaten anyone good yet. That won't happen here either. Nadia is 23 years old from Wentworthville, Australia which is a suburb of Sydney. Her record is 5-0 and she won her UFC debut over Alex Chambers. That fight was at Strawweight but Nadia missed weight. And she looked terrible. So the UFC is having her move up to Flyweight. Her boyfriend Ashkan Mokhtarian is also a UFC fighter and his brother trains them. The UFC needs Aussie fighters for Aussie shows. But the talent level is low. Montana should be favored as she has more experience. But both are low level fighters.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Chuck Berry

Artist:Chuck Berry
Song:Run Rudolph Run
Album:A Jumpin', Rockin', R&B Christmas




Of course Chuck Berry is an all time great. And he never recorded a Christmas album. But he did record a Christmas single in 1958. On one side was the Charles Brown classic Merry Christmas Baby and on the other side was Run Rudolph Run. Both songs charted but Run Rudolph Run is more popular today because it's an original song. Berry wrote the song but on the label it is credited to Marvin Brodie. As it was Brodie's only credit, it's probably a phony name. Of course the song is based on the Christmas classic Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer. And because Berry used the name Rudolph in the title, he was forced to give Johnny Marks a songwriting credit. Berry still gets credit through the phony name. Besides the melody is identical to Berry's hit Johnny B. Goode. Run Rudolph Run was never released on an album until 1973. You can get it on several Berry greatest hits comps like The Great 28. But I like this various artists CD from the French retail chain FNAC. It has 25 Christmas classics from the 50s including Jingle Bell Rock by Bobby Helms, Merry Christmas Baby by Charles Brown and Santa Baby by Eartha Kitt. It's a great Rock 'N' Roll Christmas album. Run Rudolph Run still gets radio play. There are plenty of covers including country versions by Luke Bryan and Justin Moore. Here's a video for Run Rudolph Run by Chuck Berry.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Bernward Koch

Artist:Bernward Koch
Song: Bahia Dawn
Album:Laguna de la Vera





German pianist Bernward Koch has had success in the New Age market. The 1993 album Lahina de la Vera established him and he has been churning out albums ever since. I suppose his music could be classified as Smooth Jazz but his label specializes in New Age. He was born Jan 23, 1957 in Siegen/Westfalen, Germany. His father played accordion. As a teen he played french horn and trumpet until his father bought him a piano. He studied music in Cologne and toured with his jazz rock band The Brothers. In 1989 he signed with Erdenklang owned by jazz pianist Ulrich Rutzel and released his 1989 debut album Flowing. Laguna de la Vera was released in 1992. Koch plays all the instruments except drums by his brother Christoph Koch and flute by Christiane Bohm. The album was picked up in the US by Higher Octave and it did well in the New Age chart. Koch has recorded for Real Music since 1999. They specialize in New Age. His latest CD released this year was Filled With Light. It's not my kind of music but some swear that it helps them relax. Here's a video for Bahia Dawn by Bernward Koch.

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

UFC 233 review.

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Jessica Eye vs Katlyn Chookagian

Here's the match video of Jessica Eye vs Katlyn Chookagian from last night's UFC show in Toronto. Katlyn uses this keep away strategy that results in awful fights. But it's a strategy that can win fights if the opponent lacks aggression. It's a double edged sword because the judges could call it the other way. And that's what happened here. Jessica wasn't any more effective than Katlyn. The way I look at it the fight was so bad I don't care who wins. The keep away strategy was bound to catch up to Katlyn. But Jessica didn't neutralize that strategy. That's why the fight was close. I scored it 29-28 dor Katlyn but the judges gave Jessica a split decision. It makes no difference to me. The fight was awful. The way fighters look at it is a win is a win. So now Jessica wants a Flyweight title shot. Why not? She's on a three fight winning streak over mediocre opponents. But the Flyweight division is so thin, she might get that title shot. But I think Valentina is better than Jessica at points fighting. Enjoy the video!

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Nina Ansaroff vs Claudia Gadelha

Here's the match video of Nina Ansaroff vs Claudia Gadelha from last night's UFC show in Toronto. As an elite fighter, Claudia should have won this fight. and she looked really good in round one. But her one major flaw is endurance. And she was out of gas by round two. She had nothing left for round three. And it's not like Nina dominated the fight. I don't think she can dominate anyone. But she landed enough to render Claudia ineffective. I scored round one 10-9 for Claudia and rounds two and three 10-9 for Nina. The judges also scored it 29-28 for Nina. So a big win for Nina but it doesn't get any easier. Enjoy the video!

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Valentina Shevchenko vs Joanna Jedrzeczyk

Here's the match video for Valentina Shevchenko vs Joanna Jedrzeczyk from last night's UFC show in Toronto. This is for the UFC Flyweight Championship. Both of these fighters are kickboxers. Valentina is a points fighter but she is really good at it. Joanna used to finish fights but in the last couple of years she has become a points fighter. The problem is she isn't very good at that. To win this fight Joanna needed to be more aggressive than she has been in recent fights. She didn't do that. I knew after round one that Valentina would win because Joanna didn't go after her right from the start. Valentina was effective enough to make Joanna think twice about being aggressive. That's what the takedowns were about. Valentina didn't do much after the takedowns but they made Joanna think twice about front kicks. So though the fight wasn't very good, Valentina's strategy worked. Joanna did better after Valentina tired in the later rounds. And I gave Joanna round five. But it was too late. She needed to be more aggressive much earlier in the fight. I scored it 49-46 for Valentina and so did the judges. Congratulations to Valentina. Jessica Eye wants the next title shot. The one person I will keep my eye on is former KSW champ Ariane Lipski who is fighting Joanne Calderwood in January. Joanna says she is only returning to Strawweight for a title shot. I don't think it matters which weight class she is in. Joanna is now officially just another points fighter. She may never get another title shot. Enjoy the video!

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Collage

Artist:Collage
Song:I'll Be Loving You
Album:The Best Of Collage: I'll Be Loving You





I'll Be Loving You was a hit in dance clubs in 1993. I guess this was in the dying days of Freestyle music. Producer and songwriter Adam Marano had success with T.P.E. and the single Then Came You. He recorded that for the Freestyle label Micmac and Marano sang on that project. So he left Micmac and started his own label Viper. He produced a whole bunch of artists who went nowhere until he recorded I'll Be Loving You. The singer was Anthony Monteleone. The song appeared on a various artists comp Viper's Freestyle Hit Parade Vol. 3 and it became a hit in dance clubs. It reached #56 on the Billboard Hot 100. Marano recorded a Collage album Chapter One. It looks like Monteleone was gone by the time Marano recorded the album. Monteleone has never appeared on anything else. Instead it featured Denine, a female singer who worked regularly with Marano. I'll Be Loving You revived Freestyle and Marano continued to work with all kinds of singers. Collage recorded four albums. But I'll Be Loving You was their biggest hit. This comp covers all their recordings. Here's the video for I'll Be Loving You by Collage.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Jackie Evancho

Artist:Jackie Evancho
Song:O Holy Night
EP/DVD:O Holy Night




Singer Jackie Evancho became popular as a ten year old on America's Got Talent. She probably had her greatest success with the 2010 Christmas EP/DVD O Holy Night. The big question about a child singer is can she be a successful adult singer. She was born Apr. 9, 2000 in Pittsburgh. She liked the film musical The Phantom of the Opera so much she sang along with the DVD. Then at eight years old she started entering talent competitions and she started a Youtube channel. Her big break came when producer David Foster spotted her in one of those talent competitions and she performed on one of his concerts. He produced the 2009 CD Prelude To A Dream which her parents released. The album was withdrawn after Jackie successfully auditioned for America's Got Talent. She was a big sensation on that show to the point that she had to prove she wasn't lip synching. Jackie finished second but she signed a record deal with Simon Cowell's SYCO label with Columbia distribution. Her major label debut was the Christmas EP O Holy Night. It came with a DVD of her America's Got Talent performances. The EP was produced by British producer Marius de Vries who has worked with Bjork and Madonna. The EP sold over a million copies and it's still available. Jackie re-recorded O Holy Night for the bonus CD of her 2014 CD Awakening and that version appears on the 2016 CD Someday At Christmas. So her original recording of O Holy Night only appears on the 2010 EP. I guess at some point Cowell sold her contract to Sony because she now records for Sony's Portrait label. They are promoting her as a classical crossover artist. So her latest CD Two Hearts has a CD of classical style music. And the second CD has five songs that Jackie co-wrote. So it looks like she is trying to broaden her musical base. I suppose she will try jazz next or maybe Broadway. Her album sales have steadily decreased since O Holy Night. It doesn't seem like she will be successful as an adult. She has to find out what works for her. Well, at least she was a child singing star. Here's Jackie Evancho performing O Holy Night on Today Dec. 2010.