AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Floaters

Artist:Floaters
Song:Float On
Album:Float On





Float On was a top five hit in 1977. It was the only chart single for the Floaters. So yes they are a one hit wonder. You may have heard of The Detroit Emeralds. They had a few minor hits in the early 70s. By 1974 they were falling apart and and there were even two groups performing in the Detroit area using The Detroit Emeralds name. That group's leader James Mitchell was trying to figure out his next move. They owned the Emerald Lounge nightclub. Sunday was new talent day. One group the Junior Floaters got Mitchell's attention. The group featured Mitchell's younger brother Paul Mitchell along with Larry Cunningham, Ralph Mitchell, Charles Clark and Jonathan Murray. Mitchell started working on songs for them. Float On came to him in a dream. And like many songwriters, Mitchell kept a tape recorder next to his bed in case a song idea popped into his head. He also noticed how women in the audience responded to the Floaters. So he had them introduce themselves with an astrological sign. You'll see that in the video. Mitchell released a Floaters single on Woody Wilson's Fee Records who then signed a distribution deal with ABC Records. Float On reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100. It topped the British charts and it was a big hit internationally. The album was certified Platinum. One of the reasons DJs liked the song is the album version was eleven minutes long and it could be used for a bathroom break. Subsequent singles did not do well and the Floaters were dropped after three albums. They split up after one more album. James Mitchell returned to The Detroit Emeralds and they still tour the oldies circuit. The Floaters also toured the oldies circuit in the 90s after getting the rights to the group name. That ended when Larry Cunningham died in 2011. Here's the Floaters performing Float On on Don Kirshner's Rock Concert 1977.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Switchfoot

Artist:Switchfoot
Song:Dare You To Move
Album:The Best Yet





Switchfoot is a popular Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) band who crossed over to pop when several songs including Dare You To Move appeared in the 2002 film A Walk To Remember which was very popular with teens. They were formed in San Diego in 1996 as Chin Up with lead singer, guitarist and songwriter Jon Foreman, his brother Tim Foreman on bass and Chad Butler on drums. They signed with Charlie Peacock's Re:Think Records and changed their name to Switchfoot which is a surfing term. Peacock was a CCM recording artist turned producer who soon sold his company to EMI's Sparrow label. Peacock's original plan was to sell Switchfoot as a mainstream band but Sparrow only wanted to sell them to the Christian market. The band wasn't happy about this. Switchfoot recorded three albums for Sparrow. Dare You To Move appeared on the 2000 album Learn To Breathe. Then that song and some others appeared in the 2002 film A Walk To Remember starring Mandy Moore. Switchfoot's Sparrow contract had expired and the film was getting them attention from mainstream labels. They signed with Columbia and released the 2003 album The Beautiful Letdown. Peacock was still producing and keyboard player Jerome Fontamillas joined the band. Meant To Live reached #18 on the Billboard Hot 100 and Dare You To Move reached #17. The Beautiful Letdown was certified 2XPlatinum. They haven't been as successful since then. But all a band needs is one big album to keep them going for years. Guitarist Drew Shirley joined Switchfoot for the 2005 album Nothing Is Sound. They left Columbia after the 2006 album Oh! Gravity. This comp covers Switchfoot's Columbia years. Since then Switchfoot has recorded for Atlantic, Vanguard and Concord's Fantasy label for the 2019 CD Native Tongue. They are currently touring to support the album. Switchfoot's mainstream success days are probably over. But they still have a considerable audience in the CCM market so that should keep them going for many years. Here's the video for Dare You To Move by Switchfoot.

Frank Pozen's Big Bad Podcast Apr. 28, 2019

Io Shirai and UFC on ESPN+ 8 review.

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Angela Hill vs Jodie Esquibel

Here's the match video of Angela Hill vs Jodie Esquibel from last night's UFC show in Sunrise, FL. Jessica Penne was supposed to face Jodie in February. But she missed weight and then sprained her ankle on fight day. The fight was rebooked then Angela Hill replaced Jessica last week. They are teammates at Alliance in San Diego. I don't know why Jessica pulled out but she was in Angela's corner. It's a tougher match for Jodie because Angela is quicker than Jessica. It was funny that Jon Anik mentioned that these two were supposed to fight in Invicta a few years ago and then Jodie got called to the UFC. Because Invicta is where this fight should be. Neither fighter belongs in the UFC. The way Dominick Cruz talks you'd think it was a great technical fight. But he's friends with Angela so pay no attention to him. The fight was three rounds of light sparring which is about what I expected. The big difference is Angela is quicker than Jodie. Jodie starts out the fight moving forward plodding. And as the match progresses and she tires, she just gets worse. She's been like this since Invicta. There's no improvement and now she has lost all three of her UFC fights. Julie Kedzie tweeted her disappointment afterwards because she knows Jodie will be released. I'm sure she will be welcomed back to Invicta. I'm sure Angela was very happy to get a win. But we have seen enough of her to know that she can't beat anyone good. I don't know what is left on her contract. But if it's over, the UFC should be reluctant to renew her because they know who she is. Why delay the inevitable? Enjoy the video!

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Carla Esparza vs Virna Jandiroba

Here's the match video of Carla Esparza vs Virna Jandiroba from last night's UFC show in Sunrise, FL. Virna was the Invicta Strawweight Champion. She stepped in on short notice when Livinha Souza pulled out. Carla is a former Invicta and UFC champ who has been on a skid lately. Her strength is wrestling. Virna's is BJJ. I expected most of the match to happen on the ground. But I did not expect Carla to go for a takedown that early in round one. I guess she wanted to get top position and win the fight that way. She was never really close to getting a submission because she was defending Virna's submission attempts from the bottom. But Carla adjusted well and she won round one 10-9. Virna did better in round two so I scored that round 10-9 for Virna. So the decision was going to depend on who was on top in round three and that was Carla. So I scored round three 10-9 for Carla and the fight 29-28. Two of the judges scored it the same and the third scored it 30-27 for Carla. The lesson Virna should learn is she can't live on the bottom hunting for submissions. Judges won't score that in her favor. Carla said she worked on her strength and conditioning at the UFC PI and that paid off with a win. Enjoy the video!

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Sonya Deville vs Io Shirai

Here's the match video of Sonya Deville vs Io Shirai from WWE Worlds Collide. This show was taped during Wrestlemania week for the WWE Network. The idea was to have matches with wrestlers from all the different brands that we wouldn't normally see. So you have Sonya from Smackdown vs Io from NXT. There is no storyline significance so it's meaningless content for the network. I have no problem with Sonya winning except most fans won't see it because they don't have the network and more fans than you think don't watch these kind of shows. Did you know the WWE still produces WWE Main Event? No one watches it or cares about it. It's the same with this show. If the WWE really wanted to get Sonya over, they need to stop having Corey Graves fawn over Mandy Rose and give Sonya some love. They have already teased the two will split and they will probably have to get Sonya away from Mandy to get her over. Because the fawning will continue. It's similar to when Sasha Banks was constantly losing to Charlotte Flair. They had to move Sasha for her own good. So this match should not have been booked in the first place. Save it for later when it means something. Of course Sonya gets way too much offense in mostly mauling Io in a body scissors. Like all the joshi wrestlers, Io is great at selling offense. Io turns things around when Sonya misses an enziguri. But she takes too long to get to the top rope for her moonsault. After missing, Sonya hits a spear and gets the win. You'll notice that Mia Yim is on commentary complaining about MMA fighters invading the NXT women's locker room. In case you didn't know, Mia shares a house with Shayna Baszler and Jessamyn Duke so obviously she doesn't really believe that. There is nothing wrong with the match except for pointless and thoughtless booking. Enjoy the video!

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Janet Kay

Artist:Janet Kay
Song:Silly Games
Album:Hold Me Close




Janet Kay scored a top five hit in England with Silly Games in 1979. She's still around but that is her one big hit. She was born Janet Kay Bogle Jan. 17, 1958 in Willesden, London, England. She was hanging around with the British reggae group Aswad and they recommended her to Jamaican music legend Alton Ellis. He had her record a cover of the Minnie Riperton hit Lovin' You. After a couple more singles, Janet recorded Silly Games written and produced by Dennis Bovell. Bovell was born in Barbados but he moved to England and formed the group Matumbi. He was a proponent of the Lovers Rock style of reggae that mixed disco with reggae. Silly Games reached #2 on the British Singles chart and Janet appeared on Top Of The Pops. It was Janet's only big hit and it's also Bovell's most successful production. You can get Silly Games on this 3CD Sony various artists budget comp. Janet continues to record occasionally mostly in Japan. She got into acting through the Black Theater Co-operative which led to Janet appearing in the mid-80 sitcom No Problem! on Channel 4. Apparently this was the first British sitcom created by and starring blacks. As I said, Janet records for Sony Music Japan and she tours there regularly. Here's Janet Kay performing Silly Games on Top Of The Pops 1979.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Alastair King

Artist:Alastair King and The Chamber Orchestra of London
Song:Journey To Hogwarts
Album:Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack



Though Alastair King started out as a composer, he is mainly the leader of The Chamber Orchestra of London which is a studio group that plays on a lot of film scores including the 2007 film Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. King was born in England in 1967. He studied at Bath College. He got into films as a music assistant on the 2001 film Shrek. Soon after he started arranging and conducting scores composed by Harry Gregson-Williams, Hans Zimmer and Nicholas Hooper. He leads The Chamber Orchestra of London. They are not to be confused with The London Chamber Orchestra which has been around for a century. The Chamber Orchestra of London is a for hire session orchestra working mostly at Abbey Road Studios. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is the fifth film in the Harry Potter series. John Williams scored the first three films and this was Hooper's first film. So what he does is base much of his music on Williams' original music which is normal for a series like this. On this score, King mostly conducts the orchestra though he worked on some of the orchestrations. King has also worked with pop artists like Jarvis Cocker and Ben Folds and he also works on a lot of commercials. His most recent credit was orchestration and conducting Rupert Gregson-Williams score for the 2018 film Aquaman. Here's Alastair King performing music from Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix in Vienna 2011.

Frank Pozen's Big Bad Podcast Apr. 26, 2019

Kairi Sane and UFC on ESPN+ 8 preview.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-The Revivalists

Artist:The Revivalists
Song:Wish I Knew You
Album:Men Amongst Mountains





The Revivalists are an alt rock band who have had their greatest success with the 2016 single Wish I Knew You mostly on Adult Alternative radio. They are from New Orleans. Lead singer David Shaw is from Hamilton, OH. He dabbled in music while earning a construction management degree at Ohio State. After winning a local talent contest, he decided to try music and he moved to New Orleans because he had a cheap place to live. Soon after arriving, he was playing his guitar on his front porch when guitarist Zack Feinberg rode by on his bike. They started jamming with drummer Andrew Campanelli and they formed The Revivalists at Sunday music workshops at the famed club Tipitina's. Other members are Ed Williams on pedal steel guitar, George Gekas on bass, Rob Ingraham on sax and Michael Girardot on trumpet and keyboards. After releasing an EP and the 2010 album Vital Signs independently, they signed with Wind Up Records which at the time was distributed by Universal. They re-released the 2012 album City Of Sound in 2014 followed by the 2015 album Men Amongst Mountains. By this time they were working with producer Ben Ellman of the band Galactica. The single Wish I Knew You was very successful on Adult Alternative radio and it topped that chart in 2016. Shaw writes most of the song lyrics with the band working out the music. Men Amongst Mountains is available as a budget CD. By this time Concord had bought Wind Up, closed it and moved The Revivalists to Loma Vista for the 2018 album All My Friends. They recorded it in Nashville with several producers. The single All My Friends had success similar to Wish I Knew You. The Revivalists are currently on tour. Here's the video for Wish I Knew You by The Revivalists.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Steve Martin

Artist:Steve Martin
Song:King Tut
Album:A Wild And Crazy Guy





Back in the 70s when Steve Martin was mainly known as a comedian, music was a big part of his show. In 1978 he scored a top twenty pop hit with the novelty single King Tut after he performed it on Saturday Night Live. Today Martin is a serious bluegrass musician. He doesn't do comedy anymore. He was born Aug. 14, 1945 in Waco, TX. and he grew up in Inglewood, CA. Martin started playing the banjo while he was in high school. He is very close friends with Nitty Gritty Dirt Band leader John McEuen whose brother William McEuen is Martin's manager. Martin got into comedy writing for the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour. Then he got into standup and started having success in the mid 70s. In those days the barometer for success for comics was an appearance on The Tonight Show. And Martin's 1975 appearance on The Tonight Show led to hosting Saturday Night Live (SNL). That show made him so popular that he guest hosted SNL fifteen times. And that led to a record deal with Warner Bros. through William McEuen's Aspen Recording Society. A lot of Martin's SNL shtick became very popular. King Tut reached #17 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1978. The album A Wild And Crazy Guy was certified 2XPlatinum. At the time there was a King Tut touring exhibit. Martin decided to parody that. And his SNL performance featuring a sax solo by SNL band member Lou Marini is what made it a hit. Not long after that Martin got into movies and he made his final comedy album in 1981. A Wild And Crazy Guy is available as a budget CD. Martin always played the banjo as part of his comedy act. But in recent years he's gotten seriously into bluegrass. He currently tours and records with his band Steep Canyon Rangers. He even recorded a bluegrass cover of King Tut on the 2011 album Rare Bird Alert. He's really good so I may look at his music later. Here's Steve Martin performing King Tut on Saturday Night Live 1978. This video is not on Youtube probably for copyright reasons.

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Kairi Sane vs Peyton Royce

Here's the match video of Kairi Sane vs Peyton Royce from last night's episode of Smackdown. Sometimes the WWE tries to cram so much stuff into two hours of Smackdown that we see some very short matches. The IIconics entrance which was mostly making excuses for last week's loss was longer than the match. Kairi got her stuff in including the Insane Elbow and it was over in less than two minutes. Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville came out afterwards and I expect that they will face Asuka and Kairi with the winner getting a title shot at Money In The Bank. Already I am seeing fan complaints about how The IIconics are booked as champs. The booking doesn't surprise me as they have been booked as a comedy heel team since their days in NXT. But on the main roster the shtick has taken over the gimmick. They could still do the shtick and be decent wrestlers but that's not what is wanted from them. During their entrance, The IIconics said that Peyton lost last week because she was dehydrated. Peyton said she drank a gallon of water so that won't happen again. After she lost, the WWE did a backstage video of Peyton rushing to the bathroom. That's Vince McMahon's form of humor. Fans want them to be more serious now that The IIconics are champs. But they are transitional champs anyway so I'm not sure it matters. Enjoy the video!

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Flo Rida

Artist:Flo Rida f/T-Pain
Song:Low
Album:Mail On Sunday





Low was the first of three number one hits for Tramar "Flo Rida" Dillard. Low topped the charts for ten weeks. It was one of the biggest hits of 2008. Dillard hasn't released a full album since 2012. It remains to be seen of he can return to prominence. He was born Sept. 17, 1979 in Carol City, FL. The Flo Rida nickname is obviously because he is a Florida native. Dillard was a member of the rap group GroundHoggz for several years. Fresh Kid Ice of 2 Live Crew took Dillard on the road as a hype man. This is where Dillard learned about the rap business. He joined the rap group Hot Boyz in 2000. After they split up in 2001, Dillard signed with Poe Boy Records with Atlantic distribution. Before his debut album, Dillard made guest appearances with Rick Ross, DJ Khaled and others. His debut album Mail On Sunday was released in 2008. Low was the first single and it topped the Billboard Hot 100 for ten weeks. The song appeared on the soundtrack of the film Step Up 2: The Streets. T-Pain appears on the record. It was written and produced by "DJ Montay" Humphrey who had previously worked with T-Pain. The album was certified Gold and it is Dillard's biggest selling album to date. His other two number one hits are Right Round in 2009 and Whistle in 2012. Dillard latest album Wild Ones was released in 2012. The EP My House was released in 2015 and there were a couple of hit singles on that. Since then Dillard has released a few singles. Supposedly he has been recording and a new album has been rumored for a 2019 release. But nothing has been confirmed. He is touring with TLC and Nelly beginning in June. I would think a new album will be released to promote on the tour. Time will tell. Here's the video for Low by Flo Rida featuring T-Pain.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Jedd Hughes

Artist:Jedd Hughes
Song:High Lonesome
Album:Transcontinental





Of course everyone knows that Keith Urban is one of today's most popular country singers. He's from Australia. Jedd Hughes is also from Australia. After chart success with his 2004 debut album Transcontinental, Hughes never recorded a second album. Fortunately he's a good enough songwriter and guitarist that he is now an in demand session musician. And Hughes seems to prefer collaborating with others. He was born Mar. 31, 1982 in Quorn, South Australia. His father played guitar and was a big country music fan. As a teen, Hughes played all over Australia. After graduating from high school, Hughes studied bluegrass at South Plains College in Texas. One of his teachers was Terry McBride of McBride and the Ride. McBride brought Hughes to Nashville and got him a job playing guitar for Patty Loveless. This led to a record deal with MCA Records and the 2004 album Transcontinental. McBride produced the album. The singles High Lonesome and Soldier for the Lonely charted but they didn't do well enough for Hughes to keep his record deal. So Rodney Crowell hired Hughes to play guitar in his band. He's been with Crowell ever since including when Crowell recorded and toured with Emmylou Harris. Hughes is also an in demand session guitarist and songwriter. He says he may record another album someday but he really enjoys collaborating and not being the front guy. Hughes has recorded with Eric Church, Dierks Bentley, Little Big Town, Gary Allan, Allison Moorer, Ryan Bingham, Chely Wright and Sarah Jarosz. He has written songs for some of those artists along with Tim McGraw, Keith Urban, Lady Antebellum, Charles Kelley and the TV series Nashville. And he has written and produced the Aussie country singer Morgan Evans. So I think things have turned out well for Hughes. Here's the video for High Lonesome by Jedd Hughes.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Allah-Las

Artist:Allah-Las
Song:Famous Phone Figure
Album:Calico Review





Allah-Las is a band firmly in the neo-psychedelia camp. They started out in Los Angeles in 2008. Lead guitarist Pedram Siadatian, bassist Spencer Dunham and drummer Matthew Correia worked at the Los Angeles record store Amoeba Records which is a good place to research music. When they were in England, a reporter from The Guardian took them cratedigging. They started jamming with rhythm guitarist Miles Michaud who was friends with Dunham and Correia. They take turns singing lead. Michaud told AXS the band name came from two California art movements. They released a 2011 single produced by Nick Waterhouse for his Pres label. This got them a deal with indie label Innovative Leisure. They released their self titled debut CD in 2012 and they toured to support it. Their music is clearly influenced by 60s garage bands and psychedelia. In 2014 they released their second album Worship The Sun. Famous Phone Figure is from the 2016 album Calico Review. For this album they moved to the Mexican Summer label. The reason for the move was Mexican Summer has worldwide distribution and they have had success with the band Best Coast. They also let Allah-Las self produce the album with Kyle Mullarky of The Shore. The violin on Famous Phone Figure is by Laena Geronimo of the band Raw Geronimo. Dunham sings lead. Of course they toured and then released the 2017 EP Covers #1. Allah-Las is currently on a US tour. Neo-psychedelia fans should check them out. Here's the video for Famous Phone Figure by Allah-Las.

Frank Pozen's Big Bad Podcast Apr. 19, 2019

UFC on ESPN+ 7 review, new fight announcement and Invicta Phoenix Rising analysis.

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Roxanne Modafferi vs Antonina Shevchenko

Here's the match video of Roxanne Modafferi vs Antonina Shevchenko from yesterday's UFC show in Russia. This is one of these fights where I'm going to have to explain some things because no one else will do it. Antonina was favored coming into this fight mainly because of her sister Valentina. But what I thought and this fight proved is that Antonina is a carbon copy or a pale imitation of her sister. That means she does the same things as Valentina but doesn't do them nearly as well. And what really failed her in this fight was her lack of any kind of takedown defense. Antonina wins this fight if she keeps it standing. Roxanne won this fight by split decision and fans are questioning that. So I'm going to explain the judges decision too. And I'm going to explain why I ignore useless stats like "significant strikes". For the first half of round one, Antonina was getting the best of Roxanne with strikes. Then Roxanne took her down and won the second half of the round. So it was a close round that could be scored either way. I scored it 10-9 for Roxanne. Two of the judges scored it 10-9 for Antonina and the third judge scored it 10-9 for Roxanne. This is the judge that scored the fight in Valentina's favor. Between rounds, Antonina's coach Pavel Fedetov told her she won the first half of the round and she needs to block takedowns. Roxanne's coach John Wood told her to keep taking Antonina down. Round two was very similar to round one. I scored it 10-9 for Roxanne. I thought it was more decisive than round one. The judges who scored round one for Antonina scored round two 10-9 for Roxanne while the third judge scored it 10-9 for Antonina. Based on the judges scorecards, the match is a draw going into round three. I have Roxanne winning. And I scored the third round 10-9 for Roxanne so I scored the fight 30-27 for Roxanne. Two of the judges scored round three 10-9 for Roxanne and the third judge scored it 10-9 for Antonina. So that's how you get a split decision. Two judges scored it 29-28 for Roxanne and the third scored it 29-28 for Anronina Look, it was a close fight and how anyone scores a fight is purely subjective. I thought Roxanne's takedowns and ground control were the determining factors. The judges can interpret the same thing differently. That's how judging in close fights has always been. Different strokes for different folks. Also during the fight, John Gooden made a big deal out of Antonina's "significant strikes" advantage. To his credit, Paul Felder shot that down. I ignore most of those phony baloney stats. Some unknown person decides what is significant? I'm not going to let that influence me. I don't need any help. And it would influence the judges but they don't see those stats. Any of those stats that you see during a fight broadcast should be taken with a grain of salt. Anyway, this was a big win for Roxy except I thought Antonina was overrated in the first place. Enjoy the video!

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Etienne Charles

Artist:Etienne Charles
Song:Kaiso
Album:Kaiso





If you like your jazz with a little Caribbean flavor, you may want to check out trumpeter Etienne Charles. He plays New York City jazz clubs and he has recorded as a leader since 2006. He also teaches at Michigan State University. He was born July 24, 1983 in Trinidad. Charles is a fourth generation musician. His grandfather Ralph Charles taught him to play the cuatro. And he was in his father Francis Charles' calypso band Phase II Pan Groove. Charles played trumpet as a teen. He was a classmate of pianist Marcus Roberts at Florida State and he also studied at Juilliard. Charles toured with Wynton Marsalis, Monty Alexander, Gerald Wilson's big band and others. He won the 2006 National Trumpet Competition and he also released his debut album Culture Shock. He joined the Michigan State faculty on 2011 and he also released Kaiso on his own label. As I said, if you like your jazz mixed with Caribbean music, Charles should be right up your alley. Musicians are Brian Hogans on alto sax, Jacques Schwartz-Bart on tenor sax, Sullivan Fortner on piano, Ben Williams on bass and Obed Calvaire on drums. Those musicians are on the video. Special guests include pianist Monty Alexander, percussionist Ralph MacDonald and calypso artist Lord Superior. Charles just released a new CD Carnival: The Sound of a People Vol. 1. So his Caribbean roots will continue to be a big part of his music. Here's Etienne Charles performing Kaiso at Dizzy's Club Coca Cola at Lincoln Center in New York City Aug. 1, 2011.

Invicta Phoenix Rising analysis

So the next Invicta show is a gimmick show. It will be May 3 in Kansas City and it will air on UFC Fight Pass. They are doing a one night Strawweight tournament to crown a new champ. I am writing about this now because I now have full details. One night tournaments were once popular in Japan. Invicta owner Shannon Knapp used to work for Strikeforce and Scott Coker is well known to like tournaments. Before he started Strikeforce he promoted the K-1 Las Vegas show. And at that time K-1 did a lot of tournaments. Coker also did a one night women's tournament in Strikeforce. He still does tournaments in Bellator but he now does them over several months. Even Japanese promoters don't do one night tournaments anymore. The memories of these tournaments are skewed because there is no regulation in Japan. Promoters could still do them if they wanted. Here in North America, athletic commissions would never allow the Japanese style of one night tournament. So a promoter has to compromise and get a little gimmicky. And Invicta has done both. There are eight fighters in the tournament. The opening round and semi finals will be one five minute round. That is a compromise that typifies why one night tournaments won't work in the US. Invicta has added a gimmick where whoever wins in the shortest time gets to choose her next opponent. If there are no finishes, the next round is chosen by lot. It remains to be seen if that creates the appropriate urgency. I have my doubts. No has ever tried this. Knapp is well aware that the majority of Strawweights are not finishers. This week Invicta announced the first round bouts. Kailin Curran will face Sunna Davidsdottir. Sunna is from Iceland and she has looked good in Invicta. Kailin was in the UFC but she is awful. Danielle Taylor will face Juliana Lima. They are both terrible ex-UFC fighters. Danielle uses the keep away strategy. Juliana uses lay and pray. The urgency gimmick is aimed squarely at them. Janaisa Morandin will face Brianna Van Buren. And MIZUKI will face Sharon Jacobson. The final will be three five minute rounds. The two best fighters are MIZUKI and Sunna. That doesn't mean they will make the final. The only real fight is the final and the rest are exhibitions. I don't think a champion should be determined by exhibitions. The added gimmick doesn't make the whole thing better. They have added two reserve bouts; Amber Brown vs Manjit Kolekar and Itzel Esquivel vs Alyssa Khan. These will be one five minute round exhibition bouts. There is also a non tournament Strawweight bout: Kay Hansen vs Magdalena Sormova. The whole thing is too much of a crapshoot for me.

Ariane Lipski vs Molly McCann added to June 22 UFC show

A meeting of two former European champions will go down at #UFCGreenville as former Cage Warriors champion Molly McCann and former KSW champion Ariane Lipski sign for a flyweight clash on Jun. 22. https://t.co/q5FuejV3k2

— Peter Carroll (@PetesyCarroll) April 20, 2019

Peter Carroll of MMA Fighting reported this morning that Ariane Lipski vs Molly McCann has been added to UFC on ESPN+ 12 June 22 at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, SC. This fight will be at Flyweight. Both fighters champs outside the UFC. Ariane is 25 years old from Curitiba, Brazil but she trains at Kings MMA in Huntington Beach, CA. Her record is 11-4. She's a former KSW champ. So I think fans were really looking forward to seeing her in the UFC. So I think there were plenty of disappointed fanboys when she lost her UFC debut to Joanne Calderwood in January. Ariane did not look good at all. Molly is 28 years old from Liverpool, England. Her record is 8-2. She lost her UFC debut to Gillian Robertson. But she won over Priscila Cachoeira in March. She's a former Cage Warriors champ. Both fighters are mainly strikers. It remains to be seen if either fighter amounts to anything. And I'm not sure that having them fight each other will tell us anything. It just shows that the competition level in the UFC is a big leap from anyplace. And maybe the UFC should have started them off with lower level opponents.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Buddy

Artist:Buddy f/Ty Dolla $ign
Song:Hey Up There
Album:Harlan & Alondra





Buddy is a rapper who has mostly appeared as a guest on other folks records. He released his debut album last year and had chart success with the single Hey Up There. He was born Simmie Sims III Sept. 10, 1993 in Compton, CA. Buddy is a childhood nickname. His father is a preacher so he grew up in church. Sims was 15 years old when Pharrell Williams heard him and signed him to his I Am Other label. After releasing a couple of singles and a 2014 mixtape, Sims started to do guest shots with Nipsey Hussle and Chance The Rapper among others. He released the single Shine in 2016 which was streamed 12 million times on iTunes. Then he released the 2017 EP Ocean & Montana produced by DJ Kaytranada. Finally he signed a deal for his own label with RCA. And he released the 2018 album Harlan & Alondra. Most of the album was produced by Mike & Keys who also produced Shine. They have also worked with Nipsey Hussle. Hey Up There featured rapper Ty Dolla Sign and it did well enough on the R&B charts that Sims seems to have a bright future. The single was produced by brothers Khalid and Rashad Muhammad, known as HazeBanga. The album is available as a digital download only. Sims toured with Joey Badass and A$AP Ferg. Now that he has his own label, I expect Sims to record sooner rather than later. Here's the video for Hey Up There by Buddy featuring Ty Dolla $ign.

Frank Pozen's Big Bad Podcast Apr. 19, 2019

Asuka and Kairi Sane, UFC 236 review and UFC on ESPN+ 7 review.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Rick James

Artist:Rick James
Song:Super Freak
Album:Anthology





It's likely that if Rick James had been able to stay out of trouble and off drugs he would have been a much bigger star. As it stands, hits like Super Freak saved Motown Records from bankruptcy in the 80s. He was born James Ambrose Johnson Jr. Feb. 1, 1948 in Buffalo. His mother was a dancer who worked as a numbers runner to earn a living. James got into drugs and criminal activity as a teen. He went to jail for burglary. He lied about his age to join the US Navy. He was trying to avoid being drafted for the Vietnam War. When that didn't work, he fled to Toronto and became friends with Neil Young. He changed his name to Ricky James Matthews to avoid US military authorities. He formed The Mynah Birds with Neil Young and Bruce Palmer. At one point the band went to Detroit to record for Motown. James met Stevie Wonder who suggested shortening his name to Ricky James. When Motown found out James was a fugitive, the contract was cancelled. James was jailed by the US Navy and he even escaped and went on the lam. After serving his time, James moved back to Toronto. After working as a producer for Motown, James moved to Los Angeles. He moved back to Buffalo and formed Stone City Band in 1976. The single Get Up And Dance got James a deal with Motown. The 1978 album Come Get It! featured the top 20 hit You & I. The album was certified Gold. In addition to his own albums, James had success as a producer especially with Teena Marie. She was very successful. Super Freak is from James' 1981 album Street Songs. It was a top 20 hit. But it's probably better known as the base for MC Hammer's 1991 hit You Can't Touch This. The lyrics for Super Freak were so raunchy, it probably could not have been a hit except Los Angeles DJ Alonzo Miller helped James tone it down. He got a songwriting credit for that. The sax solo is by Stone City Band member Daniel LeMelle. You can get Super Freak and James' other hits on this 2CD budget comp. If you want the longer 12" version of Super Freak, it is on the CD reissue of Street Songs. By the mid-80s, James faded though he produced the Eddie Murphy hit Party All The Time. He left Motown for Warner's Reprise label in 1986. James was dropped after two albums. That's when his cocaine addiction got him into trouble. That and a kidnapping charge landed James in jail for two years. James died on Aug. 6, 2004 at age 56. At the time he was writing his autobiography which his co-writer David Ritz published in 2014. Here's the video for Super Freak by Rick James.

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Shayna Baszler vs Kairi Sane

Here's the match video of Shayna Baszler vs Kairi Sane from this week's episode of NXT. This is Kairi's final NXT Women's Championship shot. Since we already know that Kairi appeared on this week's Smackdown, this is a blowoff match that will set up Shayna's next program with Io Shirai. As expected, the match is very competitive. All their matches have been the same. Shayna thinks she can bully cute little Kairi. But Kairi is much tougher than Shayna thinks. The end comes when Kairi misses a flying elbow outside the ring and seems to injure her elbow. The ref calls a trainer out to see if the match should be stopped. Shayna drags Kairi into the ring to torture her. Kairi sells this like she is being murdered. But Shayna can't finish her. Kairi keeps kicking out of pins. Finally Io Shirai comes to the ring to protect Kairi and Shayna wins by DQ. Then Jessamyn Duke and Marina Shafir pull Io out of the ring and force her to watch Shayna's torture of Kairi. They go off the air with a closeup of Io. So it's obvious where they are going with this. Afterwards the Full Sail crowd gave Kairi a standing ovation as a farewell to NXT. If you watched this week's Smackdown then you know that Kairi is fine. She just did a fantastic selling job. Now we get to see her each week on Smackdown teaming with Asuka and we all know what they can do. We just got a small taste this week. So I'm stoked. This match is worth watching so enjoy the video!

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Red Hot Chilli Pipers

Artist:Red Hot Chilli Pipers
Song:Smoke On The Water/Thunderstruck/Upside Down at Eden Court
Album:Bagrock To The Masses




I know what you're thinking. Is that a typo? Nope. The Red Hot Chilli Pipers play rock music with bagpipes and drums. They are very popular in Scotland. Look, I remember when Rufus Harley played jazz bagpipes in the 60s. So nothing surprises me. The Red Hot Chilli Pipers were formed in 2002 by students at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. The founding members were Stuart Cassells and Kevin Macdonald on bagpipes and Malcolm McEwan on drums. The rest of the group has fluid membership. After winning the 2007 BBC talent show When Will I Be Famous?, they signed with REL Records. Bagrock To The Masses was their debut in 2007. What they mostly do is play rock classics like Smoke On The Water with bagpipes. Obviously this band is an acquired taste. But as you can see in the video, they put on a good show. And they are trained musicians. They know what they are doing. They have toured throughout Europe and Asia. I think they toured America as part of a 2010 world tour. Cassells left in 2011. He was having trouble with what is commonly known as writer's cramp and he couldn't play the bagpipes anymore. He was replaced and the band continues. Their latest CD Octane was released in 2016. Here's the Red Hot Chilli Pipers performing Smoke On The Water and Thunderstruck 2009. Even if you aren't into the music you have to admire their musicianship.

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Kairi Sane, Asuka, Bayley and Ember Moon vs The IIconics, Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville

Here's the match video of Kairi Sane, Asuka, Bayley and Ember Moon vs The IIconics, Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville from last night's episode of Smackdown. Last week Paige announced that she has a tag team to challenge The IIconics for the WWE Women's Tag Team Championships. As I said on my podcast, I expected Kairi to get called up to the main roster. She and Asuka will make a fantastic team. And no they have never worked together before nor have they wrestled each other. They turn this into an eight woman tag team match. It was pretty clear that Bayley and Ember Moon didn't want to be in this match. They attempt unsuccessfully to upstage the new team. Asuka does a funny spot where she waves at Mandy before hitting the butt bump. After Bayley gets some heat, Asuka tags in and cleans house. Everyone gets to hit some moves. Asuka sets Peyton up for Kairi's Insane Elbow. Of course that's what the crowd wants to see. Kairi flies through the air and the match is over. These two will be a very exciting team. Kairi will make her final NXT appearance on tonight's show. I hope to have the match video for you tomorrow. And congratulations to Kairi Sane for arriving on Smackdown. Enjoy the video!

AccuRadio Song Of the Day-Sister Sledge

Artist:Sister Sledge
Song:We Are Family
Album:The Best Of Sister Sledge (1973-1985)





The 1979 single We Are Family was the biggest hit for Sister Sledge. They had one other top ten pop hit and then they faded. These real life sisters are from Philadelphia. Debbie, Joni, Kim and Kathy are the daughters of Broadway tap dancer Edwin Sledge and actress Florez Sledge. Their grandmother was opera singer Viola Williams and she taught them to sing in church. They started performing together as teens with mom as manager and tour bus driver. They signed with the local label Money Back. After the 1973 single Mama Never Told Me was a hit in England and the 1974 single Love Don't Go Through No Changes On Me was a hit in Japan, Sister Sledge signed with Atlantic's Atco label. After their first couple of albums were unsuccessful, Atlantic assigned them to producers Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards of Chic. They wrote and produced all the songs on the 1979 album We Are Family. The first single He's The Greatest Dancer reached #9 on the Billboard Hot 100. The single We Are Family was an even bigger hit. It reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song transcended the charts because 1979 World Series champs the Pittsburgh Pirates made it their theme song. Kathy Sledge was lead singer on We Are Family. The album was certified Platinum. Subsequent albums didn't do as well. For the 1981 album All American Girls, they switched to producer Narada Michael Walden. Their final album for Atlantic was in 1985. This comp covers the Atlantic years but it also contains a couple of pre-Atlantic singles. Since then Sister Sledge hasn't recorded much but they continue to tour even after Joni Sledge died in 2017. Here's the video for We Are Family by Sister Sledge.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-The Crusaders

Artist:The Crusaders
Song:Put It Where You Want It
Album:Gold





Of course The Crusaders are best known for the 1979 smash hit Street Life featuring singer Randy Crawford. But they were one of the more durable jazz groups because they changed with the times. They started out in the 50s in Houston. Pianist Joe Sample, tenor sax player Wilton Felder and drummer Stix Hooper went to high school together. They called themselves The Swingsters. They were joined by trombonist Wayne Henderson, flutist Hubert Laws and bassist Henry Wilson and became The Modern Jazz Sextet. Sample, Felder, Hooper and Henderson moved to Los Angeles in 1960. They became The Jazz Crusaders and signed with Pacific Jazz Records. They recorded several albums for Pacific Jazz in the 60s. Jimmy Bond and Buster Williams were among the bassists. They left Pacific Jazz in 1970 and signed with Chisa Records owned by Hugh Masekela and producer Stewart Levine with Motown distribution. After a couple of albums, Chisa closed and after one album on Mowest, they signed with ABC's Blue Thumb label. By this time Levine was working at Blue Thumb. With all the changes in jazz like jazz rock and fusion, Levine suggested the name change to The Crusaders. Put It Where You Want It is from the 1972 album Crusaders 1, their Blue Thumb debut. By this time guitarist Larry Carlton joined the band. Though bassist Robert "Pops" Popwell toured with The Crusaders and permanently joined them in 1974, in the studio Felder played bass and session musician Chuck Rainey was brought in. Wayne Henderson left to go solo in 1975. The Crusaders continued to record for MCA after they bought ABC. Hooper left in 1983. The Crusaders eventually split up in 1991 though Sample had been recording and touring solo for a while. This Hip-O 2CD comp covers the Blue Thumb years. The Crusaders reunited a few times. Sample and Henderson died in 2014. Felder died in 2015. Here's The Crusaders performing Put It Where You Want It at The Rumble In The Jungle in Zaire 1974 from the 1996 documentary When We Were Kings.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Raphael Saadiq

Artist:Raphael Saadiq f/Stevie Wonder and CJ Hilton
Song:Never Give You Up
Album:The Way I See It





Raphael Saadiq is probably best known as part of the very successful group Tony! Toni! Tone!. He has had solo success. But he seems more comfortable writing and producing for others. He has been very successful in that role. He was born Charles Wiggins May 14, 1966 in Oakland, CA the second youngest of 14 siblings. One of his brothers was murdered. Another died of heroin addiction. Another committed suicide due to heroin. And a sister died in a police chase. Saadiq played in gospel groups as a teen. He found out that Sheila E was auditioning backup musicians while touring with Prince. The next thing he knows he's touring the world as her bassist. Upon his return he started Tony! Toni! Tone! with his brother Dwayne Wiggins and cousin Timothy Christian. It was during this time he changed his name to Raphael Saadiq. He did not convert to Muslim. He just liked the sound of the name. Saadiq went solo in 1995 and scored a top 20 hit with Ask Of You from the Higher Learning soundtrack. After Tony! Toni! Tone! split up in 1997, Saadiq formed Lucy Pearl with Dawn Robinson of En Vogue and Ali Shaheed Muhammad of A Tribe Called Quest. They recorded one very successful album and then split up. After Saadiq produced D'Angelo's monster hit Untitled, he started his own record company. Since 2002, Saadiq has released four albums and he has a new album coming this year. Never Give You Up is from the 2008 album The Way I See It featuring vocals by CJ Hilton and a Stevie Wonder harmonica solo. Hilton released a couple of 2011 singles on RCA that went nowhere. The single charted but as I said, he seems to prefer staying in the background writing and producing for others. D'Angelo is his most successful production. Most recently he produced the Mary J. Blige song Mighty River for the 2017 film Mudbound and it was nominated for an Oscar. I expect him to tour when his new album is released. Here's a video for Never Give You Up by Raphael Saadiq featuring Stevie Wonder and CJ Hilton.

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Poliana Botelho vs Lauren Mueller

Here's the match video of Poliana Botelho vs Lauren Mueller from last night's UFC show in Atlanta. The weight cut to Strawweight was giving Poliana problems. So she decided to move up to Flyweight. She trains at Nova Uniao in Brazil with Andre Pederneiras. She is mainly a striker but Poliana said during the week that she has been training with UFC Bantamweight Ketlen Vieira to improve her ground game. That could pay dividends in the future. Lauren is also a striker. She trains at Alliance in San Diego with Eric Del Fierro. Both fighters are coming off of losses. Which one will bounce back? And Poliana could be a different fighter at Flyweight. A minute into round one, Poliana hit a body kick that hurt Lauren. She tried to hide it. But Poliana went after her and scored a takedown. She didn't do much with it but her top control was enough to win the round 10-9. Round two was similar though by the end of the round Poliana was getting tired and trying to kill time in the clinch. I also scored that round 10-9 for Poliana. So now Lauren needs a finish. Pederneiras told Poliana that she's winning and she just needs to kill time. She tries to do that with clinching on the fence and the ref keeps breaking it up. Lauren is scoring with strikes. She knocks Poliana down. And instead of letting her get up so she can hit her some more, she follows her to the mat and full guard. That was a huge mistake and Poliana was able to hold on to win the fight 29-28. All three judges scored it that way. I don't know if Lauren could have finished her. But her chances were better standing. She should be kicking herself for that mistake. I saw some improvement from Poliana especially in attempting takedowns. Now she needs to work on submissions. And she needs to work on her endurance too. It looks like Ketlen has helped her already. Enjoy the video!

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Django Reinhardt

Artist:Django Reinhardt f/Jerry Mengo
Song:Lily Belle May June
Album:Rhythm & Swing




Here's an interesting recording from the early days of Django Reinhardt's Quintette du Hot Club de France. Though Reinhardt frequently recorded with bands that featured singers, I don't think his own band featured singers very much. Lily Belle May June was one of four songs recorded on Mar. 4, 1935. Based on the discography I looked at, Reinhardt's quintet had recorded previously once. So they may be trying to figure out what they want to be. Of course Reinhardt is on guitar along with Stephane Grappelli on violin. Roger Chaput and Joseph Reinhardt are also on guitar with Louis Vola on bass. The singer is Jerry Mengo. This was the only time Mengo sang with Reinhardt. And he wasn't really a singer. He was born Giuseppe Mengozzi Apr. 17, 1911 in Nice, France but he grew up in England. His singing appearance with Reinhardt was while he was studying in Paris. For the most part he was a drummer and later a bandleader recording swing in the 40s and easy listening music in the 60s. He also composed film music and even appeared as an actor in a couple of Jean-Pierre Melville films. Mengo died in 1979. I guess appearing with Reinhardt is Mengo's claim to fame but Reinhardt wasn't famous when he sang with him. You can get Mengo's appearances on this 7CD Reinhardt box set. Here's a video of Lily Belle May June by Django Reinhardt featuring Jerry Mengo.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-PartyNextDoor

Artist:PartyNextDoor
Song:Not Nice
Album:3





If R&B singer PartyNextDoor reminds you of Drake, it's not a coincidence. Not only are they close friends and they frequently work together, PartyNextDoor records on Drake's OVO label. He has a new album coming out soon. Though PartyNextDoor has had some success, he may have to break away from Drake to have real success. He was born Jahron Braithwaite July 3, 1993 in Mississauga, ON which is west of Toronto. His parents are from the Caribbean. At 18 years old, he signed a publishing deal with Warner/Chappell and then he released his first mixtape in 2013. Then Braithwaite signed with OVO. The album 2 was released in 2014. The album 3 was released in 2016. His singles including Not Nice have done OK in the R&B charts. Braithwaite has a new CD Club Atlantis scheduled for a 2019 release. At the same time, Braithwaite continues to work with Drake. He appears on Drake albums and Drake appears on his albums. Drake and his gaggle of producers wrote and produced Not Nice with Braithwaite. Braithwaite writes all of his own songs. And he scored his first number one hit writing the 2016 Rihanna single Work. He toured with Jeremih and they released a song and they plan to work together in the future. Braithwaite obviously has talent. He brings a Caribbean vibe to his music. The question is is he satisfied with being Drake's sidekick or does he want to pave his own path. His songwriting ability will make him good money regardless. Here's the video for Not Nice by PartyNextDoor.

Frank Pozen's Big Bad Podcast Apr. 12, 2019

UFC 236 preview, new fight announcement and WWE news.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Sweet Comfort Band

Artist:Sweet Comfort Band
Song:Got To Believe
Album:The Light Years





Sweet Comfort Band were pioneers in what would be called Contemporary Christian Music (CCM). It was called Jesus Music when they started in the mid 70s. Their music is slick pop very similar to a band like Pablo Cruise except Sweet Comfort Band sings about Jesus. Bryan Duncan formed Sweet Comfort Band in 1973 with Kevin Thomson on bass and his brother Rick Thomson on drums. Guitarist Randy Thomas joined in 1976 after his band Psalm 150 split up. Duncan and Thomas shared lead vocals. After one album, Sweet Comfort Band signed with Light Records. They brought in Seawind drummer Bob Wilson to produce. And he brought with him Jerry Hey and The Seawind Horns. The 1978 album Breakin' The Ice was very successful in the Christian market. And Got To Believe was a popular song. At the time CCM was only sold in Christian bookstores. It wasn't until the 80s that record companies tried to sell CCM in secular record stores. Elektra Records picked up one of their albums to try to cross them over to pop. Sweet Comfort Band recorded five albums for Light. This comp covers those years and it is available as a digital download. John Andrew Schreiner was brought in to play keyboards so Duncan could concentrate on singing. Sweet Comfort Band split up in 1984. Bryan Duncan has had a significant solo career. He was one of the most popular CCM artists of the 90s. Randy Thomas formed Allies with Bob Carlisle. Their real success came with Carlisle's 1997 monster hit Butterfly Kisses. Thomas co-wrote that song and made a whole lot of money. Rick Thomson became a contractor and owns a recording studio. After Kevin Thomson died in 2010, the other three reformed Sweet Comfort Band and recorded and toured in 2013. But there's no question Sweet Comfort Band was a an integral part of the advancement of Contemporary Christian Music. Here's Sweet Comfort Band performing Got to Believe 1977.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-EL VY

Artist:EL VY
Song:Return To The Moon (Political Song for Didi Blume to Sing, With Crescendo)
Album:Return To The Moon




The 2015 album Return To The Moon was an alt rock success for EL VY. Though EL VY has been described as a supergroup, my observation is they are a one shot side project who will probably never record again. Matt Berninger is lead singer of The National. Brent Knopf recorded as Ramona Falls and he is currently a member of Menomena. These guys are so busy I wouldn't think they would have time to form a band and tour. Berninger and Knopf became friends when The National and Menomena appeared on a 2003 show in Portland. They wanted to record together for years. They finally got the time after The National went on a break after a 2014 tour. Berninger says the songs on Return To The Moon are more autobiographical than what he normally writes for The National. So many of the songs are about growing up in Cincinnati. The song Return To The Moon was inspired by the 80s band Minutemen and the 2005 Minutemen documentary We Jam Econo. And also Berninger's daughter was obsessed with the movie Grease at the time. The album was released on The National's label 4AD. It did well and the single Return To The Moon was a top ten Adult Alternative hit. EL VY toured and then both guys returned to their usual bands. They told Rolling Stone they would like EL VY to record again. But they don't know if that is possible. The album is worth checking out especially by fans of The National. Here's EL VY performing Return To The Moon (Political Song for Didi Blume to Sing, With Crescendo) on Conan Sept. 30, 2015.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Len

Artist:Len
Song:Steal My Sunshine
Album:You Can't Stop The Bum Rush





So I'm sure you all remember this song. It was a top ten hit in 1999. But I bet you don't know anything about Len. And yes it is a true one hit wonder. Len was formed in Toronto in 1991 by Marc Costanzo and his sister Sharon. It came out of Sharon singing on Marc's basement demos. The music is indie rock with hip hop elements. After releasing a couple of albums independently, Len signed with Work Group with Sony distribution. Jennifer Lopez was also on that label. Their big break came when Steal My Sunshine appeared in Doug Liman's 1999 film Go which was very popular with teens. Then MTV and MuchMusic played the Steal My Sunshine video to death. It reached #9 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #3 in Canada. Costanzo based Steal My Sunshine on the 1976 disco hit More, More, More by Andrea True Connection. The vocals by Marc and Sharon are supposed to be similar to Human League's Don't You Want Me and that group used models as singers. So the vocals are supposed to be amateurish. Among those who worked on this album were Brian "DJ Moves" Higgins, Richard "Buck 65" Terfry and Brendan Canning who would go on to form Broken Social Scene. They were called Cryptik Souls Crew. The album You Can't Stop The Bum Rush was certified Gold. It is available as a budget CD. For the 2002 album We Be Who We Be, Len signed with DreamWorks Records. But DreamWorks closed and the album wasn't released. Len released it themselves as The Diary of the Madmen in 2005. Costanzo now says he only signed with DreamWorks for the advance money. He never wanted to record an album for them. For a while Marc Costanzo was an A&R guy at EMI Canada. Len released an album on EMI in 2012. Costanzo says in interviews that he knew Steal My Sunshine would be a one hit wonder. Besides, he hated being famous. He also ran into tax problems because he never hired an accountant to run his business. The Financial Times chronicled his court case in 2017. It was not pleasant. He does remember the good times though. Here's the video for Steal My Sunshine by Len.

Karolina Kowalkiewicz vs Alexa Grasso added to June 8 UFC show

The UFC announced today that Karolina Kowalkiewicz vs Alexa Grasso has been added to UFC 238 June 8 at the United Center in Chicago. This fight will be at Strawweight. I would describe both fighters as overrated points fighters. The big difference is that Karolina has been around the UFC longer and she once beat the current champ Rose Namajunas and that got her a title shot. She is 33 years old from Lodz, Poland. Her record is 12-4 and 5-4 in the UFC. She just lost to Michelle Waterson on Mar. 30. So it's a very quick turnaround. Karolina is on a two fight losing streak. Alexa is 25 years old from Mexico. Her record is 10-2 and 3-2 in the UFC. The last time we saw her she was submitted in round one by Tatiana Suarez May 2018. Since then injuries have forced three scheduled fights to be cancelled. And she had injury problems back in her Invicta days. The interest in Alexa is because she is young, attractive and Mexico is an emerging UFC market. So she tends to get overrated because fans want her to be good. Neither fighter is a finisher. Both are strikers with no power or ground game. So I am expecting three rounds of light sparring with a possible split decision. And I will be very grumpy while I watch this fight. One possible explanation for Karolina taking a quick fight is she announced plans to start a family and she may be looking to retire.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Steve Lacy

Artist:Steve Lacy
Song:San Francisco Holiday
Album:Four Classic Albums





Steve Lacy is one of the all time greats of the soprano sax. His early albums from the late 50s are essential listening. He may have been the first post bop soprano sax player. Because he lived most of his life in Europe he isn't as well known in the US as he should be. He was born Steven Lackritz July 23, 1934 in New York City. Of course his hero growing up was the legendary Sidney Bechet. So it's not surprising that as a teen Lacy played Dixieland jazz with guys like Henry "Red" Allen, Pee Wee Russell and Buck Clayton. But then Lacy took a sharp turn to avant garde when he played on pianist Cecil Taylor's 1956 debut album Jazz Advance. And he also appeared with Taylor at the 1957 Newport Jazz Festival. Lacy also appeared on a couple of Gil Evans albums. Lacy signed with Prestige Records and his debut album as a leader Soprano Sax was released in 1957. San Francisco Holiday is from the 1961 album Evidence released on Prestige's New Jazz label. Lacy was a big Thelonious Monk fan and Evidence was one of several Lacy albums to feature mostly Monk compositions. The album features trumpeter Don Cherry who at the time was in Ornette Coleman's band. Carl Brown is on bass and Billy Higgins is on drums. The album is available on CD. But Avid has released Lacy's first four albums on 2CDs. So that's what I suggest. Lacy moved to Europe in 1965. He lived with his wife singer violinist Irene Aebi in Paris after moving there in 1970. And they toured and recorded with his band. Lacy returned to the US in 2002. He was diagnosed with cancer in 2003. He continued to perform and teach until he died on June 4, 2004 at age 69. Here's a video for San Francisco Holiday by Steve Lacy.

Andrea Lee vs Montana De La Rosa added to June 22 UFC show

BREAKING: Montana De La Rosa (@montanamarie211) vs. Andrea Lee (@AndreaKGBLee) in the works for UFC Greenville on 6/22 @FloCombat #UFC https://t.co/HmCyQQ4Py6

— Nolan King (@mma_kings) April 8, 2019

Nolan King of Flo Combat reported today that Andrea Lee vs Montana De La Rosa has been added to UFC on ESPN+ 11 June 22 at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, SC. This fight will be at Flyweight. Andrea is 30 years old from Shreveport, LA. Her record is 10-2 and 2-0 in the UFC. Her calling card is sex appeal and charisma. I have seen he a few times and I still don't know if she is a good fighter. In her last fight, her opponent Ashlee Evans-Smith did nothing for three rounds and Andrea won by unanimous decision. So I would like to see her face better competition. It's the same thing with Montana. She's 24 years old from Arlington, TX. Her husband is also a UFC fighter. Her record is 10-4 and 3-0 in the UFC. The good news is she finished all three fights. The bad news is none of her opponents should be in the UFC. So Andrea is a significant step up in competition level for Montana. Or is it? I guess we'll find out.

Frank Pozen's Big Bad Podcast Apr. 8, 2019

Wrestlemania weekend review.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Neko Case

Artist:Neko Case
Song:Brown Eyed Handsome Man
Album:Hard-Headed Woman: A Celebration of Wanda Jackson




I know there are plenty of Neko Case fans. I met her when I covered the 2004 world premiere of the women's wrestling documentary Lipstick & Dynamite. She composed the music for the film. Her aunt Ella Waldek was a 50s wrestler who was featured in the film. I met her too. Neko asked me where she could find video of Ella. I gave her a few leads. Sometimes I like to feature what I call orphan recordings. Neko's cover of the Chuck Berry classic Brown Eyed Handsome Man does not appear on any of her albums. It appears on the 2004 CD Hard-Headed Woman: A Celebration of Wanda Jackson. Of course Wanda is a rockabilly legend. And she just retired from performing. So she is certainly worthy of a tribute. This album was released by the alt country label Bloodshot Records. I'm pretty sure Jon Rauhouse produced the album. He's a Bloodshot house producer and he is playing pedal steel guitar on the video clip. Others who appear on this album include Carolyn Mark and the Roommates, Nora O'Connor, Asylum Street Spankers, Anna Fermin, Kelly Hogan, Robbie Fulks, The Sweet Hereafter, Cornell Hurd, Rosie Flores, Candye Kane, Trailer Bride, Jan Baxter-Miller, Wayne Hancock, Kristi Rose, Laura Cantrell, Kim Lenz, Sheri Hurst and The Bottle Rockets, The Ranch Girls, The Brisket Boys and Jesse Dayton. This album should be fun as Wanda is a beloved figure in rockabilly fandom. Here's Neko Case performing Brown Eyed Handsome Man on the TV show Chic-A-Go-Go 2004. Jon Rauhouse and Kelly Hogan are in the band. I dunno about the show. It looks like cable access to me. And I guess Neko etc. wore wigs as a gag.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-The Students

Artist:The Students
Song:I'm So Young
Album:WCBS FM101: History of Rock: The Doo-Wop Era Part 1




Though it was not a hit when first released in 1958, I'm So Young is considered today to be a doo wop classic. The Students were from Cincinnati. They all went to high school together. Leroy King was lead singer along with Dorsey Porter (first tenor), Roy Ford (second tenor), John Bolden (baritone), Richard Johnson (bass) and Ralph Byrd (guitar). They called themselves The D'Italians. Otis Williams of The Charms helped them get gigs. I'm So Young was written by another high school student William "Prez" Tyus. He gave the song to The D'Italians. And through local distributor Mel Herman they got a record deal with Chess' Checker label. He also suggested a name change to The Students. They went to record at Chess in Chicago with sax player Jimmy Coe. Among those who played on the session was legendary jazz guitarist Wes Montgomery. I'm So Young was a midwest regional hit. The Students toured. They even played The Apollo in New York for a week. The Students recorded another single. Then Byrd left and was replaced by jazz guitarist Wilbert Longmire. It all ended for The Students when Chess wanted them to record Cathy's Clown (later a hit for The Everly Brothers). The Students turned it down and Chess dropped them. The group split up. But when the 1961 reissue of I'm So Young was a national R&B hit, they reformed for a year. They reformed in the 70s to tour the nostalgia circuit. You can get I'm So Young on this various artists budget comp. I'm So Young was covered by several groups. But the most notable cover was on the 1965 album The Beach Boys Today!. Apparently Brian Wilson loves this song as it appears on a CD of songs that Wilson cites as influences. Here's a video for I'm So Young by The Students.

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Shayna Baszler vs Kairi Sane vs Io Shirai vs Bianca Belair

Here's the match video of Shayna Baszler vs Kairi Sane vs Io Shirai vs Bianca Belair from last bight's NXT Takeover show. It's a great match well worth watching. Things pick up very quickly when Kairi and Io start flying all over the place. The cameras had trouble keeping up with them. The pattern of these kind of matches is everyone gets to land their stuff. The turning point comes when Io lands two moonsaults on Shayna and Kairi breaks up the pin. Then Kairi lands her Insane Elbow and Io breaks up the pin. That's when they started fighting each other. Of course fans wondered if they would do that. Of course they would. And that led to Bianca landing her KOD finisher on both Io and Kairi. They rolled out of the ring and Shayna beat Bianca with the Kirifuda Clutch. Earlier when she tried that Bianca got out of it. I didn't like the finish. I thought it took too long and either Kairi or Io should have been able to break it up. For that reason, I don't like a submission finish in that kind of match. I don't know why they kept the belt on Shayna unless she doesn't want to move up to the main roster. It's a fun match. Be sure to check it out. Enjoy the video!

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-4Him

Artist:4Him
Song:Wings
Album:The Ride





4Him was a very successful Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) group in the 90s. They won the Dove Award for Group of the Year from 1993-95. 4Him are from Mobile, AL. Andy Chrisman, Mark Harris Marty Magehee and Kirk Sullivan met when they sang together in the CCM group Truth. Truth had been around since the 60s and they had a rotating roster of singers. Benson Records reps saw these guys perform as Truth and they wanted them to be in a new group. They left Truth and released the 1990 debut album 4Him. Where Is The Faith was their first big hit. It topped the CCM chart for eight weeks. 4Him's music slickly produced pop music except that it is aimed at the Christian market. Sometimes CCM crosses over to pop. Capitol Records unsuccessfully tried to cross 4Him to pop. Their main producer was veteran CCM producer Don Koch. Harris wrote a lot of the songs with Koch. Koch was just starting out at the time. Wings is from the 1994 album The Ride. Again they are working with Koch. Harris and Koch wrote Wings. Koch brings in outside producers too. Wings was produced by Peter Wolf. No it's not the J. Geils Band singer. Wolf is from Vienna. He started out playing piano for Frank Zappa. They use studio musicians. Jerry Hey of Seawind arranged the horns. The guitar solo is by one time Earth, Wind & Fire member Sheldon Reynolds. Veteran producer and CCM artist Michael Omartian also produced some tracks. This album is available as a budget CD. Omartian would later become 4Him's main producer. And the guys had more input with him. 4Him left Benson for Word in 2001. And after two albums they decided to disband. All four have recorded solo but Harris has been the most successful. 4Him have reunited occasionally including a 2013 tour with Avalon and a 25th anniversary tour in 2015. It wouldn't surprise me if they continued to reunite occasionally. Here's the video for Wings by 4Him.