AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Sir Sly

Artist:Sir Sly

Song:&Run

Album:Don't You Worry, Honey

Sir Sly has had modest success as an indie band. But they haven't crossed over to pop yet. They currently record for Interscope. It makes me wonder how much patience Interscope will have with them. Sir Sly are from Orange County, CA. When they first emerged in 2013 with a couple of singles on the indie label Neon Gold, there was some mystery about who they were. It was thought that they might be a spinoff of an established band. But when they signed with Interscope in 2014, Sir Sly revealed that Landon Jacobs is the lead singer and the other members are Jason Suwito and Hayden Coplen. &Run is from the 2017 album Don't You Worry, Honey. Sir Sly writes and produces all the music. &Run reached #3 on the Alternative Rock chart. The album is available as a digital download. Interscope has tried to promote Sir Sly by placing songs in TV shows, movies and video games. &Run appeared on the soundtrack of the video game FIFA 18. It's common record company promotion strategy these days but in this case it hasn't led to chart success yet. When I listen to Sir Sly, I think they might be better off on a smaller label like Yep Roc. But when they released the single Material Boy in Oct. 2020, they announced plans for a new album in 2021. We'll see how that goes. Here's the video for &Run by Sir Sly. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Cherryholmes

Artist:Cherryholmes

Song:Don't Give Your Heart to a Knoxville Girl

Album:Black and White

The family bluegrass band Cherryholmes had some success for a few years. They were nominated for five Grammys. And then parents Jere and Sandy Lee Cherryholmes disbanded the group so the four kids could do other things. They are originally from Arizona but they moved to Los Angeles. After their 20 year old daughter Shelly died in 1999, the family attended a bluegrass festival and the children decided they wanted to learn music. Both Jere and Sandy were amateur musicians. The four kids are Cia, B.J., Molly and Skip. They started performing as The Cherryholmes Family Band which was shortened to Cherryholmes. After self releasing three albums, they got the attention of bluegrass legend Ricky Skaggs and he signed them to his Skaggs Family label. The 2005 album Cherryholmes reached #3 on the Billboard Bluegrass album chart. Don't Give Your Heart to a Knoxville Girl is from the 2007 album Black and White. Cia wrote the song and B.J. sang lead with Cia on harmony. She wrote most of the songs on the album. Jere plays bass, Sandy plays mandolin, Cia plays banjo, Skip plays guitar and B.J. and Molly play fiddle. They were nominated for Grammy and Dove awards. After two more albums, Cherryholmes disbanded in 2011 so the kids could do what they wanted and not be tied to the group. They reunited once in 2014. B.J. Cherryholmes is a member of the CCM group Passion. Cia moved to Colorado and released a 2013 album with Stefon Adkisson as Songs of the Fall. Molly is a member of Mountain Heart. Skip is a member of the group Sideline. Bluegrass fans should check out Cherryholmes. Here's Cherryholmes performing Don't Give Your Heart to a Knoxville Girl at the RFD-TV show Reno's Old Time Music Festival 2008. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Bajofondo Tango Club

Artist:Bajofondo Tango Club

Song:Mi Corazon

Album:Bajofondo Tango Club

Bajofondo Tango Club started out as a studio project. But when they started to have success internationally, Argentinian producer Gustavo Santaolalla decided to turn it into a band and shorten the name to Bajofondo. It is a mix of tango and electronica. Santaolalla's big influence was the popular trip hop group Portishead. He was working on other projects with Uruguayan producer Juan "Campo" Campodonico when they they started on what became Bajofondo Tango Club. Bajofondo is the river that separates Argentina and Uruguay. Mi Corazon was written and produced by Campodonico. He records as Campo but this is not on any of his albums. The song samples the 1956 song La ultima Curda by tango artist Anibal Troilo. Campodonico wrote half of the songs and Santaolalla wrote the other half. And there were also a couple of guest artists. The album was released on Santaolalla's label Surco with Universal distribution in 2003. When the album was positively received, they produced a remix album and then turned Bajofondo into a band so they could tour. The band is Santaolalla, Campodonico, Luciano Superveille on piano, Javier Casalla on violin, Martin Ferres on bandonleon, Gabriel Casacuberta on bass and Adrian Nicolas Sosa on drums. They released a DVD in 2006 which is where this performance video is from. You will see a woman behind a keyboard. Veronica Losa is producing the visual on the screen. Bajofondo continues to tour occasionally as Santaolalla and Campodonico work individually on other projects. Santaollalla moved his label to Sony and the latest Bajofondo album was released in 2019. Here's Bajofondo performing Mi Corazon 2006. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-George Freeman Chico Freeman

Artist:George Freeman Chico Freeman

Song:Latina Bonita

Album:All in the Family

Like the Marsalis family in New Orleans, jazz is the family business for Chicago's Freeman family. Sax player Chico Freeman is the son of sax player Von Freeman. On this 2015 album he recorded for the very first time with his guitarist uncle George Freeman. He is the youngest of the three Freeman brothers. Though he has recorded occasionally as a leader, George is mainly sideman for Gene Ammons, Richard "Groove" Holmes and Jimmy McGriff. Chico was born July 17, 1949 in Chicago. He has been recording as a leader since the 70s. In the early 80s, he led a band with his father Von Freeman and they toured together. He was a member of the 80s jazz supergroup The Leaders with Don Cherry and Arthur Blythe. And he has worked as a sideman for Jack DeJohnette and Cecil McBee among others. The 2015 album All in the Family was recorded for Southport Records. Along with Chico and George Freeman, musicians are Kirk Brown on piano, Harrison Bankhead on bass and Hamid Drake on drums. Chico had never recorded with his uncle before and they toured briefly to promote the album. Both are still active in the Chicago jazz scene. Here's Chico Freeman with Luke Carlos O'Reilly on piano, Kenny Davis on bass and Michael Baker on drums performing Latina Bonita for Seattle radio station KNKX.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Jim Hall

Artist:Jim Hall f/Mike Stern

Song:Stern Stuff

Album:Dialogues

As one of the most accomplished and versatile jazz guitarists, everyone in jazz wanted to record with Jim Hall. Pat Metheny recorded several albums with Hall and they did a tour. Mike Stern idolized Hall so he wanted to work with him too. He finally got to do that on the 1995 album Dialogues. When Hall signed with Telarc in 1993, they allowed him to do what he wanted. He wrote and produced Dialogues with his wife Jane Hall. His band was Scott Colley on bass and Andy Watson on drums. The album concept was to bring in special guests and for Hall to write songs for them. So Stern Stuff was a new song written for Stern. Stern appeared on one other song. Other guests were Gil Goldstein on accordion, Tom Harrell on flugelhorn, Bill Frisell on guitar and Joe Lovano on tenor sax. Dialogues is available on CD. When Telarc closed, Concord acquired the recordings. So in 2006, Concord released the 2CD comp Hallmarks which mostly covers his Telarc recordings. Hall only recorded a couple of albums for Concord in the 80s. I recommend the original album. Hall recorded for so many different labels that there is no career spanning comp. I thought this was interesting because it was Stern's only time recording with Hall so it was a big deal for him. Here's a video for Stern Stuff by Jim Hall featuring Mike Stern.

Frank Pozen's Big Bad Podcast

Asuka and UFC review. 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Asuka vs Alexa Bliss

Here's the match video of Asuka vs Alexa Bliss from last night's episode of RAW. This is for the RAW Women's Championship. Except for a couple of wrinkles, this is the same as last week's match. I still didn't like the commentary. The first wrinkle is when they have Alexa briefly transform into her old character complete with terrified expression. This stops Asuka in her tracks as maybe this is the real Alexa and she needs help. It turns out to be a ruse designed to trick Asuka because then Alexa becomes The Fiend. Obviously when Asuka is winning, that's when The Fiend comes out. The Fiend gets the mandible claw on Asuka when Randy Orton shows up and takes Alexa out with the RKO. And that's when they go off the air. Though they tried to make Orton's appearance seem like a surprise, it was predictable. So that was it. There was no match decision. I don't know if this angle will continue or Orton takes it over. If it does continue, I would like to see Asuka counter The Fiend with her own evil persona. But I don't think it will continue. Asuka and Charlotte Flair will defend the WWE Women's Tag Team Championships on this Sunday's Royal Rumble. Enjoy the video! 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Joe Magnarelli

Artist:Joe Magnarelli

Song:NYC-J-Funk

Album:Three on Two

Trumpeter Joe Magnarelli was a busy sideman in the New York City jazz scene. It looks like he lives in Europe now. Since 1995, he has recorded as a leader for Criss Cross, Posi-Tone and Steeplechase. He was born Jan. 19, 1960 in Syracuse, NY. After earning a bachelor's degree at SUNY-Fredonia, Magnarelli moved to New York City in 1986. He was in Lionel Hampton's big band from 1987-89 and then in organist Brother Jack McDuff's band from 1989-94. He was also in The N;Y. Hardbop Quintet with sax player Jerry Weldon and pianist Keith Saunders. They released four albums from 1995-2001. He was also in the Toshiko Akiyoshi Jazz Orchestra. More recently he was in Harry Connick Jr.s band and The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra. Magnarelli first recorded as a leader in 1995 for Criss Cross after appearing on a Grant Stewart album for the label. After five albums for Criss Cross, he moved to Posi-Tone. NYC-J-Funk is from the 2016 album Three on Two. Musicians are Steve Davis on trombone, Mike DiRubbo on alto sax, Brian Charette on organ and Rudy Royston on drums. Magnarelli has since moved to the Danish label Steeplechase. His latest album Magic Trick was released in 2018. It looks like Magnarelli has moved to Europe. He is currently a member of alto sax player Dmitri Baevsky's band The New York-Paris Reunion Quintet. Their recent album was recorded live in Switzerland. Here's Joe Magnarelli with Dino Plasmati on guitar, Bruno Montrone on organ and Marcello Nisi on drums performing NYC-J-Funk in Italy July 3, 2019.

AccuRadio Song Of the Day-Trampled by Turtles

Artist:Trampled by Turtles

Song:Walt Whitman

Album:Stars and Satellites

Trampled by Turtles are a modern bluegrass group who have been very successful in recent years. Walt Whitman is from the 2012 album Stars and Satellites and features a video produced by the guys behind the Adult Swim series Squidbillies. Trampled by Turtles are from Duluth, MN. Dave Simonett formed them in 2003. He had been in a rock band when his car was stolen and he lost all his gear. All he had left was an acoustic guitar. So he decided to form a folk or bluegrass band that didn't require amplification. I guess he thought it would be cheaper. He had never played bluegrass before and neither did any of the other band members. Fiddler Ryan Young was a drummer in a speed metal band. Bassist Tim Saxhaug was in a jam band. Along with Erik Berry on mandolin and Dave Carroll on banjo, Trampled by Turtles started playing the bluegrass circuit. They released their debut album in 2004 on their own BanjoDad label. By the time the 2012 album Stars and Satellites was released, Trampled by Turtles had appeared on all the major music festivals and Late Night with David Letterman. The album reached #32 on the Billboard Hot 200 which is pretty good for a bluegrass album. The video for Walt Whitman was produced by Squidbillies creators Jim Fortier and Dave Willis. Squidbillies is on Adult Swim. Several country and bluegrass acts have appeared on the show. Trampled by Turtles' latest album Life Is Good on the Open Road was released in 2018. And after the pandemic I expect them to return to touring the festival circuit. They will stream live performances weekly on Facebook in February. Here's the video for Walt Whitman by Trampled by Turtles featuring Squidbillies.

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Julianna Pena vs Sara McMann

Here's the match video of Julianna Pena vs Sara McMann from last night's UFC show in Abu Dhabi. This fight is at Bantamweight. Both are veteran fighters on the comeback trail. Julianna could have gotten a title shot but she stupidly lost to Germaine De Randamie, someone she should have beaten. She's her own worst enemy sometimes. Of course Sara won a silver medal for wrestling in the Olympics. So automatically people think she's a great MMA fighter. I think she has the talent but not the mindset to be a great MMA fighter. A couple of years ago she moved to Team Alpha Male in Sacramento. She won her return after a two year break. Oh and she's 40 years old. Round one was close. I thought Sara won it marginally 10-9. Julianna won round two 10-9. So it's tied going into round three. Julianna finally gets Sara on the ground is submits her with a rear naked choke. She goes on to accuse Amanda Nunes of ducking her. I guess she forgot she lost to Germaine. As for Sara, maybe it's time to retire. Enjoy the video. 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Marina Rodriguez vs Amanda Ribas

Here's the match video of Marina Rodriguez vs Amanda Ribas from last night's UFC show in Abu Dhabi. This fight is at Strawweight. Both fighters are Brazilian. Michelle Waterson was supposed to be Amanda's opponent but she pulled out. Amanda is seemingly headed towards the title picture. She trains with her dad and Marcos Da Matta. She trained at American Top Team for this camp. Marina is 34 years old from Florianopolis, Brazil. She trains with Marcio Malko at Thai Brasil. She is mainly a kickboxer with a 2-1-2 UFC record which means she doesn't do enough to win fights and she's not a finisher. Round one went as expected. Amanda got a takedown and controlled Marina with ground and pound. She won the round 10-9. Marina did nothing. In round two Marina rocked Amanda with a punch. The fight should have been stopped immediately. But Herb Dean let it continue for some reason but he stopped it a few seconds later. Of course it's a big win for Marina not to mention unexpected. But as is usually the case when this sort of thing happens, people overreact to everything. One lucky punch doesn't make Marina an instant title contender. She needs to show me she can do this again. Very doubtful. Maybe Joanna Jedrzejczyk could test her. And Amanda could easily bounce back from this and be even better. One fight doesn't make or break anyone. So please relax. Enjoy the video!

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Joanne Calderwood vs Jessica Eye

Here's the match video of Joanne Calderwood vs Jessica Eye from last night's UFC show in Abu Dhabi. Both fighters are looking to get back into the Flyweight title picture. Joanne had a title shot. But while waiting for Valentina Shevchenko to be healthy, she lost the title shot to Jennifer Maia. Joanne is from Scotland but she now trains with John Wood at Syndicate MMA in Las Vegas. Jessica lost a title match and had recent health problems solved when she had her gall bladder removed. She is from Cleveland but now trains with Eric Nicksick at Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas. Both fighters prefer standing and neither are finishers. So I expected it to go the distance. Joanne won the fight 30-27 but I didn't think it was a dominant win. She landed more punches and all Jessica tried to do is clinch on the fence. She even did that in round three when she must have known she needed a finish. I still think Jessica Andrade should get the next Flyweight title shot. Enjoy the video! 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark

Artist:Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark

Song:If You Leave

Album:The OMD Singles

Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD) were an early synth pop band. At first they were experimental. But by the time If You Leave was a top five hit in the US they went in a more pop direction. The song is from the popular 1985 film Pretty in Pink. OMD are from Merseyside in Northern England. Andy McCluskey and Paul Humphreys were classmates. They were in bands during high school. But they didn't like the usual macho attitude of guitar driven rock. They liked German electronic music groups like Kraftwerk. They had several bands including The Id which played local clubs. They were working on the side project VCL XI which was renamed OMD. McCluskey was lead singer and Humphreys played keyboards. Malcolm Holmes played drums. They signed with Virgin's Dindisc label and released their debut album in 1980. OMD were very successful in England with the 1981 album Architecture & Morality and the 1983 album Drizzle Ships. They had a string of top ten singles in England. Martin Cooper joined in 1980. With the 1984 album Junk Culture, OMD shifted to a more pop influenced sound. They also added Graham and Neil Weir to the band. When the single So in Love from the 1985 album Crush was a top 30 pop hit in the US, John Hughes asked OMD for a song for his upcoming film Pretty in Pink. Hughes was known for using new wave music on his soundtracks. The song selected was Goddess of Love. It played over the film's final scene. When preview audiences hated the film's ending and the song, Hughes reshot the ending and asked OMD for a different song. They wrote and recorded If You Leave in 24 hours. The film was a big hit and If You Leave reached #5 on the Billboard Hot 100. They went into decline after that. Humphreys left in 1988 and McCluskey continued OMD solo. He brought in musicians for the 1991 album Sugar Tax. That was their final successful album in England. McCluskey retired the OMD name in 1996. This budget comp covers their entire run. McCluskey produced the girl group Atomic Kitten. Humphreys and Claudia Brucken were called Onetwo. OMD reformed in 2006. They have released three albums and continue to tour. A deluxe box set was released in 2019 to celebrate OMD's 40th anniversary and they toured to support it. Here's the video for If You Leave by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark.

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Charlotte Flair and Asuka vs Riott Squad

Here's the match video of Charlotte Flair and Asuka vs the Riott Squad from last night's episode of Smackdown. This was a non title match. The WWE is doing an angle where Billie Kay formerly of the Iiconics is trying to be a member of Riott Squad. BTW, the WWE splitting up the Iiconics is one of the dumbest decisions in recent memory. So the match is besides the point. The focus is on the Billie Kay angle. The match is fine except that Charlotte is in the match too much and the Riott Squad get way too much offense. Also Natalya and Tamina are watching backstage. Ugh! Predictably, Billie messes up and Asuka hits a codebreaker followed by Charlotte's Natural Selection finisher gets them the win. Afterwards, Billie apologizes but Ruby is upset. But I have a feeling this is not the end of this angle. Enjoy the video! 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Ernie Haase + Signature Sound

Artist:Ernie Haase + Signature Sound

Song:Happy People

Album:Happy People: Deluxe Edition

Ernie Haase was a member of The Cathedrals in the 90s. After they retired, Haase formed the group Signature Sound. And they are currently one of the top groups in Southern Gospel. He was born Dec. 12, 1964 in Cynthiana, IN. While attending Oakland City College on a basketball scholarship, he performed in several vocal groups before joining The Cathedrals in 1990. After The Cathedrals retired in 1999, Haase recorded a couple of solo albums. He formed Signature Sound in 2002. I guess the big thing is this group is much younger than other Southern Gospel groups. At first Haase recorded for Bill Gaither's record label. But eventually he started his own label Stowtown with Wayne Haun who produces the music. The membership of Signature Sound is very fluid. So Haase is the only original member. But he's still churning out albums and home videos. They are very successful in that market but otherwise unknown. Happy People is the title track of the 2015 album Happy People. It's typical of their music. The group is Haase on tenor, Devin McGlamery on lead, Dustin Doyle on baritone and Paul Harkey on bass. Haun usually tours with them and he leads the band. This Deluxe Edition of Happy People has four bonus tracks. Haase released an album in 2020 and he also releases DVDs regularly. And Stowtown has started signing other artists with Haun producing. So they have quite the cottage industry outside the mainstream record business. Here's Ernie Haase + Signature Sound performing Happy People at the 2015 National Quartet Convention.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Smoke City

Artist:Smoke City

Song:Underwater Love

Album:Flying Away

The trip hop group Smoke City scored a top five hit in England after Underwater Love was used in a 1997 Levi's commercial. It was their only hit and they only recorded two albums. Lead singer Nina Miranda was born in Brazil but she grew up in England. She wanted to form a group with her classmate Marc Brown. They met German born producer Chris Franck and Smoke City was born. They signed with Jive Records and released the 1997 album Flying Away. It was going nowhere when Underwater Love was used in a Levi's commercial. The song reached #4 on the British Singles chart and it charted across Europe. Smoke City was similar to Portishead but with Brazilian influences. One of the samples used was the 1971 Luiz Bonfa song Bahia Soul. Nina had moved back to Brazil when the song became a hit. She had to move back to London so Smoke City could follow it up. They recorded the 2001 album Heroes of Nature. But it looks like Jive wasn't happy with the album. So Franck decided to disband Smoke City. Flying Away is available as a budget CD. Fans of trip hop groups like Portishead should check it out. By the time Smoke City disbanded, Nina and Franck were in a relationship. They have two sons. They formed Zeep in 2007 and released a couple of albums. Since they split up in 2011, Nina has released a couple of solo albums. Here's the video for Underwater Love by Smoke City.

The Big Topic In WMMA

UFC review and preview. 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Manon Floriot vs Victoria Leonardo

Here's the match video of Manon Floriot vs Victoria Leonardo from yesterday's UFC show in Abu Dhabi.This fight was at Flyweight. Victoria is 30 years old from Shreveport, LA. She trains with Brent Mason at Elite Combat Academy. She's an Invicta veteran who won a UFC contract on Dana White's Tuesday Night Contender Series. Manon is 30 years old from Nice, France. She trains with Aldric Cassata at Boxing Squad. She has fought for EFC in Africa and UAE Warriors in Abu Dhabi. She was also in a reality show in South Africa. I watched a couple of her fights. She's mainly a striker. She's also big for a Flyweight. Immediately we could see she is much bigger than Victoria. Manon won round one dominantly enough to get a 10-8 from me. This continued in round two until a head kick dropped Victoria. And that was it. We'll see how Manon does against better competition. But she looked really good. Enjoy the video!

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Viviane Araujo vs Roxanne Modafferi

Here's the match video of Viviane Araujo vs Roxanne Modafferi from yesterday's UFC show in Abu Dhabi. This fight is at Flyweight. Viviane is from Brasilia, Brazil. She trains at Cerrado MMA with Daniel Evangilista. She was a Pancrase champ in Japan. She's an elite fighter. The only thing I don't like is she is undersized for Flyweight. Roxy is bigger than her. But Viviane has superior striking and I thought that would win her the fight. Roxy trains with John Wood at Syndicate MMA in Las Vegas. She needed to get the fight to the ground. But she could never do that and Viviane won easily. Her jab was great. And was just much quicker than Roxy. Viviane won the first two rounds so she cruised a little bit in the third. I still gave her all three rounds. Viviane is getting to the point where she's in the title picture. Enjoy the video! 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Salvador

Artist:Salvador

Song:Heaven

Album:Top Ten

Salvador is a Latin tinged CCM band from Austin, TX. They record in English and Spanish. This 2004 cover of the Los Lonely Boys classic Heaven is one of their two top five CCM singles. They are led by lead singer, guitarist and main songwriter Nic Gonzales and brothers Art and bassist Josh Gonzales. They had a band at King of Glory Church in Austin. They decided to expand it into a full band and play local CCM music festivals. This got them a deal with Word's Myrrh label and it went from there. Salvador is different from other CCM bands because of the Latin influences. Heaven is from the 2004 album So Natural. By this time keyboard player Chris Bevins had joined the band and Art Gonzalez left. So other than the core of Nic and Josh and Bevins, the band membership is fluid. Heaven reached #2 on the CCM Singles chart. Though Nic Gonzales writes most of Salvador's songs, Heaven is a cover of the 2004 Los Lonely Boys classic. Their other hit single was Shine from the 2006 album Dismiss the Mystery. Nic married the popular CCM singer Jaci Velasquez in 2007 and since then I think Salvador has toured with her. Salvador left Word in 2009. That's when this budget comp was released. The band recorded a couple of albums but they don't seem to be active. They last posted on Facebook in 2016. Nic Gonzalez released a solo album in 2016. Here's Salvador performing Heaven on the 2017 Jaci Velasquez DVD Trust which doesn't seem to be available.

Accuradio Song Of The Day-She Is We

Artist:She Is We

Song:Boomerang

Album:War

Rachel Taylor is one half of the indie pop duo He Is We. They had a major label deal when Rachel had serious health problems. The band split up while she was recovering. So she launched a solo career as She Is We. As the single Boomerang was about to get a big push, she reunited with He Is We partner Trevor Kelly. So she abandoned her solo project. But Boomerang is a pretty good song and worth checking out. He Is We are from Tacoma. Rachel and Kelly worked together in a music store. They started making music together and eventually got a record deal with Motown. It was just the two of them in the recording studio. They hired musicians for touring. After their debut album My Forever was released, they went on tour. Rachel was forced to drop out of the tour when she was diagnosed with a form of arthritis. She started working on a solo project while recovering. Meanwhile He Is We split up and Kelly formed a new band. After contributing a song to the 2013 film The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones, Rachel announced that she would continue the He Is We name. Instead she decided to release her solo debut as She Is We. She said it was He Is We 2.0. Rachel signed with Concord's Vanguard label and released the 2016 album War and the single Boomerang. Then she announced that she reunited with Kelly and they would record as He Is We. That meant that She Is We is no more. It's too bad because Boomerang is a pretty good song. War is available as a budget CD. Here's the video for Boomerang by She Is We. 

Frank Pozen's Big Bad Podcast

Asuka, Sareee and UFC review and preview. 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Alexa Bliss vs Asuka

Here's the match video of Alexa Bliss vs Asuka from last night's episode of RAW. When this match was announced on Friday, I knew that they would introduce Alexa as The Fiend. They never said that. I guess it was supposed to be a big surprise. Earlier in the show, Asuka appeared on Alexa's Playhouse and Alexa seemed to have an invisible friend. That was awful and this match wasn't any better. The arena goes dark and they go to commercial. When we return, Alexa looks completely different. So obviously she's The Fiend. But commentary is slow to pick up on this. Remember when Goofy would say "Gawrsh" all the time. Vince McMahon is telling them to do that. What they should have said is "It's The Fiend. It's not Alexa anymore." Then it would have made more sense. They were told to be wishy washy. And the funniest part is Alexa didn't even do the Sister Abigail properly. Asuka sold it like a champ. There was a lot of stupid stuff on RAW. It's like they think up stuff and it looks good on paper. But it isn't properly executed. They should probably go back to basics. But Vince doesn't think he is producing a wrestling show anymore. That's why he comes up with all this junk. And what upsets fans more than anything is treating your double champ as a jobber. I wouldn't have a problem with this if they built up to it. But remember Alexa hadn't wrestled since November. So it was a bad idea poorly executed. Check out the video for yourself. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Dawn Penn

Artist:Dawn Penn

Song:You Don't Love Me (No, No, No)

Album:No, No, No

\Jamaican singer Dawn Penn first covered the R&B classic You Don't Love Me in 1967. After leaving the music business in the 70s, she returned in the 90s to score a worldwide hit with a Dancehall version of the same song. She was born Jan. 11, 1952 in Kingston, Jamaica. She recorded a few singles at Studio One with producer Coxsone Dodd. You Don't Love Me was released in 1967. The song was written and recorded in 1960 by Willie Cobbs. When it was claimed that the song was based on Bo Diddley's 1955 song She's Fine, She's Mine, Diddley got a songwriting credit. Dawn added some elements for her version so she got a songwriting credit too. That record was a hit in Jamaica and so was Dawn's reggae cover of To Sir, With Love. Dawn then quit the music business and moved to the Virgin Islands. She worked office jobs there. After performing You Don't Love Me with Dancehall producers Steely & Clevie (Wycliffe Johnson & Cleveland Browne) backing her up at a 1992 Studio One anniversary show, they asked her to record You Don't Love Me for a Studio One tribute album they were producing. When You Don't Love Me got radio play in England, Sly Dunbar got Dawn a record deal at Atlantic's Big Beat label. Dawn's very first album No, No, No was released in 1994. Steely & Clevie produced most of the album. Dunbar was among the producers who helped out. You Don't Love Me charted worldwide. It reached #3 on the British Singles chart and it reached #58 on the Billboard Hot 100. So it did well for a surprise hit single. The record has been sampled by Eve and Ghostface Killah among others and Beyonce covered it in 2019. Dawn has since released three albums and she performed You Don't Love Me on the 2013 BET Awards broadcast. Here's the video for You Don't Love Me (No, No, No) by Dawn Penn.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Gang Starr

Artist:Gang Starr

Song:Jazz Thing

Album:Full Clip: A Decade of Gang Starr

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Though the rap duo Gang Starr never had that big hit single, they were highly respected in the rap community. Chris "DJ Premier" Martin is especially known for his love of jazz. That's what Jazz Thing is about. The song appeared on the soundtrack of Spike Lee's 1990 film Mo' Better Blues. Lee even directed the video. Jazz Thing is essential. But it's not on a Gang Starr album so it's a discography orphan. Keith "Guru" Elam formed Gang Starr in 1987. He is from Boston. They released a couple of singles. But it wasn't working out and they disbanded. Martin sent him a beat tape from his home in Houston. Elam liked it enough that the two relocated to Brooklyn and got a record deal with Chrysalis. After releasing the 1989 album No More Mr. Nice Guy, Lee called them to contribute a song to Mo' Better Blues. Of course the film was about jazz so Martin was thrilled. Plus he got to work with film composers Terence Blanchard and Branford Marsalis. I'm sure he was very happy. Marsalis co-wrote and produced Jazz Thing with Gang Starr. Musicians are Marsalis on sax, Blanchard on trumpet, Kenny Kirkland on piano, Robert Hurst on bass and Jeff "Tain" Watts on drums. The bass sample is from the 1971 Kool & the Gang song Dujii. Other samples include Thelonious Monk, Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Charlie Parker and Charles Mingus. Jazz Thing was only released on the Mo'Better Blues soundtrack which is available. But it also appears on this 1999 2CD comp from Virgin. It doesn't appear on other Gang Starr comps because Virgin would have to pay a licensing fee to Columbia. Gang Starr split up in 2002. Elam died of a heart attack on Apr. 19, 2010. Martin is active mostly as a producer. He formed The Gang Starr Foundation as a tribute to their legacy. Here's the video for Jazz Thing by Gang Starr.

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Vanessa Melo vs Sarah Moras

Here's the fight video of Vanessa Melo vs Sarah Moras from yesterday's UFC show in Abu Dhabi. Sarah is from Kelowna, BC but she now trains at Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas. She's been in the UFC since TUF 18. But she's 3-5 and if she doesn't win, I expect her to be released. Vanessa is from Brazil. She is 0-3 in the UFC. So on my podcast I jokingly called this a loser leave town match. And the fight was awful. It was the kind of fight that turns fans off WMMA. Sarah was the big culprit as she kept her distance. She threw a lot of punches but very few landed. I don't know what made her or her coach think she could win a fight doing that. And he lied to her after round two. He told her the fight was tied. I don't think Vanessa was much better but at least more of her punches landed and she bloodied Sarah's nose. It doesn't make me think Vanessa can beat anyone who is good. And after an awful performance, the UFC must release Sarah. Check out the video for yourself. 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Joselyne Edwards vs Wu Yanan

Here's the match video of Joselyne Edwards vs Wu Yanan from yesterday's UFC show in Abu Dhabi. This was supposed to be Bethe Correia's retirement fight. But she had her appendix removed. She will return in the spring. Joselyne was brought in on short notice. She is from Panama but she lives in El Paso, TX and trains at Kings MMA in El Paso and Champions in Mexico. Most of her fights have been in Mexico. She is mainly a striker. Wu is from China but she's not as good as the other Chinese fighters we have seen. She also missed weight at Flyweight so they have moved her up to Bantamweight. I guess the bottom line is Joselyne won the first two rounds and cruised a little bit in the third. But Wu showed no urgency at all. I don't know if she will be released but she's getting close to that. Joselyne looked good but obviously I want to see how she does against better competition. Enjoy the video! 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Bowling for Soup

Artist:Bowling for Soup

Song:Girl All the Bad Guys Want

Album:Songs People Actually Liked Vol. 1: The First Ten Years 1994-2003

Bowling for Soup (BFS) is a pop punk band very similar to Blink-182. The big difference was BFS never had that big hit single to put them over the top. But they did well as an album and touring band. Bowling for Soup are from Wichita Falls, TX led by lead singer, main songwriter and guitarist Jaret Reddick. He and drummer Lance Morrill were classmates. He met guitarist Chris Burney in high school. Burney's family owned a coffeehouse with a stage. That's where Reddick met bassist Erik Chandler. They eventually formed the band Rubberneck. The name was changed to Bowling for Soup based on a Steve Martin comedy routine. Morrill was replaced by Gary Wiseman in 1998. After releasing two albums on a local label, BFS signed with Jive Records. Girl All the Bad Guys Want is from their second Jive album Drunk Enough to Dance in 2002. The album was produced by Butch Walker. The song was nominated for a Grammy. It charted but it didn't get high enough to be a big hit. The music video is an amusing parody of other punk bands. The girl is model Lindy Christopher. The 2004 album A Hangover You Don't Deserve was certified Gold and the single 1985 reached #23 on the Billboard Hot 100. That was the height of BFS' success. The band is also known for covers of movie and TV themes. Bowling for Soup Goes to the Movies was released in 2005. They also performed the theme for Disney's Phineas & Herb. BFS left Jive after the 2009 album Sorry for Partyin'. Jive refused to promote the album and shelved it after the release. Since then, Bowling for Soup has recorded for their own label. They released a new album in 2015 followed by a live album in 2019. This comp was released in 2014. Here's the video for Girl All the Bad Guys Want by Bowling for Soup. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Bobby McFerrin

Artist:Bobby McFerrin

Song:Don't Worry, Be Happy

Album:Jazz Masters

Don't Worry, Be Happy topped the charts for two weeks in 1986. It also won three Grammys including Song of the Year and Record of the Year. It was the only hit single for a cappella jazz singer Bobby McFerrin. He was born Mar. 11, 1950 in Manhattan, NY. His parents Robert McFerrin and Sara Copper were opera singers. His family moved to Los Angeles where he attended California State College in Sacramento and Cerritos College. After touring with the Ice Follies and the group Astral Projection, McFerrin met comedian Bill Cosby who who got him a slot on the 1980 Playboy Jazz Festival. This led to two albums on Elektra's jazz label Elektra Musician. After that label was closed, McFerrin signed with Blue Note. Don't Worry, Be Happy is from McFerrin's second Blue Note album Simple Pleasures. The song topped the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks and it won three Grammys. There's no band. McFerrin performs all the vocals with overdubs. It was the first a capella song to top the pop charts. McFerrin's inspiration for the song was a phrase used by Indian mystic Meher Baba. The music video featured comics Robin Williams and Bill Irwin. And the song appeared in the popular Tom Cruise film Cocktail. Those two things are likely what made the song a hit. Though it is a one hit wonder, jazz singers are not expected to have hit singles in the first place. He left Blue Note for Sony in 1992. This budget comp covers McFerrin's Blue Note recordings. He has recorded with Chick Corea and Yo Yo Ma among others. McFerrin's most recent album was Spirityouall in 2013, a tribute to his dad. I'm not sure if McFerrin is still under contract with Sony but he still tours. He was named an NEA Jazz Master in 2020. Here's the video for Don't Worry, Be Happy by Bobby McFerrin.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Buddy Hackett

Artist:Buddy Hackett

Song:Shipoopi

Album:The Music Man: Original Soundtrack

Buddy Hackett was a beloved comedian of the 50s and 60s mostly through TV appearances. He appeared on the most episodes of The Tonight Show. Johnny Carson loved comedians and Hackett was one of his favorites. The 1962 film The Music Man was his only appearance in a film musical and Shipoopi is his big song. He was born Leonard Hacker August 31, 1924 in Brooklyn, NY. Hackett suffered from Bell's Palsy as a child and he used the effects of that like the slurred speech as part of his comedy. As a teen Hackett performed in the Catskills. Then he was in the US Army during WWII. He became a nightclub comic upon his return. That's when he started calling himself Buddy Hackett. After appearing in the 1955 Broadway show Lunatics and Lovers, producer Max Leibman started using Hackett on TV. He did his Chinese Waiter character in the 1953 film Walking My Baby Back Home with Donald O'Connor and Janet Leigh. He later recorded a Chinese Waiter album. Hackett replaced Lou Costello in the 1954 film Fireman, Save My Child. It was supposed to be an Abbott & Costello film but it starred Spike Jones. Yes, I have seen it. It's pretty bad. Hackett's appearances on variety shows made him popular. Hackett starred in the 1957 NBC sitcom Stanley with Carol Burnett and produced by Max Leibman. All 19 episodes can be streamed on The Film Detective. Hackett mostly did comedy though he appeared in the 1958 drama God's Little Acre and two episodes of The Rifleman. He starred with Mickey Rooney in the 1961 film Everything's Ducky. This got him into the 1962 film of the hit Broadway musical The Music Man as Marcellus Washburn. Shipoopi is his big number. He looks pretty good considering he doesn't dance. All credit to choreographer Onna White. According to composer Meredith Wilson, Shipoopi is a nonsense word. Hackett continued to appear in films and TV, most notably in It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, Muscle Beach Party, The Love Bug and as the voice of Scuttle in The Little Mermaid. Hackett appeared weekly on The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn. After being diagnosed with heart disease, Hackett refused to have bypass surgery. He was also diabetic. After suffering a stroke, Buddy Hackett died on June 30, 2003 at age 78. Here's Buddy Hackett performing Shipoopi in the 1962 film The Music Man.

The Big Topic in WMMA

UFC preview. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Shirley & Company

Artist:Shirley & Company

Song:Shame, Shame, Shame

Album:The Best Disco Album in the World...Ever

\The 1974 single Shame, Shame, Shame was one of the biggest hits early in the disco era. The ladies behind it were music industry veterans. Shirley Goodman was one half of Shirley and Lee who topped the charts in 1956 with Let the Good Times Roll. That was their only big hit and they split up in 1962. Shirley moved to Los Angeles and became an in demand session singer. She retired to work as a receptionist at Playboy Magazine. One day All Platinum Records owner Sylvia Robinson renewed acquaintance with Shirley and flew her to New Jersey to record Shame, Shame, Shame. Of course Sylvia was one half of Mickey & Sylvia and she also scored a solo hit with Pillow Talk. She was also important in the development of disco and rap as a label owner and producer. She had written Shame, Shame, Shame for Donnie Elbert. But she decided to do it with Shirley and Jason Alvarez instead. The record reached #12 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was huge in Europe. An album was released but follow up singles went nowhere. You can get Shame, Shame, Shame on this Virgin various artists budget comp. Shirley retired from music in 1979 and she died in 2005. Jason Alvarez became a pastor and released several CCM albums. And of course Sylvia formed Sugarhill Records and invented hip hop. Here's Shirley & Company performing Shame, Shame, Shame on Top Of The Pops 1975.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Kait Dunton

Artist:Kait Dunton

Song:Summer Solstice

Album:TrioKAIT

I am always asked if I listen to recent jazz or if I just listen to the classics and the answer is I listen to everything. I am always looking for new artists. And the great thing about AccuRadio is I have set it up so it will play almost anything at random. So when pianist Kait Dunton was played recently she got my attention. For one thing, I have always been an advocate for women in jazz. It took a long time for any woman to be taken seriously. It's getting easier but I wanted to feature Kait because she records for her own label and she deserves the exposure. Kate is from Los Angeles and she attended the University of Virginia and learned improvisation from trumpeter John D'earth. Then she earned a Masters in Music at North Texas State. After graduating, she moved back to Los Angeles. And after a stint in the popular group Snarky Puppy, she started her own record label. Kait has recorded six albums. Summer Solstice is from her third album and her first as TrioKAIT in 2015. This appears to be her touring band with Cooper Appelt on bass and Jake Reed on drums. After recording two more TrioKAIT albums, her latest album adds her mentor John D'earth to the trio. It looks like she is getting into film work too as she played keyboards on Mark Mothersbaugh's score for the 2019 film The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part. She also posts performance videos on YouTube which many jazz musicians should do but don't. It's a good way to check out Kait Dunton's music. Here's Kait Dunton and TrioKAIT performing Summer Solstice at Blue Whale in LosAngeles. 

Frank Pozen's Big Bad Podcast

Hikaru Shida and UFC preview. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Veruca Salt

Artist:Veruca Salt

Song:Seether

Album:Indie Top 20 Vol. 20

The indie band Veruca Salt had success when the music video for the 1994 single Seether went into heavy rotation on MTV. They had one other hit and then the band leaders split up. They have since reunited and they are still active. Veruca Salt was formed in 1992 in Chicago by Louise Post and Nina Gordon. They met through actress Lili Taylor. After playing local folk clubs, they placed an ad in the Chicago Times. They were going to turn it into an all girl band. But instead Nina's brother Jim Shapiro and bassist Steve Lack were brought in. The name Veruca Salt is a character in the classic children's book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Nina and Louise wrote all the songs but they didn't write together. They signed with the local label Minty Fresh and then released the single Seether. The album American Thighs was produced by Brad Wood who produced Liz Phair. They signed with Geffen who re-released Seether and shot a music video. The video was very popular on MTV. The single reached #8 on the Billboard Modern Rock chart. After releasing an EP as a stopgap, the 1997 album Eight Arms to Hold You was released. It was produced by Bob Rock. The single Volcano Girls was in the teen comedy Jawbreaker. But it wasn't as successful as the first album. While preparing to record a third album, Nina and Louise got into an argument and Nina left to go solo. Louise continued to lead Veruca Salt. But the rest of the band was different. And due to management changes at Geffen, she signed with Beyond Records. American Thighs is out of print but you can get Seether on this various artists comp that is part of a series released by the British label Beechwood. After releasing a couple of solo albums, Nina returned to Veruca Salt in 2013. They released a CD in 2015 and they continue to tour especially in Australia. At this point I think they are a nostalgia act. Here's the video for Seether by Veruca Salt.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Corduroy

Artist:Corduroy

Song:Mini

Album:London, England

For a period of time in the 90s, Acid Jazz was very popular in London clubs. Corduroy was one of the more popular groups at the time. Corduroy was led by twin brothers Scott (keyboards) and Ben (drums) Addison. They were in the band Boys Wonder who released a few singles on Sire Records. Bassist Richard Searle was also in Boys Wonder. The guitarist was Simon Nelson-Smith. The name Corduroy was so they could call themselves The Fabric Four. How cheeky. So they had a sense of humor and that attracted them to Acid Jazz Records owner Gilles Peterson, the DJ who invented Acid Jazz. Corduroy released three albums for Acid Jazz. Some of their songs got radio play. But they were never able to get that big hit single. Mini is from the 1994 album Out of Here. After that album, they left Acid Jazz for Fat Cat Records. After two albums, Fat Cat was dropped by their distributor Virgin and Corduroy decided to disband. Castle Records released this 2CD comp in 2001. The Addison Twins continue to work together. Ben Addison has released a couple of albums as Ben Human and Ben from Corduroy. Corduroy has reformed a few times and they released the album Return of the Fabric Four in 2018. Here's an interview from The BPM Show followed by the video for Mini by Corduroy.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Freddie Hart

Artist:Freddie Hart

Song:Easy Loving

Album:Superstars of Country: Easy Loving

The 1971 single Easy Loving was the first of six number one country music hits for Freddie Hart. It crossed over to be a top twenty pop hit. Though he seemed like an overnight success at the time, Hart had been recording since 1953. Some of his songs were hits for others. He was born Frederick Segrest Dec. 21, 1926 in Loachapoka, AL which is near Auburn. He and his eleven siblings grew up in Phenix City. Hart learned to play guitar as a child. At age 15, he lied about his age to get into the US Marine Corps during WWII. He saw combat action in Guam and Iwo Jima. After the war, he moved to Los Angeles. Hart was in Lefty Frizzell's band and that got him a record deal with Capitol. Though he did not have a hit, Hart's song Loose Talk was a number one country hit for Carl Smith in 1955. Hart moved to Columbia in 1958 and then Kapp in 1965. He didn't have much success at either label. So he returned to Capitol in 1969 under the management of Buck Owens. His first album for Capitol was California Grapevine in 1970. The album was going nowhere when a DJ at Atlanta radio station WPLO started playing Easy Loving. The song caught on nationally and topped the Country Singles chart. It also reached #17 on the Billboard Hot 100. Capitol reworked California Grapevine and released the album Easy Loving in 1971. Easy Loving won CMA and ACM awards. It was produced by George Richey who had been a house producer at Dot and Columbia and became musical director of Hee Haw in 1970. He went on to marry Tammy Wynette in 1978. Neither California Grapevine or Easy Loving have been released on CD. And there aren't any Freddie Hart comps available. But you can get Easy Loving on this 2CD Time Life various artists budget comp. Hart had a total of six number one country hits and he continued to chart until he left Capitol in 1979. He didn't record much after that though he continued to tour. He owned several businesses including a chain of martial arts gyms. Hart was a karate practitioner. Freddie Hart was inducted into the Nashville Songwriter's Hall of Fame in 2004. After releasing a gospel album in 2018, Freddie Hart died on Oct. 27, 2018 at age 91. Here's Freddie Hart and his band The Heartbeats performing Easy Loving on Music Country U.S.A. 1974. The pedal steel guitar solo is by J.D. Walters.

AccuRadio Song Of the Day-Ol Skool

Artist:Ol Skool f/Xscape and Keith Sweat

Song:Am I Dreamin'

Album:Ol Skool

The R&B vocal group Ol Skool scored a top five R&B hit with the 1998 single Am I Dreamin'. They only recorded two albums so they weren't around very long. Ol Skool were proteges of the popular R&B singer Keith Sweat. Ol Skool were formed in St. Louis. Members were Jason Little, Jerome "Pookie" Lane, Tony Herron, Curtis Jefferson and Bobby Crawford. After the 1997 single Set You Free charted, Keith Sweat got them a deal with Universal's Uptown label. Sweat was executive producer of the 1998 album Ol Skool. Am I Dreamin' reached #5 on the R&B Singles chart and #31 on the Billboard Hot 100. The single features Sweat and the female vocal group Xscape. Though the members of Ol Skool wrote songs and played instruments, Sweat seemed interested in emphasizing their vocals. Am I Dreamin' was written by veteran songwriter Sam Dees and originally recorded by Atlantic Starr. After Ol Skool's 2000 album R.S.V.P. was unsuccessful, they split up. Lane attempted a solo career but it doesn't look like the others stayed in the music business. Here's the video for Am I Dreamin' by Ol Skool featuring Xscape and Keith Sweat. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Siouxsie and the Banshees

Artist:Siouxsie and the Banshees

Song:Hong Kong Garden

Album:Spellbound: The Collection

Siouxsie and the Banshees were one of the most durable and successful bands to come out of the late 70s London punk scene. Hong Kong Garden was their 1978 debut single and it's probably their signature song. Susan Janet Ballion was born May 27, 1957 in London. After dropping out of school at age 17, Susan started hanging around punk music clubs and especially The Sex Pistols. With a big music festival coming Susan and bassist Steven Severin decided to form a band for one show only. One of the musicians they hired was John Simon Ritchie AKA Sid Vicious. They decided to stay together as Siouxsie and the Banshees. They got popular enough that record companies started a bidding war. They signed with Polydor in 1978 and Hong Kong Garden was the first single. It reached #7 on the British Singles chart. It was the first record produced by Steve Lilywhite who went on to a long and successful career. Guitarist John McKay wrote the song and created the guitar track. After two more albums, Siouxsie and the Banshees signed a US deal with Geffen Records. Hong Kong Garden never appeared on an album. So Geffen released the 1981 album Once Upon a Time: The Singles. And that is probably the album most North American listeners bought. Siouxsie and the Banshees continued to chart singles in England. But they were an album and touring band everywhere else. When they split up in 1996, Siouxsie and Severin were the only original members. I recommend this 2015 budget comp that covers their entire career. Though the band has reunited occasionally, Siouxsie Sioux released a 2007 album. Severin has worked on instrumental music and composed music for films and TV. Here's Siouxsie and the Banshees performing Hong Kong Garden on the ITV show Revolver 1978.

Big Bad Blog Video-Hikaru Shida vs Abadon

Here's the match video of Hikaru Shida defending her AEW Women's Championship against Abadon. Abadon is a gimmick that you either like or hate. I don't like her because all the hype in the world won't change that she is very inexperienced in the ring. You will see during this match that her punches are terrible. So all she really is is a horror movie gimmick. Most wrestling fans are more sophisticated than that today. She has to be able to work in the ring to get anyone to buy into her and she isn't capable of that yet. AEW found her in Denver. She was known there as The Living Dead Girl. Sportskeeda posted a pic of Abadon without makeup and she's very attractive. AEW's approach is that Hikaru is afraid of Abadon and then they had Abadon bite Hikaru's neck a few weeks ago. No one liked it when Shayna Baszler bit Becky Lynch's neck a few months ago. Why would they imitate something that hokey? So AEW has already jumped the shark by the time this match started. They just went farther with it. They went under the ring to draw blood. Is that hokey enough for you? The commentary was awful. They kept treating Hikaru like a victim when it was predictable that she would sell Abadon's crappy offense and then come back and win the match. You can't base a main event wrestling character on a look without at least half decent wrestling skills. And that's something that the idiots at AEW should know. Respect to Hikaru for going through with this nonsense. Check out the video for yourself. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Nichole Nordeman

Artist:Nichole Nordeman

Song:Legacy

Album:Recollection: The Best of Nichole Nordeman

CCM singer songwriter Nichole Nordeman had success with her 2002 album Woven & Spun and singles like Legacy. She won four Dove Awards. After taking time off to raise her son, she returned with a new album in 2017. She was born Jan.3, 1972 in Dallas but she grew up singing in church in Colorado Springs. Nichole moved to Los Angeles and while working as a waitress, she entered a Gospel Music Association talent contest. She was spotted by Sparrow Records house producer Charlie Peacock. Peacock started out as a recoding artist. But by the 90s he was discovering and producing many CCM acts for Sparrow. He brought in Mark Hammond to co-produce. Hammond started out as a session drummer in the 70s, got into songwriting in the 80s and produced CCM artist Cindy Morgan in the 90s. Nichole's first two albums were nominated for Dove Awards. But the 2002 album Woven & Spun sold 300,000 copies which is pretty good for a CCM album. And she won four Dove Awards. She writes all her own songs and her songs don't seem to be as preachy as other CCM artists. After releasing the 2005 album Brave and giving birth to her son, she didn't release another album until 2017. She released a few singles and a 2015 EP. And she even wrote a couple of books. But It's possible her fans have forgotten about her. This budget comp covers Nichole's initial run. Her 2017 album Every Mile Mattered was produced by Tommee Profitt who is best known for producing the rapper NF. I guess she was looking for a more contemporary sound than she would have got with Peacock. Here's the video for Legacy by Nichole Nordeman.

 

Frank Pozen's Big Bad Podcast

Charlie joins me from Japan to discuss last week's RIZIN show and the future of WMMA in RIZIN. We also talk about Hikaru Shida, Asuka and even my music preferences. RIP Jonathan Huber. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-lovelytheband

Artist:lovelytheband

\Song:Broken

Album:Finding It Hard to Smile

The success of lovelytheband's 2017 debut single Broken shows how important streaming services have become in the music business. After over three million streams on Spotify, Broken was a surprise top 30 pop hit. That set up the band for future success. lovelytheband are from Los Angeles. Lead singer Mitchy Collins was in the band Oh Honey. After they split up, he met guitarist Jordan Greenwald and drummer Sam Price at a club and they formed lovelytheband. They got together with producer Christian Medice and they released the 2017 EP Evereything I Could Say... and the single Broken. Medice and Collins had worked together previously. Broken did so well on Spotify that it reached #29 on the Billboard Hot 100. It also got them a record deal with Another Century Records which is now owned by Sony. Broken appears on lovelytheband's 2018 debut album Finding It Hard to Smile. Collins and Medice wrote the song with Samantha DeRosa. Collins wrote the song after Oh Honey split up and he broke up with his girlfriend and moved to Los Angeles from his home in Brooklyn. The girl in the video is model Skyler Benton. lovelytheband went out on tour and have released their second album Conversations with Myself About You. It hasn't been as successful as the first album. But Broken may have been a fluke. They may never have another hit that big. But they should be able to ride it for the next ten years. Here's the video for Broken by lovelytheband. 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Peyton Royce and Lacey Evans vs Asuka and Charlotte Flair

Here's the match video of Peyton Royce and Lacey Evans vs Asuka vs Charlotte Flair from last night's episode of RAW. This is a non title match. Last night was Legends Night on RAW. Most of the legends appeared in brief backstage segments. But Ric Flair came out with his daughter Charlotte which he has done in the past. Byron Saxton says that he saw Lacey flirting with Flair earlier in the day. So she started flirting with him during the match which is not only stupid but it made my eyes roll. When Charlotte sees this she slaps Lacey. When Lacey does this again later in the match, Charlotte clobbers her. Then Flair accidently grabs Charlotte's leg and Lacey pins her for the win. So obviously Peyton and Lacey will get a title shot. And Charlotte is pissed with her dad. She didn't come off very well. I wonder how this looked on paper because the execution was terrible. Enjoy the video! 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Ed Wynn

Artist:Ed Wynn f/Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke

Song:I Love To Laugh

Album:Mary Poppins: 2-Disc Special Edition Soundtrack

Ed Wynn started out in vaudeville. He was a radio pioneer with his Perfect Fool character in the 30s. He got into films in the 40s. He worked quite a bit for Walt Disney. He is probably best remembered for playing Uncle Albert in the 1964 film Mary Poppins. He was born Isiah Edwin Leopold Nov. 9, 1886 in Philadelphia. His parents were Jewish immigrants. His father was from Romania. His mother was from Turkey. Wynn ran away from home at age 15 and eventually landed in vaudeville. He adapted his middle name to Ed Wynn so his parents wouldn't be embarrassed that their son was a lowly comedian. Wynn was a star in the Ziegfeld Follies beginning in 1914. He created a lot of his own characters which was not unusual in vaudeville. He created The Perfect Fool for a 1921 revue. While still writing and performing on the stage, he created the radio show The Fire Chief. This very popular show led to Wynn's attempt to start his own radio network. This failed miserably and left Wynn deep in debt. He turned down the role of The Wizard in the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz. So did W.C. Fields. Frank Morgan played the role. Wynn was simply more comfortable performing on stage in front of a live audience. That's how he liked doing radio and TV too. His son actor Keenan Wynn introduced him to Walt Disney. And that's how he got to do the voice of The Mad Hatter in the 1951 film Alice in Wonderland. He did several more Disney films including Mary Poppins. His son convinced him to try dramatic acting in the 1956 live Playhouse 90 broadcast of Requiem for a Heavyweight. Wynn was terrified and he kept flubbing his lines in rehearsal. So the producers had Ned Glass shadow him in case Wynn needed help. But he did great and it got him other dramatic roles. I highly recommend you watch this show on YouTube. Wynn was also nominated for a Golden Globe for the 1958 film The Great Man. I Love to Laugh is Wynn's big song in Mary Poppins. The soundtrack is available in a 2CD special edition at a budget price. Wynn continued to appear in films and TV until his death on June 19, 1966 at age 79. Here's Ed Wynn featuring Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke performing I Love to Laugh in the 1964 film Mary Poppins.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Joe Anderson

Artist:Joe Anderson

Song:With A Little Help from My Friends

Album:Across the Universe: Music from the Motion Picture: Deluxe Edition

Julie Taymor's 2007 film Across the Universe takes The Beatles music and puts in the context of a story about young people. The actors do their own singing. Jim Sturgess is the star of the film but Joe Anderson does his own singing as well. There is a little wrinkle about this that I will get to in a minute. Anderson was born Mar. 26, 1982 in England. His father is actor Miles Anderson and his mother is a talent agent. Anderson has been performing since he was a child. He moved to London to attend school and he started appearing on stage His first big film role was in the as Ludwig von Beethoven in the 2006 film Copying Beethoven and then he got the role in Across the Universe. He performs several songs in the film including With A Little Help from My Friends. There are two versions of the soundtrack CD. Anderson's performances are only on the 2CD Deluxe Edition. That's the wrinkle I was talking about. Only one of his performances appears on the single CD version. Anderson also appeared as Jane Austen's older brother in Becoming Jane. And he played bassist Peter Hook in the Joy Division biopic Control. He also appeared in The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2, Hercules and Backdraft. And he was a regular on the WGN America TV series Outsiders. Here's Joe Anderson performing With A Little Help from My Friends in the film Across the Universe.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Robin McNamara

Artist:Robin McNamara

Song:Lay a Little Lovin' on Me

Album:Super Hits of the 70s: Have a Nice Day Vol. 2

Lay a Little Lovin' on Me was a top 20 hit in 1970. It was the only big hit for singer songwriter Robin McNamara. Though he is perceived as a one hit wonder, one of his other singles charted so technically he is not a one hit wonder. He was born May 5, 1947 in Newton, MA. He led a band called Robin and the Hoods while in high school. McNamara starred as Claude in the original Broadway cast of Hair. And that's where he was spotted by legendary Brill Building songwriter and producer Jeff Barry. He started his own label Steed Records with Dot Records distribution. The other big artist on Steed was Andy Kim. Barry produced the 1970 album Lay a Little Lovin' on Me and the title track reached #11 on the Billboard Hot 100. Barry wrote the song with McNamara and his frequent songwriting partner Jim Cretecos. At least McNamara still gets royalty cheques. He wrote several of the songs on the album and so did Brill Building veteran Neil Goldberg. A second single Got to Believe in Love (written by Goldberg) charted but was not a hit. You can get Lay a Little Lovin' on Me on this Rhino various artists budget comp. Soon after Barry moved to Los Angeles and sold Steed to Dot. McNamara released a couple of singles in the mid 70s. And he released the 1999 album Now 'N' Then on his own label. He still tours the nostalgia circuit. Here's Robin McNamara performing Lay a Little Lovin' on Me on the Cleveland TV show Upbeat 1970.