AccuRadio Song Of The Day-First Call

Artist:First Call

Song:I Will Always Come Back To You

Album:Human Song

First Call is a CCM vocal group that emerged from the Nashville studio scene in the 70s. They became popular enough in the 80s that Word Records tried to cross them over to pop with the 1992 album Human Song. When that didn't work out, First Call returned to the CCM market. Marty McCall was a background singer and he led the band Fireworks. Bonnie Keen was trying to get into musical theater but she was trying to make a living as a jingle singer. The two met at a Nashville recording studio. They met Dick Tunney and his wife Melodie was in the CCM group Truth. The original plan was to be a ready made backup trio for recording sessions. Thus the name First Call. After the 1985 album An Evening in December did well, they signed with Word's Dayspring label. At first they sang a capella so they were sold as a CCM version of The Manhattan Transfer. For the 1989 album God Is Good, Word tried to sell First Call to the secular market through A&M Records. A full band was added so they weren't a capella anymore. It was produced by veteran CCM producer Keith Thomas. Melodie left to start her own music ministry with husband Dick Tunney. She was replaced by Marabeth Jordan. Word moved their secular deal to Epic for the 1992 album Human Song. The album was produced by Michael Omartian. Omartian was a CCM artist and big time record producer. There was a video for I Will Always Come Back To You. They were set up for success. The whole thing came to a screeching halt when it was revealed that Marabeth had an extra marital affair with CCM singer Michael English. That killed First Call in the CCM market. Word dropped them. Marabeth left but First Call continued as a duo on Warner Alliance. Melodie Tunney returned and First Call's latest recording was an EP in 2016. Here's the video for I Will Always Come Back To You by First Call. 

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UFC review and preview. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Toshiko Akiyoshi

Artist:Toshiko Akiyoshi

Song:The Village

Album:Toshiko Akiyoshi at Maybeck

Jazz pianist Toshiko Akiyoshi is probably best known for big bands she led with former husband Charlie Mariano and current husband Lew Tabackin. She has recorded as a leader since the 50s and is known for her arranging talents. She was born Dec. 12, 1929 Liaoyang, China. Her parents were Japanese emigrants. Her family returned to Beppu, Japan in 1946. Toshiko was already playing piano when a local record collector played her a Teddy Wilson record. She immediately started to study jazz. While playing in a club on the Ginza in 1952, Oscar Peterson spotted her. He liked her so much he convinced Verve Records owner Norman Granz to sign her and bring her to the US. Her 1953 debut album Toshiko's Piano was recorded with the Verve house band of Peterson, Herb Ellis, Ray Brown and J.C. Heard. She recorded a few more albums while she studied at Berklee in Boston. She married sax player Charlie Mariano in 1959. They recorded for Charles Mingus' Candid label and eventually she signed with RCA. After divorcing Mariano in 1967, Toshiko married sax player Lew Tabackin in 1969. They moved to Los Angeles in 1972. Her band with Tabackin is her best known band. Toshiko wrote and arranged the music. Tabackin was the featured soloist. Toshiko wrote and arranged The Village. She first recorded it on the 1975 Toshiko Akiyoshi-Lew Tabackin Big Band album Tales of a Courtesan (Oiratan) on RCA. They continued the band after they moved to New York in 1982. The albums were big sellers in Japan. Toshiko ended the band in 2003 and she now records solo. The Village is from the 1994 album Toshiko Akiyoshi at Maybeck. This is part of a series Concord has recorded at Maybeck Hall in Berkeley, CA. This one is volume 36. She says she always wanted to record solo more often but the big band got in the way. Her latest recording The Eternal Duo! was released by Sony Japan in 2019. It is a duet album with husband Lew Tabackin. It comes with a live DVD and an interview. Toshiko has received several awards including being named an NEA Jazz Master in 2007. So she's really good. Check her out. Here's Toshiko Akiyoshi performing The Village on the French TV network INA. It doesn't give a date. It looks like it's from the 70s. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Roy Haynes

Artist:Roy Haynes

Song:After Hours

Album:The Classic Albums Collection 1954-1964

Drummer Roy Haynes is one of the all time jazz greats mostly as a sideman since the 40s. He has recorded as a leader since 1954. And the great thing is he's still around playing New York clubs at 96 years old with musicians who could be his grandsons. Plus his real grandson Marcus Gilmore is one of today's top drummers. He was born Mar. 13, 1925 in the Roxbury section of Boston. His brother Michael E. Haynes was a pastor, politician and civil rights leader working closely with Dr. Martin Luther King. Haynes started out in 1944 with Luis Russell, Lester Young and Charlie Parker. He toured  with Sarah Vaughan from 1953-58. He recorded with Milt Jackson, Bud Powell, Stan Getz, Kai Winding, Wardell Gray and Miles Davis. Haynes made his recording debut as a leader with the 1954 album Busman's Holiday on Mercury's EmArcy label. That album is included in this box set. After Hours is from the 1959 album We Three for Prestige's New Jazz label. Haynes recorded for New Jazz from 1959-63. Musicians are Phineas Newborn Jr. on piano and Paul Chambers on bass. After Hours was written by pianist Avery Parrish for The Erskine Hawkins Orchestra. Dizzy Gillespie turned it into a jazz standard. There are three multi album Roy Haynes box sets. This one from the British label Enlightenment has 8 albums on 4 CDs. And it's cheaper and more wide ranging than the other two. Albums include the 1954 10" album Busman's Holiday. It was Haynes' debut as a leader.. The 1955 album Roy Haynes Modern Group was recorded in France for the French label Swing. The 1960 album Just Us was recorded for New Jazz with Richard Wyands on piano and Eddie De Haas on bass. Some Other Spring looks to be a retitled version of the 1962 Impulse album Out of the Afternoon with Roland Kirfk on sax, Tommy Flanagan on piano and Henry Grimes on bass. The 1963 McCoy Tyner album Reaching Fourth on Impulse. The 1963 album Cracklin' with Booker Ervin on sax, Ronnie Matthews on piano and Larry Ridley on bass. And the 1963 album Cymbalism with Frank Strozier on sax. After leaving New Jazz in 1963, Haynes wouldn't record as a leader again until the 70s. In the 60s, he recorded and toured with Stan Getz and Gary Burton. Haynes recorded for Fantasy's Galaxy label in the 70s. In the 80s he toured with Chick Corea and Pat Metheny. Since the 90s he has recorded mostly for Dreyfus Jazz. And he won a Grammy for the 1998 album Like Minds on Concord. Haynes last recorded as a leader in 2011. But he still plays New York clubs. And he appeared on Jon Batiste's score for the Oscar winning Pixar film Soul. How about that? Great movie if you haven't seen it on Disney+. Here's a video of Roy Haynes performing After Hours with Phineas Newborn Jr. and Paul Chambers. 

Frank Pozen's Big Bad Podcast

Sarray, Hikaru Shida, Asuka and UFC review and preview. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Jackson Browne

Artist:Jackson Browne

Song:Somebody's Baby

Album:The Next Voice You Hear: The Best of Jackson Browne

Of course Jackson Browne started out as a songwriter in the 60s. He became a very popular solo artist in the 70s with albums like Running on Empty. The 1982 single Somebody's Baby would turn out to be his biggest chart hit. It's from the soundtrack of the film Fast Times at Ridgemont High. It was never on a Browne album. So that makes it a discography orphan. At the time Browne was involved in protests at nuclear plants. He was arrested at one protest. He was working on the 1983 album Lawyers in Love. Some of the songs on that album were protest songs. Browne's manager Irving Azoff owned his own label. He was also one of the producers of the popular 1982 film Fast Times at Ridgemont High. Director Amy Heckerling said on the DVD commentary that Azoff was responsible for compiling the soundtrack. It was also going to be on his label. As manager of Eagles and related acts, Azoff got songs from Joe Walsh, Don Henley, Timothy B. Schmit, Quarterflash, Don Felder, Sammy Hagar, Graham Nash, Poco and Stevie Nicks. Browne contributed Somebody's Baby which he wrote with guitarist Danny Korchmar. It reached #7 on the Billboard Hot 100. It has turned out to be Browne's biggest chart hit. Doctor My Eyes reached #8. The song was only released on the Fast Times at Ridgemont High soujndtrack. But it is on this Jackson Browne budget comp. Another discography orphan solved. Here's the video for Somebody's Baby by Jackson Browne. He does not appear in the video. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Dorinda Clark-Cole

Artist:Dorinda Clark-Cole

Song:Bless This House

Album:Living It

Of course Dorinda Clark-Cole is one of the pioneering gospel group The Clark Sisters. They changed the sound of gospel music in the 80s. While continuing to record and perform with her sisters, Dorinda has recorded several solo albums since 2002. She was born Oct. 19, 1957 in Detroit the daughter of gospel music legend Dr. Mattie Moss Clark. Dorinda and her sisters grew up singing in their father's church. Mom taught them to sing in harmony and of course that led to The Clark Sisters becoming international stars. Dorinda has always been referred to as the "jazzy" sister because of her jazz influenced riffs and runs. Though I'm sure Dr. Clark didn't allow her daughters to listen to jazz, I can assure you they listened to jazz because the influence is there. As The Clark Sisters progressed, Twinky became the main songwriter until she left to go solo and then Karen left to go solo. No doubt Karen's success led to Dorinda recording her solo debut album in 2002. After recording three albums for Gospocentric Records, the label's parent company Jive was sold to Sony. It is now known as RCA Inspiration. Dorinda signed with eOne's Light label. Bless This House is from Dorinda's 2015 album Living It. It's her latest album. Dorinda wrote all the songs with various writers. The producers are backup singer Courtney Harrell, Saeed "Shy" Renaud who won a Grammy for producing the album Lalah Hathaway Live and guitarist Rodrick "Cliche" Simmons who was the musical director. The album is available as a digital download. Dorinda's latest recording was the 2020 album Return of The Clark Sisters produced mostly by Karen's son J. Drew Sheard II. Dorinda also preaches in churches worldwide. She has her own syndicated radio show and she hosts The Dorinda Show on TCT. Here's Dorinda Clark-Cole performing Bless This House on a 2014 Word TV show hosted by her sister Jacky Clark-Chisholm. 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Ariane Carnelossi vs Liang Na

Here's the match video of Ariane Carnelossi vs Liang Na from last night's UFC show in Jacksonville. Ariane is from Sao Paulo, Brazil. She lost her 2019 UFC debut to Angela Hill due to a doctor stoppage because of a cut. We haven't seen her since then due to visa problems. Liang is 24 years old from China. She has worked mainly for Chinese companies with a 15-4 record. She was one of three Chinese fighters who signed with the UFC after a January combine at the UFC Performance Institute in Shanghai. All of them were on this show but their regular coaches weren't with them. Liang knocked Ariane down early in round one and it looked for a while that she might get a finish. But Ariane turned it around and by the end of the round, Liang was used up. She needed help to get up after the round so I thought the ref should have stopped the fight. It didn't matter as Ariane won by TKO early in round two. Obviously Liang needs to pace herself better. Enjoy the video! 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Valentina Shevchenko vs Jessica Andrade

Here's the match video of Valentina Shevchenko defending her UFC Flyweight Championship against Jessica Andrade from last night's UFC show in Jacksonville.  Normally Valentina uses her kickboxing skills early in fights. In the late rounds she will resort to takedowns and lay and pray to win the fight. For this fight she decided to take it to the ground to slow Jessica down and this led to a second round TKO. Valentina scored five takedowns in round one. It wore Jessica down so she couldn't do anything. So in round two Valentina got the crucifix position and then pounded Jessica until the ref stopped it. Jessica admitted afterwards that she didn't expect those takedowns. By the end of round one, she was so worn out, she couldn't do anything. Valentina said afterwards that she wants a third fight with Amanda Nunes. She knows that isn't happening in the near future. The possible next challenger will come from the upcoming Joanne Calderwood vs Lauren Murphy and Katlyn Chookagian vs Viviane Araujo fights. Viviane is probably the best of those four. But she's undersized for a Flyweight. Enjoy the video!

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Rose Namajunas vs Zhang Weili

Here's the fight video of Zhang Weili defending her UFC Strawweight Championship against Rose Namajunas at last night's UFC show in Jacksonville. I guess what we were looking for was an epic fire fight. And instead Rose won with a head kick early in round one. Nothing happened before that. It was the equivalent of a lucky punch. It looked like Rose was throwing a leg kick but she turned it into a head kick. If Zhang sees it coming, she blocks it. It happens sometimes. I try not to read too much into this sort of thing. Others will overanalyze it. Zhang thought the stoppage was too quick and she posted on Instagram that she wants a rematch. Though I don't agree with her about the stoppage, this is the kind of finish that warrants a rematch. As we have seen in the past with Rose, it's one thing to win a title. It's another thing to defend it. Enjoy the video! 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-10,000 Maniacs

Artist:10,000 Maniacs

Song:These Are Days

Album:MTV Unplugged

10,000 Maniacs were a successful album and touring band. Most of their success was through their music videos getting played on MTV. The CD of their episode of MTV Unplugged was their biggest seller. They never had a big hit single. 10,000 Maniacs are from Jamestown, NY which is near Buffalo. They were called Still Life when they were formed in 1981 by guitarist Robert Buck, his ex-wife Teri Newhouse on lead vocals, Dennis Drew on keyboards, Steven Gustafson on bass and Chet Cardinale on drums. Gustafson invited 17 year old Natalie Merchant to do some vocals and guitarist John Lombardo was brought in. After Teri left the band, Natalie was the new lead singer. Cardinale left and they had a revolving door of drummers. They named themselves 10,000 Maniacs after the 1964 exploitation film 2,000 Maniacs. The band started to have success when they started to perform their own songs usually written by Natalie and Lombardo. They signed with Elektra Records in 1984. The 1987 album In My Tribe was certified 2XPlatinum without the benefit of a hit single. While recording the 1992 album Our Time In Eden, Natalie told the band she was leaving in two years to go solo. So after the tour to support the album, 10,000 Maniacs performed on the MTV Inaugural Ball. Then they performed on MTV Unplugged. Then Natalie announced she was leaving. The MTV Unplugged CD was certified 3XPlatinum so it was their biggest seller. The home video was released on VHS. It doesn't seem to be available on DVD but it can be streamed on YouTube. MYV Unplugged is available as a budget CD. Mary Ramsey was the new singer. They moved to Geffen Records and the 1997 album Love Among the Ruins was their final major label album. They have since recorded for small labels. After Robert Buck died from liver cancer in 2000, 10,000 Maniacs went on hiatus. They reformed in 2002 and they are still around. 10,000 Maniacs released their latest album in 2015. Original members Drew and Gustafson along with long time members Lombardo and Ramsey are still in the band. Here's the video for These Are Days by 10,000 Maniacs. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Screaming Trees

Artist:Screaming Trees

Song:Nearly Lost You

Album:Ocean of Confusion

Screaming Trees was one of several bands that emerged from the late 80s Seattle music scene. Nearly Lost You was their best known song as it appeared on the soundtrack of the 1991 film Singles. Screaming Trees were formed in 1985 in Ellensburg, WA. by guitarist Gary Lee Connor, his bassist brother Van Connor, lead singer Mark Lanegan and drummer Mark Pickerel. Ellensburg is a hundred miles from Seattle. They went to high school together. The band's main interest was in 60s garage rock. Their sound was more psychedelic than other band from that scene. The Connor brothers and Lanegan wrote all the songs. They recorded a demo and the owner of the recording studio released it on his label Velvetone. He also released the 1986 album Clairvoyance. That got the attention of Black Flag leader Greg Ginn and he released three albums on his SST label. Screaming Trees went on tour after the 1989 album Buzz Factory. They signed with Epic Records for the 1991 album Uncle Anesthesia produced by Soundgarden lead singer Chris Cornell. The single Bed of Roses got alt rock radio airplay. The album did OK but Screaming Trees needed a hit single to elevate the band. Van Connor left Screaming Trees for a while but he returned for the 1992 album Sweet Oblivion. Pickerel was replaced by Barrett Martin. Nearly Lost You reached #5 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart. And it also appeared on the soundtrack of Cameron Crowe's 1991 film Singles which was set in the Seattle grunge scene. They recorded one more album for Epic and then were dropped. This budget comp covers the Epic recordings. Screaming Trees recorded in 1999 but they were unable to get a record deal so they split up. Lanegan had already recorded several solo albums. He joined Queens of the Stone Age in 2001. And he continued his solo career after he left them in 2005. Van Connor leads the band VALIS. Gary Lee Connor has led a couple of bands and he does a lot of sessions. Martin is a musician for hire. He has toured with Stone Temple Pilots and R.E.M. among others. Here's the video for Nearly Lost You by Screaming Trees.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Bob Moses

Artist:Bob Moses

Song:Tearing Me Up

Album:Days Gone By

Most jazz fans should be familiar with drummer Bob Moses. That's not who these guys are. They aren't even named after him. This duo Bob Moses had success when the 2015 single Tearing Me Up was a club hit and won a Grammy. Jimmy Vallance and Tom Howie went to the same Vancouver high school. Vallance is the son of musicians. His father Jim Vallance was Bryan Adams' songwriting partner. His mother Rachel Paiement was in the 70s group CANO. After high school, Vallance moved to New York and got into doing remixes. Howie attended Berklee in Boston for a year. Then he moved to New York. After a chance encounter in a Lowe's parking lot, they decided to work together mostly on remixes. They eventually started making their own music. Francis Harris of the label Scissor & Thread thought they might have something and suggested naming themselves after New York architect Bob Moses. That way they could remain anonymous. After a couple of EPs, Bob Moses signed with Domino Records. The album Days Gone By was released in 2015. The single Tearing Me Up was a dance club hit. It reached #16 on Billboard Alternative Songs chart. It was also nominated for two Grammys and it won Best Remix Recording. Since then Bob Moses has released two albums and some EPs. They have already have had more success than expected. They can always go back to doing remixes and get into producing. Here's the video for Tearing Me Up by Bob Moses. This video is so steamy, it is age restricted so I had to download it and upload it to the blog. It's not embeddable. That has never happened before.

The Big Topic in WMMA

Bellator review and UFC review and preview. 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Hikaru Shida vs Tay Conti

Here's the match video of Hikaru Shida defending her AEW Women's Championship from last night's episode of Dynamite. These two have been a tag team lately meaning they are both babyfaces. This was probably the best match of Tay's career mostly because Hikaru is carrying her. Tay still tends to stand around around too much like she is unsure of herself. But Hikaru kept things moving. It was a back and forth match with both girls getting in big moves. Watch the match please. When Hikaru kicked out of Tay's finisher which has a very silly name, Hikaru won with a knee strike a minute later. Afterwards Britt Baker came out and claimed that since Tay lost, she's the number one contender. So I'm sure that's what we will see at the next PPV. As I have said before, I don't like rankings in pro wrestling. But the funny part is they had Britt back into it like a heel would. That wins on AEW Dark mean the same as wins on Dynamite is bogus. That's how half assed the rankings are. Enjoy the video! 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-George Hamilton IV

Artist:George Hamilton IV

Song:Abilene

Album:Abilene Plus More Great Folk Hits

George Hamilton IV started out as a teen idol in the 50s. He had his greatest success after switching to country music in 1959. The 1963 single Abilene is probably his signature song. He was born July 19, 1937 in Winston-Salem, NC. He was inspired by Gene Autry movies to learn the guitar and he had a band in high school. While attending the University of North Carolina, Hamilton met songwriter John D. Loudermilk who was just getting started in his Hall of Fame career. He took Hamilton into the recording studio and recorded A Rose and a Baby Ruth. The record reached #6 on the Billboard Hot 100 and ABC-Paramount picked up Hamilton's contract. Hamilton recorded two albums for ABC-Paramount, toured the rockabilly circuit with guys like Eddie Cochran and Gene Vincent and even hosted a variety show. He moved to Nashville in 1959 and signed with RCA Records and producer Chet Atkins. The 1963 single Abilene was Hamilton's only number one country hit and it reached #15 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was the biggest hit of his career. Abilene was written by country music legend Bob Gibson along with Lester Brown and John D. Loudermilk. Gibson said he wrote the song after watching the 1946 Randolph Scott western Abilene Town which is set in Abilene, KS. It was mistakenly believed that the song was about Texas. Collectables has reissued Abilene with bonus tracks including A Rose and a Baby Ruth. That's a nice bonus. The one really good George Hamilton IV comp is on the reissue label Bear Family. Sony has done a very poor job with Hamilton's music. Hamilton recorded for RCA until 1976. He became known as the International Ambassador of Country Music. After that Hamilton recorded a couple of gospel albums and toured with Billy Graham in the 80s. He continued to appear regularly on the Grand Ole Opry and recorded occasionally for Dave Moody's label Lamon Records. Hamilton suffered a heart attack and died on Sept. 17, 2014 at age 77. Here's George Hamilton IV performing Abilene on The Jimmy Dean Show. 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Sarray vs Zoey Stark

Here's the match video of Sarray vs Zoey Stark from last night's episode of NXT. Of course this is Sarray's NXT debut. She was Sareee in Japan but she announced after she signed with the WWE that she would not be using that name. The WWE is calling her Warrior of the Sun. They show a video of Sarray arriving at the arena and Zoey challenges her to a match. The guy with Zoey is Simon Inoki, Antonio Inoki's son-in-law. He used to work for Inoki's MMA company IGF. He currently works for WWE Japan. Sarray's entrance and music is generic. My guess is that will change as Io Shirai's presentation was changed. Sarray is wearing the same gear she wore in Japan. I think that will change too. It's a great match. Sarray wants to make a good first impression and she also wants to make Zoey look good. Sarray knows how to sell offense. Putting her away is another story. And that frustrates Zoey and leads to Sarray's side salto suplex for the win. Afterwards Toni Storm attacks Zoey who beat Toni a couple of weeks ago. I guess Toni will be in Sarray's future. At 25 years of age, Sarray is much younger than Asuka or Io. But she's a seasoned pro with ten years experience. Also Sarray works a more traditional joshi style because she was trained by AJW legend Kaoru Ito. She looks good already. Enjoy the video! 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Dokken

Artist:Dokken

Song:In My Dreams

Album:The Very Best of Dokken

The hard rock group Dokken were successful as an album and touring band in the mid-80s. They never had that big hit single and then they split up in the late 80s. A version of Dokken is still around. Lead singer Don Dokken formed the group Airborn in 1976 in Los Angeles. He had a couple of different lineups playing local clubs. The name Airborn was already taken. He released a 1979 single as Dokken. The band toured Germany in 1979 where Dokken met recording engineer Michael Wagener who tagged along when the band returned to Los Angeles. After that version of the band split up, Dokken formed a new version with George Lynch on guitar and drummer Mick Brown. Bassist Juan Croucier remained from the previous band. They returned to Germany in 1981 and this time they got a record deal with the French label Carrere. The 1981 album Breaking the Chains was released in Europe. It had enough success that Elektra Records singed Dokken and Breaking the Chains was released in the US in 1983. They toured with Blue Oyster Cult. But the album didn't sell and Croucier left to join Ratt. He was replaced by Jeff Pilson. Elektra gave Dokken one more album to make it or they were going to be dropped. Fortunately the 1984 album Tooth and Nail did a lot better. It was certified Platinum. In My Dreams is from the 1985 album Under Lock and Key. That album and the 1986 album Back for the Attack were also certified Platinum. As I said, Dokken never had that big hit single but they were doing OK. Unfortunately Dokken and Lynch weren't getting along and Dokken split up in 1989. This budget comp covers their Elektra recordings. Don Dokken released a 1989 solo album. Lynch and Pilson formed bands. While recording the album Dysfunctional, Columbia A&R man John Kalodner suggested that Dokken reform the band so Columbia could release it as a Dokken album. So Dokken brought Lynch and the others back. Of course it didn't last and Lynch walked out while Dokken was on a promo tour. Columbia dropped Dokken. Lynch returned for the 1997 album Shadowlife on CMC. After that album didn't go well, Dokken and Lynch split up for good. Since then Dokken has recorded for Sanctuary and currently for the Italian label Frontiers. They released a live album in 2018. Don Dokken is the only original member remaining. They have plans to record new music. Here's the video for In My Dreams by Dokken. 

Frank Pozen's Big Bad Podcast

Asuka and Bellator review and UFC review and preview. 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Asuka vs Charlotte Flair

Here's the match video of Asuka vs Charlotte Flair from last night's episode of RAW. This was after Charlotte attacked Asuka and Rhea Ripley last week. Early in the show, Charlotte cuts a long whiny promo calling herself The Opportunity. Asuka says "I'll beat you bitch." Charlotte invites Rhea to come to watch their match at ringside. The match is mostly angle. I'm watching the clock and they weren't going to give this match enough time to be really good. And that's because they are building to a three way match at Backlash leading to Charlotte winning Money in the Bank. The entrances take three minutes. And there was a commercial break. Plus they needed time for the post match stuff. So it wasn't much of a match. And Charlotte is clearly suffering from ring rust. She had some timing issues especially for Asuka's codebreaker. When Charlotte applies her figure eight finisher, she moves to Rhea's location so Rhea can interfere. And that leads to Asuka winning with a crucifix pin. Then Charlotte beats the crap out of the ref. This leads to a storyline fine and indefinite suspension. A lot of fans seem to think this is to write Charlotte off TV. Indefinite means it could end next week. That's what I expect. The match for Backlash will be announced and Rhea and Asuka will beg WWE official Adam Pierce to end Charlotte's suspension so they can get a piece of her. Like I said, they have plenty of time to kill until Backlash. Enjoy the video.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Up, Bustle and Out

Artist:Up, Bustle and Out

Song:Coffee at Senor Roody's

Album:Light 'Em Up, Blow 'Em Out

I would describe Up, Bustle and Out as an instrumental Acid Jazz group. They had modest success in British dance clubs. They are from Bristol, England which is also the home of Tricky and Massive Attack. Rupert "Senor Roody" Mould and David "Clandestine Ein" Fell formed Up, Bustle and Out mainly to experiment with world music styles along with jazz, funk and trip hop. After a couple of singles, they signed with Ninja Tune owned by pioneering hip hop duo Coldcut. Coffee at Senor Roody's appears on Up, Bustle and Out's 1994 debut album The Breeze Was Mellow (As The Guns Cooled In The Cellar). Mould wrote most of the songs and he plays most of the instruments. He brings in guests like sax player Vicki Burke and singer Sharon Wynter. After the 1996 album One Colour Just Reflects Another, they released the 1997 CD Light 'Em Up, Blow 'Em Out which has songs from the first two albums. For the 2000 album Rebel Radio: Master Sessions Vol. 1, Cuban flutist Richard Egues was brought in. Mould likes to travel the world looking for field recording that can be used. I think Acid Jazz fans will be interested in Up, Bustle and Out. They last recorded in 2009. Since then Mould has left music for literature. He earned a PhD in Comparative Literature at Bristol University and currently is an environmental journalist. Here's a video for Coffee at Senor Roody's by Up, Bustle and Out.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-FEVER 333

Artist:FEVER 333

Song:Made An America

EP:Made An America

The rap metal group FEVER 333 had success when a couple of songs from their 2018 EP Made An America charted. They were also nominated for a Grammy. It was their major label debut. They have since released an album. Jason Aalon Butler was lead singer of Letlive. They were about to disband when Butler encountered Blink-182 lead singer Travis Barker. Those two and producer John Feldmann spent Super Bowl Sunday together. They discussed possibly forming a new group that would be a mix of hip hop and punk with subversive lyrics. Butler contacted former The Chariot guitarist Stephen Harrison and pitched the concept. Former Night Verses drummer Aric Improta was brought in and they performed a popup show at Randy's Donuts in Inglewood, CA July 4, 2017. Then they announced the formation of FEVER 333 on Instagram. They promised a mixed race band of rap, punk and metal with subversive lyrics. They released a couple of singles. A video included a surprise appearance by Barker who is producing along with Feldmann. They signed with Roadrunner Records and the 2018 EP Made An America was released. The single Made an America reached #21 on the Mainstream Rock chart. The video features appearances by Barker and rapper Vic Mensa. Made An America was nominated for a Grammy. This EP is available as a digital download. FEVER 333 has since released the 2019 album Strength in Numb333rs. The political activism is a big part of their music. It remains to be seen if that can work. It's too soon to tell. Having a big star like Travis Barker behind them is a positive. But remember he's not in the band though he and Feldmann write and produce all the songs with Butler. Here's the video for Made An America by FEVER 333. 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Jessica Penne vs Loopy Godinez

Here's the match video of Jessica Penne vs Loopy Godinez from last night's UFC show in Las Vegas. This fight is at Strawweight. Last month Jessica was supposed to fight Hannah Goldy but Hannah tested positive for COVID-19. The fight was rescheduled but Hannah pulled out. Her replacement was LFA Strawweight Champion Loopy Godinez. Loopy is 27 years old originally from Mexico. She now lives in Vancouver and trains at Titan MMA in Coquitlam, BC with coach Ken Tran. I watched her latest fight on UFC Fight Pass. She's a good striker. Jessica last fought in 2017 because of USADA issues. She trains at Alliance in San Diego with Eric Del Fierro. At 5'7", she's tall for a Strawweight. But she's not much of a striker. But she's good in the clinch which leads to takedowns. And Loopy's mistake was allowing Jessica to get her in the clinch. Loopy was winning on the feet in round one. But Jessica was able to win the round on the ground. That round could have been scored a draw but two of the judges scored it 10-9 for Jessica and the third scored it 10-9 for Loopy. Round two was 10-9 for Jessica and round three was 10-9 for Loopy. I scored it 29-28 for Jessica. Jessica won by split decision, 29-28, 29-28, 28-29. Loopy made a very stupid mistake and she needs to not do that again. She beat herself. Enjoy the video! 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Tracy Cortez vs Justine Kish

Here's the match video of Tracy Cortez vs Justine Kish from last night's UFC show in Las Vegas. This fight was at Flyweight. Tracy has gone 3-0 in the UFC since appearing on DWCS in 2019. She also fought for Invicta. She trains at Fight Ready in Phoenix with coaches Santino DeFranco and UFC fighter Frankie Saenz. Justine trains at Black House in Los Angeles. She started out as a Strawweight in the UFC but has moved up to Flyweight. Lately she has been on a losing skid. I though Tracy won round one. Justine was better in round two and Tracy won round three. I scored it 29-28. The judges scored round one for Tracy. Two of the judges scored round two for Justine. And then in round three two of the judges scored it 10-9 for Tracy. So Tracy won by split decision 29-28, 28-29, 30-27. I thought this would be an easier fight for Tracy. But Justine deserves credit for making the fight competitive. For her next fight, we need to see some improvement in Tracy. Enjoy the video! 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Michael Carvin Experience

Artist:Michael Carvin Experience

Song:Autumn Leaves

Album Flash Forward

Jazz drummer Michael Carvin has been an in demand sideman and session musician since the early 70s. He occasionally records as a leader. Flash Forward is his latest album. He was born Dec. 12, 1944 in Houston. His father played drums in local clubs. Carvin learned to play drums at age six. And by age 12 he was playing local clubs and winning drum competitions. He was in Earl Grant's band in the 60s. He moved to Los Angeles in the early 70s to be the house drummer for Motown. He also recorded with Doug Carn, Henry Franklin and especially Jackie McLean. Carvin joined Freddie Hubbard's band in 1973 and moved to New York. Carvin recorded two albums for the Danish label Steeplechase in 1975. The first was Antiquity with Jackie Mclean. The second was The Camel with Sonny Fortune and Cecil Bridgewater. After that Carvin recorded as a sideman for Lonnie Liston Smith, Hannibal Marvin Peterson, Luther Allison, Pat Martino, Hampton Hawes, Billy Hart, Bunky Green, Reggie Workman and Dakota Staton. Carvin recorded four albums as a leader for Muse Records from 1988-94. When Muse closed, Carvin recorded and toured with violinist Billy Bang. He also gives drum clinics across the US. Carvin signed with Motema Music and formed the Michael Carvin Experience for the album Flash Forward. He records standards like Autimn Leaves with young musicians like Keith Loftis on sax, Yayoi Ikawa on piano and Jansen Cinco on bass. At age 76 Carvin is still an in demand sideman and I am sure he will record as a leader again. Here's the video for Autumn Leaves by the Michael Carvin Experience.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Jawsh 685

Artist:Jawsh 685 f/Jason Derulo

Song:Savage Love: Laxed (Siren Beat)

Album:Now That's What I Call Music! 76

Joshua "Jawsh 685" Nanai is a remix guy who lucked into a worldwide chart topper when R&B singer Jason Derulo added vocals to one of his instrumentals. It was called Savage Love. Nanai was born Nov. 5, 2002 in Auckland, NZ. He is of Samoan and Cook Island descent. Jawsh 685 refers to Samoa's calling code. He started recording what in New Zealand is called "siren beats" in high school. They are instrumentals played in the street over speaker systems. It's similar to Reggaeton in Puerto Rico. Nanai posted Laxed to YouTube in 2019. When the song became a viral success, Nanai signed with Columbia Records. When there was buzz about adding a vocal to Laxed, R&B singer Jason Derulo used Laxed as the basis for Savage Love. This was unauthorized. Nanai was already in talks with several singers for a vocal version. Derulo decided to force the issue. At first Nanai resisted but Columbia stepped in and Nanai and Derulo worked out a deal to release Savage Love. It was a worldwide chart topper. Nanai was surprised by the success considering that he created the song in his bedroom after school. He was very pleased when Savage Love became a TikTok dance challenge. Nanai hasn't released an album yet. Savage Love is only available as a digital download. Or you can get it on this Now various artists CD. This record is not in Derulo's discography. Since then Nanai has released a single from what is probably his debut album. He doesn't sing so I expect every song to have a guest singer. Here's the video for Savage Love: Laxed (Siren Beat) by Jawsh 685 featuring Jason Derulo.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Ernie Maresca

Artist:Ernie Maresca

Song:Shout Shout (Knock Yourself Out)

Album:Shout Shout (Knock Yourself Out)

Ernie Maresca was a successful songwriter before he scored a top ten hit with the 1962 single Shout Shout (Knock Yourself Out). He continued to release singles. But he only recorded one album and never charted again. He was born Aug. 21, 1938 in The Bronx, NY. Maresca started out in the doo wop group The Monterays who became The Desires. After Maresca left the group, they became The Regents and they scored a big hit with Barbara Ann. Maresca's big break came when his demo for No One Knows got the attention of Dion DiMucci and Dion and the Belmonts had a hit with it. He continued to have success when Dion went solo. Maresca wrote Runaround Sue and The Wanderer. Edward Kassner offered Maresca a record contract with his label Seville Records. Maresca told Kassner that he wasn't much of a singer. Kassner didn't care. Maresca wrote Shout Shout (Knock Yourself Out). It was his third single and it reached #6 on the Billboard Hot 100. It's basically Runaround Sue with new lyrics. So listeners probably thought it was a Dion record. The backup vocals were by the doo wop group The Del-Satins. It was produced by session guitarist Billy Mure who recorded instrumental albums as Supersonic Guitar. The album was recently reissued by Jasmine Records. Though Maresca continued to record, he never charted again. By the 70s Maresca worked for Laurie Records until he sold their back catalog to EMI in 1992. He continued to work for EMI administrating Laurie's publishing. Ernie Maresca died on July 8, 2015 at age 76. Here's a video for Shout Shout (Knock Yourself Out) by Ernie Maresca.

The Big Topic in WMMA

Bellator and UFC review and preview and a look at Anthem's purchase of Invicta. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Elmo & Patsy

Artist:Elmo & Patsy

Song:Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer

Album Now That's What I Call Christmas!

I don't normally write about Christmas songs at this time of year. But the 1984 single Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer sold ten million copies. It's probably the most successful Christmas novelty song of all time. The guy behind it is veterinarian Dr. Elmo Shropshire. He was born Oct. 26, 1936 in Lexington, KY. He earned his Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine at Auburn University. He started out as a veterinarian at Aqueduct and Belmont race tracks in New York. Then he moved to San Francisco and opened a hospital. He started playing banjo in a bluegrass band in his spare time. While playing a December 1978 show in Lake Tahoe, songwriter Randy Brooks played Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer. After the show, Shropshire asked Brooks to make a cassette of the song so he could learn it. Obviously Shropshire loved the song. He released a single in 1979 and sold it on stage. Eventually it became popular enough that Shropshire re-recorded it and released a 1982 album on Oink Records as Elmo & Patsy. Patsy was his wife at the time. Epic Records came calling and re-released the single and album in 1984. It didn't have great chart success but it became a Christmas perennial. And Dr. Demento played it on his radio show. The song is still popular today. It has sold ten million copies. Elmo divorced Patsy in 1985. Since then he has recorded as Dr. Elmo. He has re-recorded Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer a few times. The original album is out of print. A Dr. Demento Christmas novelty song comp is also out of print. This 2CD various artists budget comp probably has every Christmas song you will ever need. Shropshire is also a competitive runner. He won his age group in the 2019 US National 5K Cross Country Championship. Here's the video for Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer by Elmo & Patsy.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Lit

Artist:Lit

Song:My Own Worst Enemy

Album:Gold & Silver Collection

The 1999 single My Own Worst Enemy was the only chart hit for the alt rock band Lit. Their big problem is they sounded too much like other bands of the era like Offspring and No Doubt. They even toured with a lot of those bands. They didn't distinguish themselves enough to be successful long term. They are still around. Lit is from Orange County, CA. Drummer A. Jay Popoff and bassist Kevin Baldes formed the band Razzle in 1988 while they were in high school. After playing a couple of gigs, A. Jay switched to lead vocals and brought his guitarist brother Jeremy Popoff and drummer Allen Shellenberger. The band name was changed to Stain because they wanted a more hard rock sound. But when they found that name was already in use, the name was changed to Lit. They signed with Malicious Vinyl (a division of the hip hop label Delicious Vinyl) and released the 1997 album Tripping the Light Fantastic. After Malicious lost their national distribution deal, Lit got out out of their contract and after a bidding war, they signed with RCA Records. My Own Worst Enemy was the first single from the 1999 album A Place in the Sun. It topped the Billboard Alternative Airplay chart for eleven weeks and it reached #51 on the Billboard Hot 100. The Popoff brothers wrote all of Lit's songs. A. Jay says My Own Worst Enemy is based on some of his own bad behavior including getting arrested for public nudity. Jeremy Popoff's guitar riff that kicked off the song probably helped. The video was shot at a bowing alley because Lit were big fans of the film Kingpin. The song received the Modern Rock Track of the Year at the 1999 Billboard Music Awards. The album was certified Platinum. The main criticism of Lit was they were similar to bands like Offspting. I could see how listeners would have heard My Own Worst Enemy but didn't know who recorded it. Not being distinctive enough is a major failing. After three albums, Lit left RCA and they have recorded for their own label since then. This comp covers the RCA years. Sadly Allen Shellenberger died of brain cancer July 26, 2008. Lit continues to record and tour. They even tried to record a country album a few years ago. Here's the video for My Own Worst Enemy by Lit. 

Frank Pozen's Big Bad Podcast

Wrestlemania week review and Bellator and UFC review and preview. 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Rhea Ripley vs Asuka

Here's the match video of Rhea Ripley defending her RAW Women's Championship against Asuka from last night's episode of RAW. Before this match, Charlotte Flair returned and cut a lengthy heel promo about not being on Wrestlemania. As I think most fans know, Charlotte had COVID-19. She recovered but the WWE chose not to have her on Wrestlemania so she could whine about it afterwards. Obviously she was going to inject herself into the title picture. The match was OK. Rhea messed up three times on a move where she hoists Asuka on her shoulders and drops her on her face. Even when she actually did the move, she messed it up. I wonder how nervous Rhea is under all that bravado and taunting. After trying a DDT to the floor that didn't go well. I think Rhea may have stumbled. The move was executed much better on Sunday. They waited for Charlotte to show up. And she laid both of them out. So obviously this will lead to a three way match at Backlash. Of course Charlotte's return was expected. But her promo was way too long and it's not like they have to try to make her a heel. Fans think she's privileged because of her dad. She is hated regardless. Enjoy the video!

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Donna McKechnie

Artist:Donna McKechnie w/Baayork Lee and Margo Sappington

Song:Turkey Lurkey Time

Album:Inside the Music

Turkey Lurkey Time from the 1968 Broadway show Promises, Promises caused a sensation when it was performed on the 1969 Tony Awards broadcast. The best known of these three dancers is Donna McKechnie. She won a Tony for playing Cassie in the 1975 show A Chorus Line. She had a long relationship with Michael Bennett who choreographed both shows. She was born Nov. 16, 1942 in Pontiac, MI. She began ballet classes at age five and the 1948 film The Red Shoes inspired her to become a professional dancer. Donna's parents were not happy when she moved to New York at age 17. She made her Broadway debut in the 1961 show How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying where she met legendary choreographer Bob Fosse and his wife Gwen Verdon who was the lead dancer in that show. It was while Donna was a featured dancer on the NBC show Hullaballoo that she met Bennett and they eventually married. He choreographed the 1968 show Promises, Promises and Donna was featured in Turkey Lurkey Time. Donna danced Tick Tock Time in the 1970 show Company. And of course she won a Tony for A Chorus Line. All three dancers in this number became choreographers. Baayork Lee also appeared in A Chorus Line but then became a choreographer. Margo Sappington appeared in one other show and then became a choreographer. After being diagnosed with arthritis in 1980, Donna was forced to give up dancing. She has done some TV, most notably a 1970 run in the cult TV show Dark Shadows. She also did a medley of her hits on her one woman show Inside the Music. This is available on CD. She is healthy enough where she has returned to performing occasionally. But mostly she teaches dance at HB Studio and choreographs shows. Here's Donna McKechnie, Baayork Lee and Margo Sappington performing Turkey Lurkey Time on the 1969 Tony Awards broadcast. 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Rhea Ripley vs Asuka

Here's the match video of Asuka defending her RAW Women's Championship against Rhea Ripley from last night's Wrestlemania. The only reason the WWE was doing this match is Charlotte Flair got COVID-19 and wasn't available. I'm not a fan of newcomers winning titles out of nowhere. The build for both women's title matches was piss poor. I like Bianca and Rhea but I don't think either should have won. Rhea comes out to her theme performed live by a singer I have never heard of. I hate the song anyway and the live version was worse. If you like Screamo, great. It's not for me. Asuka is wearing all new gear except for her usual red Nike running shoes and t-shirt. The match was fine. It was competitive. The one big move had Asuka hitting a DDT from the apron to the floor. That's a new move but it was never supposed to be a finisher. That will get many YouTube views. There was too much Rhea taunting Asuka and Asuka's reaction to it. There was plenty of time wasted. After Asuka wasn't able to get the Asuka Lock on Rhea, I knew that was it. Rhea's Riptide, which is basically a powerbomb and it was over. Rhea has her Wrestlemania moment. Congratulations. But let me ask you this. When is Asuka getting her Wrestlemania moment? Look, she's going into the WWE HOF the moment she retires. Of course she should have got her Wrestlemania moment in 2018 but Vince McMahon couldn't make up his mind. And since then Charlotte Flair doesn't understand why fans hate her. That match is the reason. If Asuka wins that match, no one would care about last night's match. She deserves that Wrestlemania moment. The match is pretty good so enjoy the video.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Engelbert Humperdinck

Artist:Engelbert Humperdinck

Song:After the Lovin'

Album:Gold

The 1976 single After the Lovin' was one of two top five pop hits for crooner Engelbert Humperdinck. Release Me was the other top ten hit. That's probably his signature song. Most of Humperdinck's success was in the easy listening market. He was born Arnold George Dorsey May 2, 1936 in Madras, India. His father was an officer in the British Army. His family moved to Leicester, England when Humperdinck was ten years old. Part of his club act was an impersonation of Jerry Lewis. That got him the name Gerry Dorsey. After a stint in the Army, Humperdinck released a couple of singles that went nowhere. And then he was ill with tuberculosis. Things weren't going too well in Gerry Dorsey's music career until he got together with his former roommate Gordon Mills. He managed pop singer Tom Jones. Mills suggested the name change to 16th century German composer Humperdinck. I guess he thought Gerry Dorsey was bland. Mills got him a deal with Decca. Release Me was Humperdinck's first single in 1967. It topped the British charts and reached #4 on the Billboard Hot 100. After that Humperdinck continued to have chart success mostly in easy listening. It was enough to get him his own variety show in 1969. This continued in the 70s until he left Decca for Epic for the 1976 album After the Lovin'. The single reached # 8 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was the most played song in jukeboxes in 1976. And Humperdinck was nominated for a Grammy. Most of the album including the single After the Lovin' was produced by veteran producers Charlie Calello and CBS house producer Joel Diamond. The song was written by the team of Alan Bernstein and Ritchie Adams. Adams was a Brill Building songwriter. He co-wrote the 1961 Bobby Lewis classic Tossin' and Turnin'. Humperdinck wasn't as successful after that. He left Epic in 1985. This 2CD comp from Universal's Hip-O label has original recordings of Release Me and After the Lovin' Beware of cheap knockoffs. Humperdick currently records for his own label. He had a significant stint with the Italian label Ariola in the 90s. Here's Engelbert Humperdinck performing After the Lovin' on the Tony Orlando and Dawn Show 1976. 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Mackenzie Dern vs Nina Nunes

Here's the match video of Mackenzie Dern vs Nina Nunes from yesterday's UFC show in Las Vegas. This fight is at Strawweight. Mackenzie is on a three fight winning streak. She is a BJJ world champ. So obviously her ground game is great. Her striking has been sub par. But she is now training with Cris Cyborg's coach Jason Parillo and he has already made improvements. Nina Ansaroff is now calling herself Nina Nunes. She just had a  baby with Amanda Nunes. Despite two years of inactivity, she was still ranked number five. She probably should have been removed from the rankings last year. This is why no one takes UFC rankings seriously. The ranking is based on an upset win over Claudia Gadelha. That was three years ago. She would not be ranked if it wasn't for that fight. The high ranking makes Nina look like an elite fighter when she isn't. The fight was over the moment Mackenzie took Nina down and established top position. She has so many little tricks and Nina tried to fight her off but couldn't. There was ten seconds remaining in round one when Mackenzie secured an armbar and that was it. The dominant win did not surprise me. Nina was never that good. A likely next opponent would be the winner of the upcoming Carla Esparza vs Yan Xiaonan fight. Yesterday we may have seen the emergence of Mackenzie Dern as an elite fighter. Enjoy the video! 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-The Mighty Mighty Bosstones

Artist:The Mighty Mighty Bosstones

Song:The Impression That I Get

Album:Let's Face It

The Mighty Mighty Bosstones are a mix of Jamaican ska and punk. It's known as ska-core. The 1997 single The Impression That I Get was their biggest hit. As a WWE fan who also knows music, I am asked about Sami Zayn's theme music all the time. His theme is ska which was invented in Jamaica in the 60s. Ska underwent a revival in the 70s through British groups like The Specials. And The Mighty Mighty Bosstones revived ska in the 90s. They are from Boston. Lead singer and main songwriter Dicky Barrett was a member of The Cheapskates. Bassist Joe Gittleman was a member of the punk band Gang Green. They decided to form The Mighty Mighty Bosstones which is a Boston reference. Other members were Tim "Johnny Vegas" Burton on sax, Nate Albert on guitar, Josh Dalsimer on drums, Tim Bridwell on trumpet and dancer Ben Carr. Barrett was a big fan of the British label 2 Tone and ska groups like The Specials and The English Beat. So he wanted to emulate that music. It was a good idea because no one else was doing it at the time. After releasing a couple of albums independently, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones signed with Mercury Records in 1993. They brought producer Paul Q. Kolderie with them. By this time Dalsimer was replaced by Joe Sirois and Bridwell was replaced by Dennis Brockenborough on trombone and Keven Lenear on sax. The Impression That I Get is from the 1997 album Let's Face It. It was their third album for Mercury, The single topped the Modern Rock chart and the album was certified Platinum. This would turn out to be The Mighty Mighty Bosstones' greatest success. Universal released a couple of comp CDs that are out of print. Let's Face It is available on CD. They faded after this. I think the 1998 sale of PolyGram to Universal may have hurt them. They were moved to Island Def Jam for the 2000 CD Pay Attention. They left Universal and released the 2002 album A Jacknife to a Swan on the indie label SideOneDummy. Then they went on hiatus. They returned in 2007 and they continue to tour and they just signed with Hellcat Records. A new album will be released in May. Here's the video for The Impression That I Get by The Mighty Mighty Bosstones.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Dervish

Artist:Dervish

Song:Siesta Set

Album:Spirit

Fans of traditional Irish music will enjoy Dervish who have been around since the 90s. They are a big deal at home but unknown elsewhere. Dervish was called Boys of Sligo when they formed in 1989. They are from Sligo, Ireland. Brian McDonagh plays mandolin. He also produces so I would say he's the leader. Other members were Liam Kelly on flute and tin whistle, Shane Mitchell on accordion, Michael Holmes on bouzouki and Martin McGinley on fiddle. After one album as Boys of Sligo, they added singer and bodhran player Cathy Jordan. McGinley was replaced by Shane McAleer. They changed their name to Dervish and they record for their own label Whirling Discs. Most of their albums have been released in thr US by Compass Records. Tom Morrow replaced McAleer in 1999. Siesta Set is from the 2003 album Spirit. Morrow wrote it but it's supposed to sound like a traditional Irish reel. It's typical of their music. For their 2019 album The Great Irish Songbook, Dervish signed with Rounder Records. Special guests include Steve Earle, Andrea Corr, Vince Gill, Rhiannon Giddens and Abigail Washburn. It looks like Rounder is trying to expand Dervish's traditional fanbase. Here's Dervish performing Siesta Set at the 2016 BirminghamTrad Festival in Ireland.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-The Flys

Artist:The Flys

Song:Got You (Where I Want You)

Album:Holiday Man

The alt rock band The Flys scored a top five alt rock hit with the 1999 single Got You (Where I Want You). You may have heard the song in the 1998 film Disturbing Behavior. The Flys recorded three albums and split up in 2002. The Flys were from Los Angeles. Lead singer and songwriter Adam Paskowitz was in the band Mozart. Guitarist Peter Perdichizzi and bassist James Book were also in Mozart. Drummer Nick Lucero was in the band Masters of Reality. The rapper is Paskowitz' brother Joshua Paskowitz. The Flys were a mix of alt rock and post grunge. After releasing one album, they signed with Trauma Records for the 1998 album Holiday Man. Their big break came when Got You was used in the 1998 film Disturbing Behavior starring Katie Holmes and James Marsden who appear in the video. The video went into heavy rotation on MTV. Got You reached #5 on the Billboard Alternative Airplay chart. I think the song's success was because of the movie and video. I think it's a song that folks have heard but don't know who recorded it. The Disturbing Behavior soundtrack is too expensive so I recommend the Holiday Man CD. The Flys split up after the 2000 album Outta My Way. Paskowitz went on to the band Jetliner. Lucero joined the band Mob Research. Here's the video for Got You (Where I Want You) by The Flys. 

The Big Topic in WMMA

UFC review and preview and Bellator review and preview. 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Raquel Gonzalez vs Io Shirai

Here's the match video of Io Shirai defending her NXT Women's Championship from last night's NXT Takeover show. I have been telling you guys for weeks that if Io loses, she's off to the main roster. So that's what will happen. The match was great except for some questionable and formulaic creative decisions. Thumbs up to both women. Raquel may be the most improved wrestler in the WWE. They showed Sarray with Stephanie McMahon at ringside. Dakota Kai came out with Raquel. The match was Raquel slamming Io but not able to put her away. And Io doing crazy things. Questionable booking decision number one. Having Dakota interfere so early in the match. The ref caught her and tossed her out. This would have been more dramatic at the end of the match. Plus Sarray could have gotten involved. Io said in an interview with BBM Sports that she has spent a lot of time with Sarray recently as they live in the same neighborhood in Orlando.  After Io hits a moonsault on the ramp, she lays Raquel out and then disappears. This happens in all her matches. Where's Io? She climbs to the top of the skull on the set and hits a cross body on Raquel. She takes her back to the ring and hits her moonsault. Raquel kicks out. And that's questionable creative decision number two. The main complaint I heard about this match was the finish was flat. That's because kicking out of finishers is a formula that deflates fans. I knew Raquel would win after she kicked out. HHH should know better than that. And sure enough, After a couple of powerbombs, Raquel won the match. The finish was anti climactic because it was formulaic. Afterwards, HHH was coy about whether Io was moving to the main roster. But the WWE posted a farewell to Io video that can be viewed on YouTube. Be sure to check out this match as it is pretty great.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Sr. Bikini

Artist:Sr. Bikini

Song:Fuera Ropa

Album:Surf Extremo

Fans of the popular instrumental band Los Straightjackets will want to check out Sr. Bikini. Like Los Straitjackets, Sr. Bikini plays instrumental surf music. And also like Los Straitjackets, Sr. Bikini performs on stage under lucha masks as a tribute to Mexican wrestling. The differences are Los Straitjackets are from the Nashville studio scene. So we know who is under the masks. They started wearing the masks on a whim and it caught on. Sr. Bikini are from Mexico City. The musicians are identified as Big Mascara on guitar, Star Krill on bass and Mascara del Mar on drums. They have never performed without the masks so I don't know who they are. Surf Extremo was their 1999 debut album. It's available as a digital download. They got some buzz when they covered Jewish Princess for a Frank Zappa tribute album. They mostly play in Mexico. To celebrate their 20th anniversary in 2019, they released a live album. And they also sell merchandise on their Facebook page. They certainly have a cult following. Fans of instrumental surf music should check them out. Here's Sr. Bikini performing Fuera Ropa. This was posted on their Facebook page.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Roberto Roena

Artist:Roberto Roena

Song:Yo Soy de Ley

Album:Greatest Hits

Percussionist Roberto Roena is best known for his many years with the Fania All Stars. But he also led a very successful band in the 70s. And he worked frequently as a sideman. He was born Jan. 30, 1940 in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico. Roena and his brother Cuqui started out doing dance routines in their neighborhood. After the family moved to Santurce, They refined their dance act and appeared on the WKAQ weekly TV show La Taberna India. Percussionist and bandleader Rafael Cortijo taught Roena to play the bongos. Roena was 16 years old when he joined Cortijo's band Cortijo y su Combo. He was in that band for seven years dancing and playing the bongos. After that band's lead singer was arrested for drug possession, Cortijo formed a new band El Gran Combo. After Cortijo moved to New York, Roena joined that band. After two years, Roena started Roberto Roena y Su Apollo Sound. The name was a tribute to Apollo 11. That band first recorded in 1970. Roena joined the Fania All Stars in 1973. And he has been a long time member of that band. He also signed with Fania Records. So while touring with the Fania All Stars, Roena also recorded and toured with his own band. Yo Soy de Ley is from his 1980 album Que Suerte He Tenido de Nacer.. The lead singer is Carlos Santos who was in other bands before he joined Apollo Sound in 1978. The song was written and arranged by pianist Lenny Prieto. You'll notice in the video that Roena is running around the stage occasionally picking up the bongos or a cowbell. This budget comp is a good intro to Roena's music and it is available as a digital download. Though salsa faded in popularity in the 80s, Roena continued to record and perform. In 1990, he opened for Sting at a concert at Coliseo Roberto Clemente in San Juan. After celebrating his band's 25th anniversary in 1994, Roena retired soon after. Here's Roberto Roena performing Yo Soy de Ley on a 1979 Puerto Rican TV show. 

Frank Pozen's Big Bad Podcast

Asuka, Kana Watanabe, WWE NXT Takeover, Wrestlemania and UFC previews. 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Shayna Baszler and Nia Jax vs Rhea Ripley and Asuka

Here's the match video of Shayna Baszler and Nia Jax vs Rhea Ripley and Asuka from last night's episode of RAW. This was set up at last week's contract signing. This is typical lazy booking before a title match. It's a meaningless timewaster. The narrative is Rhea wants to attack Asuka before the title match. It's clear that Asuka doesn't trust her and doesn't want to team with her. So just when Asuka is beating Shayna up, she goes to the top rope and Rhea ambushes her. Of course this leads to the finish. What the WWE is trying to do is sell Rhea as overconfident knowing that Sunday will be a different story. So check out the video for yourself and I'll see you on Sunday. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-The Pyramids

Artist:The Pyramids

Song:Penetration

Album:Hard Rock Cafe: Surf

Not to be confused with the doo wop group of the same name, The Pyramids scored a top 20 pop hit in 1964 with Penetration. Supposedly this was the final surf rock instrumental hit before The British Invasion. The Pyramids formed in 1961. They were students at Poly High School in Long Beach, CA. The members were Skip Mercier on lead guitar, Willie Glover on rhythm guitar, Tom Pitman on sax, Steve Leonard on bass and Ron McMullen on drums. They started playing local clubs. This got them a manager and eventually a deal with London Records. Steve Leonard wrote Penetration. It was on the B-side of the 1963 single Here Comes Marsha. But as sometimes happens, DJs preferred Penetration and flipped it over. It was rereleased as the A-side and Penetration reached #18 on the Billboard Hot 100. This was followed by an album. In his book Surf & Hot Rod Music of the 60s: Collectors Quick Reference, Duane Cozzen claims that Penetration was the final surf instrumental hit before the British Invasion took over the music business. The Pyramids appeared in the 1964 film Bikini Beach starring Frankie Avalon and Annette Funichello. You can get Penetration on this Rhino various artists budget CD. Mercier, Glover and Leonard continued to play local clubs. Here's The Pyramids performing Penetration on American Bandstand Mar. 28, 1964. Dick Clark makes a big deal about the band's hairdos. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Culture

Artist:Culture

Song:Why Am I A Rastaman

Album:Reggae Anthology: Natty Dread Taking Over

Culture was a popular reggae group in the late 70s known for strong Rastafarian content in their songs. After they split up in 1981, lead singer Joseph Hill continued to record as Culture. And after his 2006 death, his son Kenyatta Hill continues to lead Culture. Joseph Hill was born Jan. 22, 1949 in Linstead, St. Catherine, Jamaica. He grew up singing in church. He became a Rastafarian after he left home and moved to Kingston. Hill started out in the Studio One house band Soul Defenders. Hill formed The African Disciples in 1976 with his cousin Albert "Ralph" Walker and Roy "Kenneth" Dayes. The name was changed to Culture and they recorded for producer Joe Gibbs. Their debut album Two Sevens Clash featured the title song which predicted the apocalypse would happen on July 7, 1977. That song was very successful. Culture left Gibbs and signed with Virgin Records. After Culture split up in 1981, Hill continued to record as Culture. He was really a solo artist. He hired studio musicians to record and he hired musicians for touring. Why Am I A Rastaman is from the 2000 album Humble African. Sly & Robbie play on this album. They worked a lot with Hill. Marcia Griffiths and Morgan Heritage make guest appearances. Joseph Hill died on Aug. 19, 2006 at age 57. He collapsed after a show in Berlin, Germany. Hill's son Kenyatta Hill was already touring with Culture. He continues to lead the band. This 3CD comp covers Culture's entire run. Here's Culture featuring Kenyatta Hill performing Why Am I A Rastafarian 2018.