Is NEO spreading itself too thin?

Nanae Takahashi defended her NEO Singles & NWA Pacific Titles against Yuki Miyazaki at NEO's Mar. 8 Korakuen Hall show. Of course it was overshadowed by Haruka Matsuo's surprise retirement announcement. It doesn't help that no one believes that Miyazaki could ever win. Playing it straight for one match doesn't erase ten years of bad comedy. Miyazaki got the upper hand when she pounded Takahashi outside the ring. But the turning point came when Miyazaki's moonsault was foiled by Takahashi's knees. Takahashi hit a couple of lariats for the win at 21:06. Yoshiko Tamura will challenge for the title on May 5. Kyoko Inoue won over Hiroyo Matsumoto with the cyclone clutch at 16:24. Fuuka & Ray won over Kana & Natsuki*Taiyo when Ray used a hurricanrana on Natsuki at 11:41.

The other title match on the show had Kyoko Kimura & Atsuko Emoto defending the NEO Tag Team Titles against Yoshiko Tamura & Ayumi Kurihara. When I look at the pics of this match, I wonder when Tamura became so ineffectual. Kurihara really took a pounding. I know what NEO is setting up though I don't expect it to be as effective as they think but it makes me wonder what happened to Tamura. The match begins with Tomoka Nakagawa distracting Tamura & Kurihara and that gave Kimura & Emoto control. They concentrated on isolating Kurihara with heel tactics. Beating up a cute girl is a sure way to get heel heat. They wind up outside the ring Kurihara comes off the top rope. While Emoto slams Tamura into the arena wall, Kimura busts Kurihara open with a sharp piece of wood. Kimura continues to grind away at Kurihara and even bites her in the forehead. Tamura finally gets a bit of revenge but isn't all that effective. Just when it looks like Tamura & Kurihara are turning the tables, Nakagawa slams them both with a chair. Kimura nails Kurihara with the Big Boots but Tamura breaks up the pin. Emoto finishes her with the Bay Crash at 22:14. For May 5, NEO plans to bring in Mima Shimoda and reunite LCO to challenge for the titles. Been there, done that.

Haruka Matsuo's match on this show was a 15 minute draw against Yumi Ohka. So here's someone who doesn't even get wins in her home fed and Matsuo isn't allowed to beat her on a NEO show. It was a back and forth affair and neither of rhem came close to winning. It's pretty clear that NEO backstage wrangling is the primary reason for Matsuo's retirement. A match like this was a microcosm of her situation. Other matches had Etsuko Mita over Tomoka Nakagawa with the death valley bomb at 6:23, Aya Yuki, Hikari Shida & Tsukasa Fujimoto over Sakura Emi, Toshie Uematsu & Hamuko Hoshi when Yuki used a German suplex on Hoshi at 9:57 and Tanny Mouse over Aoi Kizuki with the European clutch at 5:01. Fans have been wondering why so many Ice Ribbon wrestlers are appearing on NEO shows. NEO is running a lot of shows to the point where it looks like they're spreading themselves too thin. The weirdest is the two out of town shows they're running on Mar. 29. They need two rosters for those so they will use several Ice Ribbon wrestlers. They also have a busy Golden Week coming up and they announced their annual Hokkaido tour. That's why the Genki & Matsuo retirements are a problem because it forces NEO to depend on too many outside wrestlers. I'd like to see them cut back on their schedule but I don't see Koda doing that.

Yahoo LAUNCHCAST Song Of The Day-Teitur

Artist:Teitur
Song:Sleeping With The Lights On
Album:Poetry & Aeroplanes




Danish singer songwriter Teitur Lassen probably shouldn't have been on a major label in the first place. When Universal Music was disappointed with his 2002 debut Poetry & Aeroplanes, he left and started his own label. He was born 1977 in the Faroe Islands which are in the North Atlantic. They are a province of Denmark. He moved with his family to Copenhagen at age 17 and got the attention of former BMI executive Christian Ulf-Hansen who became his manager. Teitur was working as a fulltime songwriter before signing with Universal and releasing Poetry & Aeroplanes in 2003. It was produced by veteran British producer Rupert Hine. Teitur toured aggressively to support the album but it didn't sell. John Mayer was someone Teitur opened for and he thought it was one of the best albums of the year and blamed Universal for having no vision for Teitur's career. I think he's one of those hidden gems and I like to feature that sort of thing on the blog. Teitur announced on Apr. 20, 2006 that he was leaving Universal and starting his own Arlo & Betty label with Ulf-Hansen. They are distributed by the Danish label Playground Music. His latest CD The Singer was released Feb. 2008. So check out the video for Sleeping With The Lights On by Teitur.

My interview with Sarah Kaufman

The major concern that many women's MMA fans have about Strikeforce is they're going to turn it into the Gina Carano show. Strikeforce has also picked up Sarah Kaufman's contract and some fans have suggested that she is a possible future challenger for Gina. But the 23 year old from Victoria, BC normally fights at 135lbs. Her record is 7-0 with all TKOs. Of course the problem is Sarah has only fought in Canada to this point so a lot of fans aren't familiar with her. But that will soon change with her US debut on the Apr. 26 Palace Fighting Championships show in California. So what about Strikeforce? I asked Sarah about that and many other things in an exclusive interview. And for those who haven't had the opportunity to see Sarah in action, I have posted video of her very entertaining match against Ginele Marquez from Oct. 2007.




Q: Fans want to know how you got into MMA. I read that you have a dance background and got into martial arts by accident. Please elaborate.




A: I never planned on getting into MMA..or even martial arts. I started dancing when I was 2 and continued for the next 17 years. I was in a dance company by the time I was 8, and couldn’t imagine doing anything other than dance. I did ballet, tap, jazz, hip hop, musical theatre...pretty much every form out there. It wasn’t until I was 17, that I started Muay Thai.



Adam Zugec happened to open ZUMA directly under my dance studio, so I thought I would give it a try with a friend. My friend didn’t show up, but I went and immediately fell in love with training. Because I was already committed to dance, school, and work, I could only fit in 1 class per week for the first year...but then I started to cut down on dance and add more classes into my schedule. From there, the next progression was to try out my hand in some small competitions, then when Adam thought I was ready, I had my first professional MMA fight.





Q: So now you're an instructor at Zuma. Do your students know who you are?



A: I teach lots of different classes at ZUMA, and many of the students know that I have done quite well in my MMA fights. I’m not a very good self-promoter, and I fight for myself instead of the recognition, so I don’t tend to bring up my fighting during casual conversations. Because of this, most people who come in to try out classes don’t know that I fight professionally, but usually find out at some point and think it’s really neat.





Q: When did you decide to get into professional MMA? Was it difficult to get promoters in Canada to give you a chance?



A: My first professional MMA fight was in June 2006. We had a promoter call us up and ask Adam if I wanted to take a fight against Liz Bader (then Posener). Adam said yes, which I’m sure he might now regret since I’m constantly bugging him about when my next fight is...LOL. After my first fight, it wasn’t too bad finding Canadian organizations willing to have me fight for them. I fought for KOTC a few times, then was the first women’s fight in both Winnepeg (UCW) and then TKO.





Q: You were in the first women's match in TKO and you also won a title belt in Hardcore Championship Fighting. The high of that win was tempered by the demise of HCF soon after. Any idea what happened there? I understand the owners had personality issues as opposed to money issues.



A: It was really hard for me to accept that HCF was closing down. They were very supportive of women’s MMA, and treated me really well. HCF didn’t make special rules for the women, or force us to do anything differently than the males in the sport. After defending the title, we were told that HCF was going through some changes...for the good. I’m not sure what happened, but the investors that were planning on coming in didn’t, and HCF went under.





Q: So how did EliteXC find you?



A: We had spoken with Elite XC before I signed with HCF, or maybe around the same time, but chose to go with HCF. Once HCF went under, it was quite a process, but we got in contact with Elite and signed a contract not too long after.





Q: They had scheduled a match for you against Kaitlin Young when they closed. Though it was well known that they were losing millions, it must have been a big shock. What were your thoughts at the time?



A: Honestly, when I first signed with Elite, I knew they were in trouble and would likely go out of business. I NEVER would have guessed that they would stop putting on shows less than 3 weeks before I was supposed to fight Kaitlin. I had hoped that I would have gotten to fight at least once for them, to at least get my name out there a bit more before they went under.





Q: So like a lot of EliteXC fighters, you were in contract limbo. Then you signed a three fight deal with Palace Fighting Championships in California. How did that come about?



A: I think my management, EPIC Fight Management, was originally contacted by PFC to have me fight Erin Toughill. I didn’t want to go up that high in weight, but we kept in contact and signed the 3-fight contract not long after.





Q: Of course then Strikeforce bought the EliteXC assets and picked up your contract. How did you find out about that?



A: Once PFC made the announcement that I had signed with them, someone from Elite (I’m not sure who exactly) contacted my management to let him know that they were getting ready to sign a new deal. We didn’t know any details, but knew that it was a possibility. Then, I read a press release that my contract had been picked up...and that’s when I knew for sure.






Q: Say what you will about EliteXC but it was obvious that they intended to have several weight classes in the women's division and they didn't sign you to face Gina Carano. They signed you to be the star of your weight class. Fans are concerned that Strikeforce is interested only in Gina Carano. The upcoming fight between Cristiane Santos & Hitomi Akano feeds into that somewhat because most fans don't know anything about Akano. She's fought in several weight classes including 145. What has Strikeforce told you and what are your thoughts about moving up to 145? Personally, I don't think you should do it. They should accomodate you.



A: As far as I know, I will be fighting at 135lbs when I fight for Strikeforce. The fight between me and Kaitlin was scheduled for 135, and that’s the weight that I like to fight at. I think there are so many talented women at my weight, that there really isn’t a need to move up to find fights. The only reason to move up would be if there were no other women to fight at 135, or if it was an extremely good opportunity. Unfortunately, sometimes you do have to go where the money/ fights are, but I hope that my permanent home is 135lbs.





Q: I read last week that Strikeforce has agreed to allow you to fulfill your PFC contract and your first fight will be on April 23. How did that come about and does that mean Strikeforce doesn't have plans for anyone but Gina vs Cyborg?



A: I’m not entirely sure on the full details, but I believe that Strikeforce has agreed to let me fight for PFC, as long as the PFC fight doesn’t interfere with my scheduled fight with Strikeforce. I did sign with Elite XC and then PFC, so my first commitment is to Strikeforce (nee Elite). I definitely think that Strikeforce is trying to bring more ladies into the open...it appears that many of the contracts they chose to pick up were for women in the lower weight categories. Both Gina and Cyborg are very talented, but it will be great to have more women getting to fight on some visible cards...and not just on the undercard!





Q: Maybe fighting for PFC will open Strikeforce's eyes and establish you to the point where they'll build a 135lb weight class around you. Any idea who you will be fighting in PFC? Is there anyone you would like to fight?



A: I think there are so many women fighting at 135lbs that are extremely talented. I also don’t believe that anyone needs to have a weight class built around them. If a woman deserves to be at the top, she will prove it, and she will get there. I am in no rush. I don’t actually know anything about the girl I am scheduled to fight for PFC, but I’m sure she’ll come ready to fight. For me, I just like to fight, and I hope to be able to fight some of the better established fighters (Shayna, Tara, Roxanne, Tonya), when the time is right. Again, I am in no rush.





Q: You're 23 now. How long do you plan to keep fighting. And of course I have to ask you if you're interested in going to Japan. I'd love to see you fight the legendary pioneer of women's MMA Megumi Yabushita.



A: I have no plan for how long I will keep fighting. I will continue to train and fight until I no longer enjoy it. I will go anywhere to fight, so if I get a fight in Japan, I’ll go to Japan!





Q: The Cyborg/Akano match is scheduled for three three minute rounds. Strikeforce owner Scott Coker has said that the California State Athletic Commission mandates that women's MMA matches must have three minute rounds. But the CSAC has said that it is a promoter's decision and your fights for PFC will be five minute rounds. What are your thoughts about five minute rounds in women's MMA and have you talked to Strikeforce about this discrepancy?



A: I think you may be mistaken, PFC only has 3 min rounds...for everyone, even the guys. I am all for 5 min rounds. There is no reason why women need to fight 3 min. Except for my first fight, all have been 5 min...with my last 2 fights scheduled for 5 5min rounds. Unfortunately, if the organizations are only willing to have 3 min rounds, I’ll have to take it. I would rather fight 3 min than 0 min...but 5 min would be even better. I hope that enough fighters, commentators and fans will make enough noise to eventually change the promoters’ decision, but until then, I will just keep training and fighting.





Q: Do you have anything to say to your fans around the world? Now is the time to plug your sponsors, your trainers and your dojo.



A: I would like to thank everyone who has supported me thus far: Adam Zugec (my awesome coach), all my training partners at ZUMA, Epic Fight Management, Tyler Goodale and anyone else I may have forgotten (sorry). I would also like to encourage any woman even slightly interested in fighting/ training to try it out and don’t let anyone discourage you. For the current and future WMMA fans, look out for me in the future...I hope to make a big statement with my fighting.

Yahoo LAUNCHCAST Song Of The Day-Mac Wiseman

Artist:Mac Wiseman
Song:By The Side Of The Road
Album:Voice Of The Spirit, The Gospel Of The South



Mac Wiseman is one of the all time greats of country and bluegrass music. He's probably underrated because he's not a pretty boy. Someone once said he had the voice of Gene Vincent but the looks of Ernest Tubb. He was born May 23, 1925 in Crimora, VA. He started out as a radio announcer in 1944 and sang with Buddy Starcher. He started working with Flatt & Scruggs and recorded a single with Bill Monroe in 1949. He started leading his own band in the 50s and had his first top ten country hit with The Ballad Of Davy Crockett in 1955. He went more towards mainstream country after he signed with Dot Records in 1957 and had a top ten country hit with Jimmy Brown The Newsboy in 1959. He moved to Capitol in 1962 and then signed with RCA when he moved to Nashville in 1969. He had a hit with Johnny's Cash And Charley's Pride but by the mid 70s, RCA had dropped all their bluegrass artists. A lot of these artists were picked up by CMH Records co-owned by guitarist Arthur "Guitar Boogie" Smith. Wiseman recorded bluegrass for CMH for several years. Voice Of The Spirit is a 2006 various artists CD on Dualtone Records produced by John Carter Cash. He's the son of Johnny Cash & June Carter and Johnny recorded his final song on this CD. There are other interesting artists on the CD so check it out. Mac Wiseman's latest CD is a duet album with John Prine called Standard Songs For Average People released Apr. 2007 on Prine's Oh Boy label. Here's Mac Wiseman performing Jimmy Brown The Newsboy & Tis Sweet To Be Remembered on Austin City Limits.

Yahoo LAUNCHCAST Song Of The Day-Cliff Eberhardt

Artist:Cliff Eberhardt
Song:Will You Ever Love Again
Album:School For Love




Singer songwriter Cliff Eberhardt has been touring since he was a teen. He grew up in the Philadelphia suburb of Berwyn, PA. He taught himself to play guitar, piano, bass & drums and started hanging around local folk clubs. Cliff and his brother Geoff started touring as a duo as teens. by the late 70s, he had moved to New York and worked folk clubs through the 80s while driving a cab. He started doing studio work and singing jingles. Eberhardt's big break came when Richie Havens took him on tour. This led to a contract with Windham Hill and his 1990 debut The Long Road featuring a duet with Havens. After a couple of CDs on Shanachie, Eberhardt moved to Red House Records in 1997 and still records for them. Will You Ever Love Again is from his 2002 CD School For Love and should be of interest to folk fans. He's a strong vocalist and an excellent songwriter. Eberhardt took a couple of years off after a serious car accident but he returned with the 2007 CD The High Above And The Down Below. He is currently on tour as part of Red House Records' 25th Anniversary tour. Here's Cliff Eberhardt performing Bye Bye Blackbird on Front Porch Concerts in 2006.

Was that a TNA PPV or an episode of Impact?

Apparently that was the main problem with last night's TNA Destination X PPV. Other than the last two matches, it was a thirty dollar episode of Impact. Of course I have video of the Knockout matches so you don't have to pay thirty bucks to see them. The show led off with Angelina Love, Velvet Sky & Madison Rayne vs Taylor Wilde, Roxxi & The Governor. It's not like it was horrible but why was it on a PPV? The feud is just getting started. So it was a time waster with a very abrupt finish. But as always, Taylor brought some good energy to the match. She has star power but she's been poorly booked. The Governor was barely in the match and for some reason Kip wasn't at ringside. Of course the other match had Awesome Kong defending the TNA Knockouts Title against Sojourner Bolt. I hate that name so I'm going to call her Josie. Josie is a very good wrestler with some personality but is she going to turn heel again next week? It's ridiculous. Again, this was a nothing special match not worthy of a PPV. And Josie even botched a couple of moves. How could TNA expect any fan to be interested in this match? They also had the Win A Date With ODB nonsense. It was a setup of course as the guy who won is a Canadian wrestler already under TNA contract. I couldn't be bothered watching this wretched crap. And the sad part is this isn't the worse stuff TNA is doing right now. But check out the matches for yourself.

TNA Destination X 2009 1/18 - MyVideo

TNA Destination X 2009 8/18 - MyVideo

Yahoo LAUNCHCAST Song Of The Day-The Counts

Artist:The Counts
Song:Darling Dear
Album:The Doo Wop Box II




Here is another doo wop classic from Rhino's 4CD The Doo Wop Box II. Darling Dear was a national top ten hit in 1954. The interesting thing about The Counts is even after they faded, they continued to perform for decades without any personnel changes. That's very unusual. The Counts were high school students from Indianapolis. They were Chester Brown (lead tenor), Robert Penick (first tenor), Robert Wesley (second tenor), Robert Young (baritone) and James Lee (bass). Young wrote all their songs. They were originally called the 5 Diamonds and performed in talent contests in Indianapolis. They were introduced to record distributor Mel Herman. He became their manager and took them to Dot Records head Randy Wood. Upon signing with Dot, the group name was changed to The Counts. Darling Dear was recorded with sax player Jimmy Cole leading the backup band. The song reached #6 on the national R & B charts in Mar. 1954. The reason for this is that Dot had national distribution while a lot of doo wop classics were on small labels that didn't have national distribution. The Counts went on tour but none of the follow up singles did well so Dot dropped them in early 1956. The Counts never recorded again but continued to perform locally in Indianapolis for many years. They have also been known as The Masters and The Original Counts. The group finally ended when Robert Young died in 2001. But it was always the same five guys. It's yet another forgotten doo wop classic. Here's a video for Darling Dear by The Counts. Thanks to Harry Alexander for the video and Marv Goldberg for the info about The Counts.

Tara LaRosa to fight Mar. 29

Women's MMA superstar Tara LaRosa has a fight coming up Mar. 29 for Extreme Challenge against Sally Krumdiak. I'll talk about that in a moment but first I finally got my hands on a video of Tara's match against Alexis Davis from January. Tara was idle for quite a while and admitted to some ring rust. That big AFL contract sure seemed like a good idea at the time but that hasn't turned out so well. As I'm sure you heard, Tara won the fight by TKO in the third round. She won the fight anyway. Canadian Alexis Davis was unknown but she turned out to be a tough opponent. Tara won round one. She tagged Alexis and then kept her down for the rest of the round. But Alexis came back in round two and seemingly had Tara in trouble with a guillotine choke. Tara said afterwards she wasn't in trouble. I agree with that but Alexis scored enough points that Tara really had to take control in round three. She did that and the ref stopped the fight due to a cut to Alexis. I expect Tara's next fight to be a little easier. Sally Krumdiak is from Seattle and her record is 5-1. Her background is in Muay Thai and she hasn't fought anyone nearly as accomplished or experienced as Tara. Her last win was over Val Coolbaugh at the June 28 MAX MMA show in Toppenish, WA. This is uncharted territory for Sally Krumdiak. Can Tara LaRosa get back to the top? Sure. She's one of the best fighters anywhere. After Strikeforce owner Scott Coker concentrates on signing Gina Carano, he should look at Tara. She's a money fighter and he can build a lighter weight division around her. And though Tara would like to fight Gina, I wouldn't do that. So enjoy rhe fight. BTW, the commentary is horrible. If you're going to do a live broadcast, hire professionals instead of your brother-in-law.
Alexis Davis vs Tara Larosa

Yahoo LAUNCHCAST Song Of The Day-R.L. Burnside

Artist:R.L. Burnside
Song:Goin' Down South
Album:Too Bad Jim




Robert Lee Burnside is another Misissippi Delta bluesman who was discovered late in life. He was born Nov. 23, 1926 in Oxford, MS. For the most part, he was a farmer who played at parties on weekends. He learned to play guitar from Mississippi John Hurt. The Burnside family moved to Chicago in the early 50s but Burnside's mother, father and uncle were all murdered and he moved back to Mississippi in 1959 and returned to farming. He served six months for a murder conviction when his boss pulled strings to get him a short sentence. Burnside recorded for Arhoolie in the 60s but music was mostly a part time gig until he was discovered by Fat Possum Records. Fat Possum was owned by Living Blues Magazine owners Peter Redvers-Lee & Matthew Johnson and their mission was to rediscover forgotten bluesmen. Too Bad Jim was his first studio CD in 1994 and was produced by music critic Robert Palmer. It's very basic Mississippi juke joint blues. Burnside got a lot of attention when he toured with Jon Spencer in the 90s. His son Duwayne plays guitar with the North Mississippi All Stars, his other son Garry plays bass and grandson Cedric plays drums. R.L. Burnside had heart surgery in 1999 and his health continued to decline until his death on Sept. 1, 2005 at age 78. Garry & Cedric continue to record as Burnside Exploration. Here's R.L. Burnside performing Rollin' & Tumblin' in the mid 90s.

Yahoo LAUNCHCAST Song Of The Day-Leo Kottke

Artist:Leo Kottke
Song:The Train And The Gate
Album:The Instrumentals: The Best Of The Chrysalis Years




Leo Kottke is the master of the twelve string acoustic guitar. His technique and musicianship has earned him a loyal fanbase and this comp is a perfect introduction to his music. He was born Sept. 11, 1945 in Athens, GA and moved around a lot as a child. Kottke was a big fan of Mississippi John Hurt. A mishap with a firecracker caused hearing loss and that resulted in him being discharged from the Naval Reserves. He wound up playing the coffee house circuit in St. Cloud, MN and his 1969 debut album got the attention of another guitar whiz. So John Fahey released Kottke's second album 6 & 12 String Guitar on his Takoma label and that led to a contract with Capitol Records. But Capitol tried to turn Kottke into a singer songwriter. Kottke has described his singing voice as "geese farts on a muggy day". That didn't work so Kottke moved to Chrysalis Records in 1976. Though Kottke had to change his picking style due to tendinitis, it hasn't slowed him down. He built his fanbase performing at folk festivals and his Chrysalis albums sold well enough to keep him there until 1983. This comp is from those years. The Train And The Gate is from his 1980 album Live In Europe. Kottke moved to the RCA owned Private Music in 1983. Private was RCA's attempt to emulate the very popular new age label Windham Hill. He has recorded there ever since. His most recent CD is a duet album with Phish bassist Mike Gordon called Thirty Six Steps released on RCA in 2005 after Sony BMG closed Private in 2004. I suspect we'll see him record on his own label in the future. Guitar fans should check out Leo Kottke. Here's Leo Kottke performing The Train And The Gate on German TV in the early 80s.

Meet Jackie Mikalsky

Here's a promotional video for an upcoming fight on the Mar. 20 The Fight Club show in Edmonton. The video is about Jackie Mikalsky. Her record is 0-1 and her loss was to Megan Williams at the Dec. 5 PFC show. Her opponent is Gina Mazany. Gina is from Alaska and her debut was a win over Violeta Rodriguez at the Aug. 20 Alaska Fighting Championships show in Anchorage. Hey, promoters! Do a promo of your female fighters and send me the link at frankp316@rogers.com and your fighter could wind up on the #1 female fight blog in the universe. Good luck to both fighters.

WAVE announces tag team title

Pro Wrestling WAVE held a press conference yesterday at Colosseo to announce the TLW Young Woman's Tag Team Championship and the accompanying. What is TLW? Damned if I know but they claim that it's based in San Francisco. Chickfights is in that neighbourhood but I don't see any gaijin wrestlers in this tournament so it could be nonsense. There will be eight teams in this tournament. The matches will be a 15 minute time limit and both teams are eliminated if there's a draw. The tournament is supposed to be for young wrestlers and with one exception that's what we get. The first round matches will be at the Mar. 20 Osaka World Pavillion show. The matches are The Shirai Sisters vs Kyoko Kimura & Mikado. Kimura is 31 so she doesn't really belong in this. Mikado is the big girl in MAKEHEN. Apple Miyuki & Cherry will face Kana & Chiharo Oikawa. That should be an interesting team. Moeka Haruhi & Tomoka Nakagawa will face Kayo Fujimori & HARU. Shuu Shibutani & Ayumi Kurihara will face Hanako Kobayashi & Misaki Ohata. One semi final match will be at the Mar. 25 Shin-kiba 1st Ring show and the other will on the Apr. 4 Shin-kiba 1st Ring show. The final will be on the Apr. 29 Shinjuku FACE show. Shibutani & Kurihara seem like the likely favourites to win this tournament.

Sakura vs Mogi cancelled

The scheduled fight on today's GCM Demolition show at Shin-kiba 1st Ring between VALKYRIE matchmaker and Sakura was cancelled. Apparently Mogi wasn't feeling well. Well, that's what happens when you're running a company. You feel sick most of the time. This picture is Sakura in the ring addressing the crowd. She said she was very disappointed as she has trained very hard. Of course she called out Mogi but it's likely that Sakura will have a match on the Apr. 25 VALKYRIE show but probably against a different fighter. Maybe Mogi should stick to running VALKYRIE for now.

Yahoo LAUNCHCAST Song Of The Day-Elvis Costello & The Imposters

Artist:Elvis Costello & The Imposters
Song:The Delivery Man
Album:The Delivery Man



Elvis Costello started out as one of the leaders of the new wave movement of the 70s. But over the years his music became more diverse and included stabs at jazz and classical composition. Costello signed with PolyGram in 1998 and when Universal Music bought PolyGram in 1999, they moved him to Island but he has also released classical music on Deutshe Gramaphone. In 2001 he was named artist in residence at UCLA. He reformed his band The Attractions as The Imposters and released When I Was Cruel in 2002. He married jazz singer Diana Krall in 2003 and released North in her honour. He also worked on Krall's 2004 album The Girl In The Other Room. And his first orchestral composition Il Sogno was performed in New York and an album was released in 2004. Through all this, he found time to go to Oxford, MS and record a tribute to the American South called The Delivery Man. It was probably his best album in several years and was released on Universal's Lost Highway label. This 2CD Deluxe Edition includes an EP of live versions of several of the songs called The Clarksdale Sessions. It is recommended to long time Costello fans. Elvis Costello is still a busy boy with Diana giving birth to twin sons in 2006, his Sundance Channel variety show and a new album called Secret, The Profane and Sugar Cane coming out shortly. Here's Elvis Costello performing The Delivery Man on Later With Jools Holland 2004.

Yahoo LAUNCHCAST Song Of The Day-Milton Nascimento

Artist:Milton Nascimento
Song:Vera Cruz
Album:Amigo




Milton Nascimento is one of the all time greats of Brazilian music. His ethereal voice has transcended Brazil and he has a rabid fanbase all over the world. He was born Oct. 26, 1942 in Rio de Janiero. His mother was a maid and died when he was a toddler and he was adopted by the family she worked for. His father was a banker but he also owned a radio station and Nascimento was a DJ as a teen. He moved to Belo Horizonte and his big break came when pop singer Elis Regina recorded one of his songs in 1966. This led to a TV appearance in Brazil and Nascimento recorded his debut album in 1967. He's been recording and touring ever since. His big break outside Brazil came when he appeared on jazz sax legend Wayne Shorter's 1974 album Native Dancer. He has also appeared with Paul Simon, Quincy Jones, James Taylor, Peter Gabriel and he even wrote a song for Duran Duran in 1993 and toured with them in Brazil. Amigo is a 1996 collection of Nascimento classics recorded live with a full orchestra and choir arranged by veteran Brazilian arranger Nelson Ayres. Vera Cruz was originally recorded in 1969. Milton Nascimento's latest CD Novas Bossas was recorded with descendents of the great guitarist Antonio Carlos Jobim and was released on EMI Mar. 2008. He's a fabulous performer and if you've never seen him, here's Milton Nascimento and orchestra performing Nos Bailes da Vaida 1996.

K-1 to start women's division

The hybrid kickboxing MMA company K-1 held a press conference yeaterday to announce that they are starting a women's division. And to herald this announcement, K-1 producer Sadaharu Kanigawa announced that the first women's match will be on the Mar. 20 show in Seoul, Korea. Kanigawa said they haven't decided what the women's division will be called or the start date but it will start in 2009. The decision to do this was influenced by the popularity of women's kickboxing and by the celebrity status of amateur women's wrestling champs Saori Yoshida & Kyoko Hamiguchi and Kanigawa's recent encounter with them. The match in Korea will have 23 year old Korean Lim Su Jeong (pictured) against 17 year old shoot boxer REINA. Lim has a 19-5 Muay Thai record with 8KOs and has been a South Korean Bantamweight Champion. She is also an actress and recently appeared in the 2008 film Ong Bak 4: Chocolate. REINA is a regular in Shoot Boxing. So obviously they are playing to the Korean fans. Kanigawa said this is just the beginning and K-1 has ambitious plans to bring in fighters from all over the world. This could be a significant move in the Japanese fight business. K-1 was likely influenced by the success that the similar company M-1 has had with their women's division. It is also fueled by the popularity of women's kickboxing companies like J-GIRLS & Shoot Boxing. Also there have been rumours in the past about MMA companies like DREAM looking to start a women's division but maybe K-1's involvement could encourage those companies to pull the trigger. This could be a very positive development for the women's fight business in Japan.

Yahoo LAUNCHCAST Song Of The Day-Ben Kweller

Artist:Ben Kweller
Song:Commerce, TX
Album:Sha Sha




Singer songwriter Ben Kweller has built his fanbase on the slacker vibe of this 2002 debut CD. He seems to be headed in a more country direction. He was born June 16, 1981 in San Francisco and grew up in Greenville, TX. His doctor father is long time pals with E Street Band guitarist Nils Lofgren and Lofgren encouraged Kweller to write songs at a very early age. Kweller formed the group Radish in 1993 and Lofgren helped them get a contract with Mercury Records. Radish was a victim of the 1999 Universal takeover of Polygram. Radish split up and Kweller moved to New York and started performing in clubs. He released some EPs and Evan Dando of The Lemonheads invited him on tour. When he came back, he signed with Dave Matthews' ATO label. The 2002 Sha Sha was his debut CD and presents Kweller as a slacker. His albums have sold well and Kweller is a very popular live act. His latest CD Changing Horses was released last month and takes Kweller in a country direction with pedal steel guitar and other country music trappings. It should be interesting to see how this plays with his established fanbase. Here's the video for Commerce, TX by Ben Kweller which definitely plays into the whole slacker thing.

Yahoo LAUNCHCAST Song Of The Day-Larry Davis

Artist:Larry Davis
Song:Goin' Out West Parts 1 & 2
Album:Box Of The Blues




Most music fans are probably familiar with Stevie Ray Vaughan's recording of Texas Flood. But they probably don't know that the song was written and originally recorded by guitarist Larry Davis. Davis was a veteran sideman who was finally getting noticed as a solo artist when he died in 1994. He was born Dec. 4, 1936 in Kansas City, MO and grew up in Little Rock, AR. He started out in the mid 50s playing bass with guitarist Fenton Robinson. They signed with Don Robey's Duke label on the recommendation of Bobby Bland. Texas Flood was one of three singles released before they were dropped. Davis became a studio musician and bass player for Albert King. King taught him to play guitar. He recorded some singles for Virgo in the late 60s and a 1972 motorcycle accident left Davis paralyzed on the left side. He recorded a couple of albums in the 80s but finally got his big chance when Ron Levy signed him to Bullseye Blues. Goin' Out West is from Davis' 1992 CD Sooner Or Later featuring the Memphis Horns. It's also part of this 4CD various artists box set from Rounder. But just as things were looking up, Larry Davis died of cancer on Apr. 19, 1994 at age 57. It's too bad it took him so long to get noticed. He was an excellent guitarist. Here's Larry Davis performing in the early 90s.

Fuuka celebrates 5th anniversary

Fuuka celebrated her 5th anniversary on Feb. 22 with two shows at Shin-kiba 1st Ring. Why two shows? It's called "soak the suckers". Some idiots get annoyed with me because I won't give Fuuka any credit. I agree that she's improved in five years. She doesn't suck as bad and has improved her technical skills. But she still comes to the ring, especially in big matches, like she's going to a tea party and has a bad habit of stinking out shows very badly. She doesn't have to improve her mental attitude anymore because she's the biggest star in joshi today and fans aren't going to Fuuka Matsuri shows for the wrestling. Other than the two main events and the matches featuring special guest Sarah Stock, most of the matches were comedy matches. But maybe you want to see Fuuka dance and sing. She came out at the start of the first show in a wedding dress and then danced in a pink cheerleader outfit complete with pompoms. Before the second show, she came out in that pink Darth Vader outfit she wore in her shoot boxing match and danced in a gold outfit. Later she came out to sing with her group Panic Power with RICA and the Shirai sisters. If you read this blog, you see the kind of music I listen to. So I've never cared much for this part of the joshi business.

The main event in the first show had Fuuka teaming with Nanae Takahashi against Yoshiko Tamura & Haruka Matsuo. Of course Matsuo & Tamura heeled it up and beat up Fuuka until Takahashi turned things around and Fuuka got the win over Matsuo with the F-Doll at 19:51. The second show main event had Fuuka against Kyoko Kimura in a match with with strange rules. It was divided up into rounds where the first round was by pinfall and round two was by submission. Normally you would expect Fuuka to win but Kimura is a top heel so it's a strange situation. Not surprisingly, it turned into a draw. Kimura controlled the first round with rough tactics and won with the Big Boots. In the second round, Fuuka used kicks (something she's actually pretty good at) to wear down Kimura until she hooked an armbar submission to win the round. Round three was more back and forth. Fuuka tried a top rope splash but Kimura got her knees up and then softened Fuuka up with footstamps. But it ended in a draw. So at least Kimura didn't lose.

Sarah Stock came over from Mexico to appear in these two shows. She worked for Hiroshi Ogawa when Ogawa owned A To Z in 2005. Her match on the first show was against the masked high flyer Ray. From what I read on blogs, Ray couldn't keep up with Sarah and Sarah won with the tiger driver at 9:56. It appears the match on the second show was better. Sarah teamed with Azumi Hyuga vs Tojuki Leon & Fuuka Kidd (Kaori Yoneyama). Sarah did some nice work with Leon. The two seemed to work very well together. The highlight of the match was probably Sarah's plancha from the top rope to the outside. Fuuka Kidd tried to roll up Sarah for the pin but Sarah turned it into a cross arm breaker for the win. Other matches on the first show were Shuu Shibutani over Misaki Ohata with a German suplex at 11:35 and Fuuka Kidd & Riho over Sakura Emi & Bullfight Sora when Riho rolled up Sora. This was a comedy match. On the second show, Mio Shirai & Natsuki*Taiyo defeated Aoi Kizuki & Io Shirai when Mio used the purple flash on Io and Bullfight Sora won over Small Antonio Inoki in another comedy match.

Yahoo LAUNCHCAST Song Of The Day-Howlin' Wolf

Artist:Howlin' Wolf
Song:Dust My Broom
Album:Alan Lomax Blues Songbook




Howlin' Wolf was one of the most popular bluesmen of the 60s and a primary rival to labelmate Muddy Waters. Wolf was a fierce vocalist and he was over six feet tall and weighed 300 pounds. So he was an imposing figure on the bandstand. He was born Chester Arthur Burnett June 10, 1910 in West Point, MS. The Howlin' Wolf name comes from Chester's reaction to his grandfather's scary stories. Chester was all set to be a farmer like his daddy when he met his idol legendary bluesman Charley Patton and copied Patton's vocal style. Wolf started getting attention when he recorded for Sun Records in 1951. This led to a move to Chicago and a contract with Chess Records. He had several hits in the 50s that are now considered classics and his success continued in the 60s. He even appeared on the TV show Shindig in 1964 when the Rolling Stones insisted on paying tribute to him. I'm not sure of the source of this version of the Elmore James classic Dust My Broom but guitarist Hubert Sumlin and sax player Eddie Shaw are on it so I would guess it was recorded in the mid 60s. There are several Howlin' Wolf comps available on Chess and this various artists comp is good for beginners. Howlin' Wolf's health started to fail in the early 70s with several heart attacks and he died on Jan. 10, 1976 at age 65. He was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame in 1991 and even has a US postage stamp. Howlin' Wolf was a legend of the blues and his music is essential listening. Here's Howlin' Wolf performing Dust My Broom in the 60s.

Dr. Rosi Sexton signs with Bellator Fighting Championships

Sam Caplan of Five Ounces Of Pain reports that British fighter Dr. Rosi Sexton (pictured) has a four fight deal with a new promotion called Bellator Fighting Championships. She will face Jessica Aguillar on their April 3 debut show in Hollywood, FL. Who is Bellator? The company is owned by Bjorn Rebney & Brad Epstein. Rebney is best known as an agent for boxers Sugar Ray Leonard & Oscar De La Hoya. Epstein is a veteran film producer. The matchmaker is Matt Stansell. He is a former King Of The Cage Welterweight Champ, a coach in the defunct IFL and is an agent for MMA fighters. BFC has a TV deal with ESPN Deportes, not the main ESPN network. They will tape the show on Friday night and it will run on Saturday. It is not known if the show will run on international ESPN affiliates or anywhere else. Of course Dr. Rosi Sexton is one of today's top MMA fighters. If you're wondering about the "Dr." part, she has a PhD in computer science. So she's smarter than you and she'll kick your ass. Rosi's record is 9-1. She was under contract to EliteXC and her most recent fight was a split decision over Debi Purcell on the Aug. 15 ShoXC show. This was probably the 2008 fight of the year in women's MMA. Strikeforce chose not to pick up her contract probably because she's not from Southern California. Jessica Aguilar is 5-2 and most recently won over Angela Magana on the Mar. 22, 2008 WFC show in Tampa. The fight is at 120lbs which is Jessica's usual weight. Rosi usually fights a little heavier but has fought at 120 in the past. It's no big deal. Rosi is always in top shape and well prepared. According to the Bellator website, they are planning to run weekly shows. Certainly we want another place for women to fight but that's an awfully ambitious schedule.

Haruka Matsuo announces retirement

Haruka Matsuo announced at today's NEO Korakuen Hall show that she plans to retire on May 5 at age 27. The announcement was a big shock to fans in attendance but she posted her reasons for retiring on the NEO blog and it's clear that she thought she was getting nowhere in her wrestling career. She's a pretty girl and a decent but inconsistent performer. She can rise to the occasion but doesn't always do that. She's another example of a wrestler who was in main events by default because a lot of today's wrestlers are worse than her. But if you put her in the 90s heyday of joshi, she never would have got past midcard. So she seems better because of the poor state of today's joshi business. Matsuo's primary reason for retiring appears to be a direct result of her poor run with the NEO Singles Title. She says on the NEO blog that she decided to retire after she lost the belt to Kyoko Inoue last year but when Misae Genki announced her retirement, she decided to delay retirement. Matsuo gave it one last shot for the NEO belt against Nanae Takahashi on Dec. 31. But the loss confirmed her decision to retire. The main problem with her title run was she was booked very poorly as a weak champ. Many fans told NEO President Koda that Matsuo wasn't championship material. He defended the decision on the blog and proceeded to book Matsuo as poorly I've seen any champ booked. So if you like Matsuo and you want to blame someone, he's the guy. Matsuo said that when she started in joshi, she planned to retire at age 25 but decided to delay that until 30. So I guess it's time to get out while she's still healthy. It hurts NEO because though Matsuo was doing jobs, those jobs were in the upper midcard. I suppose they're hoping that Passion Red will fill that gap but it means that NEO is depending a lot on freelancers.

Yahoo LAUNCHCAST Song Of The Day-Country Joe & The Fish

Artist:Country Joe & The Fish
Song:Rock & Soul Music
Album:Woodstock: Music From The Original Soundtrack And More




With their anti Vietnam war songs and counterculture appeal, Country Joe & The Fish were a very popular band for a couple of years in the late 60s. And they are probably best remembered for their appearance at Woodstock. The group was led by singer songwriter Country Joe McDonald (born Jan. 1, 1942 in Washington, DC) and guitarist Barry "The Fish" Melton (born June 14, 1947 in Brooklyn, NY). McDonald grew up in the Los Angeles suburb of El Monte and his father named him after Joseph Stalin. After McDonald finished a stint in the US Navy in 1964, he moved to Berkeley and started performing and getting involved in political protests. He had a group called the Instant Action Jug Band and that's where he met Melton. They went through various lineups but eventually Country Joe & The Fish signed with folk label Vanguard. They were very successful and The I Feel Like I'm Fixing To Die Rag got them the most attention. By the time they played Woodstock, the group was on its last legs. But their performance is memorable and the Woodstock soundtrack is available in this 2CD set. McDonald has recorded solo over the years and Melton went on to form the group Dinosaurs. He's a criminal defense attorney and is currently public defender in Yolo County, California. Here's Country Joe & The Fish performing Rock & Soul Music at Woodstock 1969.

Yahoo LAUNCHCAST Song Of The Day-The Bodeans

Artist:The Bodeans
Song:She's A Runaway
Album:Joe Dirt Car




The Bodeans could be classified as either rock or country. I guess they're a roots rock band with a significant following in the country market. The band started in Waukesha, WI by high school pals Sammy Llanas (born Feb. 8, 1961 in Waukesha) and Kurt Neumann (born Oct. 9, 1961 in Waukesha). Both are singer songwriter guitarists. Bob Griffin was on bass and Guy Hoffman was on drums. The Bodeans were very popular on the Milwaukee music scene and got the attention of producer T-Bone Burnett and signed with Slash Records in 1985. Burnett produced their 1986 debut CD Love & Hope & Sex & Dreams. She's A Runaway was their first single. The album got critical acclaim but was not a hit. Jerry Harrison of Talking Heads produced their second CD Outside Looking in and The Bodeans got some attention for their live act when they toured with U2. Hoffman left and was replaced by Danny Gayol and keyboard player Michael Ramos was added. The Bodeans gained some fans when their song Closer To Free was used as the theme song for the TV show Party Of Five. It reached #16 on the Billboard Hot 100 and is their biggest hit to date. Joe Dirt Car is a 2CD live set and they are a strong live act. It's a very good album. The Bodeans left Slash after their 1996 CD Blend. Llanas & Neumann recorded solo but reformed in 2004. Their latest CD is Still was released in Mar. 2008 on their own He & He label. The Bodeans are recommended to roots rock fans. Here's the video for She's A Runaway by The Bodeans.
The BoDeans - She's A Runaway

Next VALKYRIE show on April 25

VALKYRIE announced today on their blog that VALKYRIE 02 will happen on Apr. 25 at Differ Ariake. That means they're going to use the cage again. The scheduled start time is 2PM. Nothing has been announced yet but my guess is a CAGE FORCE show will follow the VALKYRIE show as it did in November. On its own, I have doubts that VALKYRIE can fill Differ Ariake. Of course that's the problem with using the cage. They can't use a smaller venue like Shinjuku FACE. It really puts VALKYRIE behind the eight ball and forces GCM to be impatient. No fights have been announced yet but Yuka Tsuji, Naoko Ohmuro, Roxanne Modafferi and Kyoko Takabayashi will appear on the show. I expect a press conference in a couple of weeks.

Yahoo LAUNCHCAST Song Of The Day-Modern Jazz Quartet

Artist:Modern Jazz Quartet
Song:It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)
Album:Dedicated To Connie




The longevity of the Modern Jazz Quartet speaks for itself. They were one of the most popular jazz bands for decades. And the group would still be around if the guys were still alive. The leader was pianist and musical director John Lewis (born May 3, 1920 in LaGrange, IL). Lewis, vibraphonist Milt Jackson (born Jan. 1, 1923 in Detroit), bassist Ray Brown and drummer Kenny Clarke would play together between sets as members of Dizzy Gillespie's big band. They first recorded together as the Milt Jackson Quartet in 1951. Percy Heath (born Apr. 30, 1923 in Wilmington, NC) replaced Brown in 1952 and Connie Kay (born Conrad Kirnon Apr. 27, 1927 in Tuckahoe, NY) replaced Clarke in 1955. And that was the basic lineup for two decades. Jackson was successful as a solo artist and Heath & Kay played a lot of session so MJQ was mostly Lewis' group. They recorded mostly for Atlantic Records. MJQ worked with symphony orchestras and other classical musicians along with guest vocalists and jazz musicians. Jackson left MJQ in 1974 but he returned for reunion recordings and tours. Dedicated To Connie is a 2CD set recorded in Slovenia in 1960 and Atlantic released it in 1995 as a tribute to Connie Kay. Kay was replaced by Mickey Roker when his health started to fail and he died in 1994. Milt Jackson died in 1999. John Lewis died in 2001. Percy Heath died in 2005. But the music of the Modern Jazz Quartet still lives. Here's the Modern Jazz Quartet performing It Don't Mean A Thing in Munich 1988.

Yahoo LAUNCHCAST Song Of The Day-New Lost City Ramblers

Artist:New Lost City Ramblers
Song:The Battleship Of Maine
Album:40 Years Of Concert Performances




If you're a folk music fan, you don't want to overlook the New Lost City Ramblers. They may not have been as commercial as other groups but they are equally significant. The group was formed in 1958 as a tribute to old time folk music of the 20s & 30s. Members were Mike Seeger (born Aug. 15, 1933 in New York City), John Cohen (born 1932 in Queen's, NY) and Tom Paley (born Mar. 19, 1928 in New York City). Of course Mike Seeger is the brother of Pete & Peggy Seeger. The New Lost City Ramblers recorded for Folkways Records which was owned by the Smithsonian Institute. So there were never any commercial pressures put on the group. The goal was to make authentic folk music. Paley left in 1962 and was replaced by Tracy Schwarz (born Nov. 13, 1938 in New York City). Paley has lived in England for many years. This Rounder 2CD comp of live performances is a pretty good intro for beginners as it has recordings spanning many years. The Battleship Of Maine is from 1958. The New Lost City Ramblers have reunited over the years while the individual members do their own music. John Cohen is better known as a documentary filmmaker. Those interested in traditional folk music should check out the New Lost City Ramblers. Here's the New Lost City Ramblers performing Man Of Constant Sorrow on Pete Seeger's Rainbow Quest TV show 1964.

Hitomi Hiraiwa to face Cyborg on Apr. 11 Strikeforce show

Strikeforce announced today that Cristiane Cyborg will face Hitomi Hiraiwa on the Apr. 11 Strikeforce show. This fight is scheduled for three three minute rounds at 145lbs. Of course Cristiane Cyborg is 6-1 and is supposed to be headed for a showdown with Gina Carano. Gina still hasn't signed with Strikeforce. So who is Hitomi Hiraiwa? That's the married name of Hitomi Akano. She trains at AACC in Japan with her partner in crime Megumi Fujii. Both have them are fresh off big wins at the Abu Dhabi Combat Club tournament and the accompanying pic is from Hitomi's win in the final. Her record is 14-5 and her most recent win was over Hari at the Nov. 16 JEWELS show. This should be a very interesting fight for a couple of reasons. Cyborg is known for her punching power. Hitomi Hiraiwa is known as an accomplished grappler. Eleven of her fourteen wins have been by submission. Cyborg has never faced anyone with those sort of mat skills. Though Hitomi normally fights at 135lbs, in Japan she frequently fights in the Open Weight class and therefore faces heavier fighters. Last year she won by submission over the 170lb HIROKO. So the weight thing is not a big deal one way or the other. And though I think the three minute rounds work in Cyborg's favour, I assume that Josh Barnett and Megumi Fujii are considering that when working on Hitomi's strategy. So this fight is not a sure thing for Cyborg. It should be very interesting.

Yasuko Mogi on Mar. 13 GCM Demolilition show

GCM announced today that VALKYRIE matchmaker Yasuko Mogi (pictured) will return to the ring at the Mar. 13 GCM Demolition show at Shin-kiba 1st Ring. It will be a Featherweight bout and her opponent is Sakura. Mogi's record is 4-3 and her most recent fight was a win over Ayumi Takeuchi at the June 26 Shooto show. Sakura is making her pro MMA debut but had an exhibition match on the November VALKYRIE show against Roxanne Modafferi. I think Roxy trained her. GCM owns VALKYRIE, CAGE FORCE & GCM Demolition but the Demolition shows are in a ring as opposed to a cage. The bout is scheduled for three three minute rounds.

Yahoo LAUNCHCAST Song Of The Day-Greg Piccolo

Artist:Greg Piccolo
Song:The Freeze
Album:Blues Guitar Power




Greg Piccolo is best known as the sax player and vocalist for the popular Roomful Of Blues. He has occasionally recorded as a solo artist but usually works as a sideman. He was born May 10, 1951 in Wersterly, RI. He was playing sax with a band called The Rejects at age 13. A couple of years later, he got together with guitarist Duke Robillard and they started Roomful Of Blues in 1970. Robillard was replaced by Ronnie Earl in 1979 and Piccolo became band leader. The group split up in the early 90s and Piccolo went out on his own. The Freeze is a hard driving instrumental from Piccolo's 1990 album Heavy Juice. Robillard is featured on guitar. The album was on the defunct Black Top Records and the song only appears to be available on this budget various artists comp on Easydisc. Piccolo recorded a couple of CDs for Fantasy Records in the 90s. His most recent CD as a leader was in 2000. He still tours blues festivals but has been a regular in Canadian bluesman Colin James' band and most recently was part of Ray Norcia's latest band Sugar Ray & The Bluetones. Here's Greg Piccolo performing Let Me Put My Sugar Ray On You at the 2004 North River Blues Festival in Marshfield, MA Aug. 22, 2004.

Yahoo LAUNCHCAST Song Of The Day-Youssou N'Dour

Artist:Youssou N'Dour f/Neneh Cherry
Song:7 Seconds
Album:7 Seconds: The Best Of Youssou N'Dour




Senegalese singer songwriter Youssou N'Dour is probably the biggest international star ever to come out of Africa. This 1994 hit 7 Seconds got him a lot of attention in North America. He was born Oct. 1, 1959 in Dakar, Senegal. He joined the popular Star Band Of Dakar at age 19 and took them over in a couple of years and renamed them Super E'toile de Dakar. The band started touring Europe in 1984 and then North America. N'Dour's five octave vocal range got the attention of Paul Simon & Peter Gabriel. He appeared on Simon's Graceland album, Gabriel's album So and then toured with Gabriel as his opening act. This led to N'Dour starring in the 1988 Amnesty Interrnational Human Rights Now! tour. Gabriel got him a contract with Virgin Records and his 1989 CD Set was N'Dour's first internationally released CD. In 1991, N'Dour signed with Spike Lee's 40 Acres & a Mule label. 7 Seconds was on his 1994 CD The Guide and to date is his biggest international hit. Neneh Cherry was hot at the time with her hit Buffalo Stance. N'Dour & Cherry wrote the song with Cherry's producer husband Cameron McVey. This Columbia/Legacy comp is a great intro to N'Dour's music for beginners. Youssou N'Dour currently records for Nonesuch Records and his latest CD Rokku Mi Rokka was released Oct. 2007. He's still one of the leading figures in World Music. Here's the video for 7 Seconds by Youssou N'Dour featuring Neneh Cherry.

Dynamite Kansai wins OZ Academy Championship

OZ Academy threw a little swerve into Mayumi Ozaki's defense of the OZ Academy Championship against Dynamite Kansai on the Feb. 22 Korakuen Hall show. Retired JWP wrestler Cuty Suzuki was named Kansai's second. To counter this, Sayuri Kokusho was named Ozaki's second. It's the battle of the TV personalities. All the seconds were handcuffed at ringside. Not that it made any difference. The match went as expected. Ozaki strangled Kansai with the chain. She hung her over the top rope and clobbered her some more on the floor. Kansai got the chain and beat Ozaki and followed with the Splash Mountain. But then the Ozaki Army handcuffs were cut and Police slammed Kansai into a table and busted her open. They proceeded to lynch Kansai and nailed her with a chair several times. Just when it looked like the end for Kansai, the key to the other handcuffs was produced and the Regular Army cleaned house. Kansai put Ozaki through a table but Police broke up the pin. Kansai clobbered Police. Police came back with the desk board and KAORU hits the Excalibur but Kansai kicks out. Ozaki hits Kansai with a light tube. But Tomoka Nakagawa & Chikayo Nagashima take out Police & KAORU. Kansai hits a Splash Mountain, a chair shot and the Green Fall for the win at 27:14. Dynamite Kansai is the new OZ Academy Champion. Afterwards, several wrestlers challenged Kansai for the belt but it appears Kansai was most receptive to Aja Kong.

The other title match had Aja Kong & Hiroyo Matsumoto defending the OZ Academy Tag Team Titles against Chikayo Nagashima & Sonoko Kato. It went back and forth as you would expect. Aja hits a brainbuster on Nagashima for two. But Nagashima & Kato double team Aja followed by Nagashima's diving footstamp. Aja misses her back fist and Nagashima counters with a flying headscissors into a rollup for the win at 12:50. Nagashima & Kato are the new champs. Can they defend them successfully? Manami Toyota defeated Arisa Nakajima with the Japanese Ocean Cyclone Suplex at 6:17. Ran YuYu & Hikaru defeated Takako Inoue & Hiren at 15:35 when Ran rolled up Takako. The match was cut short when Hikaru dislocated her elbow and then they did the finish. Hikaru says on her blog that she'll be back in three weeks just in time for her retirement.

You may recall that Devil Masami gave the Super Heel character to Toshie Uematsu before she retired. Uematsu made her Super Heel debut against KAORU. She looks like the Abominable Snowman. And she wore that furry costume during her match. The match became hand to hand combat when  Uematsu blocked KAORU's desk board attacks with a sword. The end came when KAORU went for the Excalibur and Uematsu turned it into a rollup for the win at 12:35. I guess I have to observe Uematsu's behaviour in this persona. She looks awfully goofy in the costume. Carlos Amano & Tomoka Nakagawa defeated AKINO & Ayumi Kurihara. Amano caught Kurihara on the top turnbuckle and hit a superplex. She followed this with a headbutt, a German suplex followed by the Carlos Ghosn at 19:56. Afterwards, Nakagawa started yelling at Kurihara and the end result is Kurahara has joined the Regular Army. Stay tuned for OZ Academy's secret show.

Yahoo LAUNCHCAST Song Of The Day-Pete Johnson

Artist:Pete Johnson
Song:Roll 'Em Pete
Album:Alan Lomax Blues Songbook




Along with Albert Ammons & Meade Lux Lewis, Pete Johnson popularized boogie woogie piano in the late 30s. He was born Mar. 24, 1904 in Kansas City, MO. He began as a drummer in 1922 but was pianist for Big Joe Turner from 1926-38. Producer John Hammond discovered Johnson and took him to New York to perform in the legendary 1938 Carnegie Hall concert From Spirituals To Swing. He frequently toured and recorded with fellow boogie woogie pianists Meade Lux Lewis & Albert Ammons. This 1939 recording of Roll 'Em Pete is available on a CD called The Boogie Woogie Boys on Document Records. Document is a British label specializing in unearthing long lost jazz & blues recordings. Rounder included it on this 2CD Alan Lomax various artists comp because it is in the Library Of Congress catalog though I don't think Johnson has any connection to the legendary musicologist. Rounder has released several Lomax themed various artists comps that beginners might want to check out. Johnson continued to record in the 40s. He moved to Buffalo in 1950 and continued to tour until he suffered a stroke in 1958 and retired. He made one final appearance at the 1967 From Spirituals To Swing concert. He could only play with one hand. Pete Johnson died on Mar. 23, 1967 at age 62. Boogie woogie fans should check him out. Here's Pete Johnson's only film appearance in the 1944 short film Boogie Woogie Dream with Lena Horne, Albert Ammons & Teddy Wilson.

Emily Thompson to face Erin Toughill on May 16 PFC show

Multiple sources report that Palace Fighting Championships has found an opponent for Erin Toughill for their May 8 show at the Tachi Palace Hotel & Casino in Lemoore, CA. The opponent is Alaskan Emily Thompson. Hopefully this goes better than Erin's last fight. She won but her original opponent dropped out due to injury and Wisconsin native Karen Williams was brought in at the last minute. Erin is looking for a competitive fight and that's not what she got. This happens sometimes in the fight business. Erin's record is 9-2-1. Emily Thompson is 3-0. She started out in 2005 with Alaska Fighting Championships. She moved to California and now works for Nor Cal Fighting Alliance. Her teammate Kyle Pimental will challenge for the PFC Welterweight Title on the same show. Emily's most recent win was over Breanne Vickers at the Apr. 3 Fighting Femmes Fatales show in Los Angeles. She signed a contract with the American Fight League but we all know what happened to those guys. Emily has won all three of her fights with strikes so she obviously likes to be aggressive. Hopefully it's an exciting fight. It's a good opportunity for Emily Thompson.

Yahoo LAUNCHCAST Song Of The Day-The Levellers

Artist:The Levellers
Song:Exodus
Album:Zeitgeist




The Levellers are a mix of folk, rock and Celtic music. They are very popular in England but not as well known in North America. The 1995 CD Zeitgeist has been their biggest seller. They are from Brighton, England. Guitarist vocalist Mark Chadwick and bassist Jeremy Cunningham met at a Brighton pub in 1988 and decided to form a band. Cunningham recruited drummer Charlie Heather. Cunningham thought they needed something to make them sound different and thought a violin would be interesting. So they added violinist Jon Sevink. They also added guitarist Alan Miles. They released an EP in 1989 and then an album on the French label Musidisc. That didn't go well but they were discovered by China Records owner Derek Green. Miles left over money and was replaced by singer songwriter Simon Friend. China Records had distribution with WEA and this led to The Levellers being signed to Elektra in North America. They reached their height of popularity with the 1995 CD Zeitgeist reaching #1 in England. This disenchanted their devoted fanbase who thought they sold out to commercial success and it led to them being less succsessful. That happens a lot to cult bands. WEA International rereleased Zeitgeist in 2007 with bonus tracks. The Levellers have always been political activists with their music and Exodus is no exception. Warners bought China Records in 2000 and after one final CD, The Levellers left the label. They now record on their own label and released Letters From The Underground in Aug. 2008. The Levellers have gone underneath the radar in North America and are worth checking out. Here's the video for Exodus by The Levellers.