Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Kairi Sane vs Aliyah

Here's the match video of Kairi Sane vs Aliyah from this week's episode of NXT. As I did with Asuka, I am posting all of Kairi's matches for fans who don't have the WWE Network. For those not familiar with Aliyah, she's been doing jobs on NXT for a couple of years. She's 22 years old from Toronto and she trained with Rob Fuego at Toronto's Squared Circle Training Center. She's an OK wrestler but she lacks personality. She's of Arabic descent so they tried to give her a gimmick based on that. Now it looks like the WWE doesn't know what to do with her. Aliyah may want to talk to Kairi who has plenty of personality. I guess charisma is a special sauce that can be hard to acquire. Kairi's entrance is already a big event. And of course she can back it up in the ring. The match is about what one would expect. Aliyah gets some offense in. But Kairi takes over and wins with her elbow drop. Kairi will be part of a four way match to crown the next NXT Women's Champion on November's Takeover show. I already know who will be participating but I don't do spoilers. Enjoy the video!

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Gloria Gaynor

Artist:Gloria Gaynor
Song:I Will Survive
Album:20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection: The Best Of Gloria Gaynor




I Will Survive was one of the biggest hits of the disco era. It was also Gloria Gaynor's biggest hit and her signature song. And it became an anthem for the gay community. Gloria Gaynor was born Gloria Fowles Sept. 7, 1949 in Newark, NJ. Her dad played New York clubs in the duo Step 'n' Fetchit. He sang and played ukulele and guitar. Gloria grew up singing in church. She was in the late 60s group The Soul Satisfiers and that's when she changed her name to Gloria Gaynor. She was spotted and signed by MGM Records president Mike Curb. On Wikipedia, it claims she was signed to Columbia by Clive Davis. That "error" is politically motivated. Davis is a Democrat. Curb is a Republican and a former Lt. Governor of California. Gloria scored a top ten hit in 1975 with a cover of the Jackson 5 hit Never Can Say Goodbye. That was produced by Meco Monardo and Tony Bongiovi. Monardo is best known for the disco version of Star Wars. Gloria recorded two albums for MGM and then moved to Polydor. She released two albums but was hindered by health problems. She took a year to recover from a car accident. And her mom died. For the 1978 album Love Tracks, she worked with producers Dino Fekaris and Freddie Perren. They wrote and produced I Will Survive. Perren produced the Jackson 5, The Sylvers and many others. I Will Survive was released on the B-side of the single Substitute. But DJs flipped it over and dance clubs really made I Will Survive huge. It topped the Billboard Hot 100 on 1979. You'll notice there are no background vocals on I Will Survive. The video features a roller skater named Sheila Reid-Pender. She was a member of a Harlem skating group. After this, disco died and Gloria never had another hit. She left Polydor in 1982. You can get all her hits on this budget comp. Gloria Gaynor still tours and records occasionally. But I guess she's a nostalgia act at this point. Here's the video for I Will Survive by Gloria Gaynor.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Kate Nash

Artist:Kate Nash
Song:Foundations
Album:Made Of Bricks





Singer songwriter Kate Nash had success in her native England with her 2007 debut CD Made Of Bricks and the single Foundations. When her music career stalled, she turned to acting and she is currently a regular on the Netflix series GLOW. She was born July 6, 1987 in Dublin, Ireland but she grew up in London. She learned to play piano as a child but she was more interested in acting. Unfortunately, she was unable to get into an acting school. So she worked a couple of day jobs. While recovering from a broken foot, Kate wrote some songs and uploaded them to MySpace. This got her a manager and producer and a single was released in 2007. Then she signed with Polydor's Fiction label. The 2007 album Made Of Bricks was produced by Paul Epworth. Epworth was just getting established at the time but his work with Adele has made him an in demand producer. The single Foundations reached #2 on the British Singles chart. The album topped the British charts. In the US, the album was released on the small Cherrytree label. It never got the promotion needed to go anywhere. Maybe Kate sounded too British. She doesn't hide her accent. Kate toured and also appeared on Later...With Jools Holland. For her 2010 album, My Best Friend Is You, Kate worked with producer Bernard Butler who had recent success with Duffy. The album didn't do as well and there were no hit singles. Polydor dropped Kate and she started her own label. She began to explore acting and she appeared in the 2012 film Greetings From Tim Buckley. Kate released her third album Girl Talk in 2013. She is currently working on a new album which she financed through Kickstarter. Meanwhile, Kate plays Britannica on the Netflix series GLOW. They should be shooting season two of GLOW in the near future. Kate toured England last summer and she has a new album planned. But the success of GLOW could lead to more acting opportunities and less time for her music. Here's the video for Foundations by Kate Nash.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-The SteelDrivers

Artist:The SteelDrivers
Song:Drinkin' Dark Whiskey
Album:The SteelDrivers





I would describe the original version of The SteelDrivers as neo bluegrass because they play their own songs in the traditional bluegrass style. This changed somewhat when founding members Chris Stapleton and Mike Henderson left because they wrote all the songs. The current version of The SteelDrivers performs bluegrass standards. The SteelDrivers were formed in 2007. All are veterans of the Nashville music scene. Lead singer Chris Stapleton was an established songwriter when he started The SteelDrivers. Mike Henderson was Stapleton's frequent songwriting partner who recorded a few albums in the 90s. Fiddler Tammy Rogers also recorded solo in the 90s. But she was mostly a session musician and a long time member of Buddy Miller's band. Mike Fleming was a member of the 80s band Brush Fire. Banjo player Richard Bailey was a member of the Tennessee Gentlemen and the studio group Pickin' On. The SteelDrivers played some bluegrass festivals and signed with Rounder Records. Drinkin' Dark Whiskey is from their 2008 debut CD The SteelDrivers. Stapleton and Henderson wrote all the songs. After the 2010 album Reckless, Stapleton left. He has become one of country music's biggest stars. Henderson left in late 2011 after the album Hammer Down was recorded. It was released Feb. 2012. Henderson released an album in 2014 but he also does session work. They were replaced by Gary Nichols who had released a couple of singles and he had been a sideman. Brent Tuitt was mainly a session musician before joining The SteelDrivers. This new lineup released the album The Muscle Shoals Recordings in 2015. They won a Best Bluegrass Album Grammy for that. They are currently on tour and I would expect them to record a new album when that is done. Bluegrass fans should check them out. Here's The SteelDrivers performing Drinkin' Dark Whiskey at The Loveless Cafe in Nashville on Music City Roots Feb. 6, 2013.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Dreamers

Artist:Dreamers
Song:Sweet Disaster
Album:This Album Does Not Exist





Fans of indie rock may want to check out Dreamers who released their debut CD last year. They had some success on the Alt Rock chart and they may be headed for big things in the near future. Lead singer Nick Wold moved from his home in Seattle to New York to study jazz sax at New York University's Steinhardt School. While in school, Wold was lead singer and guitarist of Motive which included his friend Chris Bagamery on drums. After Motive split up, they met bassist Marc Nelson and formed Dreamers. They released a single which was in rotation on Sirius XM's Alt Nation. Then they released an EP. They were named by Alternative Press as a band you need to know. Then they signed with Fairfax Recordings which is also the home for Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros. Dreamers opened for Stone Temple Pilots on early 2015. They were picked out of 500 bands who submitted entries. Then they moved to Los Angeles and Bagamery was replaced by Jacob Lee Wick. Dreamers recorded the album This Album Does Not Exist with several producers. Wold and Nelson write all the songs. The producer on Sweet Disaster was Frederik Thaae from the Danish group A Kid Hereafter. Sweet Disaster reached #7 on the Alt Rock chart. Dreamers is currently on tour. They have potential to cross over to mainstream pop with their next album. I expect that album to be recorded in 2018. They are already worth checking out. Here's the video for Sweet Disaster by Dreamers.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Stan Getz & Dizzy Gillespie

Artist:Stan Getz & Dizzy Gillespie
Song:It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)
Album:Gold




Of course Stan Getz and Dizzy Gillespie were two of the all time greats of jazz. Before he had mainstream success in the 60s, Getz was an up and comer. Gillespie was older and more established. Gillespie was impressed with Getz and he really wanted to record an album with him. The 1953 album Diz and Getz was recorded right after Gillespie's famed Massey Hall concert. Gillespie had just signed with Verve/Norgran and he thought recording with Getz would make a big splash. Getz was already recording for Verve. The album was recorded Dec. 9, 1953 at Radio Recorders in Hollywood. The band was the Verve Records house band, Oscar Peterson on piano, Herb Ellis on guitar, Ray Brown on bass and Max Roach on drums. The Duke Ellington standard It Don't Mean A Thing kicks off the album and sets a great pace for the rest of the album. Peterson has said that Gillespie really wanted to push Getz and find out what he was made of. The album was very successful. One track on the album, One Alone, was recorded a few months later with a different band featuring Hank Mobley. I don't know why Norman Granz did that. There are enough outtakes from this album that the version available on CD has six bonus tracks and there are bootlegs of the outtakes out there too. I suggest this 2CD Stan Getz budget comp as a good intro to his music. This album was more important for his career anyway. Getz and Gillespie would record together on the 1956 album For Musicians Only also featuring Sonny Stitt on alto sax. And they would cross paths and play one off shows at jazz festivals. Here's Dizzy Gillespie with Stan Getz, Arnie Lawrence, John Lewis, George Duvivier and Shelly Manne performing It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing) at the 1979 Nice Jazz Festival in France. This is on the DVD Jazz Collection: The Legends Series.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Pond

Artist:Pond
Song:Zond
Album:Man It Feels Like Space Again





The Aussie band Pond is a spinoff of Tame Impala. Pond should be of interest to Tame Impala fans because the music is similar. They are from Perth, Australia. Jeff Parker records all of Tame Impala's music in his home studio. He plays all the instruments. His record label asked him to form a band for touring. Nick Allbrook and Jay "Gumby" Watson were in the Tame Impala touring band. Allbrook and Shiny Joe Ryan were with Parker in the band Mink Mussel Creek. When that band split up, Parker started Tame Impala. Allbrook and Watson had no input to Tame Impala's music. So they started Pond with Ryan so they could make their own music. It was only supposed to be a side project. But they had success when they released the 2012 album Beard, Wives, Denim on Modular and they played music festivals in the US. Allbrook left Tame Impala in 2013 to concentrate on Pond. Watson is still in Tame Impala's touring band. The 2015 album Man It Feels Like Space Again was released on the British label Caroline. It was their most successful album to date. They released The Weather in 2017. Pond will be of interest to fans of neo psychedelia. They still work with Parker. He produces their albums. Allbrook and Watson have released solo albums. Pond still seems more like a side project than a full time band. Allbrook seems happy with that. Pond goes on tour in November. Here's the video for Zond by Pond.

KING Reina vs warm body added to Oct. 15 RIZIN show

Today RIZIN held a press conference to announce an opponent for KING Reina Oct. 15 at Marine Messe Fukuoka. The fight will be at 75kg and the opponent will be Crystal Stokes. This is another example of how lack of regulation can hurt a fighter's career. The bottom line is this. RIZIN has exactly zero credible opponents for Reina. But because there is no regulation in Japan, there is no one to slap RIZIN on the wrist and tell them not to do things. A proper athletic commission would never approve Crystal Stokes to fight Reina. Crystal is 38 years old from California. She trains at Team Cyborg. The big problem is this fight is Crystal's MMA debut. And that's why an AC would never allow this fight. Reina is too experienced for her. Crystal is mainly a professional bodybuilder. She has also played football and she was a Marine stationed in Iraq. Training in MMA doesn't make her a fighter. She's a warm body and her purpose is to keep KING Reina from leaving Japan because Reina is a legit draw for RIZIN. Reina didn't seem too thrilled about her opponent but she doesn't think she'll have any trouble with her either. RIZIN also announced that Shinju Auclair will not appear on the Oct. 15 show. She is on the poster. She recently moved from Detroit to San Francisco and she wants to get settled and then get back into fighting. I guess we'll see her New Year's Eve.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Maynard Ferguson

Artist:Maynard Ferguson
Song:Gonna Fly Now
Album:The Essential Maynard Ferguson





Jazz trumpeter Maynard Ferguson was famous for hitting those high notes. He had been doing that since he was in Stan Kenton's band in the 50s. So it was a big surprise when Ferguson scored the only hit single of his career with Gonna Fly Now in 1976. That's right. It's the theme from Rocky. The original was a number one hit. Ferguson's version was a top 30 hit but I think it may be more memorable than the original. Obviously folks confuse the two versions. Ferguson was born May 4, 1928 in the Montreal suburb of Verdun, QC. His parents were musicians and Ferguson was a child prodigy violinist. He picked up the trumpet at age 9 and as a teen he appeared frequently on CBC Radio. After studying at the Montreal Conservatory of Music, Ferguson played local clubs until he moved to Los Angeles in 1948 to join Stan Kenton's band. And that's where Ferguson became famous. He won the Down Beat Magazine Readers Poll as Best Trumpeter for three straight years. In 1953 he left the Kenton band for Paramount Pictures. He also recorded as a leader for Mercury's jazz label EmArcy. So you hear Ferguson in movies like The Ten Commandments. But while working for Paramount, he wasn't allowed to play live gigs in clubs. He left Paramount in 1956 and he signed with Roulette Records to lead the Birdland Dream Band. They toured and recorded successfully until 1966. Ferguson was already involved with Eastern culture and spiritual awakening through his friend Timothy Leary. Ferguson and his wife moved to India in 1967 and then to England in 1969. That's when he got back into recording with Columbia Records. At first he recorded with a British band and he led the house band on LWT's The Simon Dee Show. Then he moved back to New York in 1971 and formed a new band with mostly young musicians. His albums were doing OK but producer Bob James wanted more commercial music. So for the 1976 album Primal Scream, James brought in guest musicians like Chick Corea, Steve Gadd and Eric Gale. Ferguson liked the record but he wanted to use his own band on the next album Conquistador. He got what he wanted except for the recording of Gonna Fly Now. Jay Chattaway arranged and conducted. Guest musicians included Bob James, Harvey Mason, Ralph McDonald, Randy Brecker, Marvin Stamm, Jon Faddis and Joe Farrell. Bobby Militello from Ferguson's band played the flute solo. Gonna Fly Now reached #28 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was the only hit single of Ferguson's career. Ferguson left Columbia in 1982. Except for a couple of late 90s albums for Concord, Ferguson and his band Big Bop Nouveau recorded for small labels and toured a lot. He died on Aug. 23, 2006 at age 78. This 2CD comp is a good overview of Ferguson's entire career. Here's Maynard Ferguson performing Gonna Fly Now on The Mike Douglas Show 1977.

Alexis Davis vs Liz Carmouche added to Dec. 9 UFC show

This afternoon the UFC announced several matches for UFC Fight Night 123 Dec. 9 at the Save Mart Center in Fresno, CA. One of those matches will have Alexis Davis vs Liz Carmouche at Flyweight. Both were one time Bantamweight title contenders. We're seeing a lot of weight class switching. In many cases, it's a shortcut. Like Lauren Murphy on TUF 26 dropped to Flyweight. She's still a terrible fighter at any weight class. These two have fought before. Alexis won by unanimous decision on Nov. 6, 2013. Since then she took time off to have a baby. She's had two fights since her return. She lost to Sara McMann by submission. And then she beat Cindy Dandois in a fight that was so bad that Cindy was released. Alexis fought at Flyweight when she started out in Canada ten years ago. She hasn't fought at 125 in a long time. She was a decent fighter a few years ago. This fight could answer if she can still fight or she doesn't have it anymore. Liz has never fought at 125 before. I don't know if dropping a weight class will help her. I don't think she's that good anyway. For me, she's a mid card fighter at best. She only got title shots due to timing and circumstances. In her last fight, she beat Katlyn Chookagian by split decision. Liz should have had an easier time because Katlyn is a Flyweight. I don't think Liz has performed very well in a while. These two have been around and fans may remember the names. But when was the last time either had a decent fight. Obviously I have low expectations for this fight.

Andrea Lee vs Kalindra Faria added to Oct. 6 UFC show

Andrea Lee, Kalindra Faria

Last week the UFC announced that Paige VanZant vs Jessica Eye was off of UFC 216 because Paige suffered a back injury. She's had trouble with her back before. They are trying to reschedule this fight possibly for the end of the year. Last night, Ariel Helwani of MMA Fighting reported that another Flyweight match will replace that fight. Andrea Lee will face Kalindra Faria on UFC 216 Oct. 6 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Andrea is currently the LFA champ. She defended that title last week. A lot of fans were upset that she wasn't on TUF 26. But I understand she was having health problems at the time. She's probably one of the most popular fighters around because of her looks. Her record is 8-2. I've seen her in Invicta and LFA. She's a decent fighter but the competition level especially in LFA is low. So we'll see how she does in the UFC. That being said, I don't believe Kalindra is a UFC caliber fighter. She's 31 years old from Sao Paulo, Brazil. Her record is 18-5-1. She has spent most of her career on the Brazilian regional circuit. She seems to run into problems when she fights a higher level of competition. I saw her WSOF fight a couple of years ago against Jessica Aguilar. And Kalindra did nothing for five rounds. Jessica won by unanimous decision. She also lost to Karolina Kowalkiewicz in KSW. Her most recent fight was a win over Carina Damm for a Titan FC title a couple of weeks ago. Carina was an elite fighter...ten years ago. At this point, she's just a name that fans might know. But she hasn't been a good fighter for a while. So does that mean if Carina had won that fight she would have got to the UFC? Geez, I hope not. A win over her doesn't answer questions about Kalindra. But it's a short notice fight and you take who you can get. I expect this fight to air on the main card mostly because of Andrea.

Cynthia Calvillo vs Carla Esparza added to Dec. 30 UFC show

On last night's episode of UFC Tonight, it was announced that Cynthia Calvillo vs Carla Esparza has been added to UFC 219 Dec. 30 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. I expect this match to be on the main card. This match could give us the next contender for Joanna Jedrzejczyk's UFC Strawweight Championship. I guess the short version is Cynthia is on the way up and Carla looks to be on the way down. If Cynthia wins, she gets into the title picture. Right now she is ranked #8. Cynthia is 30 years old. She trains at Team Alpha Male in Sacramento. Her record is 6-0 and she is 3-0 in the UFC. Cynthia is known for her ground game. But in her last fight, she won over Joanne Calderwood using a keep away strategy. Fans were annoyed with her but it was good strategy because why would you want to clinch with Joanne Calderwood. If Joanne had made successful adjustments, Cynthia could have tried other things. It wasn't an exciting fight. But there was a lot of pressure on Joanne in her home town. And I don't think she expected that strategy from Cynthia. It showed me that Cynthia is versatile and can execute a game plan given to her by coach Justin Buchholtz. Carla is also from California. She's 29 years old and her record is 12-4. Right now she's ranked #7. I don't think Carla has looked very good since returning from shoulder surgery. In her last fight, she won a squeaker over Maryna Moroz. Neither of them were very good. I don't think it helped her. Cynthia is a much tougher opponent. There's a lot at stake for both. With a win, Cynthia can move up to the title picture. So could Carla but a loss could put her on a one way trip to Palookaville. So I think this is a significant fight in the Strawweight division.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Focus

Artist:Focus
Song:Hocus Pocus
Album:The Best Of Focus: Hocus Pocus





Hocus Pocus was a top ten hit in 1973. So I assume it still get played on oldies radio. And folks must hear this song and go "What the hell is that?" It was a fluke hit single from the Dutch progressive rock group Focus. They were formed in 1969 by keyboardist, singer and flautist Thijs van Leer. He wrote most of the songs. The band came out of a theater group in Amsterdam. Guitarist Jan Akkerman joined and he came up with the name Focus. Focus' first job was the pit band in a local production of Hair. They were supposed to go on European tour with the show but they decided to become a full time band instead. The rest of the band was Martin Dresden on bass and Hans Cleuver on drums. Focus recorded the album Focus Plays Focus and Imperial Records released it in Europe. Then Sire Records owner Seymour Stein saw them live and he signed them to a US deal. Akkerman was unhappy with the rhythm section and he threatened to leave if they weren't replaced. And he was going to leave but a new manager kept the band together. Dresden and Cleuver were out. Drummer Martin van der Linden and bassist Bert Ruiter were in. van der Linden and Akkerman were previously in a band together. Mike Vernon was brought in to produce their next album. Like Stein, he liked Focus live but didn't like their first album. That album was Focus II in Europe but it was called Moving Waves in the US. Hocus Pocus was first released as a single in 1971. But it wasn't until they recorded a second much faster version that it reached #9 on the Billboard Hot 100. I guess van Leer's yodeling is part of why fans liked the song. It's certainly different. van Leer and Akkerman wrote the song. But since Akkerman left Focus in 1976, Akkerman claims he wrote it alone. After leaving Focus, Akkerman has recorded jazz fusion guitar. This comp is a good intro to Focus' music. van Leer disbanded Focus in 1978 and they reunited a few times. van Leer and van der Linden reformed Focus in 2001 and they still tour and record today. Here's Focus performing Hocus Pocus on The Midnight Special 1973.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Rob Wasserman

Artist:Rob Wasserman f/Aaron Neville
Song:Stardust
Album:Rain Man: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack




Bassist Rob Wasserman was a sideman who was nominated for a couple of Grammys for the 1988 album Duets. You may have heard this recording of Stardust featuring Aaron Neville in the popular 1988 film Rain Man. Wasserman was born Apr. 1, 1952 in San Mateo, CA. He started out playing violin and he switched to bass while studying at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. He joined David Grisman's band in 1980 and while he was in that band for most of the 80s, he also worked as a sideman for Van Morrison and Oingo Boingo among others. Wasserman's debut album Solo was released by Rounder in 1983. Then he signed with MCA for the 1988 album Duets. The album was highly acclaimed and nominated for a couple of Grammys. The recording of Stardust with Aaron Neville appeared in the film Rain Man. The soundtrack of Rain Man is available as a budget CD. Duets is available on CD but it's expensive. And Stardust doesn't appear on an Aaron Neville CD. Others who appear on Duets include Rickie Lee Jones, Bobby McFerrin, Lou Reed, Jennifer Warnes, Dan Hicks, Cheryl Bentyne of The Manhattan Transfer and Stephane Grappelli. Wasserman left Grisman's band and he was in Lou Reed's band in the 90s. He released the album Trios in 1993 also featuring many guest artists. He also released an album with Bob Weir of The Grateful Dead in 1997. He also toured with Weir. Wasserman continued to work as a sideman until his death on June 29, 2016 at age 64. Here's Rob Wasserman featuring Aaron Neville performing Stardust on the TV show Night Music 1988.

Lina Lansberg vs Aspen Ladd added to Oct. 21 UFC show

The Krakow Chronicle reported last night that Lina Lansberg vs Aspen Ladd has been added to UFC Fight Night 118 Oct. 21 at the Ergo Arena in Gdansk, Poland. This show will air on Fox Sports 1 in the US and TSN in Canada. I expect this fight to air on the UFC Fight Pass prelims. Lina is 35 years old from Malmo, Sweden. Her record is 7-2. In Europe she is known as a kickboxer. That's why her nickname is Elbow Princess. The way she got into the UFC is she was willing to take a beating from Cris Cyborg. Then she won over late replacement Lucie Pudilova in March. I was not impressed with either fighter. Lina was supposed to fight Leslie Smith in July but she dropped out due to injury. I don't think Lina belongs in the UFC. Aspen was supposed to make her UFC debut in July vs Jessica Eye but Aspen got sick during fight week. She's 5-0 and I was very impressed with her Invicta fights. She trains at MMA Gold in El Dorado Hills, CA which is becoming a really good gym for female fighters. Invicta's Yaya Rincon also trains there. Aspen should be the favourite.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Zara Larsson

Artist:Zara Larsson f/MNEK
Song:Never Forget You
Album:So Good





19 year old pop singer Zara Larsson is already a star in her native Sweden and other European countries. And now she is starting to make inroads in the US. Never Forget you is her biggest hit to date. She was born Dec. 16, 1997 in the Stockholm suburb of Solna, Sweden. She was 10 years old when she won the 2008 season of Talang which is basically Sweden's Got Talent. She sang My Heart Will Go On on the finale and that was released as a single. She signed with TEN Music Group in 2012. She released a couple of EPs and Uncover was her first #1 hit in Sweden. Her debut album 1 was released in 2014 and a couple of songs were hits in Sweden. Zara signs with Epic Records and she records her second album So Good. Epic released a couple of singles and the album was finally released Mar. 2017. It was very successful in Europe and Never Forget You reached #13 on the Billboard Hot 100. She works with several producers on the album. But she seems to like working with Uzoechi "MNEK" Eminike. He wrote and produced Never Forget You with Aaron "Astronomyy" Davey. MNEK has released an album. But he's starting to be an in demand producer. And that's probably where his future is. So Zara has gotten to this point and her next album should tell us if she will be a star. Here's the video for Never Forget You by Zara Larsson featuring MNEK.

Two women's fights added to Nov. 25 UFC show

Kailin Curran, Yan Xiaonan

The UFC will make their Shanghai debut Nov. 25 at the Mercedes Benz Arena. The UFC was making a promotional tour over the weekend and they announced a couple of women's matches featuring Chinese newcomers. In a Strawweight bout, Yan Xiaonan will face Kailin Curran. And in a Bantamweight bout, Yanan Wu will face Gina Mazany. The entire show will air on UFC Fight Pass.  Yan is 28 years old from Liaoning, China. Her record is 7-1-1NC. For the last couple of years, she has fought for the Korean company Road FC on their Chinese shows. So the competition level is lower that Road's Korean shows. In her last fight in Nov., Yan faced Japanese veteran Emi Fujino and the fight was stopped and ruled a no contest after an accidental clash of heads. And Road FC women's matches in China are scheduled for two rounds. They need to give them three rounds. Two round women's fights are sexist. Kailin is 26 years old from Hawaii. Her record is 4-5 and she's 1-4 in the UFC. I don't believe she belongs in the UFC. I've said that since 2014 and she's still there. Her biggest problem is she loses concentration during fights and that has cost her. It's also not something that can be easily fixed. Yanan is 21 years old. Her record is 8-1. She's tall at 5'9". She has fought mostly on the Chinese regional circuit for Kunlun and WLF. Her one loss was to Yana Kunitskaya on a show in Russia. Both Chinese fighters like to punch. I don't expect much of a ground game from either. Gina is 29 years old originally from Alaska but she now trains at Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas. She is managed by Miesha Tate who recently started a management company. Her record is 4-1 and she lost her UFC debut to Sara McMann last year. It was over in a minute. She also lost in the TUF 18 qualifiers. Gina is also a pro wrestler who frequently works with her brother who is an EFC champ in MMA. It's typical of the UFC to use these type of fighters to fight local newcomers in places like Shanghai. I haven't seen the Chinese fighters but we'll see if they are any good.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-OneRepublic

Artist:OneRepublic f/Timbaland
Song:Apologize (Remix)
Album:Dreaming Out Loud





There is always going to be a market for R&B influenced soft rock like OneRepublic. Apologize was their 2007 debut single and their biggest hit to date. The leader of OneRepublic is lead singer and songwriter Ryan Tedder. He formed a band with Zach Filkins while attending high school in Colorado Springs, CO. They played local clubs as This Beautiful Mess. After winning an MTV songwriting contest, Tedder moved to Los Angeles and signed a development deal with producer Tim "Timbaland" Mosely. While writing and producing for other artists, Tedder got Filkins to join him and form a new band. They were called Republic and they signed with Columbia. They were told to change the name as it was too similar to existing bands. It was changed to OneRepublic. They recorded an album but Columbia dropped them and it wasn't released. OneRepublic turned to MySpace to keep their music out there. This led to Mosely signing them to his label. Dreaming Out Loud was released Nov. 2007. Reviews were lukewarm at best. There are two versions of Apologize. The first version was on Dreaming Out Loud. But Mosely remixed it for his own album Shock Value. That's the version that reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100. Mosely rearranged the song to give it a more R&B feel. Both versions are on the Dreaming Out Loud CD. OneRepublic's other big hit was the top five hit Counting Stars in 2013. They haven't been as successful recently. Tedder has been suffering from anxiety attacks but he has recovered sufficiently to start working on a new OneRepublic album for 2018 release. Tedder also continues a very successful career writing and producing for others including U2, Leona Lewis, Maroon 5 and many others. He could disband OneRepublic and just do that stuff. But he's not ready to do that yet. Here's the video for Apologize by OneRepublic featuring Timbaland.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Sonic Youth

Artist:Sonic Youth
Song:Teenage Riot
Album:Hits Are For Squares





I guess the best way to describe Sonic Youth is when they started out in the 80s, New Wave music had usurped 70s Punk music. Sonic Youth became popular as a 70s punk throwback. Teenage Riot was one of their most popular songs though they never had a hit single. Sonic Youth began when guitarist Thurston Moore moved to New York from his home in Bethel, CT in 1977. He had a band The Coachmen. After they split up, he jammed with CKM and that's where he met singer and bassist Kim Gordon. They formed Sonic Youth named after MC5's Fred "Sonic" Smith and reggae artist Big Youth. They married in 1984. The other key member of the band was guitarist Lee Ranaldo. They went through several drummers before Steve Shelley became Sonic Youth's permanent drummer in 1985. The band struggled in the early 80s because Punk wasn't popular anymore. So Sonic Youth released a couple of albums and toured. They signed with SST Records in 1986. They were getting more successful but SST's limited distribution forced Sonic Youth to sign with EMI's Enigma label for the 1988 album Daydream Nation. The album and songs like Teenage Riot launched Sonic Youth to success for the next decade including after they signed with Geffen Records in 1990. This budget comp is a good intro to their music. Sonic Youth recorded for Geffen until 2006. They were a very successful touring band for many years. They disbanded in 2011 after Moore and Gordon separated after 27 years of marriage. Kim Gordon published her autobiography in 2015 and she released a single last year. Moore formed Chelsea Light Moving and they released a 2013 CD. Ranaldo says the Sonic Youth split is for good. He's recorded solo for years and he continues to do that. Here's the video for Teenage Riot by Sonic Youth.

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Syuri Kondo vs Chinmi Jeon

Here's the match video of Syuri Kondo vs Chinmi Jeon from last night's UFC show in Japan. Syuri has been a pro wrestler for ten years. She was also a kickboxing champ in Krush. In 2016, she got into MMA for PANCRASE. After going 5-0 and winning the Queen of PANCRASE Championship, she signed with the UFC. Syuri is a very polished and disciplined fighter. She is mainly a striker but is also good in the clinch. She trains at the Tokyo branch of the Dutch gym Vos. Chinmi was brought in as a late replacement in June. At 20 years old, she's the youngest fighter on the UFC roster. Her inexperience showed in her loss to JJ Aldrich. She seemed befuddled at times. Would she improve with a full camp? The story of this fight was Syuri pressed forward and kept the pressure on. And instead of fighting back, Chinmi kept backing up. She can't win fights that way. Syuri chased her for most of the fight. So I scored the fight 30-27 for Syuri. One of the judges scored it 29-28 for Chinmi. I don't know what he was watching but Syuri won by split decision. I'd like to see Syuri against a ranked fighter. It will give a better idea of how good she is. I understand Syuri will still do pro wrestling. She did that while working for PANCRASE and it's in her UFC contract. She told Tokyo Sports that she wants to wrestle Asuka in the WWE. They've been good friends for several years. Syuri taught Asuka dance moves as Syuri was a dancer before she got into pro wrestling. Enjoy the video!