Welcome to Frank Pozen's Big Bad Blog. A lot of folks have been asking me to update them about my recovery. So I thought I would start a blog primarily to do that but also to talk about other topics of interest including the wrestling business and whatever else I can think of. I plan to update this on a regular basis so check back and leave a comment if you wish.
Sunday, January 26, 2020
Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Angela Hill vs Hannah Cifers
AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Venice Is Sinking
Song:Ryan's Song
Album:AZAR
Fans of dream pop may want to check out the indie band Venice Is Sinking. Daniel Lawson started Venice Is Sinking as a home recording project in his hometown of Peachtree City, GA. He released an album on cassette in 1997. In 2003 Lawson moved to Athens and decided to turn Venice Is Sinking into a band. The key addition was viola player and singer Karolyn Troupe. And the best thing about Venice Is Sinking is Lawson and Karolyn's harmonies. The two soon became a romantic couple. Other members were Alex Thibadoux on keyboards, Stephen Miller on bass and Lucas Jensen on drums. They signed with One Percent Press and after a 2005 EP, the album Sorry About The Flowers was released in 2006. Lawson and Karolyn split up but kept the band together. Thibadoux was replaced by James Sewell. Ryan's Song is from Venice Is Sinking's 2009 album AZAR. They also released a live album in 2010. Most of the band's modest success was through MySpace and live gigs. And when MySpace closed, they moved to Tumblr. And it was on Tumblr that Venice is Sinking announced their demise in 2014. It looks like Daniel Lawson quit the music business for landscape architecture. AZAR is available as a budget CD. Here's the video for Ryan's Song by Venice Is Sinking.
Saturday, January 25, 2020
Antonina Shevchenko vs Cynthia Calvillo added to Apr. 25 UFC show
Yesterday the UFC announced that UFC on ESPN+ 31 will be Apr. 25 at the Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, NE. Several matches were announced including Antonina Shevchenko vs Cynthia Calvillo at Flyweight. Antonina is 35 years and of course she is the older sister of UFC Flyweight Champion Valentina Shevchenko. She does the same things as her sister but not as well. So Antonina is mainly a kickboxer. She's 2-1 in the UFC and she won her last fight over Lucie Pudilova. Cynthia is a big step up in competition for her but there is a catch. Cynthia is 32 years old from Sacramento. Fans will recall that she trained with Justin Buchholtz at Team Alpha Male. She went with him when he left and he has now opened his own gym MFI. This will be Cynthia's first fight at Flyweight. She was fighting at Strawweight but missed weight for her last fight. Though I think she is a more accomplished fighter than Antonina, we don't know what Cynthia will be like at Flyweight. Antonina has a big size advantage. She's 5'8". Cynthia is 5'4". That's the catch. We'll find out on Apr. 25.My next fight 👊🏻 April 25th #UFCLincoln
— Antonina Shevchenko (@AntoninaPantera) January 25, 2020
Мой следующий бой 👊🏻 25 апреля Линкольн, Небраска.
Repost @UFCEspanol
・・・
Pelea de locura para #UFCLincoln 🔥🔥🔥 @antoninapantera VS @cynthia.calvillo pic.twitter.com/fBrXXCX45L
AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Louie Bellson and his Jazz Orchestra
Song:Caravan
Album:Louie Bellson and his Jazz Orchestra
Drummer Louie Bellson will remind you of Gene Krupa or Buddy Rich. I think Bellson's solos were even longer than those guys. He is probably best known for his long marriage to the popular entertainer Pearl Bailey before mixed race marriages were acceptable. He led her touring band. He was born Luigi Balassoni July 6, 1924 in Rock Falls, IL. His father owned a music store in Moline. He invented the use of two bass drums at the same time while he was in high school. Bellson won the Slingerland National Gene Krupa contest at age 17. He played with Benny Goodman, Tommy Dorsey and Harry James. Bellson was in Duke Ellington's Orchestra until he married Pearl Bailey in 1952 and became her musical director. He recorded for Verve in the 50s and toured with Jazz at the Philharmonic. Bellson said his big influences were Chick Webb, Big Sid Catlett but especially Count Basie's longtime drummer Jo Jones. Bellson recorded with Basie in the 60s. Bellson recorded mostly for Verve, Roulette, Pablo and Concord. This recording of Duke Ellington's Caravan is from the 1986 album Louie Bellson and his Jazz Orchestra released by MusicMasters. There are two bands on this album, a large band and a small band. Caravan is by the small band with Ted Nash on sax, Glenn Drewes on trumpet. Derek Smith on piano, Remo Palmier on guitar and Jay Leonhart on bass. Along with constant touring, Bellson conducted drum clinics at high schools and colleges nationwide. And he was an executive for the drum company Remo. He was inducted into the Drummer Hall of Fame in 1985 and he was awarded the NEA Jazz Masters in 1994. Louie Bellson died on Feb. 14, 2009 at age 84. Here's Louie Bellson and his Jazz Orchestra performing Caravan at the North Sea Jazz Festival in The Netherlands July 16, 1992.
Friday, January 24, 2020
Frank Pozen's Big Bad Podcast Jan. 24, 2020
Sijara Eubanks vs Sarah Moras added to Apr. 18 UFC show
Ryan Gerbosi of Newsday reported last night that Sijara Eubanks vs Sarah Moras has been added to UFC 249 Apr. 18 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY. This fight is at Bantamweight. Sijara is 34 years old from Baltimore. She trains with Mark Henry in New Jersey. She came to the UFC on TUF 26 for Flyweights. When she couldn't make weight, she moved back up to Bantamweight. Having seen her as a Bantamweight in Invicta, she's not good enough to be in the UFC. She has lost her last two fights. In her loss to Bethe Correia, she started out OK but she ran out of gas because of the altitude in Mexico City. Sarah is 31 years old from Kelowna, BC but she trains at the UFC PI in Las Vegas. Her record is 6-5 and 3-4 in the UFC. Her win over Liana Jojua in Abu Dhabi broke a three fight losing streak. Sarah has lost to fighters she should beat. She makes too many mistakes. I don't know who will win this fight but the loser might get cut.Nothing like some New York Cheesecake!
— UFC Canada (@UFC_CA) January 24, 2020
🇨🇦@sarahcheesecake heads to Brooklyn for #UFC249!! pic.twitter.com/6A7Vb1Iyul
AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Bobby Broom
Song:Smoke Gets In Your Eyes
Album:Bobby Broom Plays for Monk
Guitarist Bobby Broom has been recording as a leader since the 80s. He should remind you of guys like Wes Montgomery and Grant Green. He was born Jan. 16, 1961 in New York City. He got into jazz by listening to organist Charles Earland. As a teen he played local clubs and Sonny Rollins invited him to join his band. But after graduating high school, Broom studied at Berklee in Boston. Broom was in trumpeter Tom Browne's band when he scored the hit single Funkin' For Jamaica. He also toured with Dave Grusin and Broom recorded his 1981 debut album Clean Sweep for Grusin's GRP label. He also recorded for Arista in 1984 and he toured with Rollins for five years. Broom moved to Chicago in 1984 and he has been a mainstay of the jazz scene since then. He got to record with Charles Earland. And he got into teaching which he still does today at North Park University and through a community outreach program, he teaches guitar to kids. Broom recorded several albums for Origin Records. Smoke Gets In Your Eyes is from the 2009 album Bobby Broom Plays for Monk. Of course the album is a tribute to Thelonious Monk. Even the album cover is a tribute to the cover of Monk's Music. Broom mostly covers Monk compositions but Monk recorded Smoke Gets In Your Eyes in 1953. The musicians are Dennis Carroll on bass and Kobie Watkins on drums. They have been on several Broom albums. Broom recorded four albums with the Deep Blue Organ Trio until they disbanded in 2013. His new band is called The Organi-sation. His latest album Soul Fingers was released in 2018 on his own label with Watkins on drums and Ben Paterson on organ. Here's Bobby Broom performing Smoke Gets In Your Eyes. It looks like he's in his kitchen. Broom has his own Youtube channel. I wish more jazz musicians did this.
Thursday, January 23, 2020
Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Io Shirai vs Toni Storm
AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Stan Getz and the Oscar Peterson Trio
Song:Detour Ahead
Album:Stan Getz and the Oscar Peterson Trio
When Oscar Peterson led the house band at Verve Records, he proved he could play anything with anybody. So it's not surprising that Verve owner Norman Granz brought in his star sax player Stan Getz to record this 1957 album with the Peterson trio. At the time Getz was living in Sweden. Granz set up recording sessions when Getz toured the US. Getz had previously recorded with the Peterson trio on the 1954 album Diz and Getz with trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie and drummer Max Roach. And they also appeared on Jazz Giants '58 with Harry "Sweets" Edison on trumpet, Gerry Mulligan on baritone sax and Louis Bellson on drums. But this 1957 album is the only time Getz recorded with just the trio of Peterson, guitarist Herb Ellis and bassist Ray Brown. This album was released on CD in 1989 with bonus tracks including Detour Ahead written by Ellis when he was part of The Soft Winds in the late 40s. Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald and Bill Evans are among those who recorded Detour Ahead. This is available as a budget CD. Getz and the Peterson trio also appeared on the 1957 album Stan Getz and J.J. Johnson at the Opera House. It doesn't look like Getz and Peterson recorded together after that. So this album is a must for fans of both guys. Here's a video for Detour Ahead by Stan Getz and the Oscar Peterson Trio.
Wednesday, January 22, 2020
Ketlen Vieira vs Marion Reneau added to May 9 UFC show
John Morgan of MMA Junkie reported yesterday that Ketlen Vieira vs Marion Reneau has been added to UFC 250 May 9 at Ginasio do Ibirapuera in Sao Paulo, Brazil. This fight is at Bantamweight. A funny thing happen on Ketlen's way to a Bantamweight title shot. She was knocked out by Irene Aldana. So now we have to see how she bounces back from that. Before that, Ketlen was off for two years with a knee injury. She is 28 years old and she trains at Nova Uniao in Brazil. Marion is 42 years old from Visalia, CA. Her record is 9-5-1 and she opened her own gym recently. She has had mixed results in the UFC. She is currently on a two fight losing streak. She is inconsistent. She was supposed to fight Irene Aldana in Sept. but she pulled out. And these two were supposed to fight a couple of years ago but that was around the time Ketlen had knee surgery so it was never announced. I favor Ketlen because fighting at home should motivate her. And after that loss she will want to make a statement.Ketlen Viera vs. Marion Reneau targeted for #UFC250 in Sao Paulo (via @MMAjunkieJohn) https://t.co/G7pZQuKsCx
— MMA Junkie (@MMAjunkie) January 22, 2020
AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Adrian Lester
Song:Side By Side/What Would We Do Without You?
Album:Company: 1996 London Cast Recording
Adrian Lester won an Olivier award for playing Bobby in the 1996 London production of Stephen Sondheim's musical Company. The most interesting thing about this is that Lester is black. He is mostly a TV and film actor. This is his only appearance in a musical. He was born Anthony Harvey Aug. 14, 1968 in Birmingham, England. His parents are Jamaican immigrants. There is a British director named Anthony Harvey so Lester changed his name to avoid confusion. He started performing as a teen at the Birmingham Youth Theatre. And he studied for three years at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London. He won a Time Out award for his performance in the 1991 production of As You Like It. He also appeared in a 1993 production of Sweeney Todd. Sam Mendes directed the 1996 production of Company at the Donmar Warehouse in London. It ran for about six months and Lester won an Olivier award for his performance as Bobby. The show was broadcast on BBC and the entire show can be seen on Youtube. Though Lester has returned to the stage occasionally, he hasn't appeared in any other musicals. In England, he is best known for playing Michael "Mickey Bricks" Stone on the BBC series Hustle. He also appeared in the UPN sitcom Girlfriends in 2002 and the 1998 film Primary Colors. His recent TV appearances include the 2016 BBC series Undercover, the 2017 Sky Atlantic series Riviera, the 2018 ITV mini series Trauma, the 2019 Starz mini series The Rook and the 2019 BBC One mini series Life. Here's Adrian Lester performing Side By Side/What Would We Do Without You? from the 1997 BBC broadcast of Company.
Tuesday, January 21, 2020
Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Becky Lynch vs Kairi Sane
AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Frank Turner
Song:Recovery
Album:Songbook
Singer songwriter Frank Turner has had success in his native England. The 2013 single Recovery is his best known song in North America. He was born Dec. 28, 1981 in Manama, Bahrain where his father worked as an investment banker. When his family returned to England, they settled in Meonstoke, Hampshire and Turner attended the Summer Fields boys school. He earned a scholarship to Eton where Prince Andrew was a classmate. And he studied at the London School of Economics. It's likely that Turner was going to be a banker like his father and grandfather. But instead Turner formed the band Kneejerk while in school. They released a couple of albums. Turner's main influence was Iron Maiden. In 2001 he joined the post hardcore band Million Dead. They recorded two albums for Xtra Mile. They had some chart success but they split up in 2005. After listening to Bruce Springsteen's Nebraska, Turner decided to perform solo as a folksinger. He released a couple of EPs and two albums on Xtra Mile. He toured and recorded with guitarist Ben Lloyd and his band Dive Dive with Matt Nasir on keyboards, Tarrant Anderson on bass and Nigel Powell on drums. They still tour with Turner as The Sleeping Souls. For the 2013 album Tape Deck Heart, Turner signed in the US with Interscope. The album was recorded in Los Angeles produced by Rich Costey. He produced the Scottish band Biffy Clyro who are friends with Turner. The single Recovery got airplay in the US on alternative radio. Tape Deck Heart is Turner's most successful album to date. His latest album No Man's Land was released in 2019 featuring the song Sister Rosetta, a tribute to legendary guitar wizard Sister Rosetta Tharpe. Turner is currently on tour in Europe opening for Dropkick Murphys. This 2CD comp is a good intro to his music. Here's the video for Recovery by Frank Turner.
Monday, January 20, 2020
AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Priscilla Lopez
Song:What I Did For Love
Album:A Chorus Line: Original Broadway Cast Recording: 40th Anniversary Celebration
Priscilla Lopez is a Broadway performer best known for her Tony nominated performance as Diana Morales in the 1976 production of A Chorus Line. She's performing on Broadway right now. She was born Feb. 26, 1948 in The Bronx, NY. Her parents were from Puerto Rico. After graduating from the High School of Performing Arts, Priscilla was supposed to make her Broadway debut in the 1966 musical of the 1961 film Breakfast At Tiffany's. But there were so many problems with the show including constant rewrites that producer David Merrick placed a full page ad in The New York Times to announce that the show wasn't opening. The stars were supposed to be Mary Tyler Moore, Richard Chamberlain and Sally Kellerman. After she had success as a replacement in the musicals Company and Pippin, Michael Bennett invited her to the workshops that became A Chorus Line. What I Did For Love is Priscilla's big number. She was nominated for a Tony and she won an Obie. The cast album was re-released in 2015 with bonus tracks, Marvin Hamlisch demos. Priscilla won a Tony for her performance in the 1980 musical A Day in Hollywood, A Night in the Ukraine. She has also appeared in Nine, In The Heights and a revival of Pippin. She is opening a six week Broadway run this week in a new play Grand Horizons. She does a lot of TV guest shots and some films. She played Jennifer Lopez's mother in the 2002 film Maid in Manhattan. Priscilla was awarded the 2002 Rita Moreno HOLA Award for Excellence from the Hispanic Organization of Latin Actors. Here's Priscilla Lopez performing What I Did For Love from the 1981 Tony Awards broadcast.
Sunday, January 19, 2020
Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Sabina Mazo vs JJ Aldrich
Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Roxanne Modafferi vs Maycee Barber
Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Holly Holm vs Raquel Pennington
AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Keith Green
Song:You Put This Love In My Heart
Album:The Greatest Hits
Keith Green was a pioneer of Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) who sadly died in a 1982 plane crash. You Put This Love In My Heart is one of his better known songs. He was born Oct. 21, 1953 in Sheepshead Bay, NY but he grew up in Los Angeles. Green was eight years old when he appeared in a local production of the play The Time of the Cuckoo. The Los Angeles Times gave him a rave review. In 1965, Green and his dad signed with Decca Records and released three singles produced by surf music producer Gary Usher. Green appeared on The Jack Benny Program, The Steve Allen Show and I've Got A Secret. Green wrote some of his own songs. But Decca's attempt to turn Green into a teen idol failed. He ran away from home and started smoking weed. He met his future wife Melody Steiner and she helped him convert to Christianity. They started writing songs together at CBS Records and they started Last Days Ministries. After Green's songs were recorded by Phil Keaggy and 2nd Chapter of Acts, he signed with Sparrow Records. Green's 1977 album For Him Who Has Ears To Hear was produced by CCM pioneer Bill Maxwell. You Put This Love In My Heart was the first single. Green left Sparrow after two albums and he sold the 1980 album So You Wanna Go Back To Egypt by mail order. It sold 200,000 copies because Bob Dylan played harmonica on the record. After two more albums, Green and two of his children died in a plane crash on July 28, 1982. Green was 28. They were doing an aerial tour of the ministry and there were too many people on the plane. Melody Green still runs the ministry and she has released several posthumous albums. This comp CD is a good intro to Green's music. You can watch the 2013 doc The Keith Green Story on Youtube. Melody Green has been trying to develop a Keith Green biopic since 2010. It does not seem to be an active project right now. Here's Keith Green performing You Put This Love In My Heart 1977. Excuse the amateur video production techniques.
Saturday, January 18, 2020
AccuRadio Song Of The Day-The Living End
Song:Who's Gonna Save Us?
Album:Modern Artillery
The Living End has been successful in their native Australia since the late 90s. Who's Gonna Save Us? is their best known song in North America and they have toured successfully. Lead singer, guitarist and main songwriter Chris Cheney and bassist Scott Owen were primary school classmates in Melbourne, Australia. They started performing together as The Runaway Boys in 1991 while still in high school. The Stray Cats were their main influence which is why Owen plays a double bass. They started out as a rockabilly cover band. When Cheney started writing in 1994, the group name was changed to The Living End. That's a reference to the 1956 film Rock Around The Clock. Then drummer Joe Piripitzi was added to the band. A demo got them an opening slot on Green Day's 1995 Australian tour. They released a couple of EPs and the 1997 single Second Solution was certified 2XPlatinum in Australia. Piripitzi was replaced by Travis Demsey. For the 1998 album The Living End, they signed with Modular in Australia and Reprise in the rest of the world. They toured the US and appeared on Conan O'Brien and David Letterman to promote the 2000 album Roll On. They moved to EMI in Australia. Demsey left as he hated touring and Andy Strachan replaced him. They played some gigs as The Longnecks to test material for the 2004 album Modern Artillery. That album was produced by Blink-182 producer Mark Trombino. That was their most successful album to date. Not only was it a big hit in Australia but it did well on the Modern Rock chart in the US. This Japanese edition of Modern Artillery was released with bonus tracks. The Living End hasn't been as successful since then. They have switched labels a couple of times. Their 2018 album Wunderbar was released on Rise Records distributed by BMG. They tour mostly in Australia. Here's the video for Who's Gonna Save Us? by The Living End.








