Friday, February 14, 2020
Frank Pozen's Big Bad Podcast Feb. 14, 2020
Asuka, UFC on ESPN+ 25 preview and new fight announcements.
AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Kelly Hogan & the Pine Valley Cosmonauts
Song:Papa Was a Rodeo
Album:Beneath the Country Underdog
Kelly Hogan has been a fixture on the Chicago Alt Country scene since the 90s. She has toured with Neko Case for years. That's where I saw her. Occasionally she records as a leader including this 2000 album on Bloodshot Records. She was born Jan. 11, 1965 in Atlanta. She listened to country music on the radio growing up. She sang in local clubs as a teen. Kelly was a member of the early 90s band The Jody Grind. After recording two albums, two members were killed in a car crash and they split up. Kelly was also a member of Rock*A*Teens from 1994 to 1997. Then she moved to Chicago. Kelly released her solo debut album in 1996. After moving to Chicago, she joined Neko Case's band and they have toured together ever since. This cover of the Stephin Merritt & the Magnetic Fields song Papa Was a Rodeo is from her 2000 album Beneath the Country Underdog. She is backed up by the Bloodshot Records house band The Pine Valley Cosmonauts and produced by Jon Langford. The male singer is Mike Geier aka Puddles the Clown. Kelly's latest CD was released by Anti Records in 2012. Kelly still tours with Neko Case. She also toured with The Decemberists. She appears with several bands in the Chicago area. And she has appeared on albums by Mavis Staples, The Mekons, Jakob Dylan, Alejandro Escovedo and Drive By Truckers. Here's Kelly Hogan performing Papa Was a Rodeo at Stage on Sixth in Austin, TX Mar. 16, 2013.
Thursday, February 13, 2020
The Big Topic episode one
Presenting my new podcast The Big Topic with my co-host Schwan Humes. The first topic is Should the UFC gave started a Women's Featherweight division.
AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Black Oak Arkansas
Song:Jim Dandy
Album:The Seventies: Heavy Guitar Boogie
This cover of the LaVern Baker classic Jim Dandy was the biggest hit for the Southern Rock group Black Oak Arkansas. The band was named after their home town. When they first formed in 1963, they were called The Knowbody Else. They were going nowhere until Jim "Jim Dandy" Mangrum was made lead singer in 1968. They moved to Memphis and released a 1969 album on Stax's Hip label that went nowhere. Then they moved to Los Angeles, changed their name to Black Oak Arkansas and signed with Atco Records. Along with Mangrum, they had three guitarists in the band; Rickey Lee Reynolds, Harvey Jett and Stanley Knight. Pat Daugherty was on bass and Tommy Aldridge on drums. The success of Black Oak Arkansas was mostly because of Mangrum's on stage antics. They didn't really have hit singles but their albums sold well enough for Atco to keep them around. Jim Dandy is from the 1973 album High on the Hog. By this time the band added singer Ruby Starr who is featured on Jim Dandy. Mangrum saw her performing in Evansville, IN and he invited her to join the band. After Jim Dandy was a top 30 hit, she went solo with Capitol Records. Black Oak Arkansas left Atco for MCA in 1975. In 1977, they shortened their name to Black Oak and signed with Capricorn. Unfortunately there aren't any Black Oak Arkansas comps in print. But you can get Jim Dandy on the various artists budget comp from the reissue label American Beat. Beware of off label comps with rerecordings. Manngrum and Reynolds still lead a version of Black Oak Arkansas on the nostalgia circuit. They released a new album in 2019 on Cleopatra Records. Here's Black Oak Arkansas performing Jim Dandy on Don Kirshner's Rock Concert 1973.
Wednesday, February 12, 2020
Claudia Gadelha vs Marina Rodriguez added to May 2 UFC show
The UFC announced today that Claudia Gadelha vs Marina Rodriguez has been added to UFC on ESPN+ 32 May 2 at the Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City. Claudia is 31 years old from Brazil. She now trains with Mark Henry in New Jersey. She's supposed to be a BJJ whiz. But in her last fight she used Henry's keep away strategy to beat Randa Markos. Then she had knee surgery. she was supposed to fight Alexa Grasso last month. But Alexa missed weight so badly that the Nevada AC cancelled the fight. Marina is 32 years old from Brazil. Her record is 12-0-2 and 2-0-2 in the UFC. She was in the Brazilian Contender Series. Marina is a striker but terrible on the ground. So I would think Claudia would want to take her down. But if Marina could keep it standing, she could pull an upset because Claudia's endurance is not good. And we don't know how injuries have affected her.🚨Duelo brasileiro confirmado no #UFCOKC 🚨@ClaudiaGadelha_ enfrenta @WMMarz em 2 de maio.
— UFC Brasil (@UFCBrasil) February 12, 2020
AccuRadio Song Of The Day-D'Angelo and the Vanguard
Song:Really Love
Album:Black Messiah
Though the 2000 single Untitled was a big hit, Michael "D'Angelo" Archer was concerned that the music video would stereotype him as "that naked dude" and no one cared about his music. This turned into a 14 year hiatus that finally ended with the 2014 album Black Messiah. You wouldn't think that a guy that talented would be that fragile but there you go. Archer went into hiding at his home in Richmond, VA. When a planned 2004 album was scrapped, Virgin Records sold his contract to J Records. Though Archer appeared on albums by J Dilla and Snoop Dogg, his own album was not going well. He became addicted to drugs and alcohol. He was arrested for drug possession in 2005. When Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson leaked an unfinished recording of Really Love in 2007, Archer was upset with him. He finally returned to recording the album in 2011 and he toured Europe in 2012. Black Messiah was released in Dec. 2014 and Really Love was the first single. Though it did not recreate the sales of Archer's previous albums, it was received positively. It was just great to see him return after such a long break. Archer wrote and produced all the songs. He wrote Really Love with backup singers Kendra Foster and Gina Figueroa. Thompson played drums and helped with the production. Musicians include Jesse Johnson on guitar, Pino Palladino on bass and James Gadson on drums. And now it looks like Archer is finishing a new album. The 2018 single Unshaken was on the soundtrack of the video game Red Dead Redemption 2. And the single Behoove was released last month. A new album looks to be on the way. Here's D'Angelo and the Vanguard performing Really Love on Saturday Night Live Jan. 31, 2015.
Tuesday, February 11, 2020
Sarah Alpar vs Duda Santana added to May 2 UFC show
Mike Heck of BJPenn.com has reported that Sarah Alpar vs Duda Santana has been added to UFC on ESPN+ 32 May 2 at the Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City. Sarah confirmed this on Instagram. This fight will be at Bantamweight. Sarah is 28 years old from Amarillo, TX but she trains at American Elite in Edmond, OK. Her record is 9-4. she won a UFC contract last summer on Dana White Tuesday Night Contender Series. This is her UFC debut. Duda is 24 years old from Brazil. She trains at Tata Fight Team with Polyana Viana. Her record is 3-1. She was supposed to be on the Brazilian Contender Series but she couldn't get a visa. She looked pretty good in round one of her UFC debut against Bea Malecki. She attempted a takedown in round two and lost by submission after she wound up on the bottom. She was unlucky. She was supposed to fight in Nov. but pulled out due to injury. Both fighters are unproven.
Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Becky Lynch vs Asuka
Here's the match video of Becky Lynch vs Asuka from last night's episode of RAW. Of course this is a rematch from Royal Rumble. It's very similar in quality to that match. The only problem is the commercial breaks hurt the flow of the match. Other than that it builds very nicely especially at the end. Except the actual finish came across flat probably because there were too many false finishes. I would have been OK with the power bomb as the finish. I'm sure it was a timing issue. Afterwards Shayna Baszler came out and bit Becky in the back of her neck. I'm sure that seemed like a good idea on paper. But I thought the execution and especially the fake blood was hokey. And the nonsense of Becky driving herself to the hospital in an ambulance and then returning later in the show to cut a promo was absurd. I guess this looked good on paper. So Becky vs Shayna will be at Wrestlemania. The Kabuki Warriors can return to defending their title. As I said, this match is really good. So enjoy the video!
AccuRadio Song Of The Day-White Heart
Song:How Many Times (Seventy Times Seven)
Album:The Early Years
The 80s CCM band White Heart probably would have been more successful if they had been able to maintain a stable lineup. In the 80s they were the number two CCM rock band after Petra. White Heart was formed in 1982. Guitarist Billy Smiley and keyboard player Mark Gersmehl were members of the New Gaither Vocal Band. It was a steady gig but they got tired of being in the background. So they formed White Heart with other members of the Gaither band like lead singer Steve Green, bassist Gary Lunn, guitarist Dann Huff and his drummer brother David Huff. They were to be a CCM version of Toto. They signed with Home Sweet Home Records. After their debut album, Green left for a successful solo career and was replaced by Scott Douglas. After the 1984 album Vital Signs, Dann Huff left to become a studio musician and producer. David Huff left to tour with Michael W. Smith. They were replaced by Gordon Kennedy and Chris McHugh. Then Douglas was arrested for sexual assault and sentenced to prison. That should have killed the band especially in the Christian market. Roadie Rick Florian was made the new lead singer and for the 1986 album Don't Wait For The Movie, they signed with Sparrow Records. Gary Lunn was replaced by Tommy Sims. Sparrow did a much better job of promoting White Heart. So this was their most successful period. They also brought in Amy Grant's producer Brown Bannister. McHugh, Kennedy and Sims all left. White Heart continued to have success in the early 90s with Star Song Records. After three albums, they signed with Curb Records in an attempt to cross over to mainstream. After that was unsuccessful, White Heart split up in 1997. Gersmehl released a solo album in 2002 and he continues to tour. Smiley has produced Clay Aiken and other CCM acts. Florian is a real estate agent who still does music part time. This comp covers White Heart's Sparrow years. Here's White Heart performing How Many Times (Seventy Times Seven) in 1986.
Monday, February 10, 2020
Invicta Phoenix Series 3 analysis
Invicta announced the card for their Mar. 6 show. Most of it is a Bantamweight tournament like the first two they did. All the fights are one round fights until the three round final. As I have said before, I don't like the one round fights. There is also a Bantamweight title match on this show. I assume that will be the main event. That will be Lisa Verzosa vs Julia Stoliarenko. Lisa is 24 years old from Vancouver, WA. She has won all five of her Invicta fights. Julia is 26 years old from Lithuania. Her record is 8-3-1. She was in TUF 28 for Featherweights and the UFC passed on her. I don't like that she is getting a title shot in her Invicta debut. The fighters in the tournament are Autumn Norton, Brittney Victoria, Clare Guthrie, Erin Harpe, Hope Chase, Kerri Kenneson, Taneisha Tennant and Taylor Guardado. Most are younger fighters with limited experience. It's too much of a crapshoot for me which is why I don't like this tournament format. There are also a couple of reserve bouts in case of injury. One is Mitzi Merry vs Morgan Hickam and the other is Serena DeJesus vs Julia Ottolino. Plus there are two Strawweight bouts with Amber Brown vs Sharon Jacobson and Kay Hansen vs Liana Pirosin. I guess Invicta's hope is that one of the tournament fighters is a breakout star like Brianna Van Buren. I guess we'll have to watch to find out.
AccuRadio Song Of The Day-New Riders of the Purple Sage
Song:Panama Red
Album:Original Album Classics
New Riders of the Purple Sage (NRPS) started out as a Grateful Dead spinoff band. But they established their own identity with the 1973 album The Adventures of Panama Red. The song Panama Red is their signature song. In the late 60s, it was not unusual for Jerry Garcia and the other Grateful Dead members to jam with all kinds of musicians when they weren't touring. And Garcia wanted to start a country rock band where he could play pedal steel guitar. And that's how New Riders of the Purple Sage started in 1969. They were named after the 40s country swing band. John Dawson and David Nelson would become leaders of NRPS. Garcia played pedal steel and Mickey Hart played drums. Recording engineer Bob Matthews or Phil Lesh played bass until Dave Torbert was hired permanently. They recorded an album and signed with Columbia. Hart left and was replaced by former Jefferson Airplane drummer Spencer Dryden. Garcia played on the 1971 album New Riders of the Purple Sage and the album did well. But Garcia had to return to the Dead so he was replaced by Buddy Cage of Ian and Sylvia's Great Speckled Bird. That was the lineup for the next few years. The 1973 album The Adventures of Panama Red was their most successful album as it was certified Gold. The song Panama Red was written by bluegrass musician Peter Rowan. He was in the Grateful Dead spinoff band Old & In The Way. Torbert was replaced by Skip Battin in 1974 and then Stephen Love in 1976. Meanwhile NRPS left Columbia for MCA and eventually the band split up in 1982. You can get five NRPS albums on Original Album Classics. There are comps available but they are too short in length. Dawson led a version of NRPS from 1986 until he retired in 1997. They recorded for the Grateful Dead fanzine Relix. Nelson led his own band which he and Buddy Cage turned into NRPS in 2005. That was after Dryden died in 2005. Dawson died in 2009. And sadly Buddy Cage died last week. So I don't know if Nelson will continue New Riders of the Purple Sage. Here's New Riders of the Purple Sage performing Panama Red at the Capitol Theater in Passaic, NJ Oct. 31, 1975.
Sunday, February 09, 2020
Frank Pozen's Big Bad Podcast Feb. 9, 2020
UFC 247 and Invicta FC 39 reviews and new fight announcements.
Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Lauren Murphy vs Andrea Lee
Here's the match video of Lauren Murphy vs Andrea Lee from last night's UFC show in Houston. This fight went as expected including the inept judging. Both fighters are mediocre and ineffective. Neither punches hard enough to break an egg. And they both have poor defense. I was not surprised the fight was close and went to a split decision. I scored it 29-28 for Andrea but it was too close to call. It's just that one of the judges scored the fight 30-27 for Lauren and fans got upset. There have always been problems in Texas because the AC thinks they can use boxing judges who don't know MMA. This happens a lot in Florida too. The only thing the UFC can do is not go to Texas which is unfair to fans there. I know that UFC Director of Regulatory Affairs Marc Ratner is always hammering away at these state ACs to fix the problem of inept judges. There is no simple solution. And some of the judging on last night's show was worse than this fight. Enjoy the video!
Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Valentina Shevchenko vs Katlyn Chookagian
Here's the match video of Valentina Shevchenko vs Katlyn Chookagian from last night's UFC show in Houston. This fight went as expected. I didn't think that Katlyn's keep away strategy would work against Valentina. And it didn't. Valentina was very patient and just picked her apart for two rounds and then finished her with ground and pound in the third. It was a dominant performance. Valentina said in her post fight interview that she was hoping to finish her with a head kick. But I like that Valentina took what Katlyn gave her and destroyed her. Because that's what the keep away strategy deserves. Now the UFC has a big problem because none of the potential title contenders are good enough. The big hope was Maycee Barber but she's out with a knee injury. They keep bringing in fighters who keep failing. I know Jessica Eye was knocked out in her title fight. But she really looked good in her last fight with her new team at Xtreme Couture. I wouldn't mind seeing her face Joanne Calderwood for a title shot. The UFC will have to do something. Enjoy the video!
Two women's fights added to Apr. 11 UFC show
Last night the UFC announced several fights for UFC on ESPN+ 30 Apr. 11 at the Moda Center in Portland, OR. There are two women's bouts. At Strawweight, Carla Esparza will face Michelle Waterson. And at Bantamweight, Julia Avila will face Karol Rosa. Carla is a former UFC Strawweight Champion. She is 32 years old and she trains at Team Oyama in Redondo Beach, CA. Her record is 15-6 and 6-4 in the UFC. Obviously she is looking to get back in the title picture. She is on a two fight winning streak. Michelle is 34 years old and she trains at Jackson Wink in New Mexico. She is a former Invicta Atomweight Champion. The problem is she is too small to fight at Strawweight. That was very apparent in her recent loss to Joanna Jedrzejczyk. But she is very popular mostly because of sex appeal and that's why she's on the co-main event of this show. I just don't see how a win over Michelle gets Carla any closer to the title. Julia is 31 years old from Oklahoma City. Her record is 7-1. She won her UFC debut in July over Pannie Kianzad. I liked her in Invicta. Her only loss was when she suffered a broken finger during a fight. Karol is 25 years old from Brazil. She trains at PRVT so she is a teammate of Jessica Andrade. Her record is 12-3 and she won her UFC debut over Lara Procopio by split decision. She's a pretty good striker but Julia is a more complete fighter. These two were supposed to fight in October but Karol pulled out due to an injury.April 11th let’s go!!! 👊🏽👊🏽👊🏽 @mhpstrongusa @ourlifecbd1 @coverthreeCTE @builttosave pic.twitter.com/iq3iZ3tFlZ
— Carla Esparza (@CarlaEsparza1) February 9, 2020
AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Banda de Boca
Song:Samba da Bahia
Album:Banda de Boca
With the popularity of Pentatonix, a cappella music has seen a surge in recent years. In the US, a cappella came from doo wop groups singing on streetcorners. Banda de Boca is a Brazilian a cappella group. They were formed in 1999 in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. The group leader is Hiran Monteiro. Other members are Poliana Monteiro, Fabio Eca, Arno Hubner, Simei Ferreira and Taric Marins. Influences include groups like Singers Unlimited and Take 6. They have toured extensively in Brazil and recorded with Caetono Veloso and Carlinhos Brown. Samba da Bahia is from the 2007 album Banda de Boca. The song was written by Brown who is also a native of Salvador. When you watch the video, you'll notice they recreate musical instruments like Take 6. Banda de Boca's 2010 album MPB pras Criancas was nominated for a Best Children's Album Latin Grammy. That's their latest album. Based on what I saw on their Facebook, it looks like they are recording new music. And they still perform live. It looks like Hiran Monteiro is on the faculty of the Federal University of Bahia. Fans of a cappella should check out Banda de Boca. Here's the video for Samba da Bahia by Banda de Boca.
Saturday, February 08, 2020
Jinh Yu Frey misses weight and forfeits the Invicta Atomweight Championship
The main event of last night's Invicta FC 39 was supposed to be Junh Yu Frey defending her Invicta Atomweight Championship against Ashley Cummins. But she missed weight and was forced to forfeit the title. The fight still went on but only Ashley could win the title. The fight was what I expected. Neither fighter does enough to win fights decisively. Ashley started out OK and probably won the first two rounds. But she slowed down over the rest of the fight and Jinh won by unanimous decision. So now the title is vacant. Jinh said afterwards that she is thinking about moving up to Strawweight. In a Flyweight bout, Miranda Maverick beat Pearl Gonzalez by unanimous decision. Miranda dominated but she couldn't get a finish. In an Atomweight bout, Alisha Zappitella dominated Kelly D'Angelo and won by unanimous decision. In a Flyweight bout, Erin Blanchfield beat Victoria Lenardo by second round headkick. This is the best Erin has looked since she has been in Invicta. In an Atomweight bout, Jillian DeCoursey beat Linda Mihalec by unanimous decision. And in an Atomweight bout, Monica Franco beat Kristina Pettigrew by unanimous decision. March 6 is the next Invicta show. They are doing another Phoenix Rising tournament.Jinh Yu Frey Edges Ashley Cummins in #InvictaFC39 Main Event; Atomweight Title Vacated via @MikeSloan19 https://t.co/XwpKBKa0pH pic.twitter.com/0pVBX2P1id
— Sherdog by Mandatory (@sherdogdotcom) February 8, 2020
AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Kitty Wells
Song:It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels
Album:The Complete Country Hits 1952-62
Kitty Wells was a country music pioneer known as The Queen of Country Music. Her 1952 single It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels was the first by a female artist to top the Country Singles chart. And she continued to have success in the 50s and 60s. She was born Ellen Muriel Deason Aug. 30, 1919 in Nashville. Her father was a railroad brakeman and a part time singer. He taught Kitty to play guitar. She and her sisters performed on a local radio station as The Deason Sisters. At age 18 she married Johnnie Wright. Kitty toured with Wright and his sister Louise as Johnny Right and the Harmony Girls. Then Wright formed Johnnie & Jack with Jack Anglin. Anglin married Louise. Wright got the name Kitty Wells from the folk song Sweet Kitty Wells. She signed with RCA in 1949. But at the time record companies weren't promoting female country singers. RCA dropped Kitty in 1950. She was considering retirement when Decca Records exec Paul Cohen approached Kitty about recording It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels. Cohen wanted it to be an answer to the Hank Thompson hit The Wild Side of Life. The song was written by Louisiana swamp musician JD Miller. Kitty thought it was just another song. Some radio stations banned the song because of the controversial lyrics. But listeners loved it and Kitty became the first female to top the Country Singles chart since it was established in 1944. From there Kitty was a fixture in the country top ten until the mid-60s. And that included duets with Red Foley and Webb Pierce. You can get all her hits on this 2CD comp from the reissue label Acrobat. Kitty faded in the late 60s. But she continued to record and tour. She left Decca in 1973 and recorded an album for Capricorn. She was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1976. After that she recorded for her own label and she and Wright continued to tour. You may recall Kitty, Brenda Lee and Loretta Lynn appeared on k.d. lang's 1987 single Honky Tonk Angels Medley. That was nominated for a Grammy. Kitty Wells and Johnnie Wright retired in 2000. He died in 2011 at age 97. Kitty Wells died on July 16, 2012 at age 92. Here's Kitty Wells performing It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels on a 1966 episode of The Jimmy Dean Show.
Friday, February 07, 2020
Frank Pozen's Big Bad Podcast Feb. 7, 2020
Asuka, Invicta FC 39 and UFC 247 previews and new fight announcement.
Bethe Correia vs Pannie Kianzad added to May 9 UFC show
AgFight in Brazil reported yesterday that Bethe Correia vs Pannie Kianzad has been added to UFC 250 May 9 at Ginasio do Ibirapuera in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Pannie confirmed this on Instagram. This fight is at Bantamweight. Bethe is 36 years old from Brazil. She trains with the Pitbull Brothers. Her record is 11-4-1 and 5-4-1 in the UFC. She's 1-1 since returning from a two year layoff due to eye surgeries. Sijara Eubanks dominated her in round one of her last fight. But Sijara pooped out and Bethe was able to squeak out a win. Mostly she is an ineffective points fighter. Pannie is 28 years old from Denmark. Her record is 12-5 and 1-2 in the UFC. She lost to Macy Chiasson in the TUF 28 final. That was for Featherweights. So she's big for a Bantamweight and she will have a size advantage over Bethe. And that was true of her recent win over Jessica-Rose Clark. I think Pannie will win this fight. But I find that when the competition level raises and her opponent is the same size, she tends to have trouble.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)