AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Loketo

Artist:Loketo
Song:Extra Ball
Album:Extra Ball





Loketo was a short lived soukous band that was discovered several years after they split up when Extra Ball appeared on a various artists CD. Loketo was led by guitarist Diblo Dibala, a leading figure in soukous which is native to Zaire. He was born Aug. 9, 1954 in Kisangani, Zaire. As a teen he was in Franco Luambo's band TPOK and several other bands. And then he met Kanda Bongo Man and both guys moved to Europe. Dibala settled in Brussels, Belgium. Along with being in Kanda Bongo Man's band, Dibala worked as a session musician. The 1986 formation of Loketo came out of that. Lead singer Aurius Mabele recorded solo before Loketo was formed. Dibala appeared on his albums.The other members were bassist Remy Saloman and drummer Mack Macaire. They signed with the French label Jimmy's Production. In 1989 they signed a US record deal with Shanachie. By the time Extra Ball was released in 1991, Saloman had been replaced by Miguel Yamba and some other musicians were added. Extra Ball turned out to be Loketo's final album. They split up and Dibala started his new band Matchacha with some of the same musicians. Dibala still leads that band. Apparently the conflict in Loketo was Dibala's easygoing nature as opposed to Mabele's flamboyance. They didn't get along. Loketo reformed to record a 2007 album. In 1999 Shanachie included Extra Ball on the various artists CD African Ambience: The Ultimate African Dance Party. Loketo was unknown and those who heard Extra Ball wanted to know more about them. All their albums are now available as digital downloads. One thing is for sure. By anyone's standards, Diblo Dibala is a killer guitarist. Here's the video for Extra Ball by Loketo.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Riley Green

Artist:Riley Green
Song:There Was This Girl
Album:Different 'Round Here





Riley Green started out as a reality show contestant. But his goal was to get into country music and he scored with his 2018 album Different 'Round Here and the single There Was This Girl. He was born Oct. 18, 1988 in Jacksonville, AL. His grandfather owned a local club and taught him to play guitar. After attending Jacksonville State University, Green moved to Nashville and released a 2013 EP. He then appeared on season four of the CMT competition show Redneck Island. This show was hosted and produced by Stone Cold Steve Austin from the WWE. I don't watch these kind of shows but I gather that it was similar to Survivor. It ran for five seasons. Season five was an alumni edition which Green won. He released a couple more EPs and he signed with Big Machine for the 2018 album Different 'Round Here. The album was produced by session guitarist Dann Huff who also played guitar on the album. There Was This Girl reached #11 on the Country Singles chart. Green wrote that and most of the songs on the album with frequent songwriting partner Erik Dylan. He says the video was shot by real fans at a club in his home state of Alabama. His single I Wish Grandpas Never Died reached #12 on the Country Singles chart. Green wrote it with both of his grandfathers. The album is available as a digital download. He was on tour but obviously that has been cancelled. He recently performed live from his home on Facebook. When this pandemic is over, I'm sire Green will return to touring and recording. He's off to a good start. Here's the video of There Was This Girl by Riley Green.

Frank Pozen's Big Bad Podcast Apr. 18, 2020

Asuka, Kairi Sane and WWE and UFC updates.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Damien Rice

Artist:Damien Rice
Song:Cannonball
Album:O





Singer songwriter Damien Rice has been successful in his native Ireland and England. The 2002 single Cannonball was a top ten hit in England. He was born Dec. 7, 1973 in Kildare, Ireland. In 1991, Rice formed the band Juniper with Paul Noonan. In 1996 they signed a six album deal with Polydor. But only two singles were released before they disagreed with Polydor about Juniper's creative direction. Rice quit Juniper and the rest of the band reformed as Bell X1. He moved to Italy for a while. When he returned to Ireland, he gave a demo to his cousin film composer David Arnold. Arnold liked it so much he gave Rice a mobile recording studio. After his 2001 single The Blower's Daughter did well in England, he recorded is debut album O. The single Cannonball reached #13 in Ireland and #9 in England. The album did very well. It even went Gold in the US without any promotion. His main collaborator was Lisa Hannigan. They were in a relationship at the time. She left Rice's band to go solo in 2007. Rice has released three albums. The latest My Favorite Faded Fantasy was released in 2014. O is available as a digital download. Rice still tours but it is not clear when he plans to record a new album. He does appear on the benefit album Songs for Australia to raise money for charities following the brush fires. Here's the video for Cannonball by Damien Rice.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Bad Veins

Artist:Bad Veins
Song:The Lie
Album:Bad Veins





As is common these days, Bad Veins is a solo act hiding behind a group name. He turned it into a band for a few years but he's currently a solo act. Benjamin Davis is from Cincinnati. He started Bad Veins as a home recording project. Davis is mainly an acoustic act but he uses electronic instruments in the recording process. After meeting drummer Sebastian Schultz in 2006, Davis turned Bad Veins into a duo. After releasing a 2007 EP, Bad Veins released their 2009 debut album on Dangerbird Records. The album was reviewed positively. They got some attention when one of their songs appeared on the Good Morning America's Your Three Words segment in 2010. ABC News correspondent Dan Harris named Bad Veins one of his top albums of 2009 on ABC's Amplified blog. It also got high praise from USA Today's Pop Candy blog. Davis writes and performs everything except drums. He might bring in outside musicians of he needs to like horns on this album. On stage Bad Veins wore vintage military clothing and Davis likes to use oddball audio video effects. Bad Veins released three albums and an EP. The most recent was in 2015. Schultz left in 2013. He moved to Scotland to join The Twilight Sad. Jake Bonta replaced him on the 2015 album The Mess Remade. Davis still performs as Bad Veins but he hasn't recorded lately. I guess he could always turn it into a band again. Right now he's a solo act. Here's Bad Veins performing The Lie on Tripwire Acoustic Sessions at Levi's FADER Fort in Austin, TX Feb. 2008.

The Big Topic in WMMA-episode 6

Should the UFC buy Invicta?

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Drake

Artist:Drake f/Wizkid & Kyla
Song:One Dance
Album:Views





Aubrey Drake Graham is one of today's most successful recording artists especially here in Toronto because he's from Toronto. The 2016 single One Dance was his first number one hit in the US. He was born Oct. 24, 1986 in Toronto. His father Dennis Graham is from Memphis. He played drums with Jerry Lee Lewis. Legendary Sly and the Family Stone bassist Larry Graham and Al Green guitarist Teenie Hodges are his uncles. Drake's mother is Jewish so he attended Jewish day school and had a Bar Mitzvah. He lived with his mom after his parents divorced and his dad moved back to Memphis. While in high school at Forest Hill Collegiate, he was a regular on the TV series Degrassi: The Next Generation from 2001-08. His mom was sick so he was the main source of income. He then started releasing mixtapes in 2006. Drake's main influence was Jay-Z. His three mixtapes started a label bidding war. Drake signed with Young Money and injured his knee while on tour. That delayed his debut album Thank Me Later until 2010. The album did well. It was certified Platinum and the single Best I Ever Had reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100. Drake continued to have success especially at home in Canada. But One Dance from the 2016 album Views was his first number one hit in the US. By this time he was working with producers Paul "Nineteen85" Jefferies and Noah "40" Shebib who is the son of film director Donald Shebib. One Dance is based on British singer Kyla Smith's 2008 single Do You Mind. This was a hit in England. Drake asked her if he could sample the song and she agreed if she could appear on the record. He also brought in Nigerian rapper Ayodeji "Wizkid" Balogun to mix his Afrobeat sound with the Jamaican dance hall sound of One Dance. There was no music video at first but one was produced in 2017. Kyla and Wizkid do not appear in the video. Since then Drake has topped the Billboard Hot 100 several times including his latest single Toosle Slide from his upcoming album. Here's the video for One Dance by Drake.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Billie & De De Pierce

Artist:Billie & De De Pierce
Song:Married Man Blues
Album:The Music of New Orleans Vol. 3: Music of the Dance Halls




Singer and pianist Billie Pierce was best known for performing in New Orleans dance halls with her cornet playing husband Joseph "De De" Pierce. A 1958 appearance on this Smithsonian Folkways field recording led to a record deal and touring with The Preservation Hall Jazz Band in the 60s. Billie was born Wilhelmina Goodson June 8, 1907 in Marianna, FL. Billie was a childhood nickname. Her parents and her five sisters all played piano. Her father was deacon at the local baptist church. They all played piano and sang in church. The girls weren't allowed to play secular music. Of course Billie would sneak out of the house and see Bessie Smith perform. One time Bessie's pianist Clarence Williams suffered a heart attack and Billie stepped in and backed up Bessie for two weeks. Billie then played with Ida Cox and played Florida clubs. She moved to New Orleans in 1930 and worked with several bands until she net De De Pierce in 1933. He was born Feb. 18, 1904 in New Orleans. He was in the house band at Luthjens Dance Hall when he met Billie. They married on Mar. 28, 1935. They played that same dance hall for 24 years. Smithsonian Folkways recorded blues, jazz and folk music in the field. Billie & De De recorded three songs in 1954 at New Orleans clubs. The album was released in 1958. By the time the album was released, DeDe was suffering from glaucoma and Billie had suffered a stroke. So they were looking to retire. Instead Riverside Records signed them and eventually they toured with The Preservation Hall Jazz Band through the 60s. On the original album the Billie Pierce song Married Man Blues was mislabeled as the blues standard Married Woman Blues. This has been corrected and the album is available as a digital download. De De Pierce retired due to failing health and died in Nov. 1973 at age 69. Billie Pierce died on Sept. 29, 1974 at age 67. Here's a video for Married Man Blues by Billie & De De Pierce.

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Nia Jax vs Kairi Sane

Here's the match video of Nia Jax vs Kairi Sane from last night's episode of RAW. This is a Money in the Bank qualifying match. I laughed when this match was announced. It was about what I expected. Kairi bumps for a couple of minutes and that's it. They obviously want to sell Nia as a monster heel. She can win MITB if she can get up the ladder. But she's so slow that could be a problem. Check out the match for yourself.

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Asuka vs Ruby Riott

Here's the match video of Asuka vs Ruby Riott from last night's episode of RAW. This is a Money in the Bank qualifying match. I guess Ruby doesn't like Asuka's dancing because the first thing she does is demand the real Asuka. Asuka works on Ruby's arm as Ruby is just returning from two shoulder surgeries. It's a good hard hitting match. Ruby gets some near falls. But Asuka does a slick transition into the Asuka Lock and it's over. As I said, the match is very good so be sure to check it out. Enjoy the video!

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Rachel's

Artist:Rachel's
Song:The Last Night
Album:Selenography





Rachel's was a contemporary incarnation of chamber music. The music is instrumental but I guess when most think of chamber music they think of classical music. There have been other bands like this. It's an acquired taste and difficult to classify. Rachel's were from Louisville, KY. Jason Noble played guitar in the post hardcore band Rodan. One day he met violinist and Juilliard graduate Christian Frederickson and they released a 1991 Christmas tape. When Rodan split up in 1994, Noble formed Rachel's with Frederickson and pianist Rachel Grimes. The band is named after Noble's car. They signed with Quarterstick Records and released their debut album Handwriting in 1995. So like I said, the music is instrumental. It's been described as contemporary chamber music. Noble, Frederickson and Grimes wrote all the songs. The Last Night is from the 1999 album Selenography which is the scientific study of the moon's topography. By this time the band grew to include Eve Miller on cello, Edward Grimes on drums and Greg King on percussion and he also added visual elements at live shows. He moved to Los Angeles to get into film in 2006. Sometimes they brought in extra strings and the occasional vocalist. Rachel's recorded six albums and they last recorded in 2005. Noble started the band Shipping News and he was in that band until he died from cancer on Aug. 4, 2012. Rachel Grimes has recorded several albums and Frederickson works with her sometimes. All of Rachel's albums are available as digital downloads. Here's a video for The Last Night by Rachel's.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Georgia White

Artist:Georgia White
Song:I'll Keep Sittin' On It (If I Can't Sell It)
Album:Trouble In Mind 1935-1941





Blues singer Georgia White was known for recording risque songs in the late 30s for Decca. Supposedly the 1936 song I'll Keep Sittin' On It is about prostitution. She was born Mar. 9, 1903 in Sandersville, GA. She sang in Chicago clubs in the late 20s and she recorded When You're Smiling with Jimmy Noone's Apex Club Orchestra. Georgia signed with Decca and recorded regularly from 1935-41. Most of her songs were about sex including You Done Lost Your Good Thing Now, Hot Nuts, Mama Knows What Papa Wanrs When Papa's Feeling Blue and I'll Keep Sittin' On It. I'll Keep Sittin' On It was recorded on May 12, 1936 accompanied by pianist and Decca house producer Richard M. Jones. The guitar solo is by a very young Les Paul and veteran session musician John Lindsay plays bass. The song was written by Alex Hill and Andy Razaf who are obviously using the word "chair" to substitute for sex. Remember plenty of Bessie Smith's recordings were about sex too. This comp from the French label EPM covers Georgia's entire Decca run. In the 40s Georgia formed an all female band and she also worked with Bumble Bee Slim and Big Bill Broonzy. In the 50s she performed in Chicago clubs until her 1959 retirement. Georgia White died in 1980 at age 77 but the exact date is unknown. Here's a video for I'll Keep Sittin' On It (If I Can't Sell It) by Georgia White.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-The U.M.C.'s

Artist:The U.M.C.'s
Song:One To Grow On
Album:Funkin' It Up





The rap duo The U.M.C.'s had very brief success with the 1991 single One To Grow On and a second single Blue Cheese. They split up when a second album didn't do well and they have gone on to other things. The U.M.C.'s are Kim "Kool Kim" Sharpton and Carlos "Haas G" Evans from Staten Island. The name means Undisputed Masters of Charisma. They signed with the hip hop label Wild Pitch with EMI distribution. Their debut album Fruits of Nature was released in 1991. The singles Blue Cheese and One To Grow On did very well on the rap charts but One To Grow On crossed over to be a top 40 pop hit. As you can see in the video, both guys rap but Evans produced the music. They sample a couple of jazz songs, the 1968 song Ursalena by Bill Cosby and the 1968 song Good Humour Man by trumpeter Blue Mitchell. Bill Cosby? He did occasionally record music. Cosby usually sang. The album Hooray For The Salvation Army Band! was produced by Fred Smith and The Watts 103rd St. Rhythm Band. Ursalena is a pretty obscure song to be used as a main sample in a rap song. After the 1994 album Unleashed didn't do well, The U.M.C.'s split up. Evans has gone on to a long career as a producer. He is known as Fantom of the Beat. He produced the 2003 single Magic Stick for Lil Kim and 50 Cent which reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100. He has also worked with Ghostface Killah and Inspectah Deck of Wu Tang Clan. Sharpton calls himself NYOIL (New York's Original International Lover). He released the controversial song Y'All Should All Get Lynched in 2006 which called for the lynching of big name rappers. I guess he thinks rap is like a modern minstrel show. I don't disagree but YouTube banned his video. It got Sharpton some media attention. He's recorded a couple of albums since then. You can get One To Grow On on this K-Tel various artists CD. Here's the video for One To Grow On by The U.M.C.'s.

Frank Pozen's Big Bad Podcast Apr. 11, 2020

Asuka, Hikaru Shida and the Kabuki Warriors.

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Nikki Cross and Alexa Bliss vs Kabuki Warriors

Here's the match video of Nikki Cross and Alexa Bliss vs Kabuki Warriors from last night's episode of Smackdown. It's typical of the WWE to do a Wrestlemania rematch as a blowoff. So I did not expect a title change. The big difference in this match is Alexa performed a lot better than last week and she let Nikki get the fall. So I guess she was yelled at for whuffing all her moves. If they insist on using her as a wrestler, they need to wrangle her better so she doesn't screw up so much. The Kabuki Warriors got so much offense in early in the match I knew they were losing. There also seemed to be some timing issues. There seemed to be a lot of waiting around for something to happen. So now that this is over a Kabuki Warriors split wouldn't surprise me. How about reuniting Kairi Sane with Io Shirai? Enjoy the video!

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Omarion

Artist:Omarion f/Timbaland
Song:Ice Box
Album:Playlist: The Very Best of Omarion





Omari "Omarion" Grandberry was the lead singer of the popular group B2K. They split up after he went solo in 2004. The 2006 single Ice Box is his biggest hit to date. He was born Nov. 12, 1984 in Inglewood, CA. His younger brother O'Ryan is also a singer. Grandberry started out as an actor in commercials and a dancer with the girl group Before Dark. He joined B2K in 1999 and took the name Omarion. After recording two successful albums and starring in the 2004 film You Got Served, B2K split up. They weren't getting along. Omarion also appeared in the 2004 film Fat Albert. His debut album O was released in 2005. The single O was a top 30 pop hit. His second album 21 was released in late 2006. Ice Box was the second single. It reached #12 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #5 on the R&B Singles chart. Ice Box was written and produced by Tim "Timbaland" Mosely and his production crew called The Royal Court. Other producers on the album included Eric Hudson, Bryan-Michael Cox, Pharrell Williams and Eric Dawkins. His next album was One on One with rapper Bow Wow was released in 2007. He was also acting in the UPN sitcom One on One and the spinoff Cuts. He also starred in the 2007 BET film Somebody Help Me which did well enough that there was a 2010 sequel. Omarion left Epic for Lil Wayne's Young Money Entertainment in 2009. But that didn't work out and he started his own label StarrWorld at EMI. When the 2010 album Ollusion didn't do well, Omarion moved to Maybach owned by Rick Ross and distributed by Atlantic for the 2014 album Sex Playlist. The single Post To Be featuring Chris Brown and Jhene Aiko reached #13 on the Billboard Hot 100. Though he has released a few EPs, that is Omarion's latest album. This digital download covers his Epic albums. Omarion starred in the reality series Love & Hip Hop: Hollywood. Last year B2K reformed for a brief tour. He released a new single in Feb. so it looks like he might have a new album on the way. Here's the video of Ice Box by Omarion featuring Timbaland.

The Big Topic in WMMA Podcast-episode five

How can up and coming female fighters improve?

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-The Wrens

Artist:The Wrens
Song:Come Back My Love
Album:The Doo-Wop Era Part 2: Harlem, N.Y.




The 1956 single Come Back My Love was the only memorable song by the doo wop group The Wrens.They split up soon after the song's success. The Wrens were all students at Morris High School in The Bronx. The first incarnation of the group was in 1950. They split up but Francis "Frenchie" Concepcion recruited George Magnezid and James "Archie" Archer. After singing as a trio for a couple of months they added Bobby Mansfield who was not only a great singer but he could write too. He was 15 years old. The Wrens entered a contest held by pianist Freddy Johnson. He was a jazz musician in Europe in the 30s. By this time he was teaching piano and he was looking to manage talent. Johnson became The Wrens' manager. He got them an audition with Rama Records owner George Goldner. They signed and Johnson played piano on the recording session. Come Back My Love was the second single. It had success in the New York market. Mansfield wrote the song. He sounded enough like Harvey Fuqua of The Moonglows that music fans probably thought it was a Moonglows song. The Wrens released a total of six singles. And then Mansfield left to go solo. It looks like he also recorded with a doo wop group called The Supremes. Mansfield led a version of The Wrens in the 90s to tour the nostalgia circuit until he died on Sept. 15, 2013 at age 76. Here are The Wrens performing Come Back My Love on a 2008 PBS TV special.

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-NXT six woman match

Here's the match video for last night's NXT six woman ladder match. The winner gets a shot at Charlotte Flair's NXT Women's Championship. In this match we have Io Shirai, Mia Yim, Candice LeRae, Tegan Nox, Dakota Kai with Raquel Gonzalez and Chelsea Green with Robert Stone. The main thing I wanted to see was what crazy stuff Io would do. Chelsea was trying to avoid contact. One key spot had Raquel hoisting Dakota on her shoulders. She launches Io off the ladder which Io turns into a cross body to the floor. And another key spot has Mia nail Chelsea's knee with a chair. It's a phony injury but it leads to Stone climbing the ladder for her. Io and Candice knock him off and them climb the ladder. They fight at the top but Io rakes Candice's eyes and dumps her onto another ladder. Them Io grabs the briefcase for the win. So now she gets a title shot which I presume will be taped this week. Can Io beat Charlotte. Of course but will the WWE let her win. Enjoy the video!

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Hikaru Shida vs Britt Baker

Here's the match video of Hikaru Shida vs Britt Baker from last night's episode of AEW Dynamite. This match gets off to a slow start but it picks up steam and overall it's really good. I'm not sold on Britt Baker. I don't think she is good enough in the ring. And she needs work on her facial expressions. And maybe that's why AEW turned her heel. In the ring she was behaving like a heel anyway. The turning point of the match was when Hikaru gave Britt a bloody nose. The intensity increased from that point. Hikaru won with a Shining Wizard. We don't know where this is going because AEW Women's Champion Nyla Rose hasn't been on TV lately and I don't think she was at these tapings. But it's a big win for Hikaru and the match was good too. Enjoy the video!