AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Jack DeJohnette

Artist:Jack DeJohnette

Song:Indigo Dreamscapes

Album:Parallel Realities

Of course legendary drummer Jack DeJohnette is best known for his days with the pioneering jazz fusion band of Miles Davis. After that he recorded for ECM Records for many years leading his bands Special Edition and Gateway. When he left ECM for MCA in 1985, DeJohnette put together a new band called Parallel Realities. This 1990 album was recorded with guitarist Pat Metheny and pianist Herbie Hancock. When they decided to tour, bassist Dave Holland was added. That's a killer band by anyone's standards. DeJohnette wrote Indigo Dreamscapes. DeJohnette and Metheny produced the album which  is available as a budget CD. Though they never recorded an album as Parallel Realities, they toured under that name for a few years. There is a Parallel Realities live album released in 1993 on the German label Jazz Door. But it's out of print and I think the recording was a bootleg anyway. DeJohnette continued to record with his other band Special Edition. And he reformed Gateway when he returned to ECM in 1995. But this looks like the only album he recorded with this band. Here's Jack DeJohnette with Pat Metheny, Herbie Hancock and Dave Holland performing Indigo Dreamscapes at the Mellon Jazz Festival in Philadelphia June 23, 1990.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-The Neville Brothers

Artist:The Neville Brothers

Song:Sister Rosa

Album:20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection: The Neville Brothers

After The Meters split up, Art, Charles, Aaron and Cyril Neville recorded as The Neville Brothers for the first time in 1977. They had a very strong run in the early 90s on A&M Records especially with the iconic song Sister Rosa. While working on the 1976 album The Wild Tchoupitoulas, the four brothers decided to record as a unit. Art and Cyrille left The Meters and after touring with their uncle's band The Wild Tchpouitoulas, The Neville Brothers recorded a 1978 album for Capitol. After three unsuccessful albums, the 1989 album Yellow Moon on A&M was successful. The album was produced by Daniel Lanois. The single Sister Rosa charted and the video was played in heavy rotation on MTV. The song tells the story of civil rights pioneer Rosa Parks. Cyril Neville sings lead and wrote the song with veteran session musicians Daryl Johnson and Charles Moore. It's a great song because you get an important history lesson with a funky beat. You can't beat that. The Neville Brothers won a Grammy for the instrumental track Healing Chant. They recorded five albums for A&M. This budget comp covers those years. After two more albums, The Neville Brothers disbanded. They weren't performing much anyway as Hurricane Katrina had them living outside New Orleans. Charles Neville died in 2018. Art Neville died in 2019. Aaron Neville last recorded in 2016. Cyril Neville is lead singer of Royal Southern Brotherhood. Here's the video for Sister Rosa by The Neville Brothers. 

Frank Pozen's Big Bad Podcast

Io Shirai, Asuka update, AEW tournament update and UFC review and preview. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Hannah Kerr

Artist:Hannah Kerr

Song:Split the Sea

EP:Listen More

Singer songwriter Hannah Kerr has had success in CCM at a very young age. Her music will be of interest to CCM fans. She was born Jan. 6, 1997 in Buffalo, NY. Her father Gordon Kerr is CEO of Black River Entertainment. Hannah attended high school in Nashville. Her father wanted to record her but he needed a producer. Mark Hall of the popular CCM group Casting Crowns started M2T Records (Made to Thrive) in 2015. Hannah was his first signee. Former Sawyer Brown lead singer and current Casting Crowns producer Mark A. Miller was brought in to produce. Hannah's debut album Overflow was released in 2016. The single Warrior did well ion the CCM chart. After releasing a 2018 Christmas album, Split the Sea appears on the 2019 EP Listen More. The single Split the Sea also did well on the CCM chart. The EP is available as a digital download. She's probably due for a new album. But it looks like she is getting married so that will take up her time right now. Here's the video for Split the Sea by Hannah Kerr. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-James Otto

Artist:James Otto

Song:Just Got Started Lovin' You

Album:Sunset Man

The 2007 single Just Gor Started Lovin' You topped the country charts. It is to date James Otto's biggest hit. He hasn't released anything since 2010. He was born July 29, 1973 in Fort Lewis, WA. He grew up on the military base. His father was an amateur musician. Otto was given a guitar for his 13th birthday. After graduating high school, Otto was in the US Navy for two years and then he moved to Nashville in 1998. He is a member of the Big & Rich led collective MusikMafia. Otto signed with Mercury for the 2004 album Days of Our Lives. He toured with Shania Twain. There were no hit singles so he left Mercury. John Rich of Big & Rich got Otto a deal with Warner Bros. He produced Otto's 2007 album Sunset Man with Jay DeMarcus of Rascal Flatts who is Otto's brother in law. Just Got Started Lovin' You topped the Country Singles chart. Otto wrote the song with his friend Jim Femino and his friend D. Vincent Williams who is a veteran songwriter. The song was his idea. So the album did pretty well. But then Otto's 2010 album Shake What God Gave Ya didn't perform as well and he left Warner Bros. Otto wrote and produced the album himself. Otto hasn't released anything since then. He is still part of MusikMafia. And he is in the Jay DeMarcus reality show DeMarcus Family Rules which was released on Netflix Aug. 2020. DeMarcus has also started his own Red Street label. I would not be surprised to see Otto turn up there. Here's the video for Just Got Started Lovin' You by James Otto. 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Alexis Davis vs Sabina Mazo

Here's the match video of Alexis Davis vs Sabina Mazo from last night's UFC show in Las Vegas. This fight is at Bantamweight. Alexis is a veteran fighter from Port Colborne, ON. She hasn't looked good since returning from pregnancy leave. She recently had shoulder surgery and she moved to Combat Sports Academy in in Dublin, CA with coach Kieran Fitzgibbon. Former UFC fighter Darren Uyenoyama is her main coach. Sabina is from Colombia but she trains at Kings MMA in Huntington Beach, CA with Rafael Cordeiro. She is mainly a striker. When I first saw this fight announced I thought it was at Flyweight. Alexis' recent fights have been at Flyweight. She asked to move up to Bantamweight. But Sabina is a Flyweight and I don't know why Cordeiro would agree that she would fight at Bantamweight. She's way too small. And that's how the fight went. Alexis mostly controlled Sabina on the ground and won the fight 30-27 on my card. Sabina should not have accepted this fight. Enjoy the video! 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Montana De La Rosa vs Mayra Bueno Silva

Here's the match video of Montana De La Rosa vs Mayra Bueno Silva from last night's UFC show in Las Vegas. This fight is at Flyweight. Montana and her UFC fighter husband train at Elevation in Denver with Eliot Marshall. She has decent ground skills but her striking is sub par. Mayra was in the Brazilian Contender Series. Then she blew out her knee while winning a fight over Gillian Robertson. She trains at Chute Boxe in Sao Paulo with Diego Lima. The story here is Mayra was deducted a point for fence grabbing to avoid a takedown. Normally refs will issue a warning for fence grabbing. But he had to deduct a point because of the takedown. If not for the deduction, Mayra wins the fight 29-28 though I think she should have won anyway. Mayra did a lot of damage in the clinch with knees and elbows. Montana did get a couple of takedowns. But I didn't think she advanced her position enough to get a lot of credit for that. Her takedowns didn't mean much. I scored round one 9-9 with the point deducted and so did the judges. I scored round two 10-9 for Mayra but the judges all scored it 10-9 for Montana. I scored round three 10-9 for Mayra. So did two of the judges and the third scored it 10-8. So it ended up as a majority draw. I saw some criticism of Mayra's fighting style. She is actually pretty good at the Chute Boxe style similar to Cris Cyborg. She needs work on her takedown defense but I'm sure Lima noticed that. Enjoy the video! 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Alfred Drake

Artist:Alfred Drake

Song:Where Is The Life That Late I Led?

Album:Kiss Me, Kate: Original Broadway Cast

Though he is forgotten today, Alfred Drake was a big Broadway star in the 40s and 50s. He starred in several original musicals that became standards including Kiss Me, Kate. He won a Tony for Kismet. And he performed in TV productions of these shows. He was born Alfred Capurro Oct. 7, 1914 in New York City. His parents were Italian immigrants. Drake began performing in musicals while attending Brooklyn College. His first Broadway appearance was in Babes in Arms in 1937. But the show that made Drake a star was Oklahoma in 1943. From there he starred in Kiss Me, Kate, The King and I and he won a Tony for the 1953 show Kismet. Of course Kiss Me, Kate featured songs by Cole Porter. It's basically a backstage musical. It was first produced in 1948 starring Drake and Patricia Morison. Drake did not appear in any of the film versions of these musicals. But he did appear a lot on live TV. The original cast album for Kiss Me, Kate is available on CD. Drake continued to appear on Broadway in the 60s. His final show was in 1975. After a recurring appearance on the daytime soap The Edge of Night and an appearance in the 1983 Eddie Murphy film Trasding Places, Alfred Drake died on July 25, 1992 at age 77. Here's Alfred Drake performing Where Is The Life That Late I Led? on the 1958 Hallmark Hall of Fame TV production of Kiss Me, Kate. This show can be streamed on Amazon Prime Video.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Barns Courtney

Artist:Barns Courtney

Song:99

Album:404

Barns Courtney will probably remind fans of Ed Sheeran. I'm not sure the comparison does Courtney any favors. He actually toured with Sheeran a few years ago. Virgin Records keeps placing his songs in movies but he hasn't broken through yet. Courtney was born Nov. 17, 1990 in Aylesbury, England. His family moved to Seattle when he was four and they returned to England when he was 15. Courtney led the band SleeperCell who were featured on Channel 4's Orange Unsigned competition. Then he led Dive Bella Dive. They signed with Island Records and played the 2012 Download Festival. They recorded an album that was never released and Island dropped them. Courtney signed a solo deal with Virgin. The song Fire appeared in the 2015 film Burnt starring Bradley Cooper. It got some radio airplay in the US and Courtney appeared on Conan O'Brien's TBS talk show. He released the album The Attractions of Youth and he went on tour. 99 is from his 2019 album 404. It also got some radio play. Courtney has done well on Spotify but that doesn't seem to have converted to sales. Courtney writes all his songs with Dive Bella Dive bandmate Sam Battle. 99 was produced by Arctic Monkeys producer Mike Crossey. But most of the album was produced by Band of Skulls producer Tom Dalgety. I noticed that Virgin keeps placing Courtney's songs in video games. Maybe it's time for a new strategy Here's the video for 99 by Barns Courtney. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Ferrante & Teicher

Artist:Ferrante & Teicher

Song:Exodus

Album:All Time Great Movie Themes

The twin grand pianos of Ferrante & Teicher were a staple of the easy listening charts for three decades. Occasionally they would cross over to pop. Their 1960 recording of the theme from the film Exodus was their biggest hit. Arthur Ferrante was born Sept. 7, 1921 in New York City. Louis Teicher was born Aug. 24, 1924 in Wilkes Barre, PA. They met while attending Juilliard in New York and they performed as a duo while attending school. After graduating Ferrante & Teicher joined the Juilliard faculty and started playing nightclubs as a duo. In the 50s they attempted experimental music and they released a few classical albums on ABC's Westminster label. Success came when they signed with United Artists in 1960. The key elements were the orchestra and chorus arranged and conducted by Nick Pento and the whole idea of having Ferrante & Teicher record popular movie themes. The breakthrough came when their recording of the theme from The Apartment reached #10 on the Billboard Hot 100. And immediately following Ferrante & Teicher's recording of Ernst Gold's theme from Exodus reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100. This was their biggest hit. These recordings were released as singles and then they appeared on the 1961 various artists album Great Motion Picture Themes which also included Don Costa and Al Caiola. Ferrante & Teicher scored another top ten hit with their 1961 recording of Tonight from West Side Story and then Midnight Cowboy in 1969. All these recordings are on this budget comp. This success was enough to keep them going for years. Their albums were big sellers in easy listening. Ferrante & Teicher remained on United Artists until EMI bought UA and moved them to Liberty in 1980. They retired in 1989. Louis Teicher died in 2008 and Arthur Ferrante died in 2009. Here's Ferrante & Teicher performing Exodus probably in the 80s. 

The Big Topic in WMMA

UFC review and preview and Invicta's future. 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Io Shirai vs Zoey Stark

Here's the match video of WWE NXT Women's Champion Io Shirai vs Zoey Stark from this week's episode of NXT. This is a non title match. Zoey Stark just signed with the WWE and after her solo debut last week, she was given a match against Io. Zoey wrestled as Lacey Ryan for SHIMMER and Impact among others. She was trained by Cheerleader Melissa. Though she debuted in 2013, Zoey took a couple of years off and returned in 2018. She looks good for someone who doesn't have much experience. So the match really picks up after the commercial break. Zoey probably gets more offense than she should. But Io doesn't like doing squash matches. She wants Zoey to look good and commentary probably tries too hard to put Zoey over. These days I don't care for these kind of matches because inevitably fans will overreact and think Zoey is a prodigy or something when the truth is Io makes her look better than she is. Of course Io won the match with her moonsault. The match is watchable but nothing special. Toni Storm came out afterwards and she will get a title shot in a couple of weeks. As for Zoey, I would like to see her against someone closer to her skill and experience level. Io Shirai can make anyone look like a million bucks. Enjoy the video!

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Zombie Nation

Artist:Zombie Nation

Song:Kernkraft 400

Album:Leichenschmaus

Here's a song you may have heard at a sporting event. But you don't know the title of the song or the name of the artist. Kernkraft 400 was an international dance club hit in 1999. It's become a cash cow for German DJ Florian Senfter AKA Zombie Nation. He also calls himself John Starlight and Splank!. Senfter is from Munich, Germany. He is mostly a remix guy. Kernkraft 400 appeared on a 1999 EP credited to Zombie Nation. After it was a hit in Europe, the record reached #2 on the British Singles chart. Then it crossed the pond and reached #3 on the Billboard Hot Dance Singles chart. After that the song became a sports anthem. It was first used by the Chicago Rush Arena Football team. Then it migrated to NHL, NBA and NFL teams. The song is normally played during time outs and commercial breaks. But remember every time the song is played Senfter's cash register rings. So the money is still rolling in. Teams that have used Kernkraft 400 include the Boston Bruins, Pittsburgh Steelers, Seattle Mariners, Los Angeles Dodgers, Penn State football, Welsh soccer and plenty more. Kernkraft 400 was number eight in a top ten sports anthems list done by Sports Illustrated in 2015. You can get it on the 2003 Zombie Nation album Leichenschmaus which is available as a digital download. Florian Senfter continues to do remixes. He has released five albums as Zombie Nation. Here's the video for Kernkraft 400 by Zombie Nation. That is Senfter playing the host in the video.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-OMC

Artist:OMC

Song:How Bizarre

Album:How Bizarre

Most music fans probably remember hearing How Bizarre but know nothing about the group. The song was an international hit in 1997 and it's even had a revival on TikTok. The two guys behind this record are New Zealand natives Pauly Fuemana and producer Alan Jansson. Pauly had a band in the early 90s with siblings Phil, Tony and Christina called Houseparty and then Fuemana. Phil and Pauly recorded a couple of singles with Jansson. Jansson produced the 80s band Body Electric. They called themselves The Otara Millionaires Club which is a joke about how their hometown is the poorest suburb in Aukland. They shortened it to OMC. After Phil left to start his own record label, Pauly became the frontman of OMC. He and Jansson wrote and produced the 1997 album How Bizarre. After How Bizarre was a hit single in Australia and New Zealand, PolyGram's Mercury label picked it up for international distribution. Because How Bizarre was not released as a single in the US, it was not eligible for the Billboard Hot 100. But it did reach #4 on the Billboard Radio Songs chart and it topped the Billboard Mainstream Top 40. The girl singer in the video is Sina Saipaia. The album was certified Gold and it is available on CD. After a couple more singles charted in New Zealand, Fuemana and Jansson split up over a royalty dispute that wound up in court. They reunited in 2005 to release the single 4 All of Us featuring Xena star Lucy Lawless. Pauly Fuemana died on Jan. 31, 2010 at age 40. How Bizarre is still a memorable song. And it recently became a hit again when TikTok users did videos to How Bizarre. The hashtag generated over a billion views. That's crazy for a one hit wonder. Here's the video for How Bizarre by OMC. 

Frank Pozen's Big Bad Podcast

Asuka, UFC review and preview and the future of Invicta. 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler vs Charlotte Flair and Asuka

Here's the match video of Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler vs Charlotte Flair and Asuka. This was a non title match. After Lacey Evans announced her pregnancy last week, the WWE said nothing about a replacement to face Asuka on Elimination Chamber until they announced there would be no match just before the show started. They could have announced that last week. Now of course Charlotte and Asuka will split up leading to a title match at Wrestlemania. So other than the finish, this match is nothing special. After Shayna kicks Asuka so hard that she loses a tooth, Charlotte accidently kicks Asuka and Nia pins her. Afterwards Asuka was pissed. Obviously she will need to see a dentist. As tough as she may act, Shayna is aware that she is not supposed to do stuff like that. I guarantee Asuka will give her a receipt. She's done it before. I won't say where or when it happened before but I know about it. Later in the show, Charlotte bawled out her dad. That's probably the end of that and the beginning of the Charlotte Asuka split. Enjoy the video!

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-SAINT JHN

Artist:SAINT JHN

Song:Roses

Album:Collection One

Carlos St. John Phillips has had success as SAINT JHN. Roses was a top five hit in 2019. It's too soon to know if that will be his only hit. He was born Aug. 26, 1986 in Brooklyn, NY. His parents are Guyanese and he would split time between the US and Guyana. His older brother influenced him to start rapping. But it's his songwriting thatb got him attention. Phillips moved to Los Angeles and several of his songs were recorded, most notably by Usher. Phillips released Roses as a single in 2016. Though it wasn't a hit, it got LA Reid's attention and he signed Phillips to his Hitco label. Roses appeared on Phillips' 2018 debut album Collection One. The album was produced by Lee "f a l l e n" Stashenko who worked with Phillips on those Usher songs. A DJ from Kazakhstan named Imambek did a remix of Roses and that became a worldwide hit. It reached #4 on the Billboard Hot 100. Collection One is available as a digital download. It was not released on CD. Since then Phillips has released two albums but he hasn't had the same success. So Roses might have been a fluke hit and Phillips' future may be as a songwriter and producer. Here's the video for Roses by SAINT JHN. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Towner Gallaher

Artist:Towner Gallaher

Song:Courageous Hearts

Album:Courageous Hearts

Drummer Towner Gallaher is mostly an educator and he plays New York clubs. But occasionally he records an album and he gets big names to appear on his albums. Gallaher was born in Portland, OR in 1955. He was age nine when he first picked up the drums. He attended an alternative high school so he practiced the drums six hours a day. After graduating he went straight to the local club scene. His main mentor was Mel Brown who toured with The Temptations and The Supremes. Gallaher moved to New York in 1986. He gives drum lessons in his home studio and he also teaches in public schools and community centers. Gallaher continues to play clubs. And he has recorded a couple of albums as a leader. Courageous Hearts was released in 2009 on his own label. He wrote most of the songs. Musicians are Craig Handy on tenor sax, Fred Wesley on trombone and Brian Lynch on trumpet. Lynch also wrote the horn arrangements. Other musicians are George Coligan on piano, Charles Fambrough on bass and Ze Mauricio on percussion. The album is available as a budget CD. Gallaher has released three albums and he continues to play New York clubs and teach. Here's Towner Gallaher performing Courageous Hearts in the recording studio Apr. 28, 2008. 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Casey O'Neill vs Shana Dobson

Here's the match video of Casey O'Neill vs Shana Dobson from last night's UFC show in Las Vegas. This fight is at Flyweight. Shana is from Baltimore but she now trains at Elevation in Denver. She won her last fight but I don't believe she is a UFC caliber fighter. Casey is making her UFC debut. She is 23 years old. She was born in Scotland but she lives in Australia. She trains at Tiger Muay in Thailand with George Hickman. She is 5-0. Her last fight was in UAE Warriors in Abu Dhabi. None of her fights are on video so I didn't get to watch her. She's very aggressive and she dominates Shana in round one. This continues in round two until the ref stops it. Casey wins by TKO. Obviously I would like to see her against better competition. Enjoy the video! 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Yana Kuniskaya vs Ketlen Vieira

Here's the match video of Yana Kunitskaya vs Ketlen Vieira from last night's UFC show in Las Vegas. This fight is at Bantamweight. Yana is from Russia but she now trains at ATT in Florida with her UFC fighter boyfriend Thiago Moises. She's a midcard fighter at best. Ketlen trains at Nova Uniao in Brazil. She is excellent on the ground. This fight was the product of really terrible judging. Robbery is not too strong a word to use. Ketlen won round one very easily with ground control. I scored it 10-9 for Ketlen. Two judges scored it 10-9 for Ketlen and the third scored it 10-9 for Yana. There is no way that round should have been scored for Yana. In round two, Ketlen initiated a takedown but wound up on the bottom. She kept trying for submissions but as Michael Bisping mentioned on the broadcast, she needed to get out from under. So I scored the round 10-9 for Yana for maintaining top position and so did all three judges. In round three, Ketlen maintained top position and attempting submissions for most of the round until Yana reversed it in the last minute and cut Ketlen with an elbow. I scored it 10-9 for Ketlen for maintaining top position for most of the round. Two judges scored it 10-9 for Yana and the third judge who scored round one for Yana scored it 10-9 for Ketlen. So all three judges scored the fight 29-28 for Yana. So how does Yana get credit for top position in round two and Ketlen not get credit for top position in round three. That's called round stealing which I don't believe in. But sometimes judges make stupid mistakes and this was pretty bad. The judging was awful. Check out the video for yourself.