Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Jacqueline Cavalcanti vs Zarah Fairn

Here's the match video of Jacqueline Cavalcanti vs Zarah Fairn from yesterday's UFC show in Paris, France. Hailey Cowan was supposed to be Zarah's original opponent. But when she pulled out, Jacqueline was brought in on short notice and this fight was at a 140lb catchweight. Jacqueline is 28 years old from Sao Paulo, Brazil but she lives in Portugal. Her record is 6-1 and she won the LFA Bantamweight Championship in April. Zarah is 39 years old from France but she trains in Switzerland. She's 0-3 in the UFC and was brought in because at the time the UFC was desperate for Featherweights. She's terrible. So I was not surprised when Jacqueline won easily by unanimous decision. I'd like to see her against better competition. I expect Zarah to be released this week. Enjoy the video! 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Nora Cornelle vs Joselyne Edwards

Here's the match video of Nora Cornolle vs Joselyne Edwards from yesterday's UFC show in Paris, France. This fight is at Bantamweight. Nora is 33 years old from Epinay sur Seine, France. She's a kickboxer who turned to MMA in 2021. Her MMA record is 7-1. Her last two fights were for UAE Warriors. Joselyne is 27 years old from Panama but she trains at Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas. Her UFC record is 4-2 but she missed weight for her last two fights. And she won her last fight by split decision and some thought she should have lost. So Nora wants to keep the fight standing. And when she did that, she was winning easily. Joselyne was able to take her down a couple of times but she didn't advance her position. And the judges didn't score that in her favor. So Nora won by unanimous decision. I see her having trouble with better fighters as she is a kickboxer. Let's see if she improves her takedown defense. Enjoy the video! 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Manon Fiorot vs Rose Namajunas

Here's the match video of Manon Fiorot vs Rose Namajunas from yesterday's UFC show in Paris, France. This fight is at Flyweight. Manon is 33 years old from Nice, France coached by Aldric Cassata. She's 5-0 in the UFC. She's coming off of knee surgery. Manon is mainly a striker. Of course Rose is a two time Strawweight champ. This is her first fight at Flyweight. Manon has a significant size advantage. I didn't think Rose would be able to take her down. Plus Rose broke her right hand during round one. So Manon had an easy time of it and won by unanimous decision. So who gets the next Flyweight title shot, Manon or Erin Blanchfield. We'll see after the title rematch in a couple of weeks. But I would be OK with the two having a title contender eliminator match. Enjoy the video! 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Los Amigos Invisibles

Artist:Los Amigos Invisibles

Song:Esto es lo Que Hay

Album:The Venezuelan Zing Son Vol. 1

The Venezuelan band Los Amigos Invisibles gained a following outside Latin America after Talking Heads leader David Byrne released a couple of their albums on his Luaka Bop label. They made a big splash in Venezuela with their 1995 debut album A Typical and Autoctonal Venezuelan Dance Band. The band is Julio Briceno on vocals, Jose Luis Pardo on guitar, Armando Figueredo on keyboards, rapper Mauricio Arcas, Jose Rafael Torres on bass and Juan Manuel Roara on drums. When they weren't getting anywhere in the local club scene in Caracas, they decided to move to New York City in 1997. David Byrne heard about them and signed them to his Luaka Bop label. They released three albums on Luaka Bop and they got a lot of attention through touring and several Grammy nominations. Esto es lo Que Hay is from the 2004 album The Venezuelan Zing Son. It's a mix of different styles of music and the band has great energy. Pardo wrote most of the songs. The trombone solo on Esto es lo Que Hay is by Latin jazz legend Jimmy Bosch. The album was produced by Little Louie Vega and Kenny "Dope" Gonzalez AKA Masters at Work. They have produced plenty of Latin music. Los Amigos Invisibles left Luaka Bop and started their own label first with Sony distribution and now with Nacional. The band is down to Briceno, Torres and Roura and they hire musicians when needed. They released an album last year. Here's the video for Esto es lo Que Hay by Los Amigos Invisibles.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Marc E. Bassy

Artist:Marc E. Bassy f/G-Eazy

Song:You & Me

Album:Gossip Columns

The 2016 single You & Me was certified Platinum. Because the success of the record was through digital downloads, this success is not reflected in Billboard chart position. It is Marc E. Bassy's only chart single to date. He was born Marc Griffin Apr. 9, 1987 in San Francisco. After studying music at UC  Santa Cruz, Griffin moved to Los Angeles to become lead singer of the band 2AM Club. That's when he started calling himself Marc E. Bassy. They signed with RCA and released a 2010 album. When sales were disappointing, 2AM Club were dropped and Bassy left the band. He wrote songs for CeeLo Green, Sean Kingston, Wiz Khalifa and Ty Dolla Sign. He also worked with rapper Gerald "G-Eazy" Gillum. Gillum suggested that Bassy record his own songs. And after releasing a couple on iTunes, Bassy signed with Republic Universal. The single You & Me was first released on the 2016 EP Groovy People. The single was downloaded enough that it was certified Platinum. But it only reached #58 on the Billboard Hot 100. You can get You & Me on the 2017 album Gossip Columns which is available as a digital download. Then Bassy left Republic Universal and started his own label. He has since released three albums including one last year. Bassy said that the music business has changed. Big record companies and radio stations are unnecessary and he prefers to own his own music. Streaming has become more popular in recent years. But the streamers are owned by large corporations too. So his logic is flawed and unlikely to get anywhere. Here's the video for You & Me by Marc E. Bassy featuring G-Eazy.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-A Great Big World

Artist:A Great Big World f/Christina Aguilera

Song:Say Something

Album:Is There Anybody Out There?

Say Something was a top five hit in 2013. It is the only big hit to date for the duo A Great Big World. One of their other songs charted so they will not be a one hit wonder. But I don't expect them to score any more hits. This one was was a fluke. Singer songwriter Ian Axel is from Fair Lawn, NJ. After graduating high school, he moved to New York and met Chad King while both were attending the Steinhardt Music Program at New York University. In 2010, Axel posted a video of This Is the New Year on YouTube. iTunes selected the song as a Discovery Download and it was used in the MTV docuseries I Used To Be Fat and the 2011 film New Year's Eve. Axel self released an album and the cast of Glee performed the song in 2013. After King started to join Axel on stage, they called themselves A Great Big World and signed with Epic. They released a 2013 EP and toured. They performed This Is the New Year on The Today Show. Then Say Something was featured on the season finale of the TV competition series So You Think You Can Dance. Christina Aguilera liked the song so much that she wanted to record it with them. That version reached #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and topped the Adult Contemporary chart. Both versions of Say Anything appear on the 2014 album Is There Anybody Out There?. The album was produced by Dan Romer, a film composer who won an Emmy for the HBO film Jim: The James Foley Story. So far these guys have been lucky. The luck didn't last when the 2015 album When the Morning Comes didn't sell. They lost their record deal and self released an album in 2021. Well, one big hit is better than nothing. Their music is too schmaltzy for me. Here's the video for Say Something by A Great Big World featuring Christina Aguilera. 

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Martin Hayes

Artist:Martin Hayes

Song:Crooked Road/The Foxhunter's Reel

Album:Under the Moon

Martin Hayes is a fiddler who plays traditional Irish music. For the most part, he is usually part of a band. But he occasionally records solo. He was born July 4, 1962 in County Clare, Ireland. His father P.J. Hayes was a noted fiddler and a founder of the Tulla Ceili Band in 1946. He led them until his 2001 death. He taught Martin to play fiddle and at age 13 he won the first of six All-Ireland Fiddle Competitions. Hayes was in the Tulla Ceili Band for seven years. He moved to Chicago in 1985 to play with the rock band Midnight Court. They never got anywhere so Hayes started playing in clubs on the local music scene. One frequent collaborator was Chicago native Liz Knowles who plays Irish fiddle. He also led the band Celtic Aires. Hayes moved to Seatlle in 1993 and signed with Green Linnet Records which is based in Nashville but specializes in Irish music. Crooked Road/The Foxhunter's Reel is from Hayes' 1995 album Under the Moon. It was his second album. It's traditional Irish music produced and arranged by Hayes and recorded in Ireland. Steve Cooney plays guitar on this track and several others. Randal Bays plays guitar on half of the album. Hayes' dad plays on one song. Hayes formed a duo with Midnight Court guitarist Dennis Cahill and they recorded three albums. Since then Hayes has been a member of The Gloaming and he just released an album as part of the Common Ground Ensemble. Irish music fans will want to check out Hayes. Here's Martin Hayes with Steve Cooney performing The Maghera Mountain/Crooked Reel/The Foxhunter's Reel at the 2018 Doolin Folk Festival in the Irish TV network TG4.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Ben Webster and Oscar Peterson

Artist:Ben Webster and Oscar Peterson

Song:Sunday

Album:Four Classic Albums

Tenor saxophonist Ben Webster was best known for his stint in the 40s edition of the Duke Ellington band. After he left, he became a sideman and recorded frequently as a leader in the 50s. He recorded with all kinds of collaborators including legendary pianist Oscar Peterson. He was born Mar. 27, 1909 in Kansas City, MO. Budd Johnson taught Webster to play sax. In the 30s Webster played with Lester Young, Blanche Calloway, Bennie Moten and Count Basie. He joined the Ellington band in 1940. Webster was very close to bassist Jimmy Blanton but he argued all the time with Ellington. And after Blanton's 1942 death, it got worse and Webster left in 1943. Webster signed with Verve in 1953 and that's when he first recorded with pianist Oscar Peterson who led the Verve house band. Sunday is from the 1959 album Ben Webster Meets Oscar Peterson. This was at a time when Webster led a band with Gerry Mulligan and recorded with Art Tatum and Coleman Hawkins. The rest of the band on this album was Ray Brown on bass and Ed Thigpen on drums. The album is all jazz standards. Sunday was a 1926 song that gave legendary songwriter Jule Styne his first credit. Ned Miller and Chester Cohn worked together frequently and Benny Krueger was a jazz saxophonist and friend of Miller. At the time Sunday was a hit for Cliff "Ukulele Ike" Edwards. Frank Sinatra recorded it in the 50s and that's when jazz musicians started recording it. Webster particularly liked the song as it became part of his regular repertoire. You can get Ben Webster Meets Oscar Peterson as part of this 2CD budget comp from Avid. The other albums are Coleman Hawkins Encounters Ben Webster (1959) with Peterson on piano, Ben Webster and Associates (1959) with Hawkins, Budd Johnson and Roy Eldridge and The Warm Moods (1962) with Donn Trenner on piano. Webster moved to Europe in 1964 and continued to tour and record until he suffered a stroke and died on Sept. 20, 1973 at age 64. Here's Ben Webster with Oscar Peterson, Neils-Henning Orsted Pedersen on bass and Tony Inzalaco on drums performing Sunday at The Funkhaus in Hannover, Germany Dec. 14, 1972. This entire concert can be viewed on YouTube. There is supposed to be an album for this but it looks like the record company has closed.

  

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Black Men United

Artist:Black Men United

Song:U Will Know

Album:Jason's Lyric: The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

Black Men United (BMU) was an R&B all star group that was assembled to record one song for the 1994 film Jason's Lyric. It was a top 30 hit. Jason's Lyric was a 1994 film that was clearly aimed at black viewers. Stars included Allen Payne, Jada Pinkett, Bokeem Woodbine and Forest Whitaker. It has been described as an erotic psychological drama. I haven't seen it. The director was Doug McHenry. The studio was PolyGram owned Gramercy Pictures. They had a history of producing films for the black audience. PolyGram was mainly a record company so it's not surprising that they wanted to compile an all star R&B soundtrack. The centerpiece and the lead single was U Will Know by Black Men United. The song was written by Michael Archer and his brother Luther Archer. Michael Archer would soon become famous as D'Angelo. He didn't write it for the film. He says the song was his very first demo and his publisher pitched it like any other song and someone bought it for what turned out to be a high profile project. Soon afterwards, D'Angelo signed with EMI Records and would become a big star. The other producer on this record was R&B singer songwriter Brian McKnight. No doubt he was responsible for getting all the singers to come in. Those singers were Aaron Hall, Boyz II Men, El DeBarge, Gerald Levert, H-Town, Usher, Tevin Campbell and Tony! Toni! Tone!. You'll recognize all of them in the video. Recording engineer Bob Power assembled the band musicians. The single reached #5 on the R&B Singles chart and #28 on the Billboard Hot 100. The soundtrack album was certified Platinum. Black Men United looked more like a choir than a group when they performed U Will Know on the American Music Awards. The group that recorded the song was much smaller. Here's the video for U Will Know by Black Men United.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Germs

Artist:Germs

Song:Lexicon Devil

Album:What We Do Is Secret: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

In the late 70s, there were several punk bands that probably could have been successful if somebody  could get reasonable behavior from them. The Sex Pistols proved that but they imploded anyway. Germs was like that. They were popular in Los Angeles clubs but it's impossible to be successful when the music is incoherent. High school buddies Jan Paul Beahm and Georg Ruthenburg were kicked out of University High School in Los Angeles for anti-social behavior. Supposedly they were using mind control on fellow students. They decided to start a band though neither had any music experience. They were big fans of David Bowie's glam rock period. Maybe they wanted to play dress up. The band was formed in 1976. Beahm was lead singer and called himself Darby Crash. Ruthenberg played guitar and called himself Pat Smear. Lorna Doom (Teresa Ryan) played bass. The original drummer was Belinda Carlisle but she was sick at the time and brought in her friend Donna Rhea (Becky Barton). Becky left after three gigs. Belinda did not return as her new band The Go-Go's were starting to take off. She also didn't like the heroin use that was going on. They used various drummers though Don Bolles lasted the longest. At their first show, Germs were so bad they were thrown off the stage after five minutes. Their early shows verged on riots as the crowds were friends playing along with the band's shtick. Germs recorded on reel to reel tape in Smear's garage. The single went nowhere but eventually they signed with Slash Records, a label that specialized in Los Angeles punk bands. Lexicon Devil was released on a 1977 EP. It is generally considered to be their signature song. Ultimately Germs recorded the 1979 album (GI), appeared in Penelope Spheeris' documentary Decline of Western Civilization and recorded some songs with producer Jack Nitzsche for the 1980 film Cruising. So they were improving. But then they split up after conflict with Bolles and Beahm and Ruthenberg formed the Darby Crash Band. Germs reunited on Dec. 6, 1980 and on Dec. 7, Beahm committed suicide with heroin at age 22. Apparently Beahm told Ruthenberg he only wanted to do the show so he could buy enough heroin to kill himself. It was a threat that he had made several times so Ruthernberg didn't think he was serious. But this time Beahm went through with it. His death was overshadowed by John Lennon's murder the next day. Ruthenberg went on to play with Nirvana in the 90s. Director Rodger Grossman made the 2007 film What We Do Is Secret about Germs with Shane West from the ABC TV series Once and Again starring as Darby Crash. There was even a Germs reunion tour with West singing lead. The soundtrack CD has some Germs songs and other things as well. Here's the video of Lexicon Devil by Germs.  

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Frightened Rabbit

Artist:Frightened Rabbit

Song:I Wish I Was Sober

Album:Painting of a Panic Attack

The Scottish band Frightened Rabbit were a successful album and touring act when they had just got a record deal with a major label. Just when it looked like they were getting somewhere, band leader Scott Hutchison committed suicide in 2018. Frightened Rabbit started as a Hutchison solo act. He was born Nov. 20, 1981 in Selkirk, Scotland. Frightened Rabbit was a nickname given to Hutchison by his mother because of his shyness. He studied at the Glasgow School of Art. Hutchison started writing and performing music as Frightened Rabbit. Then he turned it into a band with guitarist Billy Kennedy and his brother Grant Hutchison on drums. They recorded an album in 2006 and the indie label Fat Cat signed them after seeing them perform. Sing the Greys was released in 2007. Andy Monaghan and Gordon Skene joined the band. Skene left in 2014. They recorded three albums for Fat Cat. And though they were critically acclaimed and they were touring, they signed with Atlantic Records in 2011. After releasing an EP, Frightened Rabbit released the 2013 album Pedestrian Valve. I Wish I Was Sober is from the 2016 album Painting of a Panic Attack. The band was still critically acclaimed and they were charting higher and selling better on a bigger label. But they were still unable to cross over to pop. They never had that big hit single. Hutchison released a solo album as Owl John in 2014. In 2018, Hutchison was working on songs for a new album and building a new studio in Glasgow when he went missing on May 9, 2018. He was found dead the next day. His family revealed later that he committed suicide. That was the end of Frightened Rabbit. Here's the video for I Wish I Was Sober by Frightened Rabbit.  

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-JJ Aldrich vs Liang Na

Here's the match video of JJ Aldrich vs Liang Na from today's UFC show in Singapore. This fight is at Flyweight. JJ is 30 years old. She trains at Elevation Fight Team in Denver. She has a 7-4 UFC record and she's on a two fight losing streak. JJ tries to win with defense. The problem is that doesn't usually work against decent fighters. Fortunately Liang is terrible. She's 27 years old from China. Her coach is Longyun Jiang. She's 0-2 in the UFC. And she's looked really bad. So I just think she's worse than JJ and doesn't belong in the UFC. JJ won the fight by second round ground and pound. It was her first UFC finish. Enjoy the video! 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Erin Blanchfield vs Taila Santos

Here's the match video of Erin Blanchfield vs Taila Santos from today's UFC show in Singapore. I was up very early this morning. This fight is at Flyweight. These two were supposed to fight in February. But Taila's coaches couldn't get visas so Erin beat Jessica Andrade instead. Erin is 24 years old from Elmwood Park, NJ. She trains at Renzo Gracie in New York City. She is 5-0 in the UFC and she's very accomplished for a young fighter. Taila is 30 years old from Florianopolis, Brazil. She now has her own gym. She is 4-2 in the UFC. She lost to former champ Valentina Shevchenko by split decision. She was winning the fight but ran out of gas. I'm sure Erin and her coaches were aware of this and planned to tire her out. So Taila looked pretty good in round one and won the round 10-9. But then she got tired and Erin was able to take her down. And she outstruck Taila in round three. So Erin won the fight 29-28. Her strategy was what I expected. It remains to be seen what comes next. First we have Manon Fiorot vs Rose Namajunas next week. Then the rematch of Alexa Grasso vs Valentina Shevchenko for the Flyweight title. Then we can determine the next challenger. Enjoy the video! 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-IYO SKY vs Zelina Vega

Here's the match video of IYO SKY defending her WWE Women's Championship against Zelina Vega. They did this match because Zelina won over IYO a few weeks ago before IYO cashed in the Money in the Bank briefcase. Zelina should never beat IYO under any circumstances. She's not a good enough wrestler. So they needed to give IYO a successful title defense. The match is OK. IYO does her best to sell Zelina's offense. Commentary really tries to sell Zelina as a credible challenger. The end comes when Zelina hits her Code Red finisher. But IYO crawls outside the ring. Zelina goes after her but IYO is playing possum and slams her into the ring steps. IYO tosses her into the ring and finishes her with the moonsault. Enjoy the video! 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-June Carter Cash

Artist:June Carter Cash

Song:Keep on the Sunny Side

Album:Ring of Fire: The Best of June Carter Cash

June Carter Cash was famous for two things. She was a member of the pioneering country group The Carter Family. And later she married Johnny Cash. She could have been a solo performer but she preferred performing with family. She was born June 23, 1929 in Maces Spring, VA. Her parents Ezra and Maybelle Carter were country music performers and with June and her sisters Helen and Anita, they started performing as The Carter Family in 1939. In 1943, they turned it into The Carter Sisters with Mother Maybelle. The Carter Sisters were all accomplished musicians. June played autoharp and frequently was lead singer. She also did comedy routines when they performed on radio. June recorded solo in the 50s but she never had a hit single on the country charts. Then she met Johnny Cash and married him and wrote the song Ring of Fire. After that she toured and performed with Cash and she didn't record solo for many years though she did record with Johnny Cash occasionally. In 2003 she signed with Dualtone Records and released the album Wildwood Flower. The album including Keep on the Sunny Side is mostly country music standards written by The Carter Family leader and June's uncle A.P. Carter. The album was produced by June's son John Carter Cash and includes appearances by family members Johnny Cash, Laura Cash on fiddle (John Carter Cash's former wife) and June's daughter Carlene Carter. Norman Blake plays guitar. The album reached #2 on the Bluegrass chart. But then June Carter Cash died after heart valve surgery on May 15, 2003 at age 73. Johnny Cash died in Sept. 2003. Dualtone released this comp in 2005. Here's the video for Keep on the Sunny Side by June Carter Cash.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Willie Brown

Artist:Willie Brown

Song:Future Blues

Album:The Rough Guide to Country Blues

Willie Brown was a pioneer of the delta blues but mostly as a sideman. Future Blues was one of six songs he recorded in 1930. And Brown is still considered to be a major influence on the blues. He was born Aug. 6, 1900 in Shelby, MS. Brown learned to play guitar as a teen. He played with Son House, Charley Patton and Robert Johnson. Though Brown could have recorded himself, he seemed to prefer being a supporting player. The one time he recorded solo was for Paramount Records in Wisconsin in 1930. He was there to record with Patton, House and singer Louise Johnson. They must have convinced him to record solo. He recorded six songs including Future Blues. That can be found on this various artists budget comp. The only other time he recorded was on a 1942 field recording by musicologist Alan Lomax. Charley Patton died in 1934 but Brown continued to perform with Son House until his death on Dec. 30, 1952 at age 52. Here's a video for Future Blues by Willie Brown.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-MAJOR.

Artist:MAJOR.

Song:Why I Love You

Album:Even More

The 2016 single Why I Love You came out of nowhere after soul legends Stevie Wonder and Patti LaBelle gave their stamp of approval. Then it spread online and now it's a major wedding song. MAJOR. is singer songwriter Major R. Johnson Finley. He was born Mar. 10, 1984 in Denton, TX. and he grew up in Houston in a blended family of ten kids. After graduating from Houston's High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, Finley studied at Berklee in Boston and then moved to Los Angeles after graduation. After posting videos on YouTube. Finley signed with British producer Harmony Samuels and his label BOE Music Group. Samuels has produced Mary J. Blige and Jennifer Lopez among others. Then he retired in 2007. He opened his own recording studio in 2011 and produced Ariane Grande's 2013 debut single The Way. Then he started his own label. He produced Finley's 2016 debut EP I Am MAJOR. After Stevie Wonder hailed Why I Love You as wedding song of the year and Patti LaBelle sang it at one of her concerts, Why I Love You went viral and reached #12 on the R&B Singles chart. Then Finley performed Why I Love You on the Soul Train Awards broadcast. The album Even More was released in 2018. You can get it as a digital download. Finley released a couple of spoken word recordings. And he appeared on the FOX TV series Star. He recently released a new EP The Hope of My Soul produced by Samuel and Joe Sumner (Sting's son). Maybe listeners have forgotten about him. Here's the video for Why I Love You by MAJOR.

 

 

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Josefine Knutsson vs Isis Verbeek

Here's the match video of Josefine Knutsson vs Isis Verbeek from last night's Dana White's Contender Series (DWCS) in Las Vegas. This fight is at Strawweight. Both fighters are kickboxers. Josefine is 27 years old. She trains at Allstars Training Center in Stockholm, Sweden. Alexander Gustafson is one of her teammates. She was a K-1 kickboxer before getting into MMA. Her MMA record is 5-0. She won a fight on Road to UFC last year in Singapore and that got her a shot at a UFC contract. Isis is 28 years old from The Netherlands but she trains at MMA Masters in Miami. She was with Glory Kickboxing before she got into MMA. Her MMA record is 4-1 including a 1-1 record in Invicta so I have seen her before. Josefine wobbles Isis with a head kick early in round one. But instead of going for a finish, she decides to clinch with her on the fence. That was a huge mistake. If she wants that UFC contract, she has to go for the finish. Josefine admitted in her post match interview that she played it safe. Very stupid. I thought Josefine won the first two rounds and faded in the third. So she won the fight but did not get a UFC contract because she chose to play it safe. Enjoy the video! 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-J Mascis

Artist:J Mascis

Song:Every Morning

Album:Tied to a Star

Joseph Mascis Jr. is the leader of the popular alternative rock band Dinosaur Jr. When they take a break, he records as J Mascis. The difference is his solo albums are acoustic. He was born Dec. 10, 1965 in Amherst, MA. His father was a dentist. Mascis started playing drums at age nine. He played in the high school band. He started the punk band Deep Wound in 1982 and then Dinosaur Jr. in 1985. Dinosaur Jr. became a very successful album and touring band when they were on Sire Records in the 90s. The big problem with Dinosaur Jr. is Mascis is a notorious control freak and he drove the rest of the band nuts. Guys quit the band because of his behavior. Mascis retired the Dinosaur Jr. name in 1998 and formed a new band J Mascis + The Fog. After two albums, that band ended when Mascis' house and home studio burned down in 2003. After recording in 2005 as J and Friends, Mascis reformed Dinosaur Jr. to tour to celebrate the rerelease of their first three albums. It went so well that Dinosaur Jr. continues to tour and they last recorded in 2021. Meanwhile he has recorded three albums for Sub Pop as J Mascis. Every Morning is from the 2014 album Tied to a Star. Mascis writes, produces and plays all the instruments. The music is acoustic as opposed to the rock of Dinosaur Jr. Mascis tours when Dinosaur Jr. is off the road. His latest solo album was released in 2018. I'm sure he will record again when Dinosaur Jr. takes a break. Here's the video for Every Morning by J Mascis. This video was produced by Funny or Die featuring actor and comedian Fred Armisen.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-The Way

Artist:The Way

Song:You're Caught in a Way

Album:The Way

Back in the early days of Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) or as it was derisively called back then, Jesus Music, it was difficult for bands to find churches who would allow them to perform. Never mind signing with a record label and recording an album. The Calvary Chapel in Costa Mesa, CA was one of the few places that encouraged Christian rock bands. Chuck Girard was assistant pastor and he was in the very first Christian rock band called Love Song. And he later went on to have success as a solo artist. The Way was formed at Calvary Chapel in 1971. They signed with Maranatha! and released the album The Way in 1973. In those days, the Christian labels didn't know what to do with rock groups. And Maranatha! was probably worse because they mainly released easy listening music for an older audience. But somebody convinced them to release The Way. The band was Dana Angle, John Wickham, Bruce Herring and Gary Arthur. They all seemed to play guitar and bass. And they all sang and wrote songs. Alex MacDougall was the drummer. He joined The Way as a member after this album was released. Dana Angle was the main songwriter. He wrote You're Caught in a Way with John Wickham. Bruce Herring sang lead and Angle played the guitar solo. The music was soft country rock similar to America. This album is available as a digital download. For their 1974 album Can It Be?, The Way went for a harder rock sound. They brought in Al Perkins to produce. The change was likely his idea. Perkins is best known as pedal steel guitarist for The Flying Burrito Brothers. They split up after that and most of the band left the music business. MacDougall was in the successful CCM band Daniel Amos. It looks like The Way got tired of being on the road all the time and they weren't making money. Of course Christian music was still in its early days and The Way never benefitted from the CCM boom of the 80s. Here's The Way performing You're Caught in a Way at the Calvary Chapel in Costa Mesa, CA 1974.