Frank Pozen's Big Bad Blog

AJ Lee is the new WWE Divas Champion

2013-06-18T20:02:00.001-04:00

Here's the match video of AJ Lee vs Kaitlyn from Sunday's WWE PPV. I really liked how AJ set up the angle for this match though it was predictable how Kaitlyn's secret admirer would end. The bottom line is the WWE gave this match a lot more time than they normally give to Divas matches on PPVs. If they want fans to care about these girls, these matches have to be made to seem important. The match itself was a mixed bag partially because Kaitlyn is very green. She's still a bodybuilder trying to be a wrestler and she hasn't figured out how to use her strength yet. AJ is a trained wrestler but she's so small and frail looking it's hard to believe that she could generate any offense on a much larger opponent. I'd like to see her put on ten pounds of muscle so she doesn't look so frail. I liked Kaitlyn throwing AJ into the Spanish announce table and I also liked AJ's dropkick from the apron. A lot of the rest of the match was OK but nothing special. In the end, AJ outsmarted Kaitlyn into delaying going for the pin after her spear finisher. That was just her being stupid and AJ won with her Black Widow finisher. That hold was Antonio Inoki's finisher in the 70s. I don't think it's an effective finisher today because as we saw earlier in the match, it's not difficult to get out of. It's obvious the WWE plans to continue this feud. I guess we will see Kaitlyn cry a lot. Enjoy the video!
AJ Lee Vs Kaitlyn (Payback 2013) by chriswormley

Carolina Chocolate Drops concert review and video

2013-06-18T14:18:00.000-04:00

Last night I went to a free concert at the Luminato Festival featuring the Carolina Chocolate Drops at the David Peacaut Square behind Roy Thompson Hall at King & Simcoe in downtown Toronto. I didn't realize it until I got there but I was at a 2011 Toronto Jazz Festival concert at this location. The setup is a little different for this as the concert was outdoors and there was rain in the forecast. Fortunately, it didn't rain. Luminato is running free concerts all week and this was one of the two I wanted to see. The opening act was blues artist Corey Harris. Harris is very similar to other contemporary blues artists like Keb Mo but Harris is distinguished by a heavy Jamaican influence. He has recorded for Alligator, Rounder, Telarc and his latest CD Fulton Blues is on his own label. I'm not crazy about his voice but he has a decent band and I liked Harris when he played steel guitar. There were technical issues when the bass player's amp failed and it had to be replaced. Harris was OK but I didn't come to see him. I first heard of the Carolina Chocolate Drops two years ago. The best way to describe them is they are a modern reproduction of an old time string band. Of course most folks have never heard an old time string band so they don't know what I am talking about. It doesn't matter because the group is so entertaining that you won't care what type of music they are doing. CCD have been recording since 2006 and their latest CD Leaving Eden is on the Warner label Nonesuch. They are from Durham, NC led by Dom Flemons and Rhiannon Giddens. Flemons plays guitar and banjo and other instruments along with singing and goofy dancing. Giddens plays violin and other instruments including kazoo and she sings and dances as well. Guitarist Hubby Jenkins joined CCD when original member Justin Robinson left in 2011. Cellist Layla McCalla has joined them for this tour. I don't think she is a full time member. The band has toured with extra musicians in the past. What I like about Carolina Chocolate Drops is they are performing very old music going back to minstrel show music of the 1850s but they are approaching it like the music has never been performed before. That's why their sound is fresh. And Flemons in particular tries to give a sense of the way old time string bands performed. It reminds me of how the cowboy music tribute band Riders In The Sky tried to recreate that music. Anyone could perform those songs but CCD is successfully recreating the feel and authenticity of the old time string band. The funniest thing was when they performed the 2001 Blu Cantrell hip hop hit Hit 'Em Up Style in CCD's old time string band style. Jerry Lawson of the a capella group The Persuasions used to say that any song can be done a capella. I guess any song can be done in old time string band style too. From the moment I learned that Carolina Chocolate Drops was coming to Luminato, I couldn't wait to see them. Most folks at the concert had probably never heard of them. I don't think anyone was disappointed. And the great thing is the concert was streamed on Youtube and you can watch it right here on the blog. Be sure to check it out.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Brian Stokes Mitchell

2013-06-18T12:04:00.005-04:00

Artist:Brian Stokes Mitchell
Song:The Impossible Dream
Album:Man Of La Mancha: The New Broadway Cast Recording

Brian Stokes Mitchell was a TV actor in the 80s who turned to Broadway musicals in the 90s. He has been nominated for four Tony awards including a nomination for playing Don Quixote in the 2002 revival of Man Of La Mancha. He won a Tony in 1999 for Kiss Me, Kate. He was born Oct. 31, 1957 in Seattle. His father was an engineer for the US Navy so the family moved a lot. Mitchell performed in musicals while attending high school in San Diego. He moved to Los Angeles in the 70s and got his first big break in the 1979 mini-series Roots: The Next Generation. Then he played Dr. Justin "Jackpot" Jackson on the TV series Trapper John M.D. from 1979-86. He also had a recurring role on the sitcom the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Mitchell also does a lot of voiceovers for animated cartoons. That's a very lucrative business. He first appeared on Broadway in the 1988 show Mail. His first Tony nomination was for the 1998 musical Ragtime. Then he won a Tony for the 1999 revival of Kiss Me, Kate and he was nominated for the 2001 show King Hedley II and then Man Of La Mancha in 2002. The musical Man Of La Mancha was based on the 1959 teleplay I, Don Quixote. The music was written by Mitch Leigh and the musical was first performed on Broadway in 1965 starring Richard Kiley. It was turned into a film starring Peter O'Toole in 1972. Mitchell starred in the 2002 revival with Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio and Ernie Sabella. The show ran for about a year so it was successful. The original cast recording is available as a budget CD. The Impossible Dream is the best known song from the show but it was never a hit single. Jim Nabors sang it on the Gomer Pyle sitcom in the 60s. Man Of La Mancha was Mitchell's last long run on Broadway though he has appeared in some short runs. He has recorded two CDs. His latest CD Simply Broadway was released on his own label Oct. 2012. And he played one of Rachel's dads on the TV series Glee. This year he has been doing concerts to promote his CD. Here's Brian Stokes Mitchell with Mary Elizabeth Matstantonio performing The Impossible Dream on the 2003 Tony Awards broadcast.

Kikuyo Ishikawa added to July 28 PANCRASE show

2013-06-17T12:37:00.001-04:00

Kikuyo Ishikawa

PANCRASE has added a women's match to their July 28 Differ Ariake show. In a match contracted for 48kg, Kikuyo Ishikawa will face Amber Brown. Ishikawa has fought for PANCRASE before in her home town of Okinawa. She trains at Reversal Ground Slam in Yokohama. Her record is 9-3 and her last fight was a win over MIYOKO on the Apr. 21 PANCRASE show in Okinawa. Her biggest win was over former VALKYRIE champ Yasuko Tamada on the Sept. 11, 2011 JEWELS show. Brown trains at FIT NHB in Albuquerque, NM. Her record is 2-1. She lost to Emi Fujino on the May 19 PANCRASE show. But that fight was at 52kg and Amber normally fights at 48kg so they thought they would give her another shot at her proper weight. Ishikawa has a big edge in experience so she should be the favourite in this match. We have seen PANCRASE run women's matches other than Rin Nakai occasionally. But it's been too scattered to conclude that they have any kind of commitment to anything other than Rin Nakai.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Doctor & The Medics

2013-06-17T07:49:00.003-04:00

Artist:Doctor & The Medics
Song:Spirit In The Sky
Album:Party Time Vol. 2: The Ultimate Party Album

Doctor & The Medics had a number one hit in England in 1986 with their cover of the Norman Greenbaum psychedelic classic Spirit In The Sky. The record charted in the US but was not a big hit and the band's goofy look didn't catch on. The band was formed in London by DJ Clive Jackson in 1981 with guitarist Steve McGuire, bassist Richard Searle and drummer Steve Ritchie along with female backup singers and dancers known as The Anadin Brothers. Later it was changed to two girls but they kept the name. Doctor & The Medics released one single in 1982 and then signed with I.R.S. Records in 1985. After a couple of EPs, they recorded the 1986 album Laughing At The Pieces with producer Craig Leon. Their cover of the 1968 Norman Greenbaum classic Spirit In The Sky topped the British singles chart and reached #69 on the Billboard Hot 100. You can get the song on this various artists budget comp from SPG/Capitol. They don't mess with the song but the costumes and their look is a little odd. Apparently this is how they appeared on stage. Subsequent singles including a cover of Abba's Waterloo featuring Roy Wood didn't catch on. I guess looking weird for no reason doesn't lead to longevity in the music business. Doctor & The Medics recorded two albums for I.R.S. but recorded on their own label in the 90s. After appearing on the retro TV variety series Baby One More Time in 2002, Jackson formed a new version of Doctor & The Medics and they tour England today. Here's the video for Spirit In The Sky by Doctor & The Medics.

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Alexis Davis vs Rosi Sexton

2013-06-16T12:48:00.000-04:00

Here's the match video of Alexis Davis vs Rosi Sexton from last night's UFC PPV in Winnipeg. Alexis was the favourite in this match mostly because of her size advantage and a black belt in jiu jitsu. But Rosi has never lost by submission her ground game is really good. The other thing is that Alexis is mistake prone and those mistakes have cost her fights in the past. And that's what happens in the first round of this fight. It's fairly even until Alexis takes Rosi down but winds up on the bottom. Alexis attempts a triangle leg choke but never applies it properly. She needs to get her leg crossed with her shin. The problem is she uses a lot of energy to apply a hold that was going nowhere. And she left Rosi's arm free. So not only did Alexis eat leather but her gas tank was empty from the triangle attempt. Rosi won the first round. Round two is fairly even until Alexis gets top position and starts pounding Rosi. The problem is that Alexis is not a great puncher. It's something she needs to improve. Also she was pooped from round one. There was also less than a minute left in the round. If this had been earlier in the round, the fight would have been stopped. But remember this call is at the ref's discretion. And despite warning Rosi three times, Herb Dean chose not to stop the fight. Alexis said afterwards that she was OK with the fight not being stopped. She may change her tune after she watches the fight. There was no response after three warnings. It's a no win situation for Dean. It's a debatable call either way. The third round was fairly even but Alexis got the edge in the second half of the round. She won by unanimous decision. I scored it 29-28 for Alexis. One of the judges scored the second round 10-8 for Alexis. All it took was one big mistake and it almost cost Alexis the fight. Enjoy the video!

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Best Coast

2013-06-16T07:37:00.000-04:00

Artist:Best Coast
Song:Boyfriend
Album:Crazy For You

The 60s influenced duo Best Coast had some success with their 2010 debut CD Crazy For You. They released a CD last year and they are currently on tour. Bethany Cosentino grew up in Los Angeles and did some acting as a child. She started writing songs as a teen and generated record company interest through her MySpace page. But they wanted to turn her into a pop princess and she didn't want to do that. She went to school in New York for a while and moved back to Los Angeles in 2009. Then she got together with Robb Bruno to record demos. The rumour was he was once her babysitter. That was a joke. She had seen him in bands and they met through a mutual friend. They signed with indie label Mexican Summer and released Crazy For You in 2010. They hired Ali Koehler of Vivian Girls to play drums. Bethany has said that Best Coast is heavily influenced by 60s California pop music especially The Beach Boys and producers like Jack Nitzsche. But Bethany doesn't believe her voice has that happy pop sound. So their music is a little off kilter and should appeal to fans looking for something a little different. Their latest CD The Only Place was released last year. The duo said that they wanted to make a more professional recording and they hired veteran producer Jon Brion. Koehler has left Best Coast and session drummers have been hired for tours. Best Coast is currently touring opening for Green Day. Here's the video for Boyfriend by Best Coast.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Kelli Scarr

2013-06-15T07:40:00.004-04:00

Artist:Kelli Scarr
Song:Salt To The Sea
Album:Piece

Singer songwriter Kelli Scarr is best known for touring with Moby in 2009. She has also recorded solo and has an Emmy nomination. Vocally she reminds me of Portishead lead singer Beth Gibbons. Kelli was born in Monterrey, CA and went to high school in Folsom after her parents divorced. After graduating high school, she moved to Boston to study at the Berklee School of Music. In 1998, Boston University students David Moltz (guitar), Khodayar Akhavi (bass) and Daniel Mintzer (drums) were forming a band and placed an ad for a lead singer in local papers. Kelli Scarr responded to that ad. The band was called Moonraker and were heavily influenced by Portishead. They had some success in local Boston clubs and moved to Brooklyn in 2002. They were unable to secure a major label contract and split up in 2004. Kelli wrote the score for the 2008 HBO documentary In A Dream and was nominated for an Emmy. In 2009 she met Moby and sang on his album Wait For Me. She also toured with him. And she has also recorded with j.viewz. In 2010, Kelli signed with the indie label Silence Breaks and Piece was released Aug. 2010. The CD is very cheap and is worth checking out. Kelli continues to record solo and recently released the EP Dangling Teeth to iTunes. She is also working local clubs in Brooklyn as lead singer of the country music cover band North Of Amarillo. Here's Kelli Scarr performing salt To The Sea on Sleepover Shows.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-The B-52s

2013-06-14T07:38:00.001-04:00

Artist:The B-52s
Song:Love Shack
Album:Time Capsule: Songs For A Future Generation

The B-52s were one of the first groups to emerge from Athens, GA which would become a music hotbed. They had some success at first because their music seemed to be more fun than the typical New Wave music of the time. And they also had a kitschy look. Love Shack was their biggest hit in 1989. The B-52s got together by accident when they jammed together in an Athens club in 1976. The members were Fred Schneider on vocals, Kate Pierson on organ and vocals, Cindy Wilson on vocals, her older brother Ricky Wilson on guitar and Keith Strickland on drums. They wanted to have fun so they decided to have a unique thrift store look and the girls wore beehive hairdos and that's where the name B-52s comes from. Their first single Rock Lobster was released on DB Records in 1978. It generated enough buzz to get them a record deal with Warner Bros. in the US and Island Records in the UK. Though they didn't have a hit single at the time, the first three B-52's albums sold very well and were certified Gold. After the 1983 album Whammy!, the B-52s took a break and returned with the 1985 album Bouncing off the Satellites. During the recording, Ricky Wilson became ill and died of AIDS on Oct. 12, 1985 at age 32. He kept his illness a secret from the band. They considered disbanding but Strickland had already switched to guitar and the band had been using drum machines. The B-52s returned to the studio in 1988. Strickland had written a lot of music and the girls and Schneider wrote the lyrics. The 1989 album Cosmic Thing was a success. Love Shack reached #3 on the Billboard Hot 100. Supposedly the song is based on a real cabin where Kate Pierson lived in the 70s. The song cemented the B-52s rep as a party band. They continued to record but weren't as successful in the 90s. You can get all their hits on this budget comp. Keith Strickland quit touring with the B-52s last year but The B-52s will tour this summer with The Go-Gos. Their most recent CD was released in 2008. Here's the video for Love Shack by The B-52s.

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Ayumi Kurihara vs Mayumi Ozaki street fight

2013-06-13T13:03:00.001-04:00

I am asked all the time by fans who fondly remember FMW hardcore joshi matches from the 90s who don't really follow joshi puroresu if those kind of matches are still done in Japan. For the most part, the answer is no. A few years back, Kyoko Kimura got a rep for doing hardcore matches. She doesn't do them anymore. Yumiko Hotta does them once in a blue moon. The only wrestler who does hardcore street fights regularly is OZ Academy owner Mayumi Ozaki. This match is from the Apr. 24 Korakuen Hall OZ Academy show. The set up is that Ayumi Kurihara is tired of getting the crap beat out of her by Ozaki and The Ozaki Army. So she challenges Ozaki to a street fight. With Ayumi retiring in August, I guess this was a match on her bucket list. Of course there are the usual weapons like chairs, chains and barbed wire boards. Ozaki even has an umbrella. And there is also The Ozaki Army of Police, Mika Nishio, Yumi Ohka and Mio Shirai. Kurihara brings her own army of Manami Toyota, AKINO, Dynamite Kansai and Sonoko Kato. Typically, Kurihara gets clobbered and bleeds. I thought Ozaki would take Kurihara to the Korakuen Hall balcony but she actually takes her downstairs into a hallway. Kurihara gets her revenge but the attraction of this match is watching someone like Kurihara who doesn't usually do these kind of matches. Ozaki usually wins these matches. There's another match video on Daily Motion of Ozaki initiating Ice Ribbon actress turned wrestler Hikaru Shida into her hardcore world that is typical. In this one, Ozaki gets the upper hand when she spits Kurihara's face with red mist a la The Great Muta. But then Police hits Ozaki by mistake and Kurihara spits blue mist in Ozaki's face. I thought that was a nice touch. And then Kurihara wins. As tends to happen when a Police mistake costs Ozaki a match, they show her beating him up backstage. I'm not a big hardcore match fan. But I don't mind it once in a while and this one is very entertaining. Enjoy the video!
04. Ayumi Kurihara vs Mayumi Ozaki - (OZ 04/24/13) by SenorLARIATO

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Junior

2013-06-13T07:26:00.003-04:00

Artist:Junior
Song:Mama Used To Say
Album:The Best Of Junior

The classic R & B hit Mama Used To Say led to an 80s revival of British soul. It was also the biggest hit for singer songwriter Norman "Junior' Giscombe. He was born June 6, 1957 in London, England. He was inspired by the Philly Soul of Thom Bell to become a musician. In 1980 he was a backup singer for the British soul group Linx. That group's biggest hit was Intuition in 1981. Linx keyboard player Bob Carter liked Junior and they started writing together. An independent release of the single Hot Up & Heated led to a contract with PolyGram's Phonogram label in England and Mercury in the US. Mama Used To Say was Junior's first single in 1982 and it reached #2 on the R & B Singles chart and #30 on the Billboard Hot 100. Today it is considered a soul classic and Mama Used To Say was recently covered by Beverley Knight on her 2011 tribute CD Soul UK. It also led to the success of British soul artists like Billy Ocean and Sade. Junior had some other hits like Too Late and his 1987 duet with Kim Wilde Another Step (Closer To You). You can get all his hits on this comp. Junior records occasionally. In 1999, he re-recorded all his hits for K-Tel. But he is mostly behind the scenes writing songs for others. He is also a DJ for internet radio station Solar Radio. His CD Prisoner Of Hope was released on his own label Nov. 2011. Here's the video for Mama Used To Say by Junior.

Injury and comedy of errors kills Invicta Lightweight Championship fight

2013-06-12T21:05:00.000-04:00

Invicta got very bad news last week when they learned that Carla Esparza suffered a knee injury and was forced to drop out of her Lightweight Championship match against JEWELS Lightweight Champion Ayaka Hamasaki. Injuries happen all the time but the way this was handled afterwards shows cluelessness on several levels. For one thing, I have said for the last year that Invicta announces the complete cards way too far in advance. It results in too many changes that usually weaken the card. It's OK to announce the main matches early but the prelims don't need to be announced until later. It would give them flexibility in case something happens to one of the main matches. The number one person to blame for this particular problem is Carla Esparza because she admitted that she injured her knee several weeks ago and chose to work through the injury and ignore it. That's just not the smart thing to do. As it turns out, she won't need surgery but she has to drop out of this match. Invicta decided to plug Claudia Gadelha in to face Ayaka but it's not for a title. Claudia was supposed to face Joanne Calderwood. I guess they forgot to tell Claudia not to say anything because she spilled the beans on Twitter. The problem with that is Ayaka hadn't accepted the match yet. So they were forced to announce the change before it was official. I don't blame Ayaka for balking. If a fighter gets a title shot and then it's taken away for any reason, the promotion should be prepared to fork over some cash to sweeten the pot. Think about it. Ayaka's match is now a waste of time and she should be pissed off. When is Deep Jewels going to let her come over again? And because Invicta stupidly announces the entire card way in advance, everyone knows that Joanne Calderwood needs a new opponent. It's unnecessary negative attention that could be avoided. Apparently Invicta had trouble finding an opponent for Joanne. Supposedly they asked Bellator for Felice Herrig and not surprisingly, Bellator said no. Of course fans blame Bellator but Invicta should have never asked them. They should know better. There's no upside for Bellator to allow Felice to fight in Invicta. So finally yesterday Invicta announced that Sarah Schneider will face Joanne Calderwood. She's a local fighter from Missouri and this has happened with her before. Back in 2010, Megumi Fujii was supposed to face Angela Magana on a June Bellator show. When Angela dropped out, Bellator couldn't find anyone until Sarah signed on. I guess that shows toughness or foolishness. It depends on your point of view. Maybe that's why Sarah's record is 6-6.

Patty Griffin concert review

2013-06-12T13:53:00.001-04:00

Last night I saw Patty Griffin at the Danforth Music Hall in Toronto. I had never been there before. Back in the 70s, it was called The Roxy and was known for midnight screenings of The Rocky Horror Picture Show. But it has been refurbished and it seems like a good alternative to Massey Hall, especially since Massey Hall will be refurbished soon. And they made room for my powerchair. The opening act was singer songwriter Max Gomez. He recently released his debut CD Rule The World on New West Records which is also Patty's label. Gomez is 23 years old from Taos, NM. He was OK. It's a tough slot for him. No one is there to see him and he is limited to 45 minutes. I could see him asking someone offstage how much time he has left. He likes to talk between songs. But if he talks too much he runs out of time. So he had to stop talking. I think I would like him a lot better in an intimate club setting where he can be more relaxed and he doesn't have to worry about time. But this gets him exposure to a larger audience that already likes similar music. It's economical but not the best way to showcase Gomez. Patty Griffin grew up in Maine and her new CD American Kid is a tribute to her father and her first CD of original songs in several years. Her dad is on the CD cover. Though Patty is a very powerful singer, she has had a lot of success as a songwriter. The Dixie Chicks in particular like her songs. This tour is to promote the new CD. Her band are veteran musicians. David Pulkingham is the long time guitarist for Tex-Mex rocker Alejandro Escovedo. Bassist Craig Ross produced Patty's new CD and has worked with her for several years. He worked with Lenny Kravitz in the 90s. Pianist John Deaderick has also worked with Patty for several years and with plenty of others. Believe it or not, all three guys take turns playing drums. The best thing about Patty Griffin is she expresses real emotion in her voice and her music is not overproduced. These days that's very refreshing and so I enjoyed the show a lot.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Social Distortion

2013-06-12T11:23:00.001-04:00

Artist:Social Distortion
Song:Story Of My Life
Album:Greatest Hits

Social Distortion started out as a late 70s punk band. But they are probably best remembered for early 90s recordings like Story Of My Life, Ball and Chain and their cover of Johnny Cash's Ring Of Fire. The band is from Fullerton, CA in Orange County. Lead singer and main songwriter Mike Ness formed Social Distortion in 1978 with bassist Dennis Danell who he knew in high school. The band had a revolving door of members over the next couple of years. Bassist John Maurer and drummer Christopher Reece both joined in 1984 and that was Social Distortion's lineup for the next ten years. The band's progress was delayed by Mike Ness's heroin addiction. In the mid-80s he spent time in rehab and jail. Ness successfully kicked his heroin addiction in 1985 and was in the band Easter for two years. Social Distortion reformed in 1988 and their album Prison Bound earned them a contract with Epic Records. Their major label debut Social Distortion was released in 1990 and was produced by recording engineer turned producer Dave Jerden. With college radio hits like Story Of My Life, Ball and Chain and Ring Of Fire, Social Distortion broke through to a larger audience. Their music now was a mix of punk and country known as Cowpunk. Their 1992 CD Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell also did well. Christopher Reece left in 1994 and they had some difficulty replacing him and eventually settled on former Danzig drummer Chuck Biscuits. After the release of their 1996 CD White Light, White Heat, White Trash, Social Distortion left Epic and released a live CD in 1997. This comp is a good intro to their music. Mike Ness recorded two solo CDs. Dennis Danell died of a brain aneurysm on Feb. 29, 2000 at age 38. Ness continues to lead Social Distortion today. Their latest CD was released in 2011 and they are currently working on a new CD. Here's the video for Story Of My life by Social Distortion.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-The Original Carter Family

2013-06-11T07:34:00.002-04:00

Artist:The Original Carter Family
Song:Worried Man Blues
Album:Can The Circle Be Unbroken

Today when most fans think of The Carter Family, they think of June Carter Cash who married Johnny Cash and sang with her sisters. But The Original Carter Family as they are billed on this CD were pioneers of bluegrass and country music and wrote many country music standards like Worried Man Blues. The leader of this group was Alvin Pleasant Delaney Carter, known as A.P. or Doc. He was born Dec. 15, 1891 in Maces Springs, VA. He married Sara Dougherty in 1915. They formed The Carter Family with sister in law Maybelle Carter and first recorded for RCA Victor in 1927. Along with Jimmie Rodgers, The Carter Family were the first successful country music stars. They were touring nationally until the 1929 stock market crash. They still recorded during The Great Depression of the 30s but were financially unable to tour. And A.P. and Sara were having marriage problems and they divorced in 1939. But the group continued. Worried Man Blues is one of many country music standards written by A.P. Carter and this Sony budget CD consists of recordings they did for Okeh Records in 1935. By 1939 The Carter Family had their own radio show in Texas and several Carter children joined the group but they weren't on The Carter Family recordings. In 1943, Sara Carter retired and moved to California with her new husband and A.P. Carter moved back to Virginia and owned a general store. Maybelle Carter formed a new group with daughters Helen, June and Anita and that's the Carter Family group a lot of fans are familiar with. They were usually billed as Mother Maybelle and the Carter Sisters. A.P. and Sara reformed The Carter Family in 1952 with their children but it wasn't successful and they disbanded in 1956. A.P. Carter died on Nov. 7, 1960 at age 68 and The Carter Family was inducted into The Country Music Hall Of Fame in 1970. John Carter Cash currently leads Carter Family III. So The Carter Family legacy continues. Here's a video of Worried Man Blues by The Original Carter Family.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Down To The Bone

2013-06-10T07:38:00.001-04:00

Artist:Down To The Bone
Song:Staten Island Groove
Album:The Best Of Down To The Bone

There is a long history of British R & B and funk from bands like The Brand New Heavies. Down To The Bone is in this tradition. But they are odd because Down To The Bone founder, leader and composer Stuart Wade doesn't play in the band. Wade is a DJ and he doesn't play any instruments. And the way he writes songs is he hums a melody and the musicians execute it. He started Down To The Bone in 1996 and when Staten Island Groove became a hit, he decided to record the 1997 album From Manhattan To Staten. The album reached #2 on the Jazz Album chart. Since then Wade has recorded as Down To The Bone for Atlantic, Verve, Narada and his latest CD The Main Ingredients is on Trippin 'n Rhythm. This comp from Narada is a good intro to their music. Several jazz funk legends like Reuben Wilson, Jeremy Steig, Brian Auger and Roy Ayers have appeared on Down To The Bone CDs along with singers Flora Purim, N'Dambi and Hil St. Soul. Wade hires different musicians to play in Down To The Bone for North America and England. That's very unusual but I guess one should remember that Wade doesn't play in the band. Funk fans will enjoy them regardless. Here's Down To The Bone performing Staten Island Groove in Chicago 2010.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Roseanna Vitro

2013-06-09T07:24:00.003-04:00

Artist:Roseanna Vitro
Song:If I Didn't Have You
Album:The Music Of Randy Newman

Jazz singer Roseanna Vitro emerged from the Houston jazz scene of the 70s and has done well recording as a solo artist since the 80s. If I Didn't Have You is from her latest CD The Music of Randy Newman, her tribute to one of the all time great songwriters. She was born Feb. 28, 1951 in Hot Springs, AR. Her father owned a local nightclub so Roseanna was interested in music at an early age. She moved to Houston in the 70s and sang frequently with tenor sax great Arnett Cobb. She also sang with visiting jazz musicians like Bill Evans, Oscar Peterson and Tommy Flanagan. Roseanna moved to New York in 1978 and toured with Lionel Hampton. She also worked frequently with Kenny Werner. She first recorded as a solo artist for a couple of small labels in 1985. Her 1993 CD Softly on Concord was her major label debut. She usually records with a small band. On that CD, the band was led by pianist Fred Hersch. Since then Roseanna has recorded for Telarc, Challenge and Half Note. The Music Of Randy Newman is her first CD on Motema Music and was released in 2011. The band is led by former Sonny Rollins pianist Mark Soskin with violinist Sara Caswell, bassist Dean Johnson and drummer Tim Horner. If I Didn't Have You is from the 2001 film Monsters Inc. and won Newman his first Best Original Song Oscar. This CD was nominated for a Best Vocal Album Grammy and Newman praised it as well. So Randy Newman fans should check it out. Rosanna Vitro is currently on the faculty of New Jersey City University. She is currently working on her next CD which will be a tribute to big band leader Clare Fischer. Here's Roseanna Vitro performing If I Didn't Have You with Mark Soskin, Sara Caswell, Dean Johnson and Tim Horner at Dizzy's Coca Cola at Lincoln Center in New York City June 13, 2011.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Glenn Miller

2013-06-08T07:59:00.002-04:00

Artist:Glenn Miller
Song:In The Mood
Album:Greatest Hits

Glenn Miller was one of the most popular artists of the Big Band Era of the early 40s and In The Mood was his signature song. After Miller went missing in action in 1944, he became even more popular after his death. He was born Mar. 1, 1904 in Clarinda, IA and grew up in North Platte, NE. He was interested in music at an early age and played trombone in local bands as a teen. By 1926, Miller moved to Los Angeles and played in bands led by Ben Pollock and Victor Young. Young's band got him into the Los Angeles studio scene and for the next few years, Miller was a session musician playing with Tommy Dorsey, Benny Goodman and Joe Venuti. He was an arranger and composer with The Dorsey Brothers in the mid-30s and then he worked for Ray Noble. This led to Miller forming his own band in 1937. He wasn't successful at first but his hiring of Wilbur Schwartz to play lead clarinet gave Miller a distinctive sound that led to a 1938 contract with RCA's Bluebird label. Miller's first really big hit was Tuxedo Junction which topped the charts for eight weeks in 1939. In The Mood topped the charts for 13 weeks. In The Mood was based on the 1930 Wingy Manone song Tar Paper Stomp. But he never copyrighted the song. Sax player Joe Garland wrote In The Mood and it was recorded by Edgar Hayes in 1938. After Artie Shaw turned down the song, Garland sold it to Miller and Miller arranged it with his pianist John Chalmers McGregor and Eddie Durham. Miller's other really big hit was Chatanoooga Choo Choo. During this time, Miller had a regular radio show on CBS. And he appeared in the 1941 film Sun Valley Serenade and the 1942 film Orchestra Wives. At the height of his fame in 1942, Miller became a Captain in the Army Air Force so he could lead the Army Air Force Band. He was praised for his patriotism. On Dec. 15, 1944, Miller was flying to Paris to perform for soldiers when the plane went down over the English Channel. Nothing was ever found and Miller was dead at age 40. For several years, Tex Benecke led the Glenn Miller band. This budget comp is a good intro to Miller's music. The film The Glenn Miller Story starring James Stewart was released in 1953. Like Tommy Dorsey, Glenn Miller started as a jazz musician but realized that most people didn't want to listen to real jazz. And understanding that is what made Miller a success though jazz purists don't think much of him. There have always been mixed feelings about Miller. Here's Glenn Miller performing In The Mood in the 1941 film Sun Valley Serenade. The film's stars Sonia Henie and John Payne appear in the clip.

VV Mei vs Lorena Klijn set for June 23 SHOOT BOXING show

2013-06-07T12:08:00.001-04:00

VV Mei, Lorena Klijn

I've known about this for a few weeks but SHOOT BOXING announced today that MMA fighter and former VALKYRIE champ VV Mei will face Dutch kickboxer Lorena Klijn on the June 23 Korakuen Hall show. I expect the complete lineup for August's Girls S-Cup tournament to be announced after this show. This is a rematch from last year's Girls S-Cup. Lorena beat Erika Kamimura in the first round. But VV Mei tossed Lorena around like a sack of potatoes to win the next round. SHOOT BOXING owner Takeshi Caesar is trying to sell Lorena as a gold old fashioned monster gaijin heel to threaten his poster girl RENA. RENA and Lorena both appeared on the Apr. 20 show. And at the press conference before the show, Lorena screamed at RENA. RENA did not respond. For this monster heel strategy to be effective, Lorena needed to win convincingly over Miyo Yoshida on the Apr. 20 show. It didn't happen. Lorena had trouble with Miyo and won a majority decision. One of the judges scored it a draw. I'm sure Lorena is having trouble with the nuances of SHOOT BOXING but she trains with Andy Souwer who is an experienced shoot boxer. She must be better prepared or she will lose to VV Mei and Caesar's plan will go up in smoke. Mei said she saw Lorena's recent match and says she looks the same as she did when they fought last year. Of course Lorena just wants to avenge the loss. She says she will beat up RENA regardless. This is why gaijin kickboxers don't do well at Shoot Boxing. They don't learn the non-kickboxing elements because they don't think they need to. It gives a big edge to Shoot Boxing regulars like RENA and accomplished MMA fighters like VV Mei. There will also be two matches for the teen Girls S-Cup on this show but those matches haven't been announced yet.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Wynton Marsalis & Eric Clapton

2013-06-07T07:31:00.001-04:00

Artist:Wynton Marsalis & Eric Clapton
Song:Layla
Album:Wynton Marsalis & Eric Clapton Play The Blues: Live From Jazz At Lincoln Center

Guys as legendary as Wynton Marsalis and Eric Clapton can play with anyone they want and do anything they want. So it's not that surprising that they would decide to play together. Marsalis' duet album with Willie Nelson was very successful and Clapton's album with B.B. King was a big seller. Clapton had been working a lot with his old buddy Steve Winwood and he recorded an album with J.J. Cale in 2006. Marsalis recorded an album with Willie Nelson in 2008. For his 2010 CD Clapton, he recorded a lot of old songs in a traditional jazz style with members of the Preservation Hall Jazz Band. Wynton Marsalis played trumpet on How Deep Is The Ocean. From there, Marsalis got the idea to do a series of concerts with Clapton at Lincoln Center in New York City. The concept was for Clapton to select the songs and Marsalis would arrange them in a 20s jazz style based on King Oliver. For the most part, Clapton chose songs from the 20s with the exception of Layla. Clapton said he thought of Layla but thought it would be presumptuous to suggest it. So bassist Carlos Henriquez suggested it. Other musicians include Chris Crenshaw on trombone, Victor Goines on clarinet, Ali Jackson Jr. on drums, Dan Nimmer on piano, Marcus Printup on trumpet, Chris Stainton on keyboards and Don Vappie on banjo. And Taj Mahal appears on the final two songs. The CD was released on Clapton's label Warner Bros. and there is also a live DVD. It's certainly interesting to hear Layla performed in this style. And Clapton is very deferential to the jazz musicians. I guess he doesn't feel he deserves to be in the same room with great jazz musicians. But he does deserve to be there. Here's Wynton Marsalis & Eric Clapton performing Layla from the DVD recorded at Lincoln Center.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66

2013-06-06T07:41:00.003-04:00

Artist:Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66
Song:The Look Of Love
Album:Foursider

Sergio Mendes was the biggest selling Brazilian recording artist of the late 60s. The Look Of Love was his biggest hit after he performed it on the 1968 Academy Awards broadcast. He also made a major comeback in the 80s. He was born Feb. 11, 1941 in Niteroi, Brazil and studied classical music as a child. He got into Bossa Nova as a teen and started hanging around Antonio Carlos Jobim and Joao Gilberto. He also met visiting jazz musicians like Stan Getz and Dizzy Gillespie. In 1961 he formed his own group Sexteto Bossa Rio and recorded for Philips Records. A 1962 appearance at Birdland in New York led to Mendes recording with Cannonball Adderley and a contract with Capitol Records. Mendes moved to the US in 1964. His early recordings went nowhere. Mendes signed with A & M Records in 1966 and formed Brasil '66. The original lineup was Lani Hall and Bibi Vogel on vocals, Bob Matthews on bass, Jose Soares on percussion, Joao Palma on drums and John Pisano on guitar. After their cover of the Jorge Ben song Mas Que Nada charted in 1966, Janis Hansen replaced Bibi Vogel for the 1968 album Look Around. She sings lead on The Look Of Love. The Look Of Love was written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David and sung by Dusty Springfield in the 1967 film Casino Royale. After Mendes performed The Look Of Love on the 1968 Academy Awards broadcast, his version reached #4 on the Billboard Hot 100. Janis Hansen had already left Brasil '66 to form the similar group The Carnival with Jose Soares. They split up after one album and Janis sang on Ford Commercials. Mendes' next single was a cover of The Beatles' The Fool On the Hill and it reached #6. This budget comp covers his 60s recordings. Mendes went into a decline in the 70s after Lani Hall left to marry Herb Alpert in 1974. Mendes moved to Bell Records. They became Arista in 1975. Mendes also recorded for Elektra. In 1983, he returned to A & M and had a top five hit with Never Gonna Let You Go with vocals by Joe Pizzulo and Leza Miller. He also reunited with Lani Hall for the theme of the 1983 film Never Say Never Again. Mendes currently records for Concord Records. His most recent CD was released in 2010. Sergio Mendes still tours and deserves some credit for popularizing Brazilian music in the 60s. Here's Sergio Mendes performing The Look Of Love in 1988.

Sara McMann vs Sarah Kaufman set for Aug. 28 UFC show

2013-06-05T13:15:00.000-04:00

Sara McMann, Sarah Kaufman

It was announced on last night's episode of UFC Tonight that Sara McMann vs Sarah Kaufman has been added to the Aug. 28 UFC show at the Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. This show will air on Fox Sports 1 in the US and Rogers Sportsnet in Canada. Of course we all know that Sara McMann won a silver medal in wrestling at the 2004 Olympics and her MMA record is 6-0. Based on this, some supposed experts thought she was the perfect choice as TUF coach and a title shot. WRONG! It makes me wonder if any of these supposed experts have watched Sara fight. I guess none of them wanted Miesha Tate to get that slot. My assessment of Sara McMann is she isn't aggressive enough for me. Even in her win over Sheila Gaff, Sara got the advantage because of Sheila's terrible strategy. Sheila was too aggressive and it cost her. I don't think Sara is ready for a title shot. She may come closer to that if she gets a convincing win over Sarah Kaufman. Sarah is at her best when she is aggressive. She can be a punching machine. But she has been inconsistent. She was injured for a while after she lost to Ronda Rousey last year. She returned on April's Invicta show and really needed a decisive win over Leslie Smith. She didn't get it. Sarah won by split decision and fans booed the decision so a lot didn't agree with it. This concerns me because Sarah's career has been cyclic. At times she has been dominant and won convincingly. And sometimes she wins unimpressively and it seems to affect her future fights. She gets in a funk and the Leslie Smith fight showed me that she is still in a funk obviously caused by the loss to Ronda Rousey. Sarah has said that she tries to forget about that fight. My experience is fighters learn more from losses than from wins. And she should want to know why she was so poorly prepared for Ronda's attack. It would help her prepare for future fights. Sarah Kaufman obviously has the physical ability. But sometimes the mental part of the fight game is underrated and the mental part is what concerns me about Sarah. If the Rock Em Sock Em Robot Sarah Kaufman that we all know and love shows up on Aug. 28, she should win. But if the other Sarah Kaufman shows up, that could be a problem for her. The fight should be interesting.

Shizuka Sugiyama added to July 20 DEEP show

2013-06-05T12:24:00.001-04:00

Shizuka Sugiyama

DEEP matchmaker Shigeru Saeki announced today several matches for the July 20 show at Shinjuku FACE including the semi finals of the DEEP Lightweight GP2013. But he has also announced a women's match as the introduction to DEEP JEWELS. He didn't say anything about rule changes (probably none), the contracted weight (probably 62kg) or the match length (probably two five minute rounds). It will be Shizuka Sugiyama vs Chisa Yonezawa. Sugiyama trains at Zendokai in Yokohama. Her record is 9-3 but as a lot of fans know, she moved to Australia after losing two fights. She's a teacher so she went to Australia to improve her English. Sugiyama is pretty and she won her first five fights. So she looked like she had potential. But she lost her confidence when she started losing and her future was in question when she decided to leave Japan. Since returning last year, Sugiyama has won three straight fights against questionable opposition. Her last win was over Korean kickboxer Kim Sung Eun who is 0-2 in MMA. That was on the Mar. 30 JEWELS show. This match will not help Sugiyama. Yonezawa is one of the worst fighters in Japan and her last fight was two years ago. She trains at Cobra Kai in Osaka. Her record is 1-5 and her last fight was a loss to Mongolian former pro wrestler Esui on the May 14, 2001 JEWELS show. And I think Esui may have quit the fight business after SMASH closed. She worked in the SMASH office and trained at their dojo. Yonezawa's only win was over Hari, probably the only fighter in Japan worse than her. The problem is there are very few 135lb fighters in Japan and most of them aren't very good. It will be very difficult for Sugiyama to improve unless she moves to the US. And before you say anything, Rin Nakai is under exclusive contract to Pancrase and is not a potential opponent for any JEWELS fighter. That's why Pancrase is bringing in gaijin fighters. DEEP JEWELS may have to do the same for Sugiyama.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Ralph Bowen

2013-06-05T07:29:00.002-04:00

Artist:Ralph Bowen
Song:Two-Line Pass
Album:Power Play

Canadian sax player Ralph Bowen was first noticed as a member of the 80s jazz group Out Of The Blue. He is currently on the faculty of Rutgers University in New Jersey and he records for Posi-Tone Records. Two-Line Pass is from his 2011 CD Power Play. He was born Dec. 24, 1961 in Guelph, ON. His father was a real estate broker and had a farm near Acton. This area is west of Toronto. Bowen started playing clarinet and then sax at age ten and as a teen played in local bands including with Phil Nimmons. While attending the Banff School of Fine Arts in Alberta, he met sax player Pat LaBarbera and studied with him for several years. Bowen was also a member of the Toronto based fusion band Manteca. After further studies at Indiana University, he formed Out Of The Blue with pianist Renee Rosnes and sax player Kenny Garrett among others. Out Of The Blue recorded four albums for Blue Note from 1985-89. Bowen also recorded and toured with Michel Camilo and Horace Silver. He recorded his first album as leader in 1992 on Criss Cross Records. He also joined the faculty of Rutgers University in 1990. He switched to Posi-Tone in 2009. Bowen works a lot with pianist Orrin Evans who also records for Posi-Tone. Two-Line Pass is from Bowen's 2011 CD Power Play with Evans on piano, Kenny Davis on bass and Donald Edwards on drums. Bowen's latest CD Total Eclipse was released last year. And he continues to teach and tour. He's a good solid sax player. Here's Ralph Bowen performing Two-Line Pass with Ivan Farmakovsky on piano, Darryl Hall on bass and Donald Edwards on drums at the Moscow House of Music Sept. 27, 2011.

Amanda Nunes vs Shiela Gaff set for UFC 163 in Brazil

2013-06-04T20:03:00.000-04:00

Amanda Nunes, Sheila Gaff

The Brazilian TV network Globo reported today and the UFC has confirmed that Amanda Nunes vs Sheila Gaff has been added to UFC 163 Aug. 3 at the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janiero. The match order has not been set yet but I expect this to be on the prelims. Amanda is from Salvador, Bahia, Brazil so I'm sure she is very excited about fighting on a UFC show at home. She is a holdover from Strikeforce. Her record is 7-3 and she trains at MMA Masters in Miami. Her last fight was a loss to Sarah D'Alelio on the Jan. 5 Invicta show. She just couldn't seem to get going in that match and she said afterwards that she wasn't feeling well before the fight. Amanda was supposed to fight on the April Invicta show and dropped out with an elbow injury. Sheila Gaff is from Offenbach, Germany. She is 10-5 and trains at Arena Aschaffenburg. She lost in her UFC debut to Sara McMann on the Apr. 27 show. Whatever her strategy was failed. Sheila is a hard puncher but she's a little undersized for 135lb. Amanda has fought at 145lb in the past so she has a size advantage. She has skills but has been inconsistent in her US fights. She's 2-2. But I expect Amanda to be stoked for this fight with her mom and the rest of her family in attendance.