WEC 41: Manny Gamburyan Wins on Undercard

WEC 41: Manny Gamburyan Wins on Undercard of Faber vs. Brown 2

WEC 41 is underway in Sacramento, and everyone is talking about the main event, the Urijah Faber vs. Mike Brown rematch. But Manny Gamburyan, the former UFC fighter making his World Extreme Cagefighting debut, won what he hopes will be the first fight on his path to taking on the Faber-Brown winner down the road.

Gamburyan, fighting at 145 pounds after fighting at 155 pounds in all five of his UFC fights, beat John Franchi by unanimous decision (30-27 on all three judges' cards) in a fight that established him as a featherweight to watch -- but that also elicited boos from the crowd for a lack of action.

"This is my new home, guys," Gamburyan said afterward, via Ariel Helwani at Versus. "I'm only going to get better. That's all I can say. I'm only going to get better. The last time I cut to 145 was exactly 10 years ago, so this wasn't easy for me, trust me ... 20 pounds for me was very hard."

Gamburyan, who also said after the fight that he may have suffered a broken hand in the first round, told me before the fight that he expects to fight the Faber vs. Brown 2 winner some day.

"That's what I'm here for," Gamburyan told me. "It's all about getting that belt around my waist. I think if I follow the right path, I can do it."

He still needs to win a few more times before he'll get that chance, but Gamburyan took the first step Sunday night in Sacramento.

- fanhouse

Read More..

Idle Hands announce the release of full-length album

The Idle Hands are proud to announce the release of their debut full-length album The Hearts We Broke On The Way To The Show, due out September 8th on Pretty Kids Collective records.

The Minneapolis band made up of Irish ex-pats and Midwest natives have written an impressive record filled with songs about lust and longing, sordid affairs, brutal regrets, and the after parties that fuel them. Without even so much as trying their engaging first single "Loaded" managed to find itself on local radio, touted as "Song Of The Day" and entered into heavy rotation on the Twin Cities indie/alt leaning NPR station The Current.

The forthcoming release features tracks from the Loaded EP - recorded in L.A. with producer Mark Needham (The Killers, Bloc Party) - and new tracks mixed and produced by Tony Lash (the Dandy Warhols, Elliott Smith) and engineered by the likes of Erik Applewick (Tapes 'n Tapes) and Chad Weiss (Mason Jennings). The Hearts We Broke On The Way To The Show is akin to a familiar friend that keeps you on your toes, spanning glam, neo-New Wave, and disco with nods to everyone from Berlin-era Bowie to pre-Dig! Dandy's.

So who are The Idle Hands and how did they come to be? As the story goes, Front-man Ciaran and his brother Criostoir (bass) left the Emerald Isle and found themselves in a land of snow, holed up in a studio making music with their friends. The boy/girl/boy/girl/boy line-up is rounded out by Eileen (keys), her traveling companion Emma (guitar), and rhythm setter Nick on the drums. This summer and throughout the rest of 2009 the band is excited to get on the road in support of the forthcoming September 8th release.

- altsounds

Read More..

Jerry Herman Says Songwriting Days Are Over

Composer-lyricist Jerry Herman, winner of the 2009 Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre, said in the Tony press room that he has hung up his songwriting shoes for good.

"I think my style of musical has come and was very, very good to me, but is gone now. I think it's better to know when to leave than to end up with two or three shows that didn't make it. I left at my height."

Jerry Herman
photo by Aubrey Reuben

Herman said, however, that he would still like to see talked-about revivals of Hello, Dolly! and Mame, but added, "The big problem with my shows is that they require a major star…we don't train people to do shows like that anymore."

- playbill

Read More..