Month: February 2021

Today’s NOLA Treat? The Magnolia Sisters! We’ve Also Got Creedence Clearwater Revival and The Updated All-Girl Revue Too, on Friday, February 19, 2021

Good Morning, Music Lovers! Today is a very exciting day here in The Mermaid Lounge as we feature The Magnolia Sisters, the only all-woman authentic Cajun music band. We’ve also got Creedence and our newly-updated All-Girl Revue Too.

The Magnolia Sisters, the only all-woman authentic Cajun band.

Here’s today’s line-up:

11:00 a.m. The Magnolia Sisters Live at The Simi Valley Cajun & Blues Music Festival, May 23, 2015 NEW!

This amazing collection of women is anchored by Ann Savoy (pronounced sa’vwa), perhaps one of the most accomplished musicians on the planet that nobody ever really heard of. I urge you to read about her here, and to check out her website here. This is the kind of stuff I live for. I first heard her when she recorded with Linda Ronstadt as The Zozo Sisters. They made a brilliant Grammy-award nominated album together called Adieu False Heart. This collaboration marked the first time Savoy recorded in English. Ever since then, I’ve been on a hunt for her music and was able to score two CDs by The Magnolia Sisters. These were added to the station’s standard rotation last evening. The hunt continues until I am satisfied, as she has also recorded with her husband, her children, and with her swing band, Ann Savoy and Her Sleepless Knights.

3:00 p.m. In The Spotlight: The Music of Creedence Clearwater Revival

One of my all-time favorite bands here. It’s only fitting that we play them during our New Orleans Mardi Gras week. Here we have four guys from Berkeley, California who sound like they were born on the bayou (pun intended, of course).

7:00 p.m. The All-Girl Revue Too UPDATED!

This was the second all-woman playlist we ever put together for the radio station, and I spent time yesterday updating and expanding the selection. We are continually amazed how women are ignored in the music world, and we intend to increase our focus on female singers and musicians. In this playlist, you will hear Bonnie Raitt, Susan Tedeschi, Linda Ronstadt, Norah Jones, Patti Smith, Mary Wells, Aretha Franklin, Amy Winehouse, Emmylou Harris, Laura Nyro, Shawn Colvin, Carly Simon and more!

This is a great day to tune us in. Authentic Cajun music is underappreciated, and to be exposed to it via an all-woman band is even better. We are free. We do not require a “subscription,” your credit card, or your personal information. All you need to do is click the link below.

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Here’s Today’s Lesson From the College of Rock n’ Roll Knowledge: 2/18/2021

Good Afternoon, Music Lovers! We’ve got your trivia lesson here guaranteed to make you the envy of your family and friends. You’ll impress them with the wealth of useless information you have!

Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers with producer Denny Cordell.

Here’s today’s lesson:

February 18, 1959: Ray Charles recorded What’d I Say.

February 18, 1963: Peter, Paul & Mary released their single Puff The Magic Dragon.

February 18, 1965: The Beatles recorded two new songs on this day, You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away and Tell Me What You See.

Also on this day, The Beatles’ publishing company, Northern Songs, appears on the London Stock Exchange.

The Kinks get into the act on this day also by topping the UK chart with Tired Of Waiting For You.

February 18, 1968: Paul McCartney and Ring Starr headed to Rishikesh, India to meet up with John Lennon and George Harrison. There they will study under the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.

Also on this day, Pink Floyd fired erratic frontman Syd Barrett.

February 18, 1969: The Jimi Hendrix Experience performed at Royal Albert Hall in London.

February 18, 1972: Neil Young’s Harvest album was certified Gold.

February 18, 1973: The nationally-syndicated King Biscuit Flower Hour made its debut, featuring Blood, Sweat & Tears, the Mahavishnu Orchestra, and Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band.

February 18, 1980: Bob Seger released the hit Fire Lake.

February 18, 1985: Don Henley released the single All She Wants To Do Is Dance.

February 18, 1995: Denny Cordell, who produced Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, The Moody Blues, and Procol Harum dies in Dublin of lymphoma at the age of 51.

February 18, 2006: The Rolling Stones gave a free concert at Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janiero, Brazil, with 1.5 million people in attendance.

February 18, 2007: Norah Jones went to #1 on the Album chart with Not Too Late, her third consecutive #1.

Born On This Day

February 18, 1934: Skip Battin, singer-songwriter and bassist for The Byrds, the New Riders of The Purple Sage, and The Flying Burrito Brothers was born in Gallipolis, Ohio.

February 18, 1941: Irma Thomas, The Soul Queen of New Orleans, was born in Ponchatoula, Louisiana.

February 18, 1948: Keith Knudson, songwriter and drummer for The Doobie Brothers, was born in LeMars, Iowa.

February 18, 1953: Robbie Bachman, drummer of Bachman-Turner Overdrive, was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.

And that is your lesson for today!

Today From The Mermaid Lounge, Leon Russell Live, Our NOLA Tribute Continues With Dr. John, and Tom Rush’s Album of The Week, Thursday, February 18, 2021

Good Morning, Musicologists! We’ve got a great line-up today here from The Mermaid Lounge as we continue our musical tribute to New Orleans and its artists.

Malcolm John Rebennack, Jr. Also known as Dr. John.

Here’s today’s line-up:

11:00 a.m. Leon Russell Live at Long Beach Arena, August 27, 1972

Leon is a legend. In addition to his solo career, he teamed up with many artists over his sixty-year career, including George Harrison, Joe Cocker, Bob Dylan, and The Rolling Stones. His genres covered the spectrum, including country, rock, folk, gospel, bluegrass, rhythm and blues, and the Tulsa Sound. Today we have him live from Long Beach, California.

3:00 p.m. In the Spotlight: The Music of Dr. John UPDATED!

Speaking of legends, today’s New Orleans entry is Dr. John, the Nite Tripper, a guy who was so influential that one of the Muppets was modeled after him. No lie. He wrote his first song at the age of 14, and his musical hero was Professor Longhair. In addition to his solo career, he was a much sought-after session musician, playing with Canned Heat, The Rolling Stones, James Taylor, Van Morrison, and Maria Muldaur. You can learn more about the great Dr. John right here.

7:00 p.m. Album of The Week: Take a Little Walk With Me by Tom Rush

This makes it a Legends Trifecta because our Album of The Week makes it a third musical legend whose career spanned sixty years. Tom Rush is credited with ushering in the era of the singer-songwriter, and rightfully so. This is his second album for Elektra, and was released in 1966.

You really ought to be tuning us in. Seriously. We’re free. We require no credit card, no personal information, and we allow absolutely no advertising. In fact, we are not-for-profit. We make no money. We are sharing our personal music collection with you. For free. Just click the link below.

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The Doors to the College of Rock n’ Roll Knowledge are Back Open: 2/17/2021

Well, we’re back up and running again. I am not sure the stamina is there to get this done every day, but I’m sure going to give it a hell of a shot.

Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash recorded together when Dylan was making Nashville Skyline. One of the songs found its way onto the album.

Here’s today’s lesson:

February 17, 1955: Little Richard sent his first audition tape to Specialty Records.

February 17, 1960: Elvis Presley received his first Gold Record for his debut album, Elvis.

Also on this day, after a string of hits on Cadence Records, The Everly Brothers sign a 10-year contract with Warner Brothers. The price is said to be a million dollars, but many think that was inflated for PR purposes.

February 17, 1962: The Beach Boys debuted on the charts with the song Surfin’.

February 17, 1964: Chad & Jeremy appear on the Patty Duke Show.

February 17, 1965: The Kinks release their single Tired of Waiting For You.

February 17, 1966: James Brown recorded It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s World at Bob Gallo’s Talentmasters studio in New York. The song would eventually top the Billboard R & B chart.

Also on this day, The Beach Boys begin recording the Brian Wilson masterpiece, Good Vibrations. It would take eleven sessions and multiple layered overdubs to complete the song. Although it hit #1 around the globe and sold millions of copies, it would be the band’s last #1 for the next ten years.

February 17, 1967: The Beatles’ double A-side hit Penny Lane/Strawberry Fields Forever was released in the US.

Also on this day, The Beatles began recording a John Lennon song, Being For The Benefit of Mr. Kite. The lyrics were taken from an antique poster that Lennon bought promoting a circus performance that took place in February 1843 in Rochdale, Lancashire.

February 17, 1968: Big Brother & The Holding Company signed a recording contract with the new CBS label, Columbia Records.

February 17, 1969: Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash got together to record some duets in Nashville while Dylan was recording his Nashville Skyline album. The song Girl From the North Country finds its way onto Dylan’s album. Cash wrote the liner notes for the album. The rest of their session would be released later.

February 17, 1971: James Taylor makes his debut on ABC’s Johnny Cash Show.

February 17, 1972: Pink Floyd wrapped up a tour of the UK with the first of four shows at The Rainbow Theatre in London. They perform Eclipse at the show. A year later, it becomes The Dark Side of the Moon album.

Born On This Day

February 17, 1941: Gene Pitney, who had hits with It Hurts To Be In Love and Only Love Can Break A Heart, was born in Hartford, Connecticut.

February 17, 1972: Taylor Hawkins, who was touring drummer for Alanis Morissette’s Jagged Little Pill tour, and drummer for the Foo Fighters, was born in Fort Worth, Texas.

And that is it for today.

It’s Another (Mostly) Open Stream Wednesday EXCEPT For One Great New Orleans Playlist, On February 17, 2021

Good Morning, fellow music lovers! Here we are on our usual (mostly) Open Stream Wednesday. But we do have an amazing playlist for you today called the Down in N’Awlins Playlist. It offers just a hair (like, one second) over four hours of authentic music from one of great music centers in the world (in my humble musical opinion).

We’ve got four hours of great New Orleans music for you today!

Here’s what you’ll hear!

12:00 p.m. Down in N’Awlins Playlist: Various Artists UPDATED!

We have only one playlist for you today, and it’s a pretty amazing eclectic collection of all sounds New Orleans and Louisiana, from Cajun-Zydeco to the blues. We’ve also updated it from last year’s version to keep it fresh and to reflect music we’ve hunted for over the past year. Here are some of the people you’ll hear:

  • BeauSoleil
  • Clifton Chenier
  • Allen Toussaint
  • Kermit Venable
  • Dr. John
  • The Neville Brothers (together and solo)
  • Professor Longhair
  • Tony Joe White
  • Antoine “Fats” Domino
  • Irma Thomas (The Soul Queen of New Orleans)
  • Lucinda Williams
  • Queen Ida
  • Jerry Lee Lewis
  • Chance Bushman & Friends
  • The Daywalkers
  • The Boogaloo Swamis

Some of the people on this list I discovered on my trips to New Orleans. The Neville Brothers, for example, I saw at the world-renown venue called Tipitinas on one of my earliest business trips to the city.

I discovered The Daywalkers on a vacation trip I took in 2014 at one of Bourbon Street’s most famous venue called The Cat’s Meow. I spent the day driking Tito’s vodka and just having a blast with the music. I discovered another band on that same trip at a great restaurant called Cafe Sbisa, which has sadly closed temporarily due to COVID-19. The band’s name is Chance Bushman & Friends. By the way, they also make a great Bacon Bloody Mary for the day after.

One band, however, I discovered right here in the Boston area; in Somerville, Massachusetts, to be exact. The Boogaloo Swamis were as good a Cajun-Zydeco band as anything you can hear in New Orleans because they genuinely loved the music. It was a craft to them. We’d spend every Friday night at a great place called Johnny D’s Uptown just partying with the Swamis. Great food. Great Drinks. (And a great Sunday Blues Brunch as well.) The family-owned venue rocked for 47 years. It finally closed for good in 2016, but it remains one of the great Boston-area music venues of all time. Great memories. I went on a hunt for Boogaloo Swamis music. I found some. I have some in vinyl form that I will send out for conversion to mp3’s over the next couple of months, but I did have some in CD form which have already been converted and added to the radio station. You’ll hear some of it today, and it has also been added to the general rotation.

Please tune us in. We’re sure you’ll love this playlist. It begins at noon.

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Celebrating Mardi Gras in New Orleans 2021 Style

It’s a rough year for a lot of tradition. This year in New Orleans, all of the Mardi Gras parades have been cancelled due to COVID-19, I’ve been to New Orleans many times over the years. In fact, in a former life, I traveled there yearly for The Pittsburgh Conference. In spite of its name, the conference was always held in NOLA. Generally speaking, it was after Mardi Gras week, and I nearly always took a week vacation after the business was over.

A New Orleans street musician, photographed during my trip in 2014.

One of the best things about New Orleans is the street music. It’s everywhere, and it doesn’t have to be during Mardi Gras week either. It’s a daily tradition in New Orleans, as are the Jazz Funerals, which I got to witness a few times during my stay.

Although this year’s Mardi Gras festivities are cancelled, the party hearty people of New Orleans have continued the tradition in a very creative manner — by turning their homes into Mardi Gras floats. We’d like to share some of those photos with you today.

We hope you enjoyed the show, and that you will continue to tune us in as we celebrate the music of New Orleans this week.

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It’s Not Only Tuesday Bluesday, But It’s Fat Tuesday, and We’re Feeling New Orleans in Our Bones on February 16, 2021

Good Morning, Bluesianans (is that a word or did I make that up?)! We are not only in the midst of Mardi Gras, but it’s Tuesday Bluesday here in The Mermaid Lounge. Luckily, we don’t have to compromise!

It’s Fat Tuesday and we’re celebrating NOLA all week!

Here’s today’s line-up:

11:00 a.m. Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers Live at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival (2012)

I only got to visit the NOLA festival once, while I was on business in New Orleans in a previous life. I didn’t get to see Tom Petty, but what could be better than our House Band playing at such a legendary festival? Don’t worry. We’ll be playing a lot of traditional Louisiana music throughout the week at various times. This is a short concert set by Petty standards, but the participants are allotted a certain amount of time. There are plenty of participants over lifetime of the festival. Enjoy this one.

3:00 p.m. The Best of Louisiana Blues, Volume 1: Various Artists

Yes, there’s also a Part 2, which we will get to later in the week. You’ll be hearing artists like Muddy Waters, Slim Harpo, Little Walter, Clarence Frogman Henry, and Boozoo Davis.

7:00 p.m. Album of The Week: Take A Little Walk With Me by Tom Rush

The only entry today that has absolutely nothing to do with Louisiana, Fat Tuesday, or the blues. But nevertheless, Tom Rush owns our Album of The Week and here it is for you!

Tune us in. This is just the beginning of our ode to New Orleans. We’ll be running great music all week long in celebration of Mardi Gras. Yes, the parades have been cancelled due to COVID. But the people of New Orleans are turning their homes into floats! We hope to be showing you some photos on the blog during the week. You’ve got to love that party attitude.

www.tinyurl.com/Ungovernable-Radio

It’s A Mudcrutch Monday, We Have That Sweet Soul Sound, and Gram Parsons In The Spotlight Later, February 15, 2021

Good Monday Morning, Music Lovers! We’ve got a great line-up today with another Mudcruch Monday, then we toss in a great soul music playlist and Gram Parsons in the early evening.

Mudcrutch. The band that left Gainesville, Florida and morphed into Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers. They didn’t hit it big the first time around, but when Petty got them back together in 2008, they certainly did!

Here’s today’s line-up:

11:00 a.m. Mudcrutch Monday Madness! The Complete Collection.

We’ve got just over two hours of great Mudcrutch music for you today. Not only do we have the absolute best live version of Hungry No More recorded at Boston’s House of Blues in 2016, but the original version of Don’t Do Me Like That. Yes, it was originally a Mudcrutch song.

3:00 p.m. That Sweet Soul Sound

One of the first playlists we ever put together when we started this station back in 2017. You’ll hear The Four Tops, Mary Wells, Bill Withers, Otis Redding, The Temptations, The Supremes, Curtis Mayfield, Roberta Flack, Aretha Franklin, Ann Peebles, Edwin Starr, Etta James, and may more!

7:00 p.m. In The Spotlight: The Music of Gram Parsons

Gram Parsons didn’t live long enough to reach stardom, but he would certainly have gotten there. As a solo artist, a member of the Byrds, and The Flying Burrito Brothers, Gram Parson left us a huge musical legacy in a very short time.

What better way to spend a Monday than with great music? If you’re working at home in the time of COVID, pull yourself up a tab and tune us in. No credit card. No membership. No personal information required.

www.tinyurl.com/Ungovernable-Radio

Nothing But Heartache on Valentines Day, The All-Girl Revue, Vol. 3, and Tom Rush’s “Take A Little Walk With Me” is Our Album of The Week, Sunday, February 14, 2021

Happy Valentines Day, Music Lovers! We’ve got a great Valentines Day lined up today, even if the playlist is about heartbreak. There’s also volume 3 of our All-Girl Revue and a brand new Album of the Week by our friend Tom Rush.

We’ve got the ladies coming up at 7:00 p.m., so stick around!

Here’s today’s line-up:

11:00 a.m. Album of The Week: Take A Little Walk With Me by Tom Rush NEW!

Tom Rush’s second album for Elektra hit the airwaves in 1966. He’s one of our favorites here in The Mermaid Lounge, a New England original born in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. And the man who is credited with starting the era of the singer-songwriter.

3:00 p.m. Nothing But Heartbreak: Various Artists

Not exactly the most uplifting playlist on this Valentines Day, but given my track record, it’s appropriate! You’ll hear heartfelt lament from Dan Fogelberg, Aretha Franklin, Tom Rush, J. Geils Band, Mudcrutch, Elvis Presley, Carole King, Warren Zevon, The Beatles, and more!

7:00 p.m. The All-Girl Revue, Volume 3: Various Artists

We’ve got volume three today. Somehow the women of music always get the short end of the recognition stick. I mentioned this in a Twitter post. First, I can’t believe they’re inducting rappers into what is supposed to be the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. That’s enough of an insult. But to be inducting Jay-Z and Carole King in 2021? What the fuck is up with that. It’s an insult to Carole King, frankly. It’s like the Nobel Peace Prize now. A collective joke. But I digress…

Hear Joni Mitchell, Linda Ronstadt, Carole King, Shawn Colvin, Norah Jones, Carly Simon, Phoebe Snow, Valerie Carter, Sarah McLachlan, Melissa Etheridge, and more!

Tune in. Turn on. Drop out. It’s Sunday. And it’s Valentines Day. Time to kick back and enjoy the sounds. All free. No credit card. No membership. No personal informaton required.

www.tinyurl.com/Ungovernable-Radio

Finally Coming Out of It With ‘The British Are Coming’ Playlist and This Week’s Edition of Live Dead, Saturday, February 13, 2021

Good Morning, Music Lovers! Hopefully, I’m improving enough to keep this programming going on a sustained basis now, and we’re kicking the comeback off with some great music today.

Yeah, baby. The British Are Coming!

Here’s today’s line-up:

12:00 p.m. The British Are Coming! Various Artists

We’re back just in time for our 5+ hour British music special, from the original British Invasion Bands to the Pretenders and more! You can also hear The Beatles, The Zombies, The Searchers, Them (featuring Van Morrison), The Rolling Stones, The Yardbirds, Herman’s Hermits, Lulu, Dusty Springfield, The Kinks, Led Zeppelin, The Moody Blues, The Bee Gees, The Who, The Spencer Davis Group, and many more!

10:00 p.m. Live Dead! The Grateful Dead Live at The Fox Theatre, Atlanta, Georgia, October 29, 1985 NEW!

Our Saturday night Live Dead musicfest is finally back. Sorry it was gone so long. This time we have a live show from the Fox Theatre in Atlanta. No two shows ever sound the same. Not even on the same tour.

Tune us in. It’s Saturday, a perfect day to kick back and enjoy some great music.

www.tinyurl.com/Ungovernable-Radio