Month: July 2022

Today, We’ve Got The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and Linda Ronstadt On Tap as We Slide Toward the Weekend, Thursday, July 21, 2022

Good Morning, Music Lovers! Today we kick off a few days of music from our “other” house band, four guys named The Beatles. We’ll round out the day with Ronstadt’s AOW and ‘live’ Stones.

Here’s today’s musical landscape:

11:00 a.m. The Beatles: The Early Years

Take a trip back in time with us as we listen to some early Beatles music, which is essentially pre-1966. This is number one of a three-part series we put together a couple of years ago. We’ll hear the other two parts tomorrow and Saturday to round things out.

3:00 p.m. Album of The Week: Hasten Down the Wind by Linda Ronstadt

We’re on the next-to-last airing of this great album. The final airing will be on Saturday. On Sunday, we’ll have a brand new selection as our Album of The Week.

7:00 p.m. The Rolling Stones Live at The Fonda Theater, Los Angeles, CA, May 20, 2015

Rounding out our programming today we have The Rolling Stones live from the Fonda Theater in Los Angeles. These guys are like the energizer bunnies of music, and they are rock’s original “bad boys,” Aerosmith notwithstanding.

Tune us in and join your friends from around the world today. We’ve got Chile, Italy, Greece, Israel, Australia, the UK (we think of them as they go through this global warming crisis and the unbearable heat), Germany, France, Poland, and Spain already up. Some new listeners from Kansas, of all places, seem to like us a lot these days.

Tune us in!

We’ve Got ‘The Original Sixties Rotation’ EP at Midweek Along With Jefferson Airplane ‘Live’ in Copenhagen, Wednesday, July 20, 2022

It is, without a doubt, a totally sixties midweek musical adventure here in The Mermaid Lounge as we give you the ‘Original Sixties Rotation’ EP and some ‘live’ Jefferson Airplane

Here’s your midweek musical landscape:

10:00 a.m. The Original Sixties Rotation: Various Artists

This is the original focusing mainly (but not completely) on the early-to-mid sixties. You will hear Del Shannon, Little Eva, The Drifters, The Beatles, Gerry & The Pacemakers, The Hollies, The Walker Brothers, Mary Wells, Dusty Springfield, The Searchers, The Monkees, Sonny & Cher, Petula Clark, Glen Campbell, Johnny Rivers, The Dave Clark Five, Harry Nilsson, Diana Ross & The Supremes, The Band, The Yardbirds, The Kinks, Simon & Garfunkel, Blind Faith, Bob Dylan, Janis Joplin, Tony Joe White, Barry McGuire, Marvin Gaye, The Who, Procol Harum, The Temptations, Fats Domino, Chuck Berry and more!

7:00 p.m. Jefferson Airplane Live at The Falconer Salen, Copenhagen, Denmark, August 28, 1968

We’ve got one of the greatest bands of the psychedelic era live tonight from Copenhagen, Denmark. Not to be confused with the poppy, zippy sounds of The Jefferson Starship, thank you very much, no. This is the real deal here before Grace Slick totally lost her shit.

This is undoubtedly our favorite musical era here in The Mermaid Lounge. It’s what made us start the station to begin with. So, we’ve come full circle on this fine Wednesday. Before, in between and all night long we’ve got non-stop, commercial-free music. And our DJ’s are virtually mute. Even better. I listen to those guys on the sixties channel on that station you have to pay for and they make me cringe. We don’t do that here. And we’re totally 100%, no-strings-attached free. Every damned day.

The Original 60s Rotation!

It’s Tuesday Bluesday and We’ve Got Stevie Ray Vaughan, The Heartbreakers, and Ronstadt On Tap, July 19, 2022

Good Morning, Bluesologists! We’ve got some good stuff on tap for this Tuesday Bluesday, including a visit from one of our House Bands later on. Read on for all the details!

It’s Tuesday Bluesday here in The Mermaid Lounge!

Here’s your Tuesday Bluesday line-up:

10:00 a.m. Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble Live at Carnegie Hall, New York, October 4, 1984

We’ve got SRV in the house to kick off the Tuesday Bluesday activities. This time around we’ve got a live performance from Carnegie Hall with his band, Double Trouble.

3:00 p.m. Album of The Week: Hasten Down The Wind by Linda Ronstadt

The only break in the blues programming is for this great album. Although, technically, Ronstadt pays homage to the blues genre with her amazing version of the great Tracy Nelson’s Down So Low. Spectacular.

7:00 p.m. Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers Sing The Blues

It’s no secret that Tom Petty had a vision of he and his bandmates growing old together sitting around on chairs singing the blues. He said that often, and his love for the blues showed on many albums and in many live performances where he would spontaneously add blues songs to a set list. The album Mojo was a tribute to the blues. And finally, if you listen to Tom Petty Radio, you’ll know he was also a DJ on the Buried Treasure show which featured the blues quite frequently. But the ultimate proof of The Heartbreakers’ passion for the blues is to listen to them sing the blues. So, here you have it.

Tuesday is always a good day to tune us in. Today, we’ve already got folks on from Romania, Russian Federation, Australia, the UK, France, Spain, Greece, The Netherlands, Switzerland, Portugal, and points beyond. All you need is a computer tab. We do the rest. Your money is no good here.

Tuesday Bluesday is here!

We Open The Week on ‘The Psychedelic Express’ EP and We’ve Got Ry Cooder ‘live’ at The Record Plant Later, Monday, July 18, 2022

Good Morning, Mind Travelers! Yesterday was our Linda Ronstadt birthday bash here, so The Psychedelic Express is a day late leaving the station. But climb on board because it’s ready to go!

The Psychedelic Express leaves the station promptly at 10:00 a.m.

Here’s your Monday lineup:

10:00 a.m. The Psychedelic Express: Various Artists

Undoubtedly one of the most fun EP’s we have here in The Mermaid Lounge as we pay tribute to this genre with Vanilla Fudge, The Chambers Brothers, The Beatles, the Electric Prunes, The Animals, Jefferson Airplane, Blues Image, Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Doors, Pink Floyd, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Donovan, Strawberry Alarm Clock, The Byrds, Jimi Hendrix Experience, Traffic, Cream, Dr. John, Procol Harum, Fleetwood Mac, The Who, Canned Heat, Tommy James & The Shondells, Yes, Electric Light Orchestra, Mudcrutch, Blind Faith, The Grateful Dead, The Velvet Underground, Big Brother & The Holding Company and more! Five hours of mind-altering tunes!

7:00 p.m. Ry Cooder Live at The Record Plant, Sausalito, California, July 7, 1974

Speaking of Linda Ronstadt, Ry Cooder is one of her all-time favorites and she believes he’s still the best guitarist she’s ever met. If you’ve seen the Ronstadt doc The Sound of My Voice, you’ll know it’s a mutual admiration society. He’s a favorite here in The Mermaid Lounge too, and we’ve got a great performance from him at the Record Plant for you today.

Speaking of The Sound of My Voice, if you haven’t seen it yet, you should. It’s out there on YouTube. And you should tune us in today if you yearn for the days of the Summer of Love as our Psychedelic Express EP will take you back in time. Before, after and in between, we’ve got all that great wide Open Stream. Totally free of charge with no commercial interruption.

All Aboard The Psychedelic Express!

Today, We Celebrate Ronstadt’s 76th Birthday Mixed in With All That Wide Open Stream, Sunday, July 17, 2022

Today we celebrate the 76th birthday of Linda Ronstadt, a woman whose indelible mark on music is legendary. From the very beginning, Linda Ronstadt made sure she was in charge of her own career, and she did a hell of a job with it. She defied those who wanted to pigeon-hole her sound to sing just about any damned thing she wanted.

She can no longer sing, but her music is timeless.

Here’s your musical landscape for today:

11:00 a.m. Album of The Week: Hasten Down The Wind by Linda Ronstadt

This was a very tough selection. Like asking me to pick one singular favorite Linda Ronstadt song. But in the end, it made its case. Released in 1976, this was Ronstadt’s seventh studio album during a time when she was the undisputed Queen of Rock. (Some of us believe she still is, frankly.) Although the Laurel Canyon influence is all over this album, Linda Ronstadt switched gears on this one a bit and began to sing the songs of some new songwriters, like Karla Bonoff and Warren Zevon, who would soon be on the map. Two songs were also co-authored by Ronstadt, Try Me Again and Lo Siento Mi Vida, the latter being her first move into the Spanish sound.

The album became her third consecutive million-selling album, the first such feat by a female singer. Hasten Down The Wind earned Ronstadt a Grammy for the Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female, in 1977, her second of 13 career Grammys. It was also the second of four country #1 albums for her.

2:00 p.m. Linda Ronstadt Live at The Orpheum Theatre, Boston, MA, May 14, 1995

I had the absolute pleasure of being at this show in 1995. I remember it well. It was a real treat to have two brilliant women on stage that night as the late, great Valerie Carter was the opening act and joined Ronstadt on stage for a couple of beautiful songs. The best thing about Linda Ronstadt is that she was never threatened by sharing the stage with others, male or female, and that she felt like she was better as part of a bigger whole…in spite of her amazing solo career. And this brings us to our final programming for the day.

7:00 p.m. Linda Ronstadt & Friends: Duets and More

We close out the day with a great playlist of songs where Ronstadt shares the limelight. She’s either a back-up singer or a duet singer on these songs, sharing the duties with the likes of Glenn Frey, Valerie Carter, J.D. Souther, Frank Sinatra, Rosemary Clooney, Bette Midler, Emmylou Harris, The McGarrigle Sisters, Bonnie Raitt, Maria Muldaur, Nicolette Larson, James Taylor, Hoyt Axton and others. A fitting ending to our birthday celebration.

Before, in between and after, there’ll be all that wide Open Stream. Join us for Linda’s 76th birthday bash today. We’re sure you won’t regret it.

Happy Birthday, Linda Ronstadt!

Our Roots are Showing With The ‘Folk Music From A-To-Z’ EP, Baez Sings Dylan, Shawn Colvin, and LIVE DEAD! Later, Saturday, July 16, 2022

It’s another full-on Saturday here in The Mermaid Lounge with some great folk music roots showing through today. You won’t want to miss this one!

Here’s your Saturday lineup:

10:00 a.m. Folk Music From A-to-Z: Various Artist

This one’s always a treat, folks. We’ve got the luminaries of the folk music scene along with those who pay very able tribute to the craft. Folk represents the origins of the protest music movement in so many ways. You’ll hear Bob Dylan, Woody Guthrie, John Prine, Dave Van Ronk, Pete Seeger, Peter, Paul & Mary, Odetta, Cat Stevens, Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, The Beatles, Arlo Guthrie, Bonnie Raitt, Joan Baez, The Band, Eric Andersen, Tom Rush, Judy Collins, Nanci Griffith, Jesse Winchester, Joni Mitchell, The Stone Poneys, Harry Chapin, Phil Ochs, The Kingston Trio, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, Lead Belly, Tim Hardin, Simon & Garfunkel, Richie Havens, Jackson Browne, The Carter Family and many more!

4:00 p.m. Album of The Week: Baez Sings Dylan by Joan Baez FINAL AIRING!

What can we say about this one. The perfect album for a folk music kind of day. This is the swan song for this one. We’ve got a brand new album all ready for tomorrow.

7:00 p.m. In the Spotlight: The Music of Shawn Colvin

Today we put a great artist In the Spotlight in Shawn Colvin, a woman who has one foot firmly planted in folk and another wherever she pleases at any given moment. One thing is for certain, you always know Shawn Colvin’s true roots.

10:00 p.m. LIVE DEAD! The Grateful Dead Live at The Roscoe Maples Pavillion, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA, February 9, 1973 NEW!

We’ve got another new soundboard recording of The Dead, this one from Palo Alto. Almost thought I’d have a rare repeat until this one fell in our lap here. Enjoy.

We’re cooking here in The Lounge today with The Music Mermaid at the helm. You’ll be in great hands while I spend my final day toiling with the entitled consumer masses. She’s ready and raring to go as we get off to an early start. And remember, we’re always 100%, no-strings-attached, no surprises free. All day every day for eternity.

Folk Music Fiesta!

Today We’re ‘Under The Influence’ in the Best Possible Way, and We Have Some Live Warren Zevon Later, Friday, July 15, 2022

Good Morning, Musicologists! We are finally at week’s end here, and we’re falling ‘Under The Influence’ with our spectacular multi-artist EP. Later, Warren Zevon pays us a visit.

Today, we’re ‘Under The Influence’ starting at 11:00 a.m. EST

Here’s your Friday lineup:

11:00 a.m. Under The Influence: Various Artists

Today, we’ve got a great lineup of artists who will put you under the influence. You’ll hear Arlo Guthrie, The Byrds, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Commander Cody & His Lost Planet Airmen, Jefferson Airplane, Donovan, Glenn Frey, John Lee Hooker, Jonathan Edwards, Linda Ronstadt, Little Feat, The Traveling Wilburys, The Temptations, Small Faces, Steely Dan, Talking Heads, The Beatles, Neil Young, New Riders of The Purple Sage, Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Velvet Underground, The Rolling Stones, Dave Van Ronk, Emmylou Harris, John Prine, Jackson Browne, Steve Winwood, Led Zeppelin, Harry Chapin, The Band, The Fraternity of Man, and many more!

7:00 p.m. Warren Zevon Live at Hammersmith Odeon, London, UK, January 25, 1988

This appearance was broadcast on BBC Radio. Undoubtedly one of the most personally destructive artists on the planet, but that may have been what made him so damned good. He was also, without a doubt, one hell of a great singer-songwriter. Flawed, but brilliant. He was laboring in obscurity until someone named Linda Ronstadt discovered his genius.

Join us. We’ve got all that great wide Open Stream coursing through the modest programming we have. Even most of our playlists are multi-artist. We think we strike a great balance here. We too labor in obscurity because we have no dollars to spend on promoting. Please share our stuff if you like us. And did I mention we’re totally 100% without strings free?

Under The Influence!

We Inch Closer to The Weekend With Our ‘Paint It Black’ Playlist, John Prine In The Spotlight, and Our AOW, Thursday, July 14, 2022

Good Morning, Musicologists! Here we are again on the weekend doorstep and we’ve got some really great stuff for you today interspersed among all that wide Open Stream!

Here’s your musical landscape for Thursday:

11:00 a.m. Paint It Black: Various Artists

Yes, today it’s songs about black, the color. In the title, lyrics or both. You’ll hear The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, The Wallflowers, The Doobie Brothers, The Move, Steely Dan, Johnny Cash, Amy Winehouse, The Hollies, Stephen Stills, Warren Zevon, The Band, Nina Simone, Tom Rush, k.d. lang, The Grateful Dead, Fairport Convention, Dr. John, The Kinks, Guy Clark, J. D. Souther, Curtis Mayfield, Linda Ronstadt, The Flying Burrito Brothers, and more!

3:00 p.m. Album of The Week: Baez Sings Dylan by Joan Baez

This is our next-to-last airing of this week’s AOW. The final airing will be sometime on Saturday. On Sunday, we’ll have a brand new selection to play for you.

7:00 p.m. In The Spotlight: The Music of John Prine

We bring John Prine back into the spotlight. He’s been gone for far too long. We’ve got a new Prine playlist coming, along with some new ‘live’ music from him. In the meantime, we’ve got a great spotlight feature while we wait. One of the greatest singer-songwriters of his generation here. Included in this playlist is his live version of Angel From Montgomery with Bonnie Raitt.

Come on, folks. We’ve got a International meeting of the minds currently tuned in with listeners from the UK, Chile, Portugal, Spain, Greece, Italy, Australia, Russian Federation, France, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Switzerland, and points beyond. Join them.

Cursor here, please.

We’re at Midweek With Our ‘Are You Ready for The Country?’ EP, and Traffic ‘live’ at the Paris Theatre Later, Wednesday, July 13, 2022

Good Morning, Music Lovers! It’s hot enough to boil a monkey’s bum in these parts, but we’re keeping cool with some great music in The Mermaid Lounge.

We’ve got just one question for you today.

Here’s your midweek musical landscape:

10:00 a.m. Are You Ready for The Country? Various Artists

Well, are you? We explore some (real) country music and then we have the birth of country-rock from Laurel Canyon mixed in. You’ll hear Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Guy Clark, Dolly Parton, Waylon Jennings, Emmylou Harris, Linda Ronstadt, Neil Young, The Byrds, Gram Parsons, Pure Prairie League, Asleep at The Wheel, The Ozark Mountain Daredevils, Bob Dylan, The Eagles, Townes Van Zandt, Steve Earle, The Marshall Tucker Band, Jerry Jeff Walker, Mudcrutch, The Band, Alison Krauss & Union Station, Bonnie Raitt, Glen Campbell, Rosanne Cash, Dan Fogelberg, New Riders of The Purple Sage, and more!

7:00 p.m. Traffic Live From The Paris Theatre, London, UK, April 30, 1970 NEW!

From country to a bit of psychodelia right here in The Mermaid Lounge as we give you Traffic live from the UK. Our many UK listeners are tuned in right now, in fact.

Here we go again, folks. Another day in Hades as we reach the ugly days of summer here in the Boston area. Not my favorite time of year from mid-July to about mid-August. But as we say here, you can’t pick the weather, so you might as well pick good music. And so we are. Then, we’re sharing with you free of charge 24/7 ’round the clock. No commercial interruption, and no need for a credit card.

Are You Ready?

It’s Tuesday Bluesday and We’ve Got Our ‘The Best of Chicago Blues’ EP and Marcia Ball In The Spotlight Later, July 12, 2022

Good Morning, Bluesologists! We’ve got our great extended playlist featuring the Chicago Blues today along with Marcia Ball later. Sandwiched in between is our Album of The Week.

It’s The Best of Chicago Blues to kick off the day at 10:00 a.m.

Here’s your Tuesday Bluesday lineup:

10:00 a.m. The Best of Chicago Blues: Various Artists

This just officially grew up and became an EP in June, and you will hear Otis Rush, Willie Dixon, Albert King, Muddy Waters, Little Walter, Bo Diddley, Koko Taylor, Lowell Fulson, Howlin’ Wolf, Buddy Guy, Magic Slim, Sonny Boy Williamson, Son Seals, James Cotton, Paul Butterfield, Elmore James, Jimmy Reed, Otis Spann, and more!

4:00 p.m. Album of The Week: Baez Sings Dylan by Joan Baez

This is the second airing of this great album, as we inject a little bit of folk into the day. We have the work of two folk luminaries here.

7:00 p.m. In The Spotlight: The Music of Marcia Ball

Marcia Ball is a blues singer, songwriter and superb pianist raised in Vinton, Louisiana. Her style is best summed up as a marriage of Texas stomp-rock and Louisiana swamp-blues. She was awarded the Contemporary Blues Album of The year in both 2002 and 2004. If you don’t know Marcia Ball, you should tune this Spotlight feature in tonight.

Here we are again. Before, after and in between our programming we’ve got wide Open Stream courtesy of The Music Mermaid. We run 24/7 uninterrupted by commercial advertising. And did I mention that we’re totally 100% free, no strings attached. Ever.

The Best of Chicago Blues!