Month: November 2023

‘The Female Species’ EP, Our AOW and ‘Live’ Kinks On Tap Thursday, November 30, 2023

Good morning, musicologists! We head toward the weekend in fine form with an EP we haven’t heard in a bit, some Sam Cooke and The Kinks ‘live’ in the UK.

Here’s your Thursday lineup:

9:00 a.m. The Female Species: Various Artists

It’s been since late summer, and the time is now. Not songs by females, but songs about ladies, women, females, girls from Talking Heads, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, The Boogaloo Swamis, Jackson Browne, John Mayall, Hot Tuna, The Eagles, Elvis Presley, Electric Light Orchestra, The Beatles, Percy Sledge, Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac, America, Roy Orbison, Billy Joel, Jimi Hendrix Experience, Aretha Franklin, Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, The Beach Boys, The Temptations, Linda Ronstadt and more!

4:00 p.m. Album of The Week: “Ain’t That Good News” by Sam Cooke

We’re winding down on this one. Get it while you can!

7:00 p.m. The Kinks Live at The Hippodrome Theatre, London, UK, July 14, 1974

A great performance by one of the best bands on the planet tonight at 7:00 p.m.

I have one more opening shift this week and I’m running late, so I won’t belabor the point but you really have to be here.

Just Push Play

Midweek Delivers Volume Two of ‘The Sixties Rotation’ EP, Fats & Dave and ‘Free As a Bird’ on Wednesday, November 29, 2023

Good morning, musicologists! We’re at the midweek point with some great sixties music, our featured singer-songwriters and our ‘Free As a Bird’ playlist to end the day.

Here’s your midweek lineup:

9:00 a.m. The Sixties Rotation, Volume Two: Various Artists

Today we focus on the mid-to-late portion of this great generation of music with The Beatles, The Mamas & The Papas, Simon & Garfunkel, Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, Jefferson Airplane, The Grateful Dead, Buffalo Springfield, Sly & The Family Stone, The Temptations, The Beach Boys, The Rolling Stones, The Who, Roy Orbison, The Yardbirds, The Animals, Janis Joplin, Linda Ronstadt, Wilson Pickett, The Band, Bob Dylan, Judy Collins, The Ronettes, The Kinks, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Jimmy Cliff, Velvet Underground and more!

4:00 p.m. Singer-Songwriter Series: The Music of Fats Domino & Dave Bartholomew

Our featured singer-songwriters are back for their second spin, two of the pioneers of rock and roll.

8:00 p.m. Free As A Bird: Various Artists

We close it out with a much shorter multi-artist playlist featuring Chicago, CSNY, The Byrds, Otis Redding, Steve Winwood, Cream, Jesse Winchester, Dave Mason, Van Morrison, Curtis Mayfield, Bob Dylan, Allen Toussaint, Elton John, Tracy Chapman, Emmylou Harris, Chicken Shack, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Pete Seeger, The Beatles and more!

We certainly have some great music on tap for you today. I’m on my third day of early morning shifts, so The Music Mermaid is on duty today and she’ll be on morning duty for one more day tomorrow. We’re taxing her fins this week for sure.

The Sixties Are Back!

It’s Tuesday Bluesday With Our Big, Bad Blues EP and The Blues Project; Sam Cooke in Between, November 28, 2023

Good morning, bluesologists and welcome to another Tuesday Bluesday. We’ve got our biggest blues EP up this morning and ‘live’ music from The Blues Project later.

Here’s your Tuesday Bluesday lineup:

9:00 a.m. Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blues: Various Artists

Our biggest, baddest, broadest blues EP with Delbert McClinton, Koko Taylor, Robert Johnson, B. B. King, Little Walter, Slim Harpo, Ry Cooder, Canned Heat, John Lee Hooker, The Animals, Albert King, Johnny Winter, Muddy Waters, Little Feat, Bonnie Raitt, The Yardbirds, Janis Joplin, The Rolling Stones, Bobby “Blue” Bland, The Allman Brothers Band, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Elmore James, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Robert Cray Band, J.J. Cale, John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers, James Cotton, Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Marcia Ball, Susan Tedeschi, Roomful of Blues, Howlin’ Wolf, Tracy Nelson and more!

4:00 p.m. Album of The Week: Ain’t That Good News by Sam Cooke

We’ve got the second airing Sam Cooke’s Album of The Week this afternoon at 4:00 p.m.

8:00 p.m. The Blues Project Live at The Matrix Club, San Francisco, CA, September 7-15, 1966

Some great live music from The Blues Project recorded during their weeklong residency at The Matrix Club, vintage 1966.

We’ve always got a full house here on Tuesday Bluesday, so join us! We’re on 24/7 and we’re totally free to the public. Your money’s no good here.

It’s Tuesday Bluesday!

Our ‘Friends Of Mine’ EP, A Trio of Songwriters, and a Blood, Sweat & Tears Spotlight on Monday, November 27, 2023

Welcome to a rainy Monday here in the Boston area as I prepare to work a rare Monday shift. But The Music Mermaid has a great show lined up for you!

Here’s your Monday, Monday lineup:

9:00 a.m. Friends of Mine: Various Artists

This one has been waiting its turn for a bit. Songs to our friendships are in the pipeline today with The Guess Who, Willie Nelson, War, The Beach Boys, Gladys Knight & The Pips, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Todd Rundgren, Linda Ronstadt, Queen, REM, Simon & Garfunkel, John Prine, Carole King, Grateful Dead, Lou Reed, Robert Johnson, Hank Williams, The Kinks, Joan Baez, The Beatles, Carly Simon, Tracy Nelson, The Byrds, Desmond Dekker, Jackson Browne, Steppenwolf, Elton John, Maria Muldaur, Argent, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Otis Redding and more.

4:00 p.m. Steve Earle, Townes Van Zandt & Guy Clark Live at The Bluebird Cafe, Nashville, TN, September 3, 1995

Three brilliant singer-songwriters playing a live show together at a nationally-renowned musical venue for songwriters. This show happened just 15 months before Van Zandt’s death.

7:00 p.m. In The Spotlight: The Music of Blood, Sweat & Tears NEW!

We’ve had this one on the burner simmering for months. It finally comes full circle today as we put one of the greatest jazz-rock bands on the planet In the Spotlight. Yet, there is a mystery surrounding what happened to this band that literally burst onto the scene and skyrocketed, and then just seemed to disappear. If you’re interested, here’s the story.

Let’s begin a new work week together. We’ve got a full list of ideas for the week simmering here, and we’ll have some new music as well as we head into December. Be there or be square.

Monday, Monday

It’s Simply Sunday With Sam Cooke’s AOW and the ‘#BecomeUngovernable House Music’ EP, November 26, 2023

Good morning, weekenders! We are on another simple Sunday rotation today with plenty of Open Stream and minimal, but excellent, programming.

Here’s your Sunday Funday lineup:

11:00 a.m. Album of The Week: Ain’t That Good News by Sam Cooke NEW!

This was Sam Cooke’s eleventh and final studio album, released in 1964. It contained his final hit, A Change Is Gonna’ Come, which became an anthem for the civil rights movement of the sixties. The song has increased in popularity over the decades since its release and, although a modest hit compared to his earlier songs, has become one of his best-known songs. Sam Cooke was a musical genius, and his considerable influence on the development of the soul and R&B genre cannot be denied.

3:00 p.m. The #BecomeUngovernable House EP: Various Artists

Primarily songs from the sixties and seventies, this is essentially the music that inspired the radio station. You’ll hear Barry McGuire, The Temptations, Edwin Starr, Peter Tosh, The Beatles, Genesis, T-Rex, The Who, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Bob Dylan, Country Joe & The Fish, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Bob Marley & The Wailers, Joan Baez, CSNY, Pink Floyd, The Animals, Ten Years After, The Plastic Ono Band, Billy Joel, George Harrison, Sam Cooke, The Rolling Stones, Joni Mitchell, Jimi Hendrix, Three Dog Night, Jimmy Cliff, Richie Havens, Marvin Gaye, The Association, Phil Ochs, Tom Rush, Pete Seger, The Band, Nina Simone, Janis Joplin and more!

Before, in between and after, The Music Mermaid will guide you through our big, wide Open Stream. We’re on 24/7 come hell or high water. And we’re totally free.

Simply Sunday

Today It’s ‘The Original 60’s Rotation’ EP, Dolly’s Rock Opus and We Head to NOLA for Our New Singer-Songwriters, Saturday, November 25, 2023

Welcome, Weekenders! It’s Saturday in The Lounge and we’ve got some early-to-mid sixties music, Dolly’s AOW grand finale, and Fats Domino & Dave Bartholomew as our featured singer-songwriters.

Here’s your Saturday lineup:

9:00 a.m. The Original Sixties Rotation, Volume One: Various Artists

This was our very first EP and it was built from two shorter playlists. You’ll 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, The Supremes, Harry Nilsson, The Band, The Yardbirds, The Kinks, Simon & Garfunkel, Blind Faith, Janis Joplin, Chuck Berry, The Temptations, Elvis Presley, Marvin Gaye, The Who, Bob Dylan, Tony Joe White, Barry McGuire, Fats Domino, Procol Harum and more!

4:00 p.m. Album of The Week: Rockstar by Dolly Parton FINAL AIRING!

This is the final airing of Dolly’s great rock opus, in response to her induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. However, don’t fret. It is party of our standard rotation now.

8:00 p.m. Singer-Songwriter Series: The Music of Fats Domino & Dave Bartholomew NEW!

Every time we play Fats, I ask the same question: Was anybody singing rock n’ roll before Fats? I’m not sure. For absolute sure, Fats Domino was a true pioneer of the genre…one of the forefathers who made it happen. Today, along with his long-time collaborator, Dave Bartholomew, Fats is our featured singer-songwriter.

I’ll be off to the salt mines for one more day today, but The Music Mermaid has got this totally covered. She’ll take care of the wide Open Stream in between as well. Hope you all have a fantastic day!

Welcome, Weekenders!

Friday Brings Psychedelia With Our Multi-Artist EP and The Beatles; Becker & Fagan in Between, November 24, 2023

Good morning, psychedelic music lovers, this is your day! We open and close with it, and in between we have Walter Becker and Donald Fagan as our featured singer-songwriters.

Here’s your Friday line-up:

9:00 a.m. The Psychedelic Express: Various Artists

We’re back with some great psychedelic music courtesy of Vanilla Fudge, The Chambers Brothers, The Beatles, 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, Yes, Electric Light Orchestra, Tommy James & The Shondells, Mudcrutch, Blind Faith, Grateful Dead, Velvet Underground, Big Brother & The Holding Company and more!

4:00 p.m. Singer-Songwriter Series: Walter Becker & Donald Fagan FINAL AIRING!

Today is the final airing of the great music these two guys made as part of Steely Dan, surely one of the absolute best bands of the seventies and eighties.

8:00 p.m. The Beatles: Tripping The Light Fantastic

We close out with a dose of Beatles psychedelic music. As with so many other genres, the Beatles led the way here as well. In fact, Paperback Writer and Rain (the latter being the B-side of Paperback Writer), included in this playlist are considered the forerunners of the psychedelic future we’d all experience.

Get on board The Psychedelic Express, folks. You don’t need no stinkin’ tickets or a credit card. Just push the button below.

Get On Board The Psychedelic Express!

Today We Give Thanks For Arlo & Alice, Dolly, Linda and Tom, Thursday, November 23, 2023

Good morning, music lovers! It’s Turkey Day and we are NOT celebrating the colonization of the free world. No sir. We are celebrating our musical artists of the day (as well as our families and friends, of course).

Here’s your Turkey Day lineup:

9:00 a.m. Album of The Week: Rockstar by Dolly Parton

Some of us thought we’d never see the day when Dolly Parton would make a rock album, but it has arrived and it is a treat. We’re winding down on this one, so get in on it. The final airing will be sometime on Saturday.

12:00 p.m. Arlo Guthrie: Alice’s Restaurant

Our Thanksgiving tradition continues at high noon with Arlo Guthrie’s ode to Alice. There will be no intro. No fanfare. It shall simply begin on cue and last for just under 20 minutes.

3:00 p.m. Linda Ronstadt Live at The Troubadour, W. Hollywood, CA, March 17, 1976

Linda live at the iconic Troubadour on St. Patty’s day in 1976. This was two years after Heart Like A Wheel, still one of the absolute best albums ever made by anyone, and the release of another gem, Hasten Down The Wind (which would be released in August of 1976).

8:00 p.m. Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers Live at The Grand Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, CA, October 16, 2002

The Heartbreakers on The Last DJ tour at The Olympic. I actually really love this album because it’s simply an album of great songs. The song The Last DJ laments the fall of radio into the abyss of utter capitalism: ‘As we celebrate mediocrity all the boys upstairs want to see/How much you’ll pay for what you used to get for free.’

The Music Mermaid is all keyed up and ready in The Lounge for an early start. Making a bird today? Hey, turn us on in the background. We’ll keep you entertained before the mob arrives.

Happy Turkey Day!

At Midweek We’ve Got Our Folk Music EP, Becker & Fagan, and a Nanci Griffith Spotlight, Wednesday, November 22, 2023

One day before we here celebrate that the Pilgrims were a nasty lot of interlopers. (It’s time we own that shit.) But besides that, we’ve got ‘Folk Music From A-To-Z’ to start off our programming!

Here’s your midweek lineup:

9:00 a.m. Folk Music From A-To-Z: Various Artists

We’ve got the musical genre that helped usher in the sixties protest movement with John Prine, Dave Van Ronk, Woody Guthrie, 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, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, Lead Belly, Tim Hardin, The Kingston Trio, Simon & Garfunkel, Richie Havens, Jackson Browne, Guy Clark, James Taylor, Phil Ochs, Harry Chapin, Bob Dylan, Townes Van Zandt, The Carter Family, Neil Young and more.

4:00 p.m. Singer-Songwriter Series: The Music of Walter Becker & Donald Fagan

One of the greatest songwriting duos of all time is back for a second spin here in The Lounge, as we divert to a couple of hours of jazz-rock.

8:00 p.m. In the Spotlight: The Music of Nanci Griffith

We close out the programming today with a Spotlight on a great folk singer-songwriter in Nanci Griffith.

Before I get into my usual crap at the end, let me remind all the readers that tomorrow (time TBD) will be our traditional airing of Alice’s Restaurant by Arlo Guthrie. And don’t forget that we’re on 24/7, continually streaming whether there’s programming or not.

Folk Music Day!

It’s Tuesday Bluesday With the Louisiana Blues EP and ‘Live’ Tedeschi Trucks Later. In Between, It’s Dolly! November 21, 2023

Good morning, blues lovers! We’ve got our multi-artist Louisiana blues EP and the Tedeschi Trucks Band up later. In between, Dolly’s Rockstar airs.

Here’s your Tuesday Bluesday lineup:

9:00 a.m. The Best of Louisiana Blues: Various Artists

We kick off the blues programming with blues on the bayou! You’ll hear from Ray Charles, Lillian Glinn, Slim Harpo, Ray Brown, Fats Domino, Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown, Rodney Harris, Roosevelt Sykes, Shirley & Lee, Papa Lightfoot, Guitar Slim, Annie Laurie, Fats Matthews, Big Joe Turner, Big Boy Myles, Little Walter, Mary Butler, Erline Harris, Dave Bartholomew, Marcia Ball, Allen Toussaint, Dr. John, Professor Longhair, Irma Thomas, The Neville Brothers and more!

4:00 p.m. Album of The Week: Rockstar by Dolly Parton

Dolly drops by for a second airing of her rock release, Rockstar, our Album of The Week.

8:00 p.m. The Tedeschi Trucks Band Live at The Orpheum, Madison, WI, March 18, 2015

Let’s fast-forward to one of the greatest blues-rock bands on the planet today. Led by Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks, this is one of the most amazing blues bands on the planet.

Join us. It’s Tuesday Bluesday, always a big draw in The Mermaid Lounge. We’re on a short work week, and we have great music to be thankful for. Screw the pilgrims; they were a nasty lot.

Tuesday Bluesday!