Category: Acoustic Music

At Midweek It’s a Trip to Laurel Canyon, Sir Paul’s 83rd Birthday Bash, and “The Cat” Live, Wednesday, June 18, 2025

Good morning, musicologists, and welcome to midweek. We open things up with a tripto Laurel Canyon where the marriage of country and rock came to fruition.

Here’s your midweek musical lineup:

9:00 a.m. Music From Laurel Canyon: Various Artists

We take a trip to a musical playground where the greats from two generations lived and worked together, including The Byrds, The Mamas & Papas, Buffalo Springfield, The Beach Boys, The Doors, The Lovin’ Spoonful, Jackson Browne, Joni Mitchell, The Monkees, CSNY, John Mayall, The Eagles, J.D. Souther, Harry Nilsson, Canned Heat, Linda Ronstadt, Carole King, James Taylor, Joan Baez, Judy Collins and more!

4:00 p.m. In the Spotlight: The Music of Paul McCartney

This afternoon, we celebrate Sir Paul’s 83rd birthday with a collection of his music as co-founder of The Beatles, the leader of Wings, and as a solo artist.

8:00 p.m. Yusuf/Cat Stevens Live at William & Mary Hall, Williamsburg, VA, February 22, 1976

We close out the day’s programming with a live performance by ‘The Cat,’ as we used to call him when we were kids. It’s always a delight to listen to his brilliance.

One more time: We’re here 24/7. We’re totally free. There’s no commercial interruption. We’re radio free democracy and anti-capitalism. Join us. The button is below.

Happy B-Day, Sir Paul!

At Midweek It’s Our House EP, Janis ‘In The Spotlight,’ and John Fogerty Live at Red Rocks, on Wednesday, June 4, 2025

Good morning, musicologists, and welcome to the midweek show! Today we’ve got our fantastic House EP starting off, then it’s a Janis Joplin ‘Spotlight’ feature and live John Fogerty celebrating 50 years in music!

Here’s your midweek musical lineup:

9:00 a.m. The #BecomeUngovernable House Playlist: Various Artists

Yes, the music that inspired the radio station with Barry McGuire, The Temptations, Edwin Starr, Peter Tosh, The Beatles, T. Rex, The Who, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Bob Dylan, Country Joe & The Fish, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Joan Baez, Bob Marley & The Wailers, CSNY, Pink Floyd, The Animals, Ten Years After, The Plastic Ono Band, Sam Cooke, The Rolling Stones, Joni Mitchell, Jimi Hendrix, Three Dog Night, Jimmy Cliff, Richie Havens, Marvin Gaye, Phil Ochs, Tom Rush, The Band and more!

4:00 p.m. In The Spotlight: The Music of Janis Joplin

This afternoon we take a trip down memory lane with Janis Joplin and her fantastic blues rock catalogue!

8:00 p.m. John Fogerty Live at Red Rocks Amphitheater, Morrison, CO, June 20, 2019

We close out the midweek programming with John Fogerty live and celebrating his 50th year in music!

No hype; just music. No subscription required; no commercial advertising. We have absolutely nothing to sell you. Not even a tee shirt. We’re anti-capitalist, and we love it that way. The button is below.

The Button!

We Close The Month With ‘Ladies Day Out,’ Live Stephen Stills, and a Steve Winwood ‘Spotlight’ Feature, Saturday, May 31, 2025

Welcome, weekenders! We’re closing the month in style as we turn the studio over to the women of music this morning, followed by Stephen Stills live at The Capitol Center, and a Steve Winwood ‘Spotlight’ covering his vast musical career.

Here’s your Saturday musical lineup:

9:00 a.m. Ladies Day Out: Various Artists

We kick off the day with the ladies in charge. You’ll hear Linda Ronstadt, Valerie Carter, Bonnie Raitt, Carly Simon, Emmylou Harris, Petula Clark, Laura Nyro, Cilla Black, Irma Thomas, Aretha Franklin, Joni Mitchell, Joan Baez, Etta James, Janis Joplin, Carole King, Maria Muldaur, Dolly Parton, Dusty Springfield, Ann Peebles, Lucinda Williams, Rosanne Cash, Eva Cassidy, Wendy Waldman, Shawn Colvin, The Ronettes, Diana Ross & The Supremes, Sheryl Crow, Norah Jones, Gladys Knight & The Pips, Phoebe Snow, Susan Tedeschi, Nicolette Larson and many, many more!

4:00 p.m. Stephen Stills Live at The Capitol Center, Passaic, NJ, March 23, 1979

Later this afternoon, we give you some great live Stephen Stills. Always a treat.

8:00 p.m. In The Spotlight: The Music of Steve Winwood

We close with legendary artist Steve Winwood and his music from The Spencer Davis Group, Blind Faith, Traffic, and his solo career!

I’ll be spending one more day in hardware hell before my weekend begins, but The Music Mermaid will be in charge and she never disappoints. Stop by and see for yourselves. It costs nothing and we won’t make you sign up for a ‘subscription’ to anything. Best of all, there’s absolutely no commercial advertising. The button is below.

Ladies Day Out!

We’re at Midweek With the ‘Color My World’ EP, a Jesse Winchester ‘Spotlight,’ and ELO Live at Wembley, Wednesday, May 28, 2025

Good morning, music lovers, and welcome to midweek! We’ve got it going today, beginning with songs about colors, Jesse Winchester, and Jeff Lynne’s ELO!

Here’s your midweek music lineup:

9:00 a.m. Color My World: Various Artists

We open it up with songs about all the colors on the spectrum from James Taylor, The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, Booker T & The MGs, Electric Light Orchestra, Procol Harum, Linda Ronstadt, Joni Mitchell, John Hiatt, J. D. Souther, The Who, Sam & Dave, Bob Dylan, Amy Winehouse, Badfinger, Fleetwood Mac, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Elvis Costello, Neil Young, Jefferson Airplane, The Hollies, Elvis Presley, Janis Joplin, Cream, Marvin Gaye, Lucinda Williams and more!

4:00 p.m. In the Spotlight: The Music of Jesse Winchester

Bob Dylan once said that you cannot talk about the best songwriters in music without including Jesse Winchester on that list. He’s right. The first time I ever saw him live was when he opened for Emmylou Harris at Boston’s Music Hall. It was a great performance all the way around. I often dreamed of seeing him in a small venue, like Passim’s Coffee House in Cambridge, but never had the opportunity. We do have a live performance or two by him at other small venues. We’ll be sure to get those on soon.

8:00 a.m. Jeff Lynne’s ELO Live at Wembley Stadium, London, UK, June 24, 2017

We close out the programming with Jeff Lynne’s ELO, who took their final world tour last year and passed through Boston, live at Wembley Stadium.

We’ll be headed for the weekend once again after today, and that is always a good thing to look forward to in a time where there seems to be so little to look forward to. The great music we play is another good thing to look forward to. The button is below!

The Button. Right here.

It’s Sunday Funday With a new Jesse Colin Young ‘Spotlight,’ Volume Two of The Sixties Rotation, and the Magnolia Sisters Live in Simi Valley, On May 25, 2025

Here’s your Sunday Funday lineup:

9:00 a.m. In The Spotlight: The Music of Jesse Colin Young NEW!

Singer-songwriter Jesse Colin Young may mostly be remembered with his time in The Youngbloods, and the people’s anthem, Get Together, but he had a long career and made a ton of great music. We lost him earlier in 2025, and we should have given him a ‘Spotlight’ sooner. He’s here now.

1:00 p.m. The Original Sixties Rotation, Volume Two: Various Artists

This afternoon we spend our time in the wayback machine with the artists of the sixties, including The Beatles, The Mamas & Papas, The Hollies, Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, Buffalo Springfield, Sly & The Family Stone, Tommy James & The Shondells, The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Steppenwolf, The Turtles, Three Dog Night, Jimi Hendrix Experience, Blind Faith, Chuck Berry, Stevie Wonder, The Doors, Vanilla Fudge and more!

8:00 p.m. The Magnolia Sisters Live at The Simi Valley Cajun & Blues Festival, Rancho Santa Susana Community Park, Simi Valley, CA, May 23, 2015

The only known all-woman, authentic Cajun band, led by Ann Savoy, is back with an excellent performance at the Simi Valley Cajun & Blues Festival. We love their stuff here in The Mermaid Lounge.

We’re into the weekend, folks. Time to kick back. The Orange Scourge is probably playing golf. Tomorrow begins more battles for our sanity. But today? Turn on the tunes. We’re free. The button is below.

Sunday Funday!

It’s Midweek With ‘Here Comes The Night,’ a New Fleetwood Mac ‘Spotlight’, and Live Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, May 21, 2025

Good morning, musicologists! We’re at midweek and we’ve got some great stuff lined up that includes a brand new ‘Spotlight’ featuring Fleetwood Mac from blues band to one of music’s most potent pop/rock hitmakers.

Here’s your midweek musical lineup:

9:00 a.m. Here Comes The Night: Various Artists

No time to wax poetic because it’s Truck Day, but the long and short is that you’ll hear Warren Zevon, the J. Geils Band, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Van Morrison, The Beatles, Patti Smith, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Bruce Springsteen, The Kinks, Electric Prunes, Phoebe Snow and so many more!

4:00 p.m. In The Spotlight: The Music of Fleetwood Mac NEW!

From a Britsh blues band under the leadership of the late, great Peter Green to the hitmakers of the seventies with the addition of Lindsay Buckingham and Stevie Nicks, we give it all to you.

8:00 p.m. Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers Live at Coleman Coliseum, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL, October 5, 1995

One of the absolute greatest road bands, if not the greatest, live on the campus of the University of Alabama in a great performance.

We’re here. We’re free. We’ve got the best music on the planet, and all you’ve got to do is hit the button below.

Fleetwood Mac!

We Close Out Festival Week With Performances from Judy Collins and Joan Baez, and Our ‘M is For Motown’ EP, on Sunday, May 11, 2025. Happy Mother’s Day!

Good morning, weekenders, and Happy Mother’s Day to all you mothers out there! Festival Week ends today with live performances from both Judy Collins and Joan Baez (to close out the day). We begin the morning with our soulful Motown EP.

Here’s your Sunday Funday lineup:

9:00 a.m. M is For Motown: Various Artists

We open it up with our tribute to Motown stars like Barrett Strong, Eddie Kendricks, Edwin Starr, Gladys Knight & The Pips, The Jackson Five, Kim Weston, Jr. Walker & The All Stars, Marvin Gaye, Martha & The Vandellas, Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, The Four Tops, The Isley Brothers, The Temptations, The Contours, Rare Earth, Mary Wells, Tammi Terrell, Diana Ross & The Supremes and more!

4:00 p.m. Judy Collins Live at The Newport Folk Festival, Fort Adams State Park, Newport, RI, 1957-1966

Judy Collins appeared at the vaunted festival several times. This is a compilation of her performances from 1957 and 1966.

8:00 p.m. Joan Baez Live at The Newport Folk Festival, Fort Adams State Park, Newport, RI, July 26 & 27, 1968

We close out Festival Week with Joan Baez’s 1968 performance at the Newport Folk Festival.

Could this be a time for another great folk resurgence? We think so. Artists like Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger birthed the protest song, then Bob Dylan took up the mantle. We love the genre here, and we certainly think the time is right. Join us today as we close out Festival Week. The button is below.

Happy Mother’s Day!

Today It’s CSNY Live at Woodstock, ‘Are You Ready for The Country’, and Ramblin’ Jack Elliott Live at the Isle of Wight Festival, on Saturday, May 10, 2025

We’re winding down on Festival Week, but we are far from being done! Our EP today is sandwiched between Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young live at Woodstock ’69 and a vintage performance from folk legend Ramblin’ Jack Elliott at the Isle of Wight Festival.

Here’s your Saturday lineup:

9:00 a.m. Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young live at Woodstock ’69, Max Yasgur’s Farm, Bethel, NY, August 17, 1969

Today we’ve got CSNY’s full performance from Woodstock ’69, a complete acoustic set.

1:00 p.m. Are You Ready for The Country: Various Artists

We return to our EP’s today with our big country and country-rock offering with songs from The Eagles, Asleep at the Wheel, Hank Williams, The Byrds, Patsy Cline, Neil Young, Emmylou Harris, Guy Clark, Steve Earle, Dolly Parton, Poco, Linda Ronstadt, Alison Krauss & Union Station, The Marshall Tucker Band, The Ozark Mountain Daredevils, Jerry Jeff Walker, Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Townes Van Zandt, The Highwaymen, Carlene Carter, Rosanne Cash, Kris Kristofferson, The Desert Rose Band, Gram Parsons, John Prine and more!

8:00 p.m. Ramblin’ Jack Elliott Live at The Isle of Wight Festival, Afton Downs, Isle of Wight, UK, May 14, 1957

We’re jumping in the waaaaayback machine for this one, all the way back to 1957 from a performance by the legendary Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, who is still out there on the road at the age of 93.

It’s your time, weekenders, and The Mermaid Lounge welcomes you. We’re on 24/7, we’re free and there’s no commercial interruption. Join us for the end of Festival Week over the net couple of days. The button is below.

Festival Week!

On Friday It’s The Newport Folk Festival With Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Johnny Cash and Richard & Mimi Farina, May 9, 2025

Good morning, folk music lovers! We’ve got a different arrangement today here in The Lounge. There is no available compilation from the Newport Folk Festivals, so we’re working on that for our next Festival Week. In the meantime, we’ve got a fantastic lineup today!

Here’s your Friday lineup:

9:00 a.m. Joni Mitchell Live at The Newport Folk Festival, Fort Adams State Park, Newport, RI, July 19, 1969

We start out the day with the legend herself, Joni Mitchell, and her full performance from the 1969 festival.

12:00 p.m. Bob Dylan Live at The Newport Folk Festival, Fort Adams State Park, Newport, RI, 1963-1965

Dylan is up next and this is a compilation of his appearances during the years 1963, 1964, and 1965. Of course, 1965 was the year he raised the hackles of many folk purists by having the audacity to appear on stage with an electric guitar! Enter the folk-rock genre.

4:00 p.m. Richard & Mimi Farina Live at The Newport Folk Festival, Fort Adams State Park, Newport, RI, July 25, 1965

Richard and Mimi Farina made their start in the clubs of Cambridge and Boston, Massachusetts, and became stalwarts of the folk music scene before Richard’s untimely death at the age of 29.

8:00 p.m. Johnny Cash Live at The Newport Folk Festival, Fort Adams State Park, Newport, RI, July 16, 1964

We close the festivities with the great Johnny Cash on stage at Newport from 1964, a great way to end the day’s programming.

Remember, festival week extends through Sunday. We still have some great programming in store for you all, so be sure to stick around! You won’t be disappointed. We’re on 24/7. We’re totally free. We do not run any commercial advertising. And we play the best damned music on the planet. The button is below.

Newport Folk Festival!

On Wednesday It’s the Sounds of Woodstock ’69, and the Full Performances of Tim Hardin & Jimi Hendrix, May 7, 2025

We’re at Midweek and ‘Festival Week’ is back! Today it’s the sound of the only real Woodstock, the big kahuna of festivals. Then it’s the full performances of folk legend Tim Hardin and rock legend Jimi Hendrix at that festival.

Here’s your midweek lineup:

9:00 a.m. Woodstock ’69 Festival, Max Yasgur’s Dairy Farm, Bethel, NY, August 15-18, 1969

Three days of peace, love and music along with plenty of drugs, mud and rain. To this day, it remains the big kahuna of festivals, the stuff of legends and it stands the test of time. This is, of cours, just a smattering of what went on there, but we are working on the full magilla. There are files available that reconstruct the entire experience the way it was presented (in 38 full discs) and we are in the process of putting that all together for an airing in the future. In the meantime, we give you over four hours here today.

4:00 p.m. Tim Hardin Live at Woodstock ’69, Max Yasgur’s Farm, Bethel, NY, August 15, 1969

This afternoon we give you folk legend Tim Hardin’s full Woodstock ’69 performance, a man who succumbed to his heroin addiction and left us far too soon. We celebrate his music today.

8:00 p.m. Jimi Hendrix Live at Woodstock ’69, Max Yasgur’s Farm, Bethel, NY, August 18, 1969

Hendrix’s set at Woodstock was on the final day and ran for nearly two hours, one of the longest performances of his storied career. We close the festivities with that performance today.

The biggest and the best here today. We’re on 24/7 and we’re totally free. It goes without saying that we give you our big, wide Open Stream before, in between, and after all this great Woodstock stuff. The button is below.

Woodstock ’69