Category: Acoustic Music

It’s Another Fine Tuesday Bluesday With Our ‘Best of Chicago Blues’ EP, Our AOW, and B. B. King In the Spotlight, November 8, 2022

Blues lovers, it is your day as we start it off with our ‘Best of Chicago Blues’ EP and close it out with B. B. King. In between, it’s our Album of The Week.

We are the House of Blues every Tuesday and here’s today’s lineup:

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

There’s nothing like Chicago for blues and this multi-artist EP brings you Otis Rush, Willie Dixon, Albert King, Muddy Waters, Little Water, 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: Sweet Harmony by Maria Muldaur

Technically, this album fits just fine on a Tuesday Bluesday since Maria Muldaur refuses to be defined by any single genre of music and has successfully combined a bit of blues, jazz and folk in this fine album. See for yourself this afternoon.

7:00 p.m. In The Spotlight: The Music of B. B. King

B. B. King was a pioneer who defined the blues for a worldwide audience. As a guitar innovator, King developed an intricate style of blues solo playing based on fluid string bending, shimmering vibrato, and staccato picking with the help of the most important woman in his life, Lucille. This style would inspire future blues guitarists, and it’s here tonight at 7:00 p.m. EST.

It’s always a full house on Tuesday Bluesdays and we’ve got listeners from Greece, Italy, France, the UK, Norway, Denmark, The Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Russian Federation, Faroe Islands, Australia, Texas, California and New York this morning. Join our international community!

Tuesday Bluesday!

Back to The Weekly Grind, But We’ve Got The Music To Help You Out: The Second Airing of Singer-Songwriter Lucinda Williams, The Supremes In the Spotlight, and a Brand New Playlist Tonight, Monday, November 7, 2022

Good Morning, Music Lovers! Have you ever seen anything roll around as fast as a Monday? The good news is that we’ve got the music here to help you through. Just lock that office door and pull up a tab. If you’re lucky enough to work at home, even better!

Here’s your Monday, Monday lineup:

11:00 a.m. Singer-Songwriter Series: The Music of Lucinda Williams

Lucinda Williams is back for her second airing as our featured Singer-Songwriter this week. We’ll have one more airing a bit later this week as well. Tune her in. She was a friend of Tom’s and he rightfully championed her as someone who must be heard. He could recognize a great songwriter. Lucinda Williams also opened for him on several tours, including his very last one, the 40th Anniversary Tour.

3:00 p.m. In The Spotlight: The Music of The Supremes

There were bands that were instrumental in developing the Motown sound. Diana Ross & The Supremes were certainly one of those acts. We’ve got them In the Spotlight this afternoon.

7:00 p.m. More Cowbell, Please: Various Artists NEW!

We carry you in to this evening with a brand new multi-artist playlist for all percussion lovers out there. This one is all about the cowbell. It opens with what we consider the finest example of a song where the cowbell reigns supreme. You will hear from The Beatles, Aretha Franklin, the Alan Parsons Project, Bob Dylan, Harry Nilsson, Carly Simon, Linda Ronstadt, Warren Zevon, Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Move, Elton John, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Electric Light Orchestra, Joe Walsh, Jimi Hendrix Experience, Journey. Stephen Stills, Grateful Dead, J. Geils Band, Queen, Steely Dan, Little Feat, The Turtles and more!

Come on, people, let’s start the day off on a fine note by joining us and your friends around the world here in The Mermaid Lounge. We’ve got a great lineup for you today and we won’t cost you one cent. No lie. No surprises. No bullshit.

More Cowbell, Please!

The Programming’s Light With Only Our New AOW, and ‘The Female Species’ EP, But There’s Plenty of Music From The Mermaid Lounge, Sunday, November 6, 2022

Good Morning All! Did you all remember to change the clocks? I’m not sure we’ve actually “gained” anything because I certainly don’t feel any differently. But here? We’re models of consistency. We’ve got our new Album of the Week and ‘The Female Species’ multi-artist EP!

Here’s your Sunday programming:

11:00 a.m. Album of The Week: Sweet Harmony by Maria Muldaur NEW!

Maria Muldaur’s career began in Greenwich Village during the great sixties folk revival, but her repertoire is anything but limited as she’s built a career around folk, blues, country, gospel and R & B. This is Muldaur’s third studio album and it’s a beauty. She invites J. J. Cale, Waddy Wachtel, Linda Ronstadt, Bill Payne (of Little Feat), and Russ Kunkel along for the ride. Check the amazing vocals on the song Sweet Harmony, featuring Linda Ronstadt and Wendy Waldman on backing vocals, Arthur Adams on baritone vocals, and Amos Garrett on bass vocals. Amazing.

3:00 p.m. The Female Species: Various Artists

This is not to be confused with Ladies Day Out. That’s coming soon. This playlist features songs about girls, women, ladies and other words ascribed to the superior sex. You’ll hear from Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, The Beach Boys, The Temptations, Linda Ronstadt, Bob Marley & The Wailers, The Rolling Stones, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, The Rascals, Peter & Gordon, Talking Heads, Jackson Browne, The Boogaloo Swamis, John Mayall, Hot Tuna, The Eagles, Elvis Presley, The Beatles, Percy Sledge, Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac, America, Roy Orbison, Billy Joel, Jimi Hendrix, Aretha Franklin and more!

Come on, folks. The clocks have changed and it’s a day of rest. It’s the perfect time to tune in, turn on and drop out. It’s Sunday. And we’re here in the Lounge for your listening pleasure.

The Female Species!

We’ve Got a Busy One Today With Our ‘Music From Laurel Canyon’ EP, Our AOW, and An Outgoing and Incoming Singer-Songwriter Series, Saturday, November 5, 2022

Good Morning, Music Lovers! We have our usual busy Saturday here in The Mermaid Lounge, people, but no matter what we have going, we’re always going to have more open stream hours in a day than programs. And that’s by design. Read on for details!

Here’s today’s musical landscape:

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

Laurel Canyon was home to two generations of musicians, a vast musical landscape of cross-pollination that helped to create the genre known as country rock and inspire a host of musicians who came after. You will hear from The Byrds, The Mamas & The Papas, Buffalo Springfield, The Beach Boys, The Lovin’ Spoonful, The Doors, Jackson Browne, Joni Mitchell, The Monkees, CSNY, Stephen Stills & Manassas, John Mayall, The Eagles, J.D. Souther, Harry Nilsson, Linda Ronstadt, Canned Heat, Carole King, James Taylor, The Souther-Hillman-Furay Band and more!

4:00 p.m. Album of The Week: Revolver (2022) by The Beatles FINAL AIRING!

We bid farewell to this latest masterpiece, but we are by no means done with the Revolver box set. You will see more in the coming weeks. Tomorrow, we’ll have a brand new album for you. Still TBD.

7:00 p.m. Singer-Songwriter Series: The Music of Jackson Browne FINAL AIRING!

Jackson Browne is our outgoing featured Singer-Songwriter this week. We hope you’ll get a chance to tune this in if you haven’t yet done so. We air these three times a week at various times.

10:00 p.m. Singer-Songwriter Series: The Music of Lucinda Williams NEW!

We usher in our new Singer-Songwriter for her debut! One of the finest singer-songwriters on the planet, Lucinda Williams labored in obscurity for a while before knocking ’em dead. She has since become one of the most respected music artists and songwriters in the business. You can read about her here, and you can hear her for yourselves tonight at ten.

We’re off to an early start today, so I can’t spend a lot of time writing here. Suffice it to say that you can look at the blog post from yesterday and read the final paragraph. It’s the same every day, kids. You’ve just got to take that leap of faith and give us a shot. We are totally free. The only thing we require is a bit of time.

Singer-Songwriter Series!

It’s the End of the Work Week! We’ve Got Our ‘Here Comes The Night’ EP and Some ‘Live’ Doors Later From the Isle of Wight, Friday, November 4, 2022

Good Morning, Musicologists! We are here and it is Friday in The Mermaid Lounge! We’ve got our EP focused on the night time today: References to the night in the title, lyrics or both! We’ve also got some ‘live’ Doors coming up.

Here’s today’s musical lineup:

11:00 a.m. Here Comes The Night: Various Artists

We’ve got today’s EP which is focused on night time (which means our EP focused on morning can’t be far behind). You’ll hear Warren Zevon, the J. Geils Band, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Them, The Beatles, Van Morrison, Patti Smith, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Bruce Springsteen, The Kinks, Electric Prunes, Phoebe Snow, Joe Walsh, The Eagles, The Ronettes, John Cougar Mellencamp, Linda Ronstadt, Joni Mitchell, Emmylou Harris, The Doors, Poco, Neil Diamond, The Animals, The Band, The Rolling Stones, Don McLean, Steve Winwood, Cat Stevens, The Traveling Wilburys, Sam Cooke, Jimmy Cliff, Bonnie Raitt and more!

7:00 p.m. The Doors Live at The Isle of Wight Festival, Afton Down, Newport, England, August 30, 1970

The Lizard King and his band tear it up at the Isle of Wight Festival just about a year before his death. I always marvel at the body of work they were able to achieve in just four short years.

C’mon, people. It’s Friday and there’s nothing like some great background music to help get you through the day in a better mental state. We are just the ticket. We’re free. We’re on 24/7 (not just when there’s programming). And we’re all about music, not chat. We also have a strict rule against commercial advertising. We simply don’t take it.

Here Comes The Night!

We’re Heading for The Weekend With Some Bob Marley & The Wailers, Our AOW, and A New Beatles Playlist, on Thursday, November 3, 2022

Good Morning, Musicologists! We are heading for the weekend now and that’s a good thing. We’ve got some ‘live’ Wailers to kick off the festivities here in The Mermaid Lounge this morning.

We've got some live Bob Marley & The Wailers up first today

Here’s Thursday’s lineup:

11:00 a.m. Bob Marley & The Wailers Live at The Record Plant, Sausalito, CA, October 13, 1973

We’ve got some great live reggae coming at you to kick off today’s music programming. This one comes live from The Record Plant in Sausalito. Haven’t aired this one in a bit.

3:00 p.m. Album of The Week: Revolver (2022) by The Beatles

This was a brilliant album from the day it was released, and the box set just proves what musical geniuses The Beatles were. The entire 5-CD package will be added to our general rotation this week. We’ll also be adding the expanded, 50th anniversary packages of Sgt. Pepper and The White Album. Then we’ll really have some fun.

7:00 p.m. The Beatles: The Singles Collection NEW!

We’ve got a brand new playlist for you tonight that includes all the singles on a worldwide basis, both the A and B sides. It’s a couple of hours of great music.

I’m tired of saying the same thing over and over. Looking for a new line. That being said, what in the world are y’all waiting for? We’re here. We’re free. And we’ve got a great catalogue of over 30,000 songs. Who needs to pay for Spotify? This is radio. The best part is anticipating what song might be next. Give it a shot.

The Weekend is Coming!

We’re at Midweek With The ‘Color My World’ EP, Jackson Browne as Our Featured Singer-Songwriter, and The 40th Anniversary of “Long After Dark” by The Heartbreakers! November 2, 2022

Good Morning, Musicologists! We are at midweek and we’ve got a great day of programming set up for you today, including an airing of Long After Dark by Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers as we celebrate the 40th anniversary of its release in 1982.

Here’s today’s musical journey:

10:00 a.m. Color My World: Various Artists (pictured above)

This is one of our newest EP’s that talks about colors in the title, lyrics or both. You’ll hear from Valerie Carter, Linda Ronstadt, The Kinks, The Beatles, The Traveling Wilburys, Jonathan Edwards, George Harrison, The Rolling Stones, Neil Young, John Hiatt, Joni Mitchell, Jackson Browne, Bob Dylan, Ry Cooder, Elton John, Procol Harum, Electric Light Orchestra, Amy Winehouse, The Who, Emmylou Harris & Rodney Crowell, San & Dave, Jefferson Airplane, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Elvis Costello, Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac, The Hollies, Jimi Hendrix, Booker T. & The MGs, Marvin Gaye, Lucinda Williams, John Cougar Mellencamp, Creedence Clearwater Revival and more!

7:00 p.m. Singer-Songwriter Series: The Music of Jackson Browne

It’s the second airing of our Songer-Songwriter Series featuring Jackson Browne. We’ve got one more to come sometime this week.

10:00 p.m. NOT The Album of The Week: Long After Dark by Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers

We close the programming with a one-time airing of Long After Dark on the 40th anniversary of its release (hard to believe it’s been that long). This one has already been our album of the week.

One more time: This would be a great day to tune us in and get a feel for what we’re all about. Hell, lock your office door, pull up a tab and turn us on. Find a project that you have to get done. Put a “Do Not Disturb” sign on the door and get your musical shit together.

Color My World!

We Start a New Month With Tuesday Bluesday and Albert King, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and a Woman Named Ellen McIlwaine, November 1, 2022

Good Morning, Bluesologists! We kick off a new month with da blues, including someone you may or may never have heard. Her name is Ellen McIlwaine. If you’ve never heard her, you can get to know her today.

Here’s your Tuesday Bluesday lineup:

11:00 a.m. Albert King & Stevie Ray Vaughan In Session at CHCH-TV Studios, Canada, December 6, 1983

This little blues session was filmed for television at CHCH-TV studios in Hamilton, Ontario back in 1983. At the time of the filming, Stevie Ray was 29 years old and King was 60. Two great bluesmen together is always a thing of joy.

3:00 p.m. Album of The Week: Revolver (2022) by The Beatles

Today is the second airing of the Giles Martin curated edition of this great Beatles album that is part of the just-released boxed set. We will be adding all of the tunes from the 5-CD pack to our general rotation tonight.

7:00 p.m. In the Spotlight: The Music of Ellen McIlwaine NEW!

We finally bring this great Canadian blues singer to The Mermaid Lounge. I remember her in my youth. We were as dumb as rocks back then. We “didn’t like” her because we thought she was imitating Bonnie Raitt. In truth, Ellen McIlwaine was always her pure self, and maybe that’s what kept her from hitting it big in the states, even though she found a measure of success in Canada. I had almost forgotten her until I read her obituary in The Washington Post. We leave you that obituary here because it’s much more than an obit. It’ll give you plenty of background on the woman known as the Goddess of The Slide Guitar.

We’ve got a brand new month on the horizon and a great Tuesday Bluesday all lined up. We have listeners on from Canada, India, Germany, the UK, France, Italy, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, The Netherlands, Ireland, Spain, Portugal, Russian Federation, New York, California, Texas, Pennsylvania and beyond this morning. Join your community of friends with excellent musical taste.

It’s Tuesday Bluesday!

It’s Halloween and We’ve Got Some Scary Good Stuff On Tap With Our ‘M is For Motown’ EP, Our Finale For Tom Petty Month, and a New Playlist, Monday, October 31, 2022

Good Morning, Gang! We are running a bit behind the eight ball this morning due to a brief power failure here but we are never a dollar short. We’ve got some great Halloween programming for you today!

Here’s today’s musical landscape:

8:00 a.m. M is For Motown: Various Artists

We give you five hours of uninterrupted soul and R & B today with Barrett Strong, Eddie Kendricks, Eddie Holland, 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, Mary Wells, Rare Earth, Tammi Terrell, Diana Ross & The Supremes, The Marvelettes, The Spinners, Jimmy Ruffin and more!

3:00 p.m. Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers Live at The Stephen C O’Connell Center, Gainesville, FL, September 21, 2006

The Heartbreakers on their 30th Anniversary Tour, and what a great performance this was.

7:00 p.m. In the Spotlight: The Music of Jefferson Airplane NEW!

We admit we’ve been on a bit of a psychedelic music bender recently, so this one fits. This playlist has actually been a long-time coming, and it’s finally here. The Music Mermaid can only do so much. We apologize for being so remiss.

Tune us in. It’s a great day to do it. After all, it’s Monday and nothing can improve the prospects for a Monday more than great music as your backdrop.

Happy Halloween!

The Beatles 2022 ‘Revolver’ is Our Album of The Week, ‘In Your Dreams’ is Our Featured EP, and The Heartbreakers as Cover Band Later, Sunday, October 30, 2022

Good Morning, Beatle Fans, and we know that we certainly are here in The Mermaid Lounge because they are one of our House Bands (the Heartbreakers being the other). We’ve got a treat for you today with the new Revolver release as our AOW.

Here’s today’s lineup:

11:00 a.m. Album of The Week: Revolver by The Beatles (The 2022 Giles Martin Remix) NEW!

We certainly have already featured Revolver here once at our early stages of life, but this version is the newly remixed version by Giles Martin, son of the man known as The Fifth Beatle, the late Sir George Martin. This is part of the new 5-CD set that we recently got our hands on, released yesterday. We will be featuring this music as part of our general rotation and we will be playing the rest of the material on it as programmed sessions throughout the next several weeks. The package takes you on a musical journey through the making of what is often considered The Beatles most significant album.

2:00 p.m. In Your Dreams: Various Artists

Our featured EP today is ‘In Your Dreams’ with songs about dreams and dreaming. You’ll hear the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Aerosmith, Crowded House, the Moody Blues, Van Morrison, The Eurythmics, The Flying Burrito Brothers, Nanci Griffith, The Electric Prunes, Fleetwood Mac, Roy Orbison, The Mamas & The Papas, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Jimmy Buffett, the Allman Brothers Band, Supertramp, Randy Newman, Aretha Franklin, Linda Ronstadt, Emmylou Harris, Bob Dylan, Widespread Panic, The Youngbloods, Jimmy Ruffin, Jackson Browne, Mudcrutch, Patsy Cline, Joe Walsh, Bruce Springsteen, k.d. lang, Dusty Springfield and more!

9:00 p.m. Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers: Under the Covers

The same qualities that make The Heartbreakers a great rock n’ roll band are the same qualities that make them the greatest cover band in music as they pay homage to those who have inspired their work. Waiting for them to pull one of these songs out of their bag of musical tricks was always one of the best features of their live shows. Enjoy this playlist as we wind down our annual Tom Petty month. Tomorrow will be the last day.

It’s Sunday and remember, if there is a big guy up there, he even took today off. Sit back, kick off your shoes, grab the beverage of your choice, and tune us in. We are totally free 24/7 because we are all about sharing the music.

Revolver 2022!