Category: Alternative Rock

On Monday It’s Live Pretenders, a Hot Tuna ‘Spotlight’ Feature, and The Return of Our ‘Friends of Mine’ EP, October 27, 2025

Good morning, working class! We’re back to the work week with style with new live Pretenders, a Hot Tuna ‘Spotlight’ and an evening airing of the ‘Friends of Mine’ EP!

Here’s your Monday, Monday lineup:

10:00 a.m. The Pretenders Live at Shepherd’s Bush Empire, London, UK, July 15, 2009 NEW!

We’ve got a new-to-the-station live performance by one of my favorite bands of the eighties (and there were not many) to open up the festivities! Chrissie Hynde is a legend.

3:00 p.m. In the Spotlight: The Music of Hot Tuna

Another fine band here born of the ashes of Jefferson Airplane. There have been many personnel changes over the years, but Jorma Kaukonen and Jack Casady have been the anchors from the beginning.

6:00 p.m. Friends of Mine: Various Artists

This EP has been on a hiatus since about March or April, but it’s back for an evening airing. It’s like Open Stream with a Theme with The Guess Who, War, Willie Nelson, The Beach Boys, Linda Ronstadt, Todd Rundgren, Amy Winehouse, The Doors, Simon & Garfunkel, John Prine, Talking Heads, Joan Baez, The Lovin’ Spoonful, The Beatles, The Byrds, Carole King, Steppenwolf, Paul McCartney, Jackson Browne, Lou Reed, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Free, Leon Russell, Robert Johnson, Argent, and more!

We begin yet another week! We’ll be here as always playing the best music on the planet for free. Just hit that button below!

Friends of Mine!

We’re at Midweek With ‘The Founders’, a James Taylor ‘Spotlight’, and The Pretenders Live in Germany, Wednesday, April 16, 2025

Good morning, music lovers and welcome to midweek. We start out with the founders of rock and roll, then it’s a JT ‘Spotlight’ feature and some live Pretenders!

Here’s your midweek musical lineup:

9:00 a.m. The Founders: Various Artists

We start our musical journey in the Wayback Machine as we pay respect to those who started it all, including Chuck Berry, Fats Domino, Little Richard, Bo Diddley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Elvis Presley, The Everly Brothers, Buddy Holly, Big Mama Thornton, Big Joe Turner, Hank Williams, Bill Haley & His Comets, Ray Charles, The Drifters, Roy Orbison, Robert Johnson, Carl Perkins, Eddie Cochran, Johnny Cash, Muddy Waters and more!

4:00 p.m. In The Spotlight: The Music of James Taylor

Sweet Baby James visits us this afternoon, a singer-songwriting legend whose volume of work speaks for itself.

8:00 p.m. The Pretenders Live at Laeiszhalle, Hamburg, Germany, June 23, 2009

We close it out with a live performance from The Pretenders, a band that has literally been in flux for decades with the only constant being the amazing Chrissie Hynde.

We’re at midweek and that means that tomorrow we’ll be on the downslide to the weekend, the only time we can sort of catch our breath under this misbegotten fascist regime. Music can help us get through this, and we remain free of charge and broadcasting 24/7. The button, my friends, is below.

The Button.

On Wednesday, We Keep It Simple With a Big, Wide Open Stream Day! January 15, 2025.

Good morning, music lovers. It’s a day to appreciate our Open Stream as we are going to leave it at that all day and night, right up until 9:00 a.m. tomorrow! Enjoy!

Remember, there’s never any advertising. We’re completely free. And there are no DJ’s to talk through your songs. The button is below.

OPEN STREAM DAY!

Today It’s Our ‘Ode to Morning’ EP, New Heartbreakers Music, and Amy Winehouse on Thursday, December 26, 2024

Good morning, musicologists and we’re over the hump and headed for the weekend. We start out with songs about morning, then it’s the new-ish deluxe edition of Long After Dark and some live Amy Winehouse.

Here’s your Thursday lineup:

9:00 a.m. Ode To Morning: Various Artists

We start out the day with songs about morning, my favorite time of day, with Cat Stevens, Hoyt Axton, The Beatles, Neil Young, The Rascals, Waylon Jennings, Joan Baez, James Taylor, Gram Parsons, Simon & Garfunkel, Taj Mahal, Harry Chapin, Linda Ronstadt, Dan Fogelberg, Three Dog Night, Ry Cooder, Tim Buckley, Muddy Waters, Jonathan Edwards, Bob Dylan, Badfinger, Townes Van Zandt, Chris Hillman and more!

4:00 p.m. Long After Dark, Deluxe Edition: Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers NEW!

This is a new release of one of The Heartbreakers’ sleeper albums. I say that because it was probably one of their least appreciated offerings, yet there are plenty of great songs on here beyond You Got Lucky, one of their signature hits. This release offers four never-before-heard songs, so that’s like brand new Heartbreaker music. It also contains an expanded version of one of the band’s most fun songs and a cult favorite, Heartbreakers Beach Party. A few songs appear twice because they were recorded for videos which appeared on French TV. As such, they are slightly different from each other. Enjoy. I did.

8:00 p.m. Amy Winehouse Live at Porchester Hall, London, UK, March 8, 2007

We don’t play much music from this time, but Amy Winehouse is an exception because she was a true R & B artist and we can appreciate that. Unfortunately, her demons got the best of her before she realized her true potential.

We embark on another day. Some of you will be back at work after Christmas and some will be on vacation. Either way, we remain on the air 24/7, totally free and with no commercial advertising. The button is below.

The Button.

‘The British Are Coming’, The Pretenders and Dr. John are All On Tap As We Head For the Weekend, Thursday, October 10, 2024

Good morning, musicologists! We’re over the hump and on the downslide to the weekend. We’ve got our big British music EP, live Pretenders and a Dr. John Spotlight feature.

Here’s your musical lineup:

9:00 a.m. The British Are Coming: Various Artists

We start with music from the British Invasion and beyond with The Beatles, The Who, Dave Mason, Electric Light Orchestra, Petula Clark, The Zombies, The Hollies, Dusty Springfield, Small Faces, Led Zeppelin, Queen, The Kinks, the Dave Clark Five, The Bee Gees, the Moody Blues, Rod Stewart, The Rolling Stones, Herman’s Hermits, Them, Gerry & The Pacemakers, Badfinger, The Yardbirds, Traffic, Elton John, Lulu, Pink Floyd, Yes, The Animals, Manfred Mann, Spencer Davis Group, Queen, Donovan and more!

4:00 p.m. The Pretenders Live at Laeiszhalle, Hamburg, Germany, June 23, 2009

Chrissie Hynde battled plenty of sexism before launching the Pretenders in 1978. At the time, the band didn’t have a name but recorded five tracks which eventually got them their start. She eventually named the band after the Platters song, The Great Pretender, which was a favorite song of her ex-boyfriend. The rest, as they say, is musical history. I am not what you’d call a ‘fan’ of the punk music genre, but The Pretenders under the leadership of Chrissie Hynde is one of the best bands on the planet, regardless of genre.

8:00 p.m. In the Spotlight: The Music of Dr. John

We close out the evening with Dr. John, another music master who managed to combine New Orleans-fueled blues, jazz, R & B, soul and funk into a style all his own.

I’m giving you a break from the drivel of the drill. You know what you need to know about us. Now it’s time to push the button below.

Just Push Play.

Monday’s Back With a New Talking Heads Spotlight, Then Live Mudcrutch and The Magnolia Sisters, September 9, 2024

Good morning, music lovers and welcome to the work week once again. Today we’ve got a brand new Spotlight featuring Talking Heads for starters. It doesn’t end there!

Here’s Monday’s musical lineup:

10:00 a.m. In The Spotlight: Talking Heads NEW!

Yes, it’s one of our few trips into the 1980’s, even though I found the whole ‘big suit’ thing mildly disturbing at some level. Despite that suit, Stop Making Sense was one of the finest concert films ever made. Little Creatures was one of the finest albums ever made. The sixties and seventies we love; the eighties not so much but these folks definitely made the cut. We’ve got a brand new Spotlight feature for them today.

4:00 p.m. Mudcrutch: The 2016 Tour Best Live Performances

This is a great compilation of songs from Mudcrutch’s 2016 tour and includes the most incredible live performance of Hungry No More (my favorite Mudcrutch song) which was recorded at Boston’s House of Blues. I have two huge regrets in my musical life. Missing this concert was one of them. (The other was missing The Heartbreakers 2017 tour, which would be their last before Tom Petty passed.)

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

It doesn’t surprise me that you probably don’t know this band. They do not play in the top ten, or even in the standard popular music arena. They are the only all-woman authentic Cajun Band led by legendary Ann Savoy, and they are amazing. We are definitely fans of Cajun/Zydeco music here in The Mermaid Lounge and these ladies deliver.

This is a pretty eclectic lineup today and it plays uninterrupted by commercial advertising. Expand your musical horizons. It won’t cost you a thing. The button is below.

New Talking Heads!

It’s a Busy Monday With ‘Working Songs’, Rickie Lee Jones, Van Morrison and Elvis Costello, February 12, 2024

Good morning, music lovers! I was a bit overexuberant last night and went off the ledge on scheduling today. (We’re actually exploring a bit of late-night programming for our overseas listeners!)

Here’s your Monday, Monday lineup:

11:00 a.m. Working Songs: Various Artists

Quite appropriate on a Monday morning as the work week begins. You’ll hear from The Staple Singers, Van Morrison, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Creedence Clearwater Revival, John Lennon, Slim Harpo, Neil Young, Jim Croce, Little Feat, Bob Dylan, Jesse Winchester, Maria Muldaur and more!

4:00 p.m.  In The Spotlight: The Music of Rickie Lee Jones

Over five decades this great singer-songwriter has recorded songs in a variety genres, including jazz, rock, pop, soul and R&B.

7:00 p.m.  Van Morrison Live at The Bottom Line, New York, NY, November 1, 1978

Van the Man is a staple around these parts. We haven’t heard him for a while, so we thought it was about time we break him out of mothballs.

10:00 p.m. Singer-Songwriter Series: The Music of Elvis Costello NEW!

Here we have another great Elvis, but it’s Costello. You can love him or hate him, but the man broke barriers and is a hell of a singer-songwriter. He’s one of the very few of his generation that I actually listen to.

Another Monday in paradise…at least for me since my “weekends” fall on Sunday-Monday. We’ve got some great music today and we’re toying with late-night programming. We’ll see how it goes. Our overnight listeners are generally outside the U.S. Give us a listen.

Just Push Play. Please. And Thank You.

On Monday We Deliver Lukas Nelson and POTR, Banned Songs, and ‘Live’ Pretenders in Germany, January 8, 2024

Good morning, music lovers! We’ve got a great lineup that includes Willie’s boy Lukas and his band, some songs that were banned from the airwaves back in the day, and The Pretenders live from Hamburg.

Here’s today’s lineup:

10:00 a.m. In the Spotlight: Lukas Nelson & Promise of The Real

Willie’s boy is back with his band. Any band that tours with Neil Young is the real deal. If you haven’t heard them before, this is a good time.

3:00 p.m.  Banned From the Airwaves: Various Artists

Yes, songs like God Only Knows by The Beach Boys were banned from the airwaves because it was the first time God was mentioned in a rock song. So was The Heartbreakers’ You Don’t Know How It Feels, and Lennon’s Imagine. The craziest one of all was My Generation by The Who because it allegedly made fun of people who stutter. They are all here today.

7:00 p.m.  The Pretenders Live at Laeiszhalle, Hamburg, Germany, June 23, 2009

The great Chrissie Hynde and my favorite alternative band are live from Germany to close out the programming tonight.

Come on. It’s Monday. The beginning of another work week. And we all need a bit of a boost on Monday. If you have an office and a computer, just close your door, pretend you’re immersed in the bottom line, and hit the button below.

Just Push Play.