Category: bluegrass

It’s One of Those Saturdays With Our AOW, The ‘A Little Bit O’ Soul’ EP, Some ‘Live’ Magnolia Sisters, and LIVE DEAD! September 10, 2022

Good Morning! There is no shortage of great music lined up today, including a visit from the Magnolia Sisters, an all-female Cajun band featuring Ann Savoy.

The Magnolia Sisters pay us a visit today here in The Mermaid Lounge!

Here’s your musical lineup:

9:00 a.m. Album of The Week: First Take by Roberta Flack FINAL AIRING!

We start a bit early today with the final airing of our Album of The Week, First Take by Roberta Flack. This album is viewed as one of the greatest R & B albums of all time, so get on board while you can. Tomorrow we’ll have a new selection!

11:00 a.m. A Little Bit O’ Soul: Various Artists

One of our favorite EP’s here in The Lounge. This is an all-encompassing tribute to soul and R & B that includes more than just Motown. You’ll hear Aretha Franklin, The Temptations, The Four Tops, The Ronettes, Marvin Gaye, Ray Charles, Otis Redding, Jimmy Ruffin, The Drifters, Chuck Berry, Stevie Wonder, Carla Thomas, James Brown, The Shirelles, Etta James, Curtis Mayfield, Sam & Dave, The Staple Singers, Nina Simone, LaVern Baker, Diana Ross & The Supremes, Sam Cooke, Edwin Starr, Fontella Bass, Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, Gladys Knight & The Pips, Irma Thomas and more!

7:00 p.m. The Magnolia Sisters Live at The Simi Valley Cajun & Blues Festival, Simi Valley, CA, May 23, 2015

This is one sweet band, led by Ann Savoy who teamed up with Linda Ronstadt as the ZoZo Sisters for the great album, Adieu False Heart. The Savoys have a long history of traditional Cajun music and it shows. This is a totally captivating musical genre, and these women have it down cold. We are currently on the hunt for more of their stuff and will be adding it to our rotation very soon.

10:00 p.m. LIVE DEAD! The Grateful Dead Live at The Zoo Amphitheater, Oklahoma City, OK, September 2, 1985

We have another repeat performance here, but we haven’t aired this one since 2020, so it’ll be like brand new. Would it matter? If you’re a true Deadhead, you’re open to listening over and over and over and over…

Well, Weekenders, here we are again kicking off a two-day reprieve from the teeming masses of consuming humanity (all except for me; I’ve got one more day to go). What better way to go? Today, it’ll be musical mutiny in the workplace after the boss leaves. We’ll be flipping on #BecomeUngovernable Radio. After all, the only things I need are a computer, a free tab and a mouse. We’re on.

Saturday in The Lounge!

It’s Sunday and We’ve Got a Great New Album of The Week and Our ‘Are You Ready For The Country’ EP, August 14, 2022

Good Morning, Music Lovers! I’m excited as hell about our Album of The Week. It’s an unusual find, but I cannot wait. We also have a lot of that Laurel Canyon country-rock mixed in with our great traditional country EP today.

Here’s your musical lineup for the day:

11:00 a.m. Album of The Week: Songs for Judy by Neil Young NEW!

This is not your typical album, and it’s an exciting choice for our Album of The Week. If you don’t know about the album, you may be assuming it’s a bunch of “period” type songs from Judy Garland as sung by Neil Young. But you’d be wrong. It’s actually a compilation of live acoustic set songs by Neil Young while on his 1976 tour with Crazy Horse. This album comprises all 22 songs that he sung on that tour as part of an opening live acoustic set. Where does Judy Garland come in to all of this? The album title comes from Young’s own story about hallucinating one night and seeing Judy Garland sitting in the orchestra pit. This album is Volume 7 in the Performance Series of The Neil Young Archives.

3:00 p.m. Are You Ready for The Country: Various Artists

You’ll be hearing more Neil Young here because this EP is literally named after one of his songs! In addition to Neil Young, you will hear Guy Clark, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Dolly Parton, Johnny Cash, Emmylou Harris, Linda Ronstadt, 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, Commander Cody & His Lost Planet Airmen, The Desert Rose Band, John Prine and more! In fact, just about five hours of uninterrupted country and country rock.

It is, without a doubt, a great day to tune us in. We’ve got a great AOW and a great EP going today. The rest of the 24-hour, non-stop cycle is occupied by our great wide Open Stream under the control of the venerable Music Mermaid. Did I mention that we’re totally free, no strings, no surprises? Ever.

Are You Ready?

We Slide Toward The Weekend With The Rascals, ‘Live’ Neil Young & The International Harvesters, and Our AOW, Thursday, August 11, 2022!

Good Morning, Musicologists! We are on a roll here today with a great sixties band on tap, some ‘live’ Neil Young and another of his great road bands, and our Album of The Week.

Here’s today’s musical landscape:

10:00 a.m. In The Spotlight: The Music of The Rascals

The Rascals were, in short, one hell of a band, not to mention a hit machine in the sixties. I prefer to call them a rock n’ soul band, but that’s just me. What should be mentioned here is that between 1966 and 1968, this band reached the Top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100 nine times. They were no joke.

3:00 p.m. Album of The Week: Aftermath by The Rolling Stones

We have reached our next-to-last airing of this great Stones breakthrough album, their first where all songs were written by Jagger-Richards. Our final airing will be sometime on Saturday!

7:00 p.m. Neil Young & The International Harvesters Live at The Moody Theater, Austin City Limits, Austin, Texas, September 25, 1984

Neil Young is famous for his touring bands. This was one of them. And this was such a great entry into the legacy of Neil Young. I can’t describe this band better than Rolling Stone did,

The International Harvesters remain the most unique and misunderstood of his many touring bands: a large ensemble of studio and touring sidemen with top-shelf Nashville, Memphis and Cajun credentials, including R&B songwriter and pianist Spooner Oldham, the Grand Ol’ Opry fiddler Rufus Thibodeaux and J.J. Cale drummer Karl Himmel. Bassist Tim Drummond, who was in the ’84 lineup of the Harvesters, played with both James Brown and Conway Twitty before cutting his first sessions with Young for 1972’s Harvest. And when Oldham wasn’t available in ’85, Young scored a rare coup, coaxing the prolific Nashville session pianist Hargus “Pig” Robbins out of the studio and on tour. “He hadn’t been on the road that much, but he loved it,” Young insists, still delighted. “He wanted to go. They all did.”

Rolling Stone Magazine, June 14, 2011

Needless to day, it’s a performance you should not miss!

It’s another music-filled day here in The Mermaid Lounge. We are experimenting with some of these programs getting an earlier start for our worldwide listeners as they are generally on overnight and in the morning. But as always, we remain free of charge with no surprises and no strings. And we accept no commercial advertising. So, give us a shot. You won’t regret it.

Cursor Here Please!

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!

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!

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’ll Be a Better Monday With Mudcrutch Madness, Fats Domino, and Some ‘Live’ CCR Bringing Up the Rear, July 11, 2022

Good Morning, Musicologists! We haven’t had a Mudcrutch Monday Madness for far too long now, so that’s how we’ll kick off the day, followed by Fats Domino In the Spotlight, and ‘live’ CCR later!

Here’s today’s lineup:

11:00 a.m. MUDCRUTCH MONDAY MADNESS!

Today’s madness is the full catalogue. Just over two hours of every song Mudcrutch ever made before they morphed into our House Band, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers. This is the band that left Gainesville for L.A. all those years ago. In 2008, Petty would reunite the band with it’s original members, Mike Campbell, Benmont Tench, Randall Marsh, and Tom Leadon, to great success.

4:00 p.m. In The Spotlight: The Music of Fats Domino

The question remains: Did Fats Domino invent rock n’ roll? You know, nobody can say for sure. Rock n’ Roll had its own group of ‘founding parents’ as I like to call it, and surely Fats Domino is high up on that list. One thing is for sure, nobody can definitively say he wasn’t the first guy to play that music.

7:00 p.m. Creedence Clearwater Revival Live at The Fillmore West, San Francisco, July 4, 1971

Speaking of bands with a unique sound, this band of brothers definitely qualifies. You instantly know who’s singing that song when you hear it. Four guys from Berkeley who sound like they just came out of the Bayou.

No doubt about it. Monday’s suck. Every week I’m eternally grateful that Sunday and Monday are my weekend days. Somehow, it makes the rest of the week go faster. I know. It’s all psychological, but it works for me. In the meantime, if you work somewhere where you can multitask, grab yourself some ear buds, pull up a tab, and tune us in. It’ll make Monday oh so tolerable.

Mudcrutch Madness!

Today’s Journey is To Laurel Canyon For A Musical Trip Back In Time, and ‘Live’ Allman Brothers Later, Friday, July 1, 2022

Good Morning, Folks! We are kicking off a brand new month in fine fashion here with our ‘Music From Laurel Canyon’ EP and some ‘live’ Allman Brothers Band bringing up the rear.

Joni Mitchell and Graham Nash hanging out in Laurel Canyon

Here’s Friday’s lineup:

11:00 a.m. Music From Laurel Canyon: Various Artists

A trip in the Wayback Machine with The Music Mermaid (instead of Mr. Peabody) to the 60s and 70s and some of the best musical cross-fertilization on the planet as country-rock was born. You’ll hear The Byrds, The Mamas & The Papas, Buffalo Springfield, The Beach Boys, The Lovin’ Spoonful, The Doors, Jackson Browne, Joni Mitchell, The Monkees, CSNY, Manassas, John Mayall, The Eagles, J.D. Souther, Harry Nilsson, Canned Heat, Carole King, James Taylor, The Eagles, Linda Ronstadt, Souther-Hillman-Furay and more!

7:00 p.m. The Allman Brothers Band Live at The Atlanta International Pop Festival, July 3 and 5, 1970

The Brothers are here for the holiday weekend, although I’m not the patriotic type to begin with and am now less so in the land of lost liberty. Nevertheless, we welcome the Allman Brothers back to the Lounge. We have’t played this one in a bit.

It’s going to be hot as Hades here today, although they did remove the cactus warning from my phone. Once you get past 85 degrees with me, it’s ugly. But it’ll be cool here in The Mermaid Lounge and you can feel free to kick back with some great music today!

A Trip to Laurel Canyon

We’re On The Downslide to The Weekend With ‘Live’ Neil Young, Emmylou Harris In the Spotlight, and Our AOW, Thursday, June 30, 2022

Good Morning, Musicologists! We are on the way to the weekend effectively this morning, and we’ve got three pieces of great programming today to help get you there.

Here’s today’s programming:

11:00 a.m. Neil Young Live at The Cellar Door, Washington, D.C., recorded in 1970 NEW!

This collection of live performances was recorded during Young’s six live performances in Washington in 1970. It is vintage Neil Young from his early albums and from his Buffalo Springfield years. It also features the only known recording of Cinnamon Girl (a Mermaid Lounge favorite) with young playing piano.

3:00 p.m. Album of The Week: American Beauty by The Grateful Dead

We’re at the next-to-last airing of American Beauty. The final will be sometime Saturday and, by Sunday, it will be a thing of the past as we have a new selection waiting in the wings.

7:00 p.m. In the Spotlight: The Music of Emmylou Harris

It’s time to put Emmylou in the spotlight again. Over the cours of her career she has evolved into one of the most influential contributors to the country and country-rock music scene. She has released dozens of singles and albums over her career and has won 14 Grammy Awards. She became a member of the Grand Ole Opry in 1992, ws inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2008, and received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2018.

Great day to tune us in, as is every day. I know. I sound like, well, a broken record. But I can’t help myself. I can’t understand for the life of me why people would prefer to pay for their music. Or have to put up with commercial advertising and chatty DJs. What are you waiting for?

Just Push Play!

It’s Saturday with a Happy 80th McCartney Celebration, the Final Airing of Our AOW, Our ‘Folk Music From A-To-Z’ EP and LIVE DEAD! Later, on June 18, 2022

Good Morning, Music Lovers! We’ve got a great lineup for you today and it’s a bit busier here in The Lounge than usual because we’ve got McCartney’s 80th birthday celebration later on.

Happy 80th Birthday to Sir Paul McCartney!

Here’s today’s musical journey:

10:00 a.m. Folk Music From A-To-Z: Various Artists

We begin the programming day with this great extended playlist that includes tunes from John Prine, Dave Van Ronk, Woody Guthrie, Bob Dylan, 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, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, Lead Belly, Tim Hardin, The Kingston Trio, Simon & Garfunkel, Richie Havens, Jackson Browne, Guy Clark, James Taylor, The Carter Family, Jesse Winchester, Joni Mitchell, The Stone Poneys, Phil Ochs, Linda Ronstadt, Harry Chapin and more!

4:00 p.m. Album of The Week: American Tune by Eva Cassidy FINAL AIRING!

Today we bid a fond farewell to this week’s Album of The Week by the late, great Eva Cassidy who, unfortunately, didn’t live long enough to see her success. Don’t miss this collection of rehearsal tunes and live performances.

7:00 p.m. In the Spotlight: The Music of Paul McCartney

Today we say happy 80th birthday to a true musical living legend who’s still rocking away on his ‘Got Back’ tour. We’ve got Beatles’ stuff, solo performances, his stint with Wings…it’s all here for a couple of hours tonight.

10:00 p.m. LIVE DEAD! The Grateful Dead Live at Summer Jam, Watkins Glen, New York, July 28, 1973

Tonight’s LIVE DEAD! is a rare repeat, but it hasn’t been aired since 2020, so it should sound just like new to those of you who aren’t Deadheads (and they don’t care how many times they hear a Grateful Dead show; it’s all new to them).

We’re chock full of stuff today and we think you’ll like it. There’s no better way to kick start your weekend than with the little radio station that could. (I think I like that.) There are, of course, some things we just can’t do, like play rap and screaming heavy metal death, charge for listening, or play commercial advertising. But we’re pretty damned good with everything else.

The Little Radio Station That Could.