Category: bluegrass

It’s a Sunny Day Out There and We’ve Got Our ‘Ode To Morning’ EP and Nanci Griffith In The Spotlight Later, Friday, March 11, 2022

Good Morning, Musicologists! I personally love the morning with the sun up shining into The Mermaid Lounge. It’s a perfect day to spend with our ‘Ode To Morning’ EP. Later, it’s Nanci Griffith.

In the Spotlight today is Nanci Griffith, a singer-songwriter who kept one fot in folk, and the other in country.

Here’s your musical landscape for Friday:

11:00 a.m. Old To Morning: Various Artists

We have our EP about the night time, so you know we’d have to put one together about the morning hours, and it’s pretty damned good. You’ll hear Nanci Griffith (In the Spotlight later), The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Dusty Springfield, Linda Ronstadt, Alison Krauss & Union Station, Electric Light Orchestra, Emmylou Harris, Harry Nilsson, The Wallflowers, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Norah Jones, Todd Rundgren, Jefferson Airplane, Joni Mitchell, Foreigner, Gram Parsons, Townes Van Zandt, Badfinger, Chris Hillman, Hot Tuna, Fairport Convention, B.B. King, Cat Stevens and more!

7:00 p.m. In The Spotlight: The Music of Nanci Griffith

It sounds like marketing bullshit, but it’s the truth: Nanci Griffith was an American treasure. She was a singer-songwriter who was raised in Austin, Texas, and lived in Nashville. She kept one foot in folk music, and the other in country, and her beautiful voice was more than capable doing justice to both genres seamlessly. Nanci Griffith made many appearances on Austin City Limits beginning in 1985, and won a Grammy Award for her album, Other Voices, Other Rooms in 1994. She passed away in August of 2021 at the age of 68. If Nanci Griffith has fallen through the cracks on your musical journey, tune her in tonight.

We are here every day spinning the tunes (that’s, of course, simply for imagery in this computerized age), we’re on 24/7, and we never cost you a penny. You won’t have to “subscribe” to our service. You won’t be asked for a credit card. And we certainly will never ask you any personal information. We have our own problems here.

Morning Has Broken!

We Hit Our Midweek Stride With Our ‘Travelin’ Fever’ EP and Laura Nyro Live at The Fillmore, Wednesday, March 9, 2022

Good Morning, Travelers and Daydreamers. Today we’ve got our EP all about hitting the road, and we continue our celebration of the women of music with Laura Nyro.

Laura Nyro is one of the greatest singer-songwriters of her generation.

Here’s your midweek line-up:

10:00 a.m. Travelin’ Fever: Various Artists

When we were kids, my friends and I dreamed of buying a VW van and driving across country. We pretty much never made it out of the driveway, although we did drive to Nashville to visit the Grand Ole Opry. In this playlist you’ll hear Jackson Browne, Dan Fogelberg, The Box Tops, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Canned Heat, Bonnie Raitt, Bruce Springsteen, The Who, The Eagles, Janis Joplin, Del Shannon, Guy Clark, Asleep at the Wheel, Jesse Winchester, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Led Zeppelin, Emmylou Harris, Linda Ronstadt, Little Feat, Willie Nelson, the Marshall Tucker Band, Fats Domino and more!

7:00 p.m. Laura Nyro, Live at The Fillmore East, New York, NY, March 30, 1971

Sweet Blindness, Gonna’ Take a Miracle, Stoned Soul Picnic, Eli’s Coming…Laura Nyro wrote some brilliant songs that put others on the map. But there’s nothing quite like hearing her sing them herself. See for yourself tonight at 7:00 p.m.

We’re out there playing music for your listening pleasure 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. All totally free of charge, and we do not accept any advertising. We pay for this out of pocket as a labor of love. Tune us in. We’re not kidding here. No strings.

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We Barrel Into Women’s Week With A Broad Spectrum of Programming From The Pioneers, on Monday, March 7, 2022

Good Morning, aficionados of music, particularly women’s music. Let’s face it, women still get the short end of the stick in the music world. And I’m not talking contractually. I’m talking as someone who listens to other radio stations and knows that women still do not get enough air time.

These are just a few of the women you’ll hear today!

Here’s your opening day line-up:

11:00 a.m. The All-Girl Revue, Volume Four: Various Artists

We’ve got five volumes of this so far, and this is the one we haven’t heard in the longest time. So, today is the day we break it out. You’ll hear Linda Ronstadt, Nicolette Larson, Shawn Colvin, The Shirelles, Phoebe Snow, Gladys Knight & The Pips, Rosanne Cash, Bonnie Raitt, Lucinda Williams, Carole King, Valerie Carter, Petula Clark, Aretha Franklin, Dusty Springfield, Lydia Pense & Cold Blood, and more!

3:00 p.m. In The Spotlight: The Music of Aretha Franklin

It’s only fitting that the first one In the Spotlight this week is the undisputed Queen of Soul, the first woman ever inducted into the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame, and whose career spanned a half century.

7:00 p.m. Linda Ronstadt & Friends: Duets and More

In spite of her incredibly successful solo career and her position as the Queen of Rock during the 70’s, Linda Ronstadt always preferred singing with others and dreamed of being in a girl group. She finally achieved that when she joined up with Dolly Parton and Emmylou Harris for the Trio albums. Here you’ll hear her sing with J. D. Souther, Randy Newman Ry Cooder, Hoyt Axton, Wendy Waldman, Neil Young, Ann Savoy, Paul Simon, Rosemary Clooney, Aaron Neville, Maria Muldaur and more. And you’ll hear her as lead vocalist, background singer, and harmony singer.

Every week is women’s week here in The Mermaid Lounge. People who listen to us regularly already know that. But this is a very special week, and we’re very happy to put the pedal to the metal and give you that little extra. We’re always free, and we’re always on the air 24/7. What could be better?

WOMEN’S WEEK!

We Kick Off International Women’s Week With Our ‘The Female Species’ EP, and Bonnie Raitt Owns Our Album of The Week, Sunday, March 6, 2022

Good Morning, Musicologists! You all know we’re focused on giving women a greater broadcast voice in music, and what better way to do that than celebrating International Women’s Week! We’ve got a great line-up for you today, and great plans for the week.

We kick off International Women’s Week today!

Here’s today’s line-up:

11:00 a.m. Album of The Week: Home Plate by Bonnie Raitt NEW!

Home Plate, released in 1975, was Bonnie Raitt’s fifth studio album. Although she’s mostly described as a blues singer, Bonnie Raitt has managed to expand that repertoire over the years while maintaining her blues roots. And did we mention she plays that Fender Stratocaster like she was born with it in her hands? She is one of the finest slide guitarists on the planet. I loved Bonnie Raitt before this album. After Home Plate was released, it became adoration.

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

This will be a week to celebrate the women of music, but we start with songs that celebrate women, ladies, girls in the title, lyrics or both. Women have long been the subject of much joy and heartache in the music world, and we’ll give it to you here. You’ll hear from Talking Heads, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Jackson Browne, The Boogaloo Swamis, John Mayall, Hot Tuna, The Eagles, Elvis Presley, Fleetwood Mac, Electric Light Orchestra, Percy Sledge, The Beatles, Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac, America, Roy Orbison, Billy Joel, Jimi Hendrix Experience, Aretha Franklin, Linda Ronstadt, Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, The Temptations, and more!

We updated this list in February, so there’s an updated playlist under the Playlist tab of this blog.

This may seem like a modest start to the festivities, but stick around. The week is just beginning. We have some old favorites on tap and some new additions as we bolster our rotation with new and diverse women’s music.

Welcome To Women’s Week!

We Close Out The Month With Music Banned On The Airwaves, The Animals, and Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers Live, Monday, February 28, 2022

Good Morning, Music Lovers! February certainly is a short month, but we’re closing it out in style with some excellent programming, including a brand new playlists of songs banned ’round the world!

Hard to believe this song was banned, but that’s what happens when you “Imagine there’s no heaven.”

Here’s your musical programming for today:

11:00 a.m. Banned On The Airwaves: Various Artists NEW!

This certainly isn’t an EP, but it was fun to put together. Thanks to my compadre Dave Denton for the idea! These are songs that have been banned from different locations around the world, not just here in America. Some of them defy logic, I must say. For example, My Generation by The Who was banned by the BBC because they felt it was disparaging to people who stutter. Sailing by Rod Stewart was banned because of the war in the Falkland Islands (incidentally, this was not the only nautical song banned at this time). God Only Knows by the Beach Boys was banned because, well, God just wasn’t used in rock n’ roll music. This Note’s For You by Neil Young was banned because it was anti-capitalist.

In addition to these guys, you’ll hear Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers (yes, it’s true), The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Shirelles, Billy Joel, Paul Simon, Van Morrison, and more. There’s a list of songs and artists under the Playlist tab. Scroll down to the bottom. By the way, this is not an exhaustive list.

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

The Animals were certainly one hell of a band. Steeped in R & B, the blues and rock, they were formed in Newcastle upon Tyne in the early sixties, then moved to London when they began to gain traction. Eric Burdon was the perfect lead vocalist for this band.

7:00 p.m. Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers Live at The PPL Center, Allentown, PA, September 16, 2014

Speaking of great bands, we give you The Heartbreakers live on the Hypnotic Eye tour. It’s hard to believe that a band can produce such brilliant material over a forty-year span, but this album proved to be one of The Heartbreakers’ finest ever. Sadly, this would also be their final album ever as Tom Petty would prematurely pass into the great wide open a week after their 40th Anniversary Tour in 2017. Nevertheless, their music lives on eternally here in The Mermaid Lounge.

The set list for this show is also under the Playlist tab. Again, scroll down to the bottom.

Come on, folks. Music makes nearly all things tolerable. The only exception would be the GOP, but I digress and we don’t want to ruin the mood here. Hey, we’re anti-capitalist too. We don’t charge you anything to tune us in. We don’t ask for a credit card or personal information. In fact, we will have no bloody idea who you are. So do it.

IMAGINE.

We Spend Saturday With the Musicians of Laurel Canyon, Say Goodbye To “Meet The Beatles” and Hear LIVE DEAD! Later, February 26, 2022

Good Morning, Weekenders! We’ve got them on from all around the globe this morning, but our friends in Germany are far and away the most populous. We’ve got a great Saturday of programming lined up, so let’s not waste any time.

Today we spend time with the musical pioneers of the Laurel Canyon scene.

Here’s today’s musical landscape:

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

For two generations of musicians (the 60s and 70s), Laurel Canyon was the place to be. It was a commune of creative activity, with all of these guys feeding off each other musically to create some of the most amazing sounds and songs in popular music history. You’ll hear The Byrds, Buffalo Springfield, The Doors, The Mamas & The Papas, The Monkees, The Lovin’ Spoonful, Jackson Browne, Joni Mitchell, CSNY, Neil Young, Manassas, John Mayall, The Eagles, Linda Ronstadt, J.D. Souther, Bonnie Raitt, Canned Heat, The Eagles, Carole King, Joni Mitchell, James Taylor and more! This is just about five hours of uninterrupted music.

7:00 p.m. Album of The Week: Meet The Beatles by The Beatles FINAL AIRING!

We bid a fond farewell today to our Album of The Week, what I call the musical shot heard ’round the world. During his Musicares speech in 2017, Mr. Petty said when he heard The Beatles for the first time he had his eyes opened, like everybody else. We agree. Tomorrow, however, we will have a new selection.

10:00 p.m. LIVE DEAD! The Grateful Dead Live at The Fillmore East, New York, January 2, 1970 NEW!

We have featured several of The Dead’s road performances from the Fillmore West, but this is our first airing of a show from The Fillmore East, a venue that certainly doesn’t get as much attention as it’s West Coast counterpart, but a great venue that hosted some amazing acts as well. It was part of that cross-pollination project. This is another new soundboard recording. Enjoy.

Saturday is always a good day here in The Mermaid Lounge. This one is no exception. Hey, I have to serve the retail masses, but we’ve got you covered. Neither rain, nor sleet, nor snow, nor retail will break our stride. The Music Mermaid is in charge, baby, and she’s on top of this shit. So, tune us in. You don’t need a subscription or a credit card or anything else. Just a computer.

Park It Here

We’ve Hit Our Midweek Stride With Our ‘Are You Ready For the Country’ EP, and Tom Rush In The Spotlight, Wednesday, February 16, 2022

Good Morning, Musicologists! Yes, we’re at midweek. It’s all downhill from here, as they say. We’ve got a great line up today as we wish Tom Rush a happy belated 80th birthday, and turn on the country spigot.

Real country. And country-rock. But no bad pop bands with fiddles here.

Here’s the midweek line-up:

10:00 a.m. Are You Ready For The Country: Various Artists

Tom Petty was a great musicologist. He once referred to the glut of bad country bands as ‘bad pop bands with fiddles.’ None of that shit here today as we give you a great EP of uninterrupted music. You’ll hear Guy Clark, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Dolly Parton, Johnny Cash, 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, The Outlaws, Jerry Jeff Walker, Mudcrutch, The Flying Burrito Brothers and more!

7:00 p.m. In The Spotlight: The Music of Tom Rush

Tom Rush turned 80 years young on February 8th and we’re finally wishing him a happy belated birthday. I saw him at his birthday bash in Portsmouth, New Hampshire (the place of his birth) when he turned 79 last year, and he was fantastic. Today, we put Tom Rush, the artist often credited with heralding in the era of the singer-songwriter, In the Spotlight.

Get on it, folks. This is the toughest day of the week, and we’ll help you get through it with some great music. No charge for the service. Honest. We’re not kidding.

Are You Ready?

Welcome To Sunday With Bobbie Gentry Owning Our Album of The Week and Our ‘Ode To Morning’ EP, February 6, 2022

Good Morning, Musicologists! We’ve got a great line-up for you today as we finally focus a bit on Bobbie Gentry, a musical pioneer who is often overlooked. No more. Today is just the beginning.

Remembered for her hit “Ode To Billie Joe,” Bobbie Gentry was so much more than that. But we start there today.

Here’s today’s line-up:

11:00 a.m. Album of The Week: Ode To Billie Joe by Bobbie Gentry NEW!

This is another artist who has been high on our list, but when you’re a one-woman band here it takes time. Bobbie Gentry really just wanted to write songs to sell to others. She never really wanted to perform her own work. But singing Ode To Billie Joe was cheaper than hiring someone else to do it, so she went into the studio. The rest is history, and the album garnered several Grammy Awards. The problem is that people only remember her for Ode to Billie Joe, and she was so much more. We will begin to reveal the many facets of Bobbie Gentry today.

3:00 p.m. Ode To Morning: Various Artists

This is the second airing of our newest EP. Last week we gave you our ‘Here Comes The Night’ EP, so this week we give you our songs that focus on the morning. You’ll hear Nanci Griffith, The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Dusty Springfield, Linda Ronstadt, Alison Krauss & Union Station, Electric Light Orchestra, Harry Nilsson, Emmylou Harris, The Wallflowers, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Norah Jones, Todd Rundgren, Gordon Lightfoot, Willie Nelson, Jefferson Airplane, Harry Chapin, Three Dog Night, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Foreigner, Gram Parsons, Taj Mahal, James Taylor, Cat Stevens, B.B. King, Hoyt Axton, Townes Van Zandt, Badfinger, Chris Hillman, Hot Tuna, Fairport Convention, Stevie Ray Vaughan, The Association.

This would be a most excellent day to join the rest of the listeners from around the world. I must say, I believe we are also catching on here in the U.S. these days. Hell, we’re so much better than Spotify. We don’t charge you to be misinformed. And we don’t charge you for the music either. All you need to do is push the button below.

Put It Right Here.

Today It’s CSNY In the Spotlight, The Magnolia Sisters ‘Live’ in Simi Valley, and ‘Paint It Black’ Later, Monday, January 31, 2022

Good Morning, Musicologists! It’s another Monday morning here in The Mermaid Lounge, and we’ve got a great line-up for you to start the week off with.

Today we’ve got some Cajun music from the Magnolia Sisters!

Here’s today’s line-up:

11:00 a.m. In the Spotlight: The Music of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young

Our number one supergroup here in these parts is for sure The Traveling Wilburys, but these guys are right behind them at number two. Crosby, Stills & Nash were the original configuration, but Neil Young added a dimension that cannot be denied, giving them the Canadian portion of this Canadian-American supergroup. They made some great music together, and we’ve got them In the Spotlight to start off the day.

3:00 p.m. The Magnolia Sisters: Live at the Simi Valley Cajun & Blues Festival, Rancho Santa Susanna Community Park, Simi Valley, California, May 23, 2015

We love Cajun-Zydeco here in the Lounge as you know, and we’ve got a short but sweet performance here by the only all-girl Cajun band on the planet. Ann Savoy is the impetus behind the Magnolia Sisters. For those who may not know her, she teamed up with Linda Ronstadt (as the Zozo Sisters) for the brilliant Grammy-nominated album Adieu False Heart, and their remake release of Walk Away Renee. Their music is part of our standard rotation, but we hope to bolster this genre of music in 2022, starting today. We remain on the hunt for more live music from The Magnolia Sisters.

7:00 p.m. Paint It Black: Various Artists

Nope. It’s not quite an EP, but that’s okay because we do need some short players as well. This is all about the color black in song…in the title or lyrics, or both. You’ll hear from The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, The Doobie Brothers, The Wallflowers, The Move, Steely Dan, Curtis Mayfield, The Flying Burrito Brothers, Linda Ronstadt, Johnny Cash, Amy Winehouse, The Hollies, Stephen Stills, Warren Zevon, The Band, Nina Simone, Tom Rush, k.d. lang, the Grateful Dead, Fairport Convention, Dr. John, The Kinks, Guy Clark, J.D. Souther, and more!

Look. It’s Moan-Day. We all need a bit of a lift to start the week off. We’ve got it for you here all day long. Best of all, it’s free. No subscription required. No credit card need come out of your wallet. No commercials will blight the airwaves. And best of all, we think Joe Rogan is a public menace. He doesn’t have a home here. Tune us in.

Cursor Here, Please.

We Hit Our Midweek Stride With ‘Music From Laurel Canyon’ and Emmylou Harris & Spyboy ‘Live’ Later, Wednesday, January 26, 2022

Good Morning, Musicologists. We’ve got a pretty damned good line-up scheduled for today starting with those sweet Laurel Canyon sounds.

We’ve got that sweet Laurel Canyon sound today!

Here’s today’s musical landscape:

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

Laurel Canyon was musical paradise for two generations of innovators, and was a hotbed for the fusion that brought us country-rock, and inspired this great EP to get you through the midweek. The musicians who lived and played there, fed off each other creatively. Rumor has it that everyone loved partying with The Monkees. You’ll hear The Byrds, Buffalo Springfield, The Mamas & The Papas, The Doors, The Monkees, The Lovin’ Spoonful, Jackson Browne, Joni Mitchell, CSNY, Neil Young, Manassas, John Mayall, The Eagles, Linda Ronstadt, Bonnie Raitt, Canned Heat, J.D. Souther, Carole King, James Taylor, America, and more!

7:00 p.m. Emmylou Harris & Spyboy Live at Kongresshaus, Zurich, Switzerland, January 20, 1977

We go on the road with Emmylou Harris & Spyboy for the Wrecking Ball tour, what many consider Harris’ career-redefining album produced by Daniel Lanois. She took a minimalist approach with her band, bringing it back to basics. Spyboy consisted of country singer-songwriter Buddy Miller on guitar, and two New Orleans musicians, Daryl Johnson on bass and Brady Blade on drums. As it turns out, Wrecking Ball is one of my all-time favorite Emmylou Harris albums.

Before, in between, and after we give you wide Open Stream on a 24/7 basis. We never stop, unless there is some kind of unfortunate Internet event. We haven’t had one yet. All you need to do is pull up a tab and press play.

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