Category: Blues-Rock

Today We’ve Got Our ‘Folk Music From A-to-Z’ EP and The Beatles Own Our Album of The Week, Sunday, February 20, 2022

Good Morning, Music Historians! I hope this sunny Sunday (at least it is here in the Boston area) finds you in great musical spirits. If not, we hope we can help you to get there!

The Beatles land in America, February 7, 1964

Here’s your Sunday Funday line-up:

11:00 a.m. Album of The Week: Meet The Beatles by The Beatles NEW!

As you know, The Beatles are the other half of our ‘house band’ line-up (Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers being the other half). We here in The Mermaid Lounge are very careful not to overplay either band, but this is a very special month for Beatles fans, especially myself. The Beatles first landed in America on February 7, 1964…on my tenth birthday. My present from my mother on that day was Meet The Beatles, their first U.S. release. The album changed my musical life forever. It gave me my own generation of music after having listened to my sisters’ music for several years which, by the way, I acknowledge as the beginning of rock n’ roll. The Beatles were listening to my sisters’ music as well, and drew their inspiration from those artists. We will talk about that later, however.

It is time Meet The Beatles gets its due as our Album of The Week. The Beatles changed everything, not just popular music, but popular culture as well. In England, their debut album was titled With The Beatles, and had a different line-up of songs. Today we give you the U.S. version of their debut album with the iconic cover photographed by Robert Freeman, who also photographed several other Beatle album covers. In the UK, the cover was straight black & white. In the U.S., it was released as a blue duotone.

3:00 p.m. Folk Music From A-To-Z: Various Artists

We also have a great EP celebrating another important part of popular music history called folk music. Pete Seeger, Woody Guthrie and Odetta inspired Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, and so many others you’ll hear in this playlist. Those “others” include Nanci Griffith, The Band, Bonnie Raitt, Eric Andersen, Peter, Paul & Mary, Tom Rush, Judy Collins, Jesse Winchester, The Stone Poneys, John Prine, Cat Stevens, Phil Ochs, Dave Van Ronk, Simon & Garfunkel, The Beatles, Arlo Guthrie, The Wallflowers, and more!

Come on. It’s a day of rest and relaxation. And before the Blue Laws were dropped here in Massachusetts, there weren’t any stores open to continue the capitalism game. It’s time to, as The Beatles once said, “get back to where we once belonged.” This is a good day to start.

Get Back, People!

Saturday In The Mermaid Lounge Brings The ‘Ladies Day Out’ EP, the Final Airing of Our AOW, and LIVE DEAD! Later, February 19, 2022

Good Morning, Weekenders! Another Saturday has rolled around here in The Mermaid Lounge, and we’re just chock full of good musical programming for you today! Read on!

The women of music are large and in charge today here in The Mermaid Lounge!

Here’s today’s programming:

11:00 a.m. Ladies Day Out: Various Artists

Often overlooked, but never here in The Lounge. When I used to listen to regular rock music stations, the women of music were almost an afterthought. You’d have thought that Joan Jett and Stevie Nicks were the only female singers on the damned planet. In fact, women have delivered an awful lot of great music over the years and deserve their place in the spotlight. Today you’ll hear Linda Ronstadt, Bonnie Raitt, Emmylou Harris, Carly Simon, Chrissie Hynde (The Pretenders), Petula Clark, Laura Nyro, Cilla Black, Irma Thomas, Aretha Franklin, Joni Mitchell, Joan Baez, Etta James, Janis Joplin, Carole King, Maria Muldaur, Susan Tedeschi, Phoebe Snow, Nicolette Larson, Valerie Carter, Eva Cassidy, Lucinda Williams, Wendy Waldman, Shawn Colvin, The Ronettes, Diana Ross & The Supremes, Gladys Knight & The Pips, Norah Jones, Phoebe Snow, and many more! (There’s even some Stevie Nicks and Joan Jett.)

7:00 p.m. Album of The Week: Laid Back by Gregg Allman FINAL AIRING!

Today is the swan song for Gregg Allman’s Laid Back, his very first solo album. Tomorrow when you wake up, we’ll have a brand new selection for you.

10:00 p.m. LIVE DEAD! The Grateful Dead Live at Miami Arena, Miami, FL, October 26, 1989 NEW!

Another new soundboard recording from the ultimate road and jam band, this time with their infamous Wall of Sound. Get on it, people. It’s a Saturday night staple here in The Mermaid Lounge especially for Deadheads.

Before, after and in-between all this great program we have our wide Open Stream, courtesy of The Music Mermaid who, as you know, has impeccable taste. That’s why she’s here.

Saturday’s Here!

What Could Be Better Than a Friday ‘Under The Influence’ and With Lucinda Williams In the Spotlight Later? February 18, 2022

Good Morning, Musicologists! We’ve made it to Friday. Yes, we have. And it’s looking good as the weekend approaches. Next to love, perhaps being ‘Under The Influence’ is the most sung-about condition. We’ve got it here for you today!

Come join the fun! They’re clearly ‘Under the Influence’

Here’s your Friday line-up:

11:00 a.m. Under The Influence: Various Artists

Look, let’s face it. We’ve all been here at one time or another in our lives, and sometimes with legal substances…but sometimes not. So, we can all identify with the songs of The Doors, The Byrds, Donovan, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Arlo Guthrie, Glenn Frey, Linda Ronstadt, Jonathan Edwards, Small Faces, The Rolling Stones, the Jimi Hendrix Experience, Pink Floyd, The Beatles, The Velvet Underground, Jackson Browne, Harry Chapin, Emmylou Harris, The Band, Eric Burdon & War, Bob Dylan, The Fraternity of Man, Little Feat, and more!

7:00 p.m. In The Spotlight: The Music of Lucinda Williams

Lucinda Williams is a blues, country, rock and folk singer, songwriter and musician. Like so many other women of her generation, her early releases went ignored. However, as of today, Williams is recognized as one of the most influential singer-songwriters of her generation. Her commercial breakthrough finally arrived in 1998 with her album Car Wheels On A Gravel Road, which fused blues, rock, country, and Americana music into Lucinda’s own signature sound. The album won the Grammy for the Best Contemporary Folk Album. The rest, as they say, is history.

The weekend is technically here, people. Yes. Yes. I know we have one more day of work (in my case, two days), but the end is in sight now. It’s time to start to mellow out. It would be a great weekend to get on board the music train here in The Mermaid Lounge. Come on. You know you want to.

Just Push Play

It’s a Trifecta Start To The Day, With Our AOW at Mid-Afternoon, and Paul McCartney In the Spotlight Later, Thursday, February 17, 2022

We are definitely on the downslide heading toward the weekend, folks, and we’ve got a great day of music programming for you to help get you closer. We open with a set of Trifectas and move on from there.

The Traveling Wilburys, Steve Winwood, Little Feat, The Byrds, and Norah Jones are today’s Trifecta artists.

Here’s today’s musical landscape:

9:00 a.m. Trifecta Thursday: Various Artists

We’re going to kick off the day with five hours of Trifectas. The schedule is:

9:00 a.m. Little Feat

10:00 a.m. Steve Winwood

11:00 a.m. The Byrds

12:00 p.m. The Traveling Wilburys

1:00 p.m. Norah Jones

3:00 p.m. Album of The Week: Laid Back by Gregg Allman

I know I sound like, well, a broken record, don’t I? This is our next-to-last airing of Gregg Allman’s debut solo album. The final airing will be on Saturday. Get in on it while you can.

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

Tonight we put Macca In The Spotlight as we feature his music as a driving force behind The Beatles, as the leader of Wings, and as a solo artist. A splendid time is guaranteed for all.

Come on, people. This is a great day to tune us in. I’ll be slavin’ in retail hell, but that doesn’t mean your day has to suck as well. Hell, if you’re in an office working on your computer, just close the door, pull up a tab and click the button below. It won’t cost you a penny. And we’re unlike any other radio station on the planet. See for yourself.

Trifecta Thursday!

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?

It’s Tuesday Bluesday With Gov’t Mule Live at Rockpalast, Paul Butterfield Live in Boston, and Our AOW, February 15, 2022

Good Morning, Bluesologists! We’ve got another Tuesday Bluesday on tap with some brand new ‘live’ Gov’t Mule (for the very first time here) and a vintage Butterfield performance from Boston, vintage 1966.

Gov’t Mule is Warren Haynes, Matt Abst, Danny Louis and Jorgen Carlsson

Here’s your Tuesday Bluesday line-up:

11:00 a.m. Gov’t Mule Live at Lever Kuesener Jazztag, Rockpalast, Germany, November 7, 2017 NEW!

This is our first Gov’t Mule music ever, and we’re excited to be adding this band, finally, to the rotation. They are not there yet, but we’ve got everything lined up to add. In the meantime, let this performance at Rockpalast whet your whistle!

3:00 p.m. Album of The Week: Laid Back by Gregg Allman

The second airing of Gregg Allman’s debut solo album, released in October 1973 is on tap for mid-afternoon. Not only do we have a total blues Tuesday, but there’s a connection between Gregg Allman and Warren Haynes, leader of Gov’t Mule and former Allman guitarist.

7:00 p.m. The Paul Butterfield Blues Band Live at The Unicorn Coffee House, Boston, MA, Spring, 1966

A classic band performing at one of Boston’s great small music venues of days gone by. I have fond memories of small Boston music venues. Jonathan Swift’s, The Harvard Square Theatre, and Passim’s Coffee Shop are just a few of those great venues which are now defunct. Too bad. We saw a lot of great people there.

Tuesday Bluesday is a great day to kick our tires and take us for a spin. Come on, folks. Just do it already. We do not cost you a penny on any day of the week. We are totally free 365 days a year, and with absolutely no commercial interruptions. What are you waiting for?

Tuesday Bluesday!

Love Is In The Air With Our TLA and Nothing But Heartbreak Playlists, and the Love Songs of Bob Dylan, Monday, February 14, 2022

Good Morning to the true lovers and brokenhearted everywhere (yeah, I’m still in that latter category carrying the damned torch). We’ve got some great music lined up for you today, including a new playlist of Bob Dylan love songs. Read on for details!

We’ve got a brand new Dylan playlist with a twist!

Here’s your Valentine’s Day line-up:

11:00 a.m. True Love Always: Various Artists

You know what the Buddhists say. Nothing is ever forever. But that doesn’t stop us hopeless romantics from thinking it is. Am I right? I sure am. This is the number one topic of the music world and you’ll hear from The Hollies, Joni Mitchell, Tom Rush, Jackson Browne, George Harrison, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Boz Scaggs, Delaney & Bonnie, The Band, Buffalo Springfield, Van Morrison, Carly Simon, Stevie Wonder, Basia, The Mamas & The Papas, Bonnie Raitt, Guy Clark and more!

3:00 p.m. Bob Dylan: The Love Songs NEW!

Bob Dylan is one of the most talented and prolific songwriters of all time, winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature for good reason. But Bob Dylan was so much more than protest music, even though he is also the master of that genre. He also wrote some of the greatest love songs on the planet, in our opinion. We’ve got them for you today on Valentine’s Day. But we’ve also got some surprise guests as well! You’ll have to listen to the playlist. We’re not talking…

7:00 p.m. Nothing But Heartbreak: Various Artists

And now, the flip side of that great true love feeling. My specialty: The broken heart. Comes in right behind TLA in the music subject category. You’ll hear the heartbreaking stories of Elvis Presley, Dan Fogelberg, Aretha Franklin, The Band, Cat Stevens, The Bee Gees, Lucinda Williams, Them, The Pretenders, Linda Ronstadt, Carole King, The Beatles, Emmylou Harris, John Prine, Tom Rush, the J. Geils Band, James Taylor, Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones, Mudcrutch, Gladys Knight & The Pips, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers and more!

Step into The Mermaid Lounge (figuratively speaking) and swoon with us today. You know you want to, so why not make this the day. You have absolutely nothing to lose because we don’t require our listeners to pay for their music. We run 24/7 totally free of charge and we don’t run advertising. We are completely self-funded. Jump in, kids!

True Love? What’s That?

It’s Snowing Outside The Mermaid Lounge But The Music is Hot With Our New AOW by Gregg Allman and Our ‘Down in New Orleans’ EP, Sunday, February 13, 2022

Good Morning, Music Lovers! Well, here we are in New England. Yesterday it was 51 degrees and sunny. Today, it’s about 30 degrees colder and snowing. But it’s nice and warm here in The Mermaid Lounge and we’ve got some great programming on tap.

The Preservation Hall Jazz Band is just one of the bands and artists you’ll hear today!

Here’s your Sunday line-up:

11:00 a.m. Album of The Week: Laid Back by Gregg Allman NEW!

This is the first solo album by Gregg Allman, the leader, songwriter and main vocalist of the venerated Allman Brothers Band. In fact, he worked on his debut album while working simultaneously on the Allman’s Brothers And Sisters album. It was released on Capricorn Records in October of 1973. The album resulted in two singles, Midnight Rider and Don’t Mess Up A Good Thing. Midnight Rider was also covered by the Allman Brothers Band, but Gregg Allman’s version remains my favorite.

3:00 p.m. Down In New Orleans: Various Artists

Saving this great playlist for Mardi Gras week is a thing of the past. It should be played more frequently than once a year. Not only will you hear music that is central to the culture of New Orleans, but you’ll hear from some mainstream artists who were born in New Orleans. You’ll hear the music of The Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Clifton Chenier, Lucinda Williams, Allen Toussaint, Dr. John, The Neville Brothers, Tony Joe White, Professor Longhair, Fats Domino, Irma Thomas. Allen Fontenot, Aaron Neville, Chance Bushman, The Daywalkers, The Boogaloo Swamis, Kermit Ruffins, Jerry Lee Lewis, The Magnolia Sisters, The Meters, Queen Ida and The Bon Temps, Boozoo Chavis, and more!

Get on the train, people. It’s about to pull out of the station and you don’t want to get left behind. We’ve got our usual worldwide weekend music lovers tuned in and it’s about time you joined them. It won’t cost you a penny. No lie here. We’re totally free, accept no advertising, and don’t spent a hell of a lot of time talking. We play music.

All Aboard!

It’s Saturday in The Mermaid Lounge and We’ve Got Our ‘A Little Bit O’Soul’ EP, The Final Airing of The AOW, and LIVE DEAD Later, February 12, 2022

Good Morning, Weekenders! We’ve got a great Saturday of music planned for you, starting with our EP called ‘A Little Bit O’Soul’ which is actually a hell of a lot of soul.

Comin’ at ya starting at 11:00 a.m. EST!

Here’s your Saturday line-up:

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

We’ve got five hours of uninterrupted soul and rhythm & blues coming at you today from 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, Edwin Star, Fontella Bass, Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, Sam Cooke and more!

7:00 p.m. Album of The Week: Ode To Billie Joe by Bobbie Gentry FINAL AIRING!

While we promise more from Bobbie Gentry, we’re sorry to report that this is the final airing of her debut album, Ode To Billie Joe. Get it while you can. We’ve already got our new choice lined up for tomorrow.

10:00 p.m. LIVE DEAD! The Grateful Dead Live at The Manhattan Center, New York, NY, April 5, 1971 NEW!

Yes, they are back for another week! We’ve been at this for a while and there’s no end in site for the world’s ultimate jam band. This is another good soundboard recording with more than three hours of Dead music.

As usual, we’ve got plenty of wide Open Stream before, in between and after. We run 24/7 totally free to all and we are worldwide. No hidden costs. No subscriptions. No personal information asked. Do it.

Just Do It. Okay?

We’ve Made It To Friday and We’ve Got ‘The Female Species’ EP and Poco ‘Live’ on KBFH, February 11, 2022

Good Morning, Music Lovers! We’ve got an excellent programming plan today that includes not on one of our newest EP’s but a brand new live performance from Poco, a band that does not get enough credit for what they’ve done for country-rock.

Today we’ve got some ‘live’ Poco, one of the premier bands of country-rock.

Here’s your Friday line-up:

11:00 a.m. The Female Species: Various Artists

Nope. It’s not an all-girl EP, but it is a playlist that includes references to women, girls and ladies in the title, lyrics, or both. Some references are happy, some sad, but either way 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, The Beach Boys, Linda Ronstadt, Bob Dylan, The Temptations, and many more!

7:00 p.m. Poco Live at Orrie de Nooyer Auditorium, Farleigh Dickerson University, Madison, NJ, November 2, 1973 NEW!

We should add that it is broadcast live on King Biscuit Flower Hour as well, one of our favorite radio stations in the history of popular music. Poco doesn’t get enough credit for its contributions to the development of the country-rock genre, but we’re going to change that as we build our music library. By the time this particular live event came around, a tour in support of their sixth album, Richie Furay, Jim Messina (who went on to play with Kenny Loggins), and Randy Meisner (who later became part of the Eagles) had already left the band. Only Rusty Young (pedal steel guitar, banjo and vocals) and George Grantham (drums, vocals) remained of the original members. They added Paul Cotton (guitar, vocals) and Timothy B. Schmidt (bass, acoustic guitar and vocals). We should mention that Timothy B. Schmidt would also later become part of the Eagles. For this particular show, they added two special guests who were also instrumental to the country-rock genre in Stephen Stills and Chris Hillman.

We’re all here waiting for you to join. And by that, I mean open up a tab and hit the link below. No subscriptions, credit cards, or personal information are required. Ever. We’re all about sharing music here in a world that gets uglier by the day. Music is soothing to the soul. Take advantage of us. We love it.

Come on. Do it.