Category: Cajun/Zydeco

Good Morning, Weekenders! We’ve Got the Final Airing of Our AOW, the ‘Are You Ready for The Country’ EP and a Brand New Singer-Songwriter Feature on Saturday, March 18, 2023

Yes, we’ve made it to Saturday, and that can only be a good thing. We’ve got some great stuff lined up, including the late, great Christine McVie as this week’s singer-songwriter.

Here’s your Saturday lineup:

9:00 a.m. Album of The Week: Hot Chili Mama by BeauSoleil FINAL AIRING!

We’re bidding a very fond farewell to BeauSoleil’s great album of Cajun and Zydeco music today, but there’s more where that came from. We promise. Tomorrow we’ll have a brand new album for you.

11:00 a.m. Are You Ready For The Country: Various Artists

We’re back with our great EP of real country (not bad pop bands with fiddles) and country-rock pioneers today, including Johnny Cash, Dolly Parton, The Eagles, Guy Clark, Willie Nelson, 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, Townes Van Zandt, Steve Earle, the Marshall Tucker Band, Jerry Jeff Walker, Mudcrutch, The Band, Alison Krauss & Union Station, Glen Campbell, Rosanne Cash, Dan Fogelberg, New Riders of The Purple Sage, John Prine, Chris Hillman & The Desert Rose Band and more!

7:00 p.m. Singer-Songwriter Series: The Music of Christine McVie NEW!

Many people consider Stevie Nicks the driving force behind Fleetwood Mac, but we consider that force to be Christine McVie the writer and singer, of many of their biggest hits (Say You Love Me, Little Lies, Over My Head, You Make Loving Fun). Rolling Stone magazine calls her ‘the beating heart of Fleetwood Mac.’ She was was part of Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac (before Stevie Nicks and Lindsay Buckingham; when they were a blues band) and a woman who was a fixture in the mid-60’s British blues scene. She is this week’s featured singer-songwriter.

This is an excellent day to join us (not literally, because there are absolutely no ‘joinng’ requirements). See for yourself. Just pull up a tab and click the button below.

Welcome, Weekenders!

We’re Over the Hump and Heading for the Weekend With Our AOW, Some Wide Open Stream and the Final Summer Of Love Playlist on Thursday, March 16, 2023

Good morning, music lovers! We are over the midweek hump and heading for nirvana as we give you plenty of wide Open Stream sandwiched between some excellent programming.

Here’s your musical lineup:

9:00 a.m. Album of The Week: Hot Chili Mama by BeauSoleil

We’re on the downslide with this great Cajun and Zydeco album by BeauSoleil, often called the greatest Cajun band in the world. Our final airing will be sometime on Saturday, so don’t miss your opportunity!

10:00 a.m. Open Stream with The Music Mermaid

Right after the airing of our AOW, we begin several hours of wide Open Stream courtesy of our Music Mermaid. Who knows what she’ll get you into, but she’s got 30,000 music files to choose from, so there will be no repeats.

7:00 p.m. Summer of Love, Volume Three: Various Artists

Tonight we give you the final installment of our Summer of Love Series. For the record, the SOL was not 1969. I believe that myth exists because of Woodstock. The actual Summer of Love was in 1967, but no matter because you will hear The Mamas & The Papas, The Rascals, The Beach Boys, The Beatles, Jackie Wilson, Donovan, The Turtles, Vanilla Fudge, The Association, The Doors, The Youngbloods, Lulu, Buffalo Springfield and more!

Speaking of love. What’s not to love here? We are on 24/7 and we’re totally free. We’re also free of commercial advertising. Get on board.

Cursor Here, Please.

It’s Tuesday Bluesday With Our Louisiana Blues EP and Johnny Winter Playing Around Our AOW on This Rainy Day, March 14, 2023

Good morning, Bluesologists! We’ve got our multi-artist ‘Best of Louisiana Blues’ EP kicking off Tuesday Bluesday and Johnny Winter closing it. In between, it’s our Album of The Week by BeauSoleil!

Here’s your Tuesday Bluesday lineup:

9:00 a.m. The Best of Louisiana Blues: Various Artists

This is our newest multi-artist blues EP introduced for the first time in January. You’ll hear Ray Charles, Lillian Glinn, Slim Harpo. Fats Domino, Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown, Rodney Harris, Roosevelt Sykes, Shirley & Lee, Roy Brown, Papa Lightfoot, Guitar Slim, Annie Laurie, Fats Matthews, Big Joe Turner, Big Boy Myles, Little Walter, Mary Butler, Erline Harris, Marcia Ball, Allen Toussaint, Dr. John, Professor Longhair, The Neville Brothers, Irma Thomas, Dave Bartholemew and more!

4:00 p.m. Album of The Week: Hot Chili Mama by BeauSoleil

Today is the second airing of this great album by a band that is often called the greatest Cajun Zydeco band in the world. It may not be the blues, but we’re still in the right geographical vicinity!

7:00 p.m. In the Spotlight: The Music of Johnny Winter

No question about it, Johnny Winter was the most high-energy blues guitarist on the planet, and as we all know, he was true to the blues. But he was more than just that. He was the guy who produced grammy-winning albums for blues great Muddy Waters. Tonight we put Johnny Winter In the Spotlight.

Tuesday Bluesday is always a full house here, so why not join in? We’re totally free and we play some of the best blues on the planet from all over the place. See for yourself. It won’t cost you anything but time.

Tuesday Bluesday

We Keep It Simple on Sundays With BeauSoleil’s Album of The Week and Our ‘A Little Bit O’ Soul’ EP, March 12, 2023

Good morning, weekenders! As usual, we keep it simple on Sundays here in The Mermaid Lounge. We’ve got a great new Album of The Week and our ‘A Little Bit O’ Soul’ EP. Before, in between and after, there’s plenty of wide Open Stream

Here’s your Sunday lineup:

11:00 a.m. Album of The Week: Hot Chili Mama by BeauSoleil NEW!

We here in The Mermaid Lounge are big fans of Cajun/Zydeco music, and this is one great album by the band universally called the greatest Cajun band in the world. Be sure to tune it in this morning!

4:00 p.m. A Little Bit O’ Soul: Various Artists

We’re back again with our ode to the music that made America dance and sing. This is our all-encompassing soul and rhythm & blues EP giving you five hours of uninterrupted music 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, The Supremes, Sam Cooke, Edwin Starr, Fontella Bass, Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, Irma Thomas, The Box Tops, Jr. Walker & The All Stars, Eddie Floyd, The Ad Libs, Arthur Conley, Joe Tex, Wanda Jackson, Percy Sledge, Ann Peebles, Al Green and more!

It’s officially a day of rest and it’s Daylight Savings Sunday as well. Kick back, take your shoes off and live. We’re on 24/7 and we’re totally free. We don’t accept advertising and we don’t spend a hell of a lot of time talking. We just play music.

Sunday Funday!

The Work Week Begins With The Mamas & The Papas, BeauSoleil Live in Louisiana, and Emmylou Harris Live in London, Monday, February 27, 2023

Good morning, musicologists! We’re on our last Monday of the month of February and we’ve got some great music lined up, including brand new ‘live’ Emmylou Harris!

Here’s your Monday, Monday lineup:

11:00 a.m. In the Spotlight: the Music of The Mamas & The Papas

Whenever I talk about the Laurel Canyon set, this is one of the first bands that comes to mind. When I was a mere kid, I wore out every vinyl album of theirs that I owned. Today we put them In the Spotlight where they belong.

3:00 p.m. BeauSoleil Live in Louisiana!

I know many will be saying “who the hell is BeauSoleil?” Well, allow me to enlighten you. Led by fiddler Michael Doucet, BeauSoleil has been making great Cajun music for more than 30 years and has been called the world’s greatest Cajun band. The sounds of Louisiana are among my favorites. This selection of live songs was culled from their 2006 post-Katrina tour that included several benefit performances.

7:00 p.m. Emmylou Harris with The Daniel Lanois Band Live at Shepherd’s Bush Empire, London, UK, November 23, 1995 NEW!

This tour was in support of Emmylou’s amazing Wrecking Ball album, a collaboration with Daniel Lanois. At the age of 48, Emmylou felt the need to redefine herself to some degree, moving away from her traditional acoustic sound and taking a harder edge. The album won the 1996 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Recording.

We start off Monday with a bang, folks. I know many of you are back at work, but if you work in an office, that’s perfect. Shut your door, pull up a tab and click the button below. I promise there is no subscription required, no forms to fill out and no credit card necessary.

Monday, Monday

Tomorrow is Officially Fat Tuesday and The Grand Finale of Mardi Gras Season, So The Mermaid Lounge Celebrates With Our ‘Down in New Orleans’ EP and The Neville Brothers In The Spotlight Later, Monday, February 20, 2023

Yes, folks, we’ve been in the midst of Mardi Gras and that is party time in party town! Since tomorrow is Tuesday Bluesday, we are celebrating today. Some of the greatest music on the planet comes from New Orleans and we’re giving it to you today!

Here’s your Mardi Gras lineup:

10:00 a.m. Down in New Orleans: Various Artists

We start off the day with just over four hours of great music from New Orleans. We feature original cajun/zydeco bands as well as artists who were born in New Orleans. Some of the band in this EP were ‘locals’ I discovered on a 2014 trip to The Big Easy. You’ll hear Fats Domino, Lucinda Williams, Professor Longhair, Boozoo Chavis, Tony Joe White, Kermit Ruffins, Louis Armstrong, The Daywalkers, Allen Toussaint, Dr. John, Jerry Lee Lewis, The Neville Brothers, Chance Bushman, The Boogaloo Swamis, La Touche, Irma Thomas (the Soul Queen of New Orleans), Kermit Venable, The Dirty Dozen Brass Band, The Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Allen Fontenot and more!

7:00 p.m. In The Spotlight: The Music of The Neville Brothers

The Neville Brothers are an R & B, soul and funk band formed in New Orleans in 1976. The members consisted of brothers Aaron, Art, Cyril and Charles, and have also intermittently included Aaron’s son, Ivan (keyboards) and Art’s son, Ian (electric guitar). They have officially disbanded, but they have left behind a legacy of great music.

Before, in between, and after we have our wide Open Stream courtesy of The Music Mermaid. We are on 24/7 uninterrupted by commercial advertising and overly-talkative DJ’s. Tune us in, folks. Join your friends from around the world.

It’s Mardi Gras!

It’s Turkey Day and We’ve Got Our Traditional Airing of the ‘Alice’s Restaurant’ Saga, the ‘Down in New Orleans’ Multi-Artist EP, and Our AOW Later, Thursday, November 24, 2022

Happy Thanksgiving, Musicologists! What are we thankful for today? Great music for one thing, and the fact that it’s totally free here on #BecomeUngovernable Radio. We’ve got a great line-up for you today, so don’t forget to tune us in.

Here’s today’s lineup:

11:00 a.m. Arlo Guthrie’s Alice’s Restaurant Massacree: A Thanksgiving Tradition

This is our fifth year of this great Tradition, all 18 minutes of Arlo Guthrie’s rambling historical narrative of Alice’s Restaurant. Whether the event really happened according to the musical legend or not has been the subject of much discussion over the years. However, it seems that The Berkshire Eagle has finally put the question to bed for all of us. Come join us for this great holiday tradition!

2:00 p.m. Down In New Orleans: Various Artists

We haven’t aired this great EP since sometime in September, but it’s back today for Thanksgiving. Not only do we have all of the rock n’ roll artists who were born in New Orleans, but we’re playing traditional New Orleans blues, jazz. R & B, and Cajun/Zydeco. You’ll hear BeauSoleil, Clifton Chenier, Lucinda Williams, Allen Toussaint, Dr. John, The Neville Brothers, Tony Joe White, Professor Longhair, Fats Domino, Irma Thomas, Allen Fontenot, Aaron Neville, the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, The Daywalkers, the Boogaloo Swamis, Kermit Ruffins, Jerry Lee Lewis, The Magnolia Sisters, The Meters, Queen Ida and The BonTemps, Boozoo Chavis and many more!

8:00 p.m. Album of The Week: Everybody Knows by Stephen Stills and Judy Collins

This is our next-to-last airing of this album, the first and only collaboration between old lovers and friends from the sixties, Stephen Stills and Judy Collins. Don’t miss it. The final airing will be sometime on Saturday.

Come celebrate Thanksgiving with us here in The Mermaid Lounge. You can’t go wrong. You can kick back after that l-tryptophan kicks in and just chill. We don’t cost you a thing except time. No surprises. I promise,

Happy Thanksiving!

It’s Wide Open Thursday, Which Brings Our Very First Open Stream Day in a While! The Music Mermaid is in Charge, October 27, 2022

Good Morning, Musicologists! We’ve got our very first wide Open Stream day in a long time today! The Music Mermaid is in charge with nothing on her slate. Who know what she’ll pick up.

We also give you Trifectas (three-in-a-row from a single artist) at the top of every hour from 8:00 a.m. until 9:00 p.m.!

We’re on 24/7 and today we are free of programming as well as free of charge! Tune us in!

Open Stream Day!

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!

We Start Off a New Week With Our New Sixties ‘One Hit Wonders’ Playlist and The ‘Down In New Orleans’ EP Later, Monday, September 5, 2022

It’s officially Labor Day today and we’d like to take the time to thank the labor movement, the people who brought you the weekend. We begin a brand new week with a new sixties-focused playlist called ‘One-Hit Wonders’ and take a trip to New Orleans later.

We have our ‘Down in New Orleans’ EP starting at 5:00 p.m. this afternoon!

Here’s today’s musical landscape:

12:00 p.m. One-Hit Wonders: The Sixties NEW!

One-hit wonders are wonderful things. Those who made them are never forgotten even though they may not have lasted decades like other musicians. In our sixties edition, you’ll hear The Amboy Dukes, Bobby Hebb, Desmond Dekker & The Aces, Bobbie Gentry, The Easybeats, Count Five, Gary Lewis & The Playboys, Jose Feliciano, Mason Williams, Merilee Rush, Richard Harris, Thunderclap Newman, The Capitols, The Contours, The Edwin Hawkins Singers, The Standells, Tony Joe White, The Knickerbockers, The McCoys, Zager & Evans, The Youngbloods, Scott McKenzie and more!

Please visit the Playlist tab and scroll to the bottom. You’ll find a complete list of the tunes included in this playlist there.

5:00 p.m. Down in New Orleans: Various Artists

This is one great EP. It not only covers traditional New Orleans musical styles, but it highlights the rock n’ rollers who were born and raised in New Orleans. You’ll hear BeauSoleil, Clifton Chenier, Lucinda Williams, Allen Toussaint, Dr. John, The Neville Brothers, Tony Joe White, Professor Longhair, Fats Domino, Irma Thomas, Allen Fontenot, Aaron Neville, The Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Chance Bushman, The Daywalkers, The Boogaloo Swamis, Kermit Ruffins, Jerry Lee Lewis, The Magnolia Sisters, The Meters, Queen Ida & The BonTemps, Boozoo Chavis and more!

I don’t know what it’s like where you are, but we here in the Boston area are finally getting some much-needed rain and the temp is down in the sixties, which is perfect in my mind. Great day to hunker down and hang out with some great musical artists before heading back to work tomorrow. Give it a shot.

‘One-Hit Wonders’ Debuts!