Category: Folk-Rock

It’s Simply Sunday With Tom Rush’s “Merrimack County” and Volume Two of Our Sixties Rotation, October 29, 2023

Good morning, music lovers and welcome to another simple Sunday here in The Mermaid Lounge. We’re light on programming today but have plenty of wide Open Stream.

Here’s Sunday’s musical lineup:

11:00 a.m. Album of The Week: Merrimack County by Tom Rush NEW

One of my favorite albums of all time (his ninth) with my favorite Tom Rush song ever in Kids These Days. Rush is rightfully called a pioneer of the singer-songwriter genre. His interpretations put plenty of them on the map, including Joni Mitchell. In addition to that, he has managed a solo singing career that has spanned sixty years. A New England born and bred favorite.

3:00 p.m. The Sixties Rotation, Volume Two: Various Artists

We take you back to the sixties again for some mid-to-late decade sounds with The Mamas & The Papas, Simon & Garfunkel, Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, Jefferson Airplane, Grateful Dead, Buffalo Springfield, Sly & The Family Stone, The Temptations, The Beach Boys, The Rolling Stones, The Who, Roy Orbison, The Yardbirds, The Animals, Linda Ronstadt, The Byrds, Chuck Berry, James Brown, Blind Faith, Spencer Davis Group, Elvis Presley, The Box Tops, The Doors, Marvin Gaye, B. B. King, Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, Wilson Pickett, The Band, Bob Dylan, Judy Collins, The Ronettes, The Kinks, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Jimmy Cliff, Velvet Underground and more!

Come on. You know you want to give us a shot. So, just do it. It is not going to cost you a penny and it’s not a free trial. We’re anti-capitalists who air our music for free 24/7 with no commercial interruption. Just do it.

Just Do It. Will Ya?

Our #BecomeUngovernable House EP, Steve Winwood’s AOW and Roy Orbison is Our New Singer-Songwriter, Saturday, October 28, 2023

Good morning, weekenders! Here I am writing to you from my favorite spot on the planet, Provincetown, Massachusetts. And the show goes on with a great musical lineup!

Here’s today’s musical lineup:

9:00 a.m. The #BecomeUngovernable House Playlist: Various Artists

The music that started this whole idea of mine with Barry McGuire, The Temptations, Edwin Starr, Peter Tosh, The Beatles, Genesis, T-Rex, The Who, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Bob Dylan, Country Joe & The Fish, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Bob Marley & The Wailers, Joan Baez, CSNY, Pink Floyd, The Animals, Ten Years After, The Plastic Ono Band, Billy Joel, George Harrison, Sam Cooke, The Rolling Stones, Joni Mitchell, Jimi Hendrix, Three Dog Night, Jimmy Cliff, Richie Havens, Marvin Gaye, The Association, Phil Ochs, Tom Rush, Pete Seeger, The Band and more!

4:00 p.m. Album of The Week: Roll With It by Steve Winwood FINAL AIRING!

Steve Winwood’s great AOW is in its final airing phase today. Tomorrow, we’ll have a brand new selection here.

8:00 p.m. Singer-Songwriter Series: The Music of Roy Orbison NEW!

A lot of people younger than me remember Roy Orbison as a Wilbury. But before he was a Wilbury (no small feat, I might add), he had a brilliant solo career. Known as ‘The Caruso of Rock,’ Roy Orbison’s voice is so distinctive you’d never mistake him for anyone else. A key influencer for generations of musicians who followed, including Tom Petty, George Harrison, Bob Dylan, and Jeff Lynne, his Wilbury bandmates.

I’m on vacation, so I’m not waxing poetic this morning about why you should make us part of your daily routine. You’ll figure it out eventually.

Welcome Weekenders!

The Best of Reggae & Ska, Singer-Songwriter John Fogerty, and New Heartbreakers are All on Tap for Friday, October 27, 2023

Good morning, musicologists! We’ve made it to Friday, and that is always a good thing because we are officially weekenders!

Here’s today’s musical lineup:

10:00 a.m. The Best of Reggae, Rocksteady and Ska: Various Artists

We’ve got all the greats you know, and some you may never have heard. You’ll hear Prince Buster, Bob Marley & The Wailers, Judy Mowatt, Jimmy Cliff, Basil Gabbidon, The Rhythm Aces, Derrick Morgan, Laurel Aitken, Count Lasher, The Jiving Juniors, Marcia Griffiths, Rita Marley, Desmond Dekker & The Aces, The I-Threes, Bunny Wailer, Peter Tosh, Toots & The Maytals and more!

4:00 p.m. Singer-Songwriter Series: The Music of John Fogerty FINAL AIRING!

We bid a fond farewell to John Fogerty today, the heart and soul of Creedence Clearwater Revival. Tomorrow we’ll introduce a brand new artist.

8:00 p.m. Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers: The Fillmore ’97 Covers NEW!

We’re pretty obsessed with The Heartbreakers as a cover band. No doubt about it, they’re the best. They respect the intentions of the composers and play them the way they were meant to be played. Their heralded 20-night residency at the famed Fillmore in 1997 was an amazing feat, changing the set list every night, allowing the fans to request songs and help build the show, and having special guests like Roger McGuinn and John Lee Hooker on stage with them. Tonight we give you a couple of hours of covers from the Fillmore ’97 residency. Not to be missed.

We’ve made it to the end of the week and that is, without a doubt, a good thing. Especially since I leave on vacation today. But hey, the beauty of running an Internet radio station is that you can do it from anywhere. And so we shall. Stay tuned…

Just Push Play.

‘The Original Sixties Rotation’ EP, Steve Winwood, and ‘Live’ Laura Nyro are All In the Plan, Thursday, October 26, 2023

Good morning, musicologists! We are over the hump and on the way to the weekend! We have some great music today, including brand new ‘live’ Laura Nyro!

Here’s your musical lineup:

9:00 a.m. The Original Sixties Rotation: Various Artists

We cover the early-to-mid sixties here with 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, The Supremes, Harry Nilsson, The Band, The Yardbirds, The Kinks, Simon & Garfunkel, Blind Faith, Janis Joplin, Chuck Berry, The Temptations, Elvis Presley, Marvin Gaye, The Who, Bob Dylan, Tony Joe White, Barry McGuire, Procol Harum, Fats Domino and more!

4:00 p.m. Album of The Week: Roll With It by Steve Winwood

The legendary Steve Winwood stops by with his Album of the Week this afternoon.

7:00 p.m. Laura Nyro Live at Kintetsu Hall and On Air West, Osaka, Japan, February 22, 1994 NEW!

We’ve got some great new Laura Nyro recorded ‘live’ in two locations in Japan tonight. We know the great Laura Nyro is mostly known for writing hits for others, like The Fifth Dimension, Barbra Streisand, Blood, Sweat & Tears and so many more. But there is nothing like hearing Laura Nyro sing her own songs. It’s a whole new dimension.

Stop by today on your way to the weekend and we’ll make you smile. We’re on 24/7 with no commercial interruption and at no charge to the public. No shit.

The Sixties are Back!

Midweek Brings a Ride On ‘The Psychedelic Express’, a Visit From John Fogerty, and ‘Live’ Badfinger, Wednesday, October 25, 2023

Good morning, psychedelic music lovers! We’re boarding ‘The Psychedelic Express’ this morning. You don’t need no stinkin’ tickets either. Just the button at the bottom of this post.

Here’s your musical lineup:

9:00 a.m. The Psychedelic Express: Various Artists

Let’s take a trip into musical psychedelia this mornng with The Beatles, The Chambers Brothers, Vanilla Fudge, The Animals, The Electric Prunes, Jefferson Airplane, Blues Image, Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Doors, Pink Floyd, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Donovan, Strawberry Alarm Clock, The Byrds, Jimi Hendrix Experience, Traffic, Cream, Dr. John, Procol Harum, Fleetwood Mac, The Who, Canned Heat, Yes, Electric Light Orchestra, Tommy James & The Shondells, Mudcrutch, Blind Faith, Grateful Dead, Velvet Underground, Big Brother & The Holding Company and more!

4:00 p.m. Singer-Songwriter Series: The Music of John Fogerty

From Creedence to The Blue Ride Rangers, to his outstanding solo career, John Fogerty takes his second spin as our featured singer-songwriter.

8:00 p.m. Badfinger Live at The Cowtown Auditorium, St. Louis, MO, April 7, 1972

Badfinger hung around on the edges of greatness, but never quite got there. And mostly because of a really bad guy who managed them wiped them out financially (not The Beatles either). They were the one bona fide band the Apple Label signed, and they left us a bucket load of great songs.

Come on. We’re at midweek, and everything is downhill from here. We’re headed for the weekend (and I’m headed for vacation) after today. Let us help you get there!

The Psychedelic Express is Boarding!

It’s Tuesday Bluesday With Our Big, Bad Blues EP, Steve Winwood and Our AOW, and Muddy Waters & Johnny Winter, October 24, 2023

Good morning, bluesologists! We’re back with another Tuesday Bluesday and The Music Mermaid is ready to go! Read on for detail!

Here’s your bluesy lineup:

9:00 a.m. Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blues: Various Artists

This is the big kahuna. The all-inclusive, uninterrupted five-hour blues extravaganza with Delbert McClinton, Robert Johnson, B.B. King, Little Walter, Slim Harpo, Ry Cooder, Canned Heat, John Lee Hooker, The Animals, Albert King, Johnny Winter, Muddy Waters, Little Feat, Bonnie Raitt, The Yardbirds, Janis Joplin, The Rolling Stones, Bobby “Blue” Bland, The Allman Brothers Band, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Elmore James, Robert Cray Band, J.J. Cale, John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers, James Cotton, Koko Taylor, Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Marcia Ball, Duane Allman, Susan Tedeschi, Roomful of Blues, Howlin’ Wolf, Tracy Nelson, Linda Ronstadt and more!

4:00 p.m. Album of The Week: Roll With It by Steve Winwood

Steve Winwood is a legend in these parts, a pioneer with Traffic, Blind Faith, and The Spencer Davis Group. This was Winwood’s fifth solo studio album, and it was his most commercially successful.

8:00 p.m. Muddy Waters: The Johnny Winter Sessions

Muddy Waters and Johnny Winter were a musical marriage made in heaven. Winter came along later in Muddy’s career and produced three albums for him, winning Grammys along the way. You can read more about it in this excellent article. Tonight, we bring you Muddy Waters and Johnny Winter together in session. And they bring along Pinetop Perkins (piano) and James Cotton (mouth harp). Don’t miss this one!

Tuesday Bluesday is always a busy day in The Lounge. Be here or be square. We start it off with five hours of uninterrupted blues promptly at 9:00 a.m. See you then.

Tuesday Bluesday!

We’ve Got Mudcrutch to Celebrate Tom Petty Week, Followed By the J. Geils Band and The Yardbirds, Monday, October 23, 2023

Good morning, working world! It’s back to Monday today, but we’re also back celebrating Tom Petty’s birthday week with a great Mudcrutch playlist. We’ve also got some J.Geils Band and Yardbirds to round things out.

Here’s your Monday lineup:

11:00 a.m. Mudcrutch: The Best of the 2016 U.S. Tour

From Mudcrutch, to the Heartbreakers to the Traveling Wilburys, Tom Petty’s musical quest never slept. I skipped this 2016 tour and I’ve been kicking myself in the ass ever since because on this playlist is the best damned live version of Hungry No More, and it was recorded at Boston’s House of Blues on this very tour. This is a great playlist. Not to be missed as we continue on with Petty week.

3:00 p.m. In the Spotlight: The Music of the J. Geils Band

The original bad boys from Boston right here (actually Worcester if you want to get technical about it, but it’s close enough). J. Geils was a badass Boston band and I saw them more than once. Today we put them In the Spotlight.

7:00 p.m. The Yardbirds: The BBC Sessions 1965-1968

We close out the programming with some Yardbirds recorded live at the fabled BBC Studios between 1965 and 1968.

Monday’s here and so are we! We’ll get you through the day, and then we’ll roll along and get you through the week! Before you know it, we’ll all be weekenders!

Monday, Monday

It’s Simply Sunday in The Lounge with Steve Winwood and Our ‘Folk Music From A-To-Z’ Multi-Artist EP, October 22, 2023

Good morning, weekenders! As you know, we keep Sunday’s simple here in The Mermaid Lounge and today is no exception. Steve Winwood owns our AOW and we follow that up with our ‘Folk Music From A-To-Z’ multi-artist EP.

Here’s your Sunday Funday lineup:

11:00 a.m. Album of The Week: Roll With It by Steve Winwood NEW!

Steve Winwood is a legend in these here parts. He spent his early musical years in the Spencer Davis Group, Blind Faith and Traffic before embarking on a successful solo career. I saw him live at what was then called The Tweeter Center in Mansfield, Massachusetts, many years ago out in the open air and it was a fantastic show. This was Winwood’s fifth solo studio album and it was his most commercially successful. It went to No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard 200 and sold three million copies. It’s our Album of The Week.

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

We’ve got them all for you today, from the pioneers of the genre to those who pay homage to the genre. You’ll hear John Prine, Dave Van Ronk, Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Peter, Paul & Mary, Odetta, Cat Stevens, Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty & The Hearbreakers, The Beatles, Arlo Guthrie, Bonnie Raitt, Joan Baez, The Band, Eric Andersen, Tom Rush, Judy Collins, Nanci Griffith, Jesse Winchester, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, Lead Belly, Tim Hardin, The Kingston Trio, Simon & Garfunkel, Richie Havens, Jackson Browne, Guy Clark, James Taylor, Phil Ochs, Harry Chapin, Bob Dylan Townes Van Zndt, Neil Young, The Carter Family and more!

We are workin’ it here all day in The Mermaid Lounge. The Music Mermaid has the situation in complete control and is ready to roll. It’s a beautiful fall day here in the Boston area. This is undoubtedly my favorite time of year. Time to kick back and take it in. Who knows what the climate’s future status will take.

Folk Music From A-To-Z

Saturday Brings Linda Ronstadt, Our ‘Are You ReadyFor the Country’ EP, and John Fogerty as our Singer-Songwriter, October 21, 2023

Welcome, weekenders! It’s Saturday in The Lounge and we kick stuff off today with a final airing of our AOW, followed by our big, bad country EP and John Fogerty later.

Here’s your Saturday lineup:

9:00 a.m. Album of The Week: Duets by Linda Ronstadt FINAL AIRING!

Our official Queen of All Music bids us a fond farewell today as she and her friends serenade us for one more time. But not to worry, all of our AOWs are included in our standard rotation, so you’ll hear all of these songs again.

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

This is our big, bad country EP with both traditional country musicians and the pioneers of country-rock. 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, Jerry Jeff Walker, Mudcrutch, The Band, Alison Krauss & Union Station, Glen Campbell, Rosanne Cash, Dan Fogelberg, New Riders of The Purple Sage, John Prine, The Desert Rose Band, Hank Williams, Patsy Cline and more!

8:00 p.m. Singer-Songwriter Series: The Music of John Fogerty NEW!

As the heart and soul of Creedence Clearwater Revival, this guy has written some of the most incredible songs of the sixties and seventies, including Proud Mary, Bad Moon Rising, Fortunate Son, and so many more. He also forged a successful solo career after the band broke up, writing Centerfield and The Old Man Down The Road. He is this week’s featured singer-songwriter.

It’s Saturday and it’s pouring rain here. It will probably be one of those dead slow-foot-traffic days in the hardware and paint business. But here in The Mermaid Lounge, you’ll be kicking back and listening to great, commercial-free music.

Just Push Play. It’s Free.

Happy Birthday, Tom Petty! We Open and Close Our Programming Today With The Heartbreakers, Friday, October 20, 2023

Good morning, Petty-ologists! We are celebrating today what would be Dr. Tom Petty’s 73rd birthday by opening and closing our programming with The Heartbreakers! In between, we’ve got singer-songwriter Sam Cooke!

Here’s your musical lineup:

11:00 a.m. Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers: Under The Covers

We’ve got two of these playlists going. This is actually one that came out on CD several years ago that is out of print, but we managed to find one on Discogs. The same qualities that make Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers the best damned rock n’ roll band on the planet are the same qualities that make them the best damned cover band on the planet. See for yourself.

4:00 p.m. Singer-Songwriter Series: The Music of Sam Cooke FINAL AIRING!

The ‘King of Soul’ takes his final spin as our featured singer-songwriter for this week. We’ll have a brand new artist tomorrow.

8:00 p.m. Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers: The Best of ‘Live’ Wildflowers

We haven’t aired this one since the Wildflowers & All The Rest box was released. This is a great day for us to put it back into circulation. This was an amazing project, a true labor of love curated by Petty’s family and bandmates. For this disc, they carefully chose what they believe to be the best live performances of songs from the Wildflowers period.

Join us in The Mermaid Lounge as we celebrate the birthday anniversary of one of the greatest musical geniuses who ever strapped on a Rickenbacker. He was a great musician, songwriter and guitarist, but most of all he was one of the good guys of music, respected by all, and still missed by his fans, whom he adored.

Happy Birthday, Tom Petty!