Category: In The Spotlight

We Open The New Month in Psychedelic Mode With Our EP, The Doors and Live Jefferson Airplane on December 1, 2024

Good morning, lovers of psychedelia! We’re opening the month in fine style with ‘The Psychedelic Express’ EP, a Doors ‘Spotlight’ feature and live Jefferson Airplane!

Here’s your mind-bending musical lineup:

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

The Doors were born in L.A. in 1965 and helped to pioneer the psychedelic and acid rock sound of the sixties.

1:00 p.m. The Psychedelic Express: Various Artists

Of course, there were many artists who helped to bring the genre to the mainstream, none the least of which was The Beatles, who embraced it wholeheartedly. In additon to them, you’ll also hear Vanilla Fudge, the Chambers Brothers, the Electric Prunes, The Animals, Jefferson Airplane, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Blues Image, The Doors, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakersc, Donovan, The Byrds, Strawberry Alarm Clock, Jimi Hendrix, Traffic, Cream, Dr. John, Procol Harum, The Who, Canned Heat, Yes, Electric Light Orchestra, Tommy James & The Shondells, Blind Faith, The Grateful Dead, Big Brother & The Holding Company, Velvet Underground and more!

8:00 p.m. Jefferson Airplane Live at Falconer Salen, Copenhagen, Denmark, August 28, 1968

We close out the day’s programming with another band in the forefront of the psychedelic music genre. The Airplane defined the San Francisco sound and were the first from the Bay area to achieve commercial success.

We’re on a trip today and it’s not going to cost you a cent. We’re on 24/7. We’re totally free. We don’t track you. We don’t sell you stuff. We’re all about the music. The button is below.

The Button.

At Midweek, It’s Our Folk Fiesta, Followed by a Tom Waits ‘Spotlight’ and Some Live Tim Hardin, Wednesday, November 27, 2024

Good morning, folk music lovers! We’re opening today with our ‘Folk Music From A-To-Z’ EP, then it’s Tom Waits and Tim Hardin live at Woodstock ’69 (The only Woodstock).

Here’s your midweek musical lineup:

9:00 a.m. Folk Music From A-To-Z: Various Artists

We’re starting the day off with a music genre that pretty much birthed the protest music movement with John Prine, Dave Van Ronk, Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Odetta, Peter, Paul & Mary, Yusuf/Cat Stevens, Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, The Beatles, Arlo Guthrie, Joan Baez, Bonnie Raitt, The Band, Eric Andersen, Tom Rush, Bob Dylan, Judy Collins, Nanci Griffith, Jesse Winchester, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, Lead Belly, Tim Hardin, The Kingston Trio, Simon & Garfunkel, Richie Havens, Phil Ochs, Harry Chapin, Townes Van Zandt, The Carter family and more.

4:00 p.m. In the Spotlight: The Music of Tom Waits

Not always, but sometimes, folk is Tom Waits. He writes about the underbelly of humanity and delivers his stories in his signature gravelly voice. Today he’s ‘In the Spotlight.’

8:00 p.m. Tim Hardin Live at Woodstock, Max Yasgur’s Farm, Bethel, NY, August 15, 1969

We close out the programming tonight with folk icon Tim Hardin, one of those artist who passed from this planet at far too young an age.

I could tell you that we’re here 24/7 at no charge and with absolutely no commercial advertising. But you’ve heard it all before. The button is below.

The Button.

It’s ‘The Founders’ of Rock n’ Roll to Start the Week, including Buddy Holly, and Elvis Presley on Monday, November 25, 2024

Good morning, working folks! We’re starting the week by focusing on the founders of rock n’ roll; the musicians and bands that inspired the groundbreaking sounds of the sixties and seventies.

Here’s your Monday, Monday lineup:

9:00 a.m. The Founders: Various Artists

We start the day off with our big EP featuring the pioneers of rock n’ roll, including Chuck Berry, Fats Domino, Little Richard, Bo Diddley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Elvis Presley, The Everly Brothers, Buddy Holly, Big Mama Thornton, Big Joe Turner, Hank Williams, Ray Charles, Bill Haley & His Comets, The Drifters, Roy Orbison, Robert Johnson, Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash, Eddie Cochran, Muddy Waters and more!

4:00 p.m. In The Spotlight: The Music of Buddy Holly

Born to a musical family in Lubbock, Texas, Buddy Holly was a singer, songwriter and musician who became a central and groundbreaking pioneer in the mid-50s birth of rock and roll.

8:00 p.m. Elvis Presley: The Complete Sun Studio Recordings

Here in The Mermaid Lounge, we consider this the absolute best of Elvis’ long history of recordings. More than anything, Elvis made rock and roll accessible to everyone.

We’re here 24/7. We’re totally free. We run absolutely no commercial advertising at any time. We don’t employ DJs who love to hear themselves talk. The button is below.

The Founders!

Sunday is ‘A Little Bit O’ Soul’ Day Plus an Irma Thomas ‘Spotlight’ and Live Sam Cooke, November 24, 2024

Good morning, music lovers! We’ve got a soulful day going on today starting with our multi-artist ‘A Little Bit O’ Soul’ EP!

Here’s your Sunday Funday lineup:

9:00 a.m. A Little Bit O’ Soul: Various Artists

The big kahuna of our soul music EP’s here with Aretha Franklin, The Temptations, The Four Tops, The Ronettes, Marvin Gaye, Ray Charles, Otis Redding, Irma Thomas, Ann Peebles, Carla Thomas, Curtis Mayfield, Sam Cooke, The Shirelles, Etta James, Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, Al Green, Nina Simone. LaVern Baker, Diana Ross & The Supremes, Stevie Wonder and more!

4:00 p.m. In The Spotlight: The Music of Irma Thomas

A contemporary of Aretha Franklin and Etta James, Irma Thomas has earned the name ‘The Soul Queen of New Orleans’. Today she’s ‘In the Spotlight.’

8:00 p.m. Sam Cooke Live at The Harlem Square Club, Miami, FL, January 12, 1963

The legendary, late, great King of Soul closes out our soulful Sunday programming.

Here we are again. (Sigh.) 24/7. Totally free. No commercials. Just music. The button is below.

The Button.

Welcome Weekenders! It’s ‘Ode To Morning’, Some Live ELO and a Bob Dylan ‘Spotlight’, Saturday, November 23, 2024

Good morning, weekenders! We’ve got a fine lineup in The Lounge today with our ‘Ode To Morning’ EP, Jeff Lynne’s ELO live in London and a Bob Dylan ‘Spotlight’ feature!

Here’s your Saturday lineup:

9:00 a.m. Ode To Morning: Various Artists

The other day we started with songs about the night. Today we flip the switch to morning with Yusuf/Cat Stevens, Hoyt Axton, The Beatles, Neil Young, The Rascals, Waylon Jennings, Joan Baez, James Taylor, Gram Parsons, Simon & Garfunkel, Taj Mahal, Harry Chapin, Linda Ronstadt, Dan Fogelberg, Three Dog Night, Ry Cooder, Tim Buckley, Muddy Waters, Jonathan Edwards, Bob Dylan, Badfinger, Townes Van Zandt and more!

4:00 p.m. Electric Light Orchestra Live at The Paris Theatre, London, UK, April 19, 1973

Today they’re called Jeff Lynne’s ELO and rightly so. They just went on their farewell tour. If I were still attending big venue events, I’d have seen them in Boston. I’m not. But I’ve seen them twice before and they never disappoint. Today we have them live from the Paris Theatre in London.

8:00 p.m. In The Spotlight: The Music of Bob Dylan

Singer, songwriter, poet, Nobel Prize Winner and veteran of 60 years in the music business, we put Bob Dylan ‘In the Spotlight’ tonight to close out our programming.

Another bleak, rainy day here but we really need it. Massachusetts has been under a fire watch for weeks now, so there’s no complaining. Besides, we’ve got the best music on the planet. Great day to tune us in. The button is below.

The Button.

Friday It’s Our ‘Banned From the Airwaves’ Playlist, Live Steely Dan & a Wilson Pickett ‘Spotlight’ on November 22, 2024

We’ve made it to Friday! Today we’re kicking it off with a bunch of songs that have one thing in common: They were all initially banned from the airwaves for one reason or another. Then, it’s live Steely Dan and a Wicked Wilson Pickett spotlight!

Here’s your freaky Friday lineup:

10:00 a.m. Banned From the Airwaves: Various Artists

Songs like Kodachrome (talking about the crap you learn in high school), Lucy In the Sky With Diamonds and You Don’t Know How It Feels (references to drugs), Imagine and God Only Knows (references to God), Arnold Layne and Lola (references to transgender people), Brown Eyed Girl and Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow (references to sex) and more were all banned from the airwaves, although not permanently. We’ve got a great playlist here coming up first this morning.

3:00 p.m. Steely Dan Live at The Woodlands, Houston, TX, September 3, 1993

We’ve got a great midafternoon live performance by The Dan today, without doubt a Mermaid Lounge favorite and one of the shining lights of the seventies.

8:00 p.m. In The Spotlight: The Music of Wilson Pickett NEW!

Here’s another one ticked off my ‘To Do’ list. This one has also been a long time coming. Wicked Wilson Pickett was one of the stalwarts of the soul music movement, charting 50 hits on the R & B charts, many of which crossed over to Billboard’s Hot 100. Today he gets his ‘Spotlight’ feature.

There’s no EP today, so there’s plenty of big, wide Open Stream before, in between and after our programmed hours. We’re totally free 24/7 and we don’t track you or try to sell you crap. We’re not grifters like today’s GOP. We’re anti-capitalist music lovers. The button is below.

Banned From The Airwaves!

Today We Have Songs About the Night, Live Gregg Allman Band and a Janis Joplin ‘Spotlight’ on Thursday, November 21, 2024

Here’s your Thursday lineup:

9:00 a.m. Here Comes The Night: Various Artists

We open the morning programming with songs about the night from Warren Zevon, The J. Geils Band, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Them, The Beatles, Van Morrison, Patti Smith, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Bruce Springsteen, The Kinks, Electric Prunes, Phoebe Snow, Joe Walsh, The Eagles, The Doors, John Cougar Mellencamp, Poco, Emmylou Harris, Neil Diamond, The Animals, The Rolling Stones, Steve Winwood, Jimmy Cliff, Bonnie Raitt, Sam Cooke and more!

4:00 p.m. The Gregg Allman Band Live at Wolfgang’s, San Francisco, CA, May 14, 1987

Gregg Allman and his “other” band drop by for a live performance this afternoon.

8:00 p.m. In The Spotlight: The Music of Janis Joplin

We close out the day’s programming with Janis. Nothing more needs to be said here.

We’re winding down the work week, slowly but surely, it seems. But the weekend is coming! We’re here to help get you through with some of the best music on the planet. The button is below.

THE BUTTON.

On Tuesday Bluesday It’s ‘Best of Louisiana Blues’, Ellen McIlwaine and Live Tedeschi Trucks Band, November 19, 2024

Good morning, bluesologists! We’ve got a great lineup today for Tuesday Bluesday starting with five uninterrupted hours of blues from the bayou.

Here’s your Tuesday Bluesday lineup:

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

Today we bring you blues from Ray Charles, Lillian Glinn, Slim Harpo, Fats Domino, Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown, Rodney Harris, Roosevelt Sykes, Shirley & Lee, Papa Lightfoot, Guitar Slim, Annie Laurie, Fats Matthews, Big Joe Turner, Erline Harris, Mary Butler, Little Walter, Marcia Ball, Dave Bartholomew, Allen Toussaint, Dr. John, Professor Longhair, The Neville Brothers and more!

4:00 p.m. In The Spotlight: The Music of Ellen McIlwaine

With her great blues vocal style and her searing slide guitar, Ellen McIlwaine should have been a star, yet could only achieve cult status. Here in The Mermaid Lounge, she’s a favorite.

8:00 p.m. Tedeschi Trucks Band Live at Red Rocks Amphitheater, Morrison, CO, August 30, 2012

One of the finest big-ass blues bands on the planet with the amazing vocals of Boston-born (proud to say) Susan Tedeschi and the best blues guitarist on the planet in Derek Trucks. A great way to close out Tuesday Bluesday.

Before, in between and after, we give you our big, wide Open Stream. We never close up shop here. We’re going all day and night. And we’re all about the music. The button is below.

It’s Tuesday Bluesday!

On Monday It’s Ry Cooder & David Lindley, ‘Music From Laurel Canyon’ and Tracy Chapman, November 18, 2024

Good morning, music lovers and we get the work week off to a great start today with a new Tracy Chapman ‘Spotlight’ feature, among other things.

Here’s your Monday, Monday musical lineup:

9:00 a.m. Ry Cooder & David Lindley Live at The Vienna Opera House, Vienna, Austria, July 6, 1995

We have a couple of masters here performing together and it’s truly a pleasure. Ry Cooder is one of the finest singer-songwriters on the planet and a man Linda Ronstadt considers the best guitarist she’s ever worked with. David Lindley has been one of the most sought-after session musicians.

1:00 p.m. Music From Laurel Canyon: Various Artists

Laurel Canyon was a breeding ground for creativity for two decades of musicians, including The Byrds, The Mamas & The Papas, Buffalo Springfield, The Beach Boys, The Doors, The Lovin’ Spoonful, Jackson Browne, Joni Mitchell, Linda Ronstadt, The Monkees, CSNY, Manassas, John Mayall, The Eagles, J.D. Souther, Harry Nilsson, Canned Heat, Carole King, James Taylor, Joan Baez, Judy Collins and more!

8:00 p.m. In The Spotlight: The Music of Tracy Chapman NEW!

I will eventually get to everything on my ‘To Do’ list and I’ve knocked off an important one here. Tracy Chapman finally gets her due here in The Mermaid Lounge and it has been a long time coming.

We’re here 24/7, 365 days a year, with no commercial interruption. Before, in between and after our programs, we don’t go off air. Instead, we give your our big, wide Open Stream of more than 27,000 songs. The button is below.

New Tracy Chapman!

Welcome Weekenders! Songs About Water, a Tom Petty ‘Spotlight’ and Live Creedence Dominate On November 16, 2024

Good morning, weekenders and welcome to The Mermaid Lounge where the music is great and the living is easy. You just may need us to get through the next four years.

Here’s your Saturday music:

9:00 a.m. Water, Water Everywhere: Various Artists

Songs about water are back with Paul McCartney, Deep Purple, Joe Cocker, Simon & Garfunkel, The Beatles, Bruce Springsteen, Jackson Browne, Otis Redding, The Doobie Brothers, Valerie Carter, Bob Dylan, Alison Krauss & Union Station, Al Green, Loggins & Messina, Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band, Linda Ronstadt, Spirit, Bonnie Raitt, The Grass Roots, Carole King, Tom Rush, Donovan, America, Johnny Rivers and more!

4:00 p.m. In The Spotlight: The Musical Journey of Tom Petty

We’ve got it all for you this afternoon, from Tom’s time leading The Heartbreakers and Mudcrutch, to the Traveling Wilburys and his solo career.

8:00 p.m. Creedence Clearwater Revival Live at The Fillmore, San Francisco, CA, July 4, 1971

We close the programming out with one of the finest rock and roll bands of the sixties and seventies as CCR takes the stage at The Fillmore on Independence Day 1971.

Come on, folks. Let’s turn it on and turn it up. We’re at the weekend and we’re totally free…here at your desire. Just hit the button below and see for yourself. Tell your friends about us. We’re all about the music.

The Button. Right Here.