Category: In The Spotlight

‘The Best of Chicago Blues’ EP, the Tedeschi Trucks Band and Johnny Winter With Dr. John on Tuesday, September 10, 2024

Good morning, bluesologists, and welcome to another Tuesday Bluesday! We’ve got a fantastic lineup for you here today, including two masters ‘in session’ from Sweden.

Here’s your bluesy lineup:

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

We head out to the Windy City for some blues from Otis Rush, Willie Dixon, Albert King, Muddy Waters, Little Walter, Bo Diddley, Koko Taylor, Lowell Fulson, Howlin’ Wolf, Buddy Guy, Magic Slim, Sonny Boy Williamson, Son Seals, James Cotton, Paul Butterfield, Elmore James, Jimmy Reed, Otis Spann and more!

4:00 p.m. In The Spotlight: The Tedeschi Trucks Band

We’ve got the biggest, baddest blues-rock band on the planet for you this afternoon with the greatest blues guitarist in the business in Derek Trucks and one hell of a blues singer in Susan Tedeschi.

8:00 p.m. Johnny Winter & Dr. John ‘In Session’ at Sonnet Studios, Stockholm, Sweden, Recorded in 1987

This is one of those sessions where we cannot pin down a firm date (which drives me nuts), but all of the sources mark the event for 1987. So, here we are with blues master Johnny Winter and Louisiana legend Dr. John.

We’ve got another strong Tuesday Bluesday offering here. We’re on 24/7 unless there’s some kind of cataclysmic weather event, and we’re always free of charge and free of commercial interruptions. The button is below!

Tuesday Bluesday!

Monday’s Back With a New Talking Heads Spotlight, Then Live Mudcrutch and The Magnolia Sisters, September 9, 2024

Good morning, music lovers and welcome to the work week once again. Today we’ve got a brand new Spotlight featuring Talking Heads for starters. It doesn’t end there!

Here’s Monday’s musical lineup:

10:00 a.m. In The Spotlight: Talking Heads NEW!

Yes, it’s one of our few trips into the 1980’s, even though I found the whole ‘big suit’ thing mildly disturbing at some level. Despite that suit, Stop Making Sense was one of the finest concert films ever made. Little Creatures was one of the finest albums ever made. The sixties and seventies we love; the eighties not so much but these folks definitely made the cut. We’ve got a brand new Spotlight feature for them today.

4:00 p.m. Mudcrutch: The 2016 Tour Best Live Performances

This is a great compilation of songs from Mudcrutch’s 2016 tour and includes the most incredible live performance of Hungry No More (my favorite Mudcrutch song) which was recorded at Boston’s House of Blues. I have two huge regrets in my musical life. Missing this concert was one of them. (The other was missing The Heartbreakers 2017 tour, which would be their last before Tom Petty passed.)

8:00 p.m. The Magnolia Sisters Live at The Simi Valley Cajun & Blues Festival, Rancho Santa Suzanna Community Park, Simi Valley, CA, May 23, 2015

It doesn’t surprise me that you probably don’t know this band. They do not play in the top ten, or even in the standard popular music arena. They are the only all-woman authentic Cajun Band led by legendary Ann Savoy, and they are amazing. We are definitely fans of Cajun/Zydeco music here in The Mermaid Lounge and these ladies deliver.

This is a pretty eclectic lineup today and it plays uninterrupted by commercial advertising. Expand your musical horizons. It won’t cost you a thing. The button is below.

New Talking Heads!

Sunday Funday Brings Warren Zevon, Our ‘Under The Influence’ EP and Live Brandi Carlile, September 8, 2024

Good morning, musicologists! It’s Sunday in The Lounge and we’ve got a great lineup for you that includes our first ‘live’ performance from Brandi Carlile!

Here’s your Sunday Funday lineup:

10:00 a.m. In The Spotlight: The Music of Warren Zevon

We lost one of the greatest singer-songwriters in music on September 7, 2003. Warren Zevon was not only a great performer in his own right, but he was a man whose music was recorded by many other artists. Today we pay him tribute by putting him In The Spotlight.

2:00 p.m. Brandi Carlile Live at Benaroya Hall, Seattle, WA, November 19, 2010 NEW!

Today we feature our first live performance by singer-songwriter Brandi Carlile. She appears in concert here with the Seattle Symphony Orchestra.

5:00 p.m. Under The Influence: Various Artists

We take a trip through the evening with five hours of music that is about being under the influence of various stimulants, some legal and some not. You’ll hear Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, The Byrds, Arlo Guthrie, Bob Dylan, Linda Ronstadt, Little Feat, The Rolling Stones, Small Faces, Jimi Hendrix, Steely Dan, New Riders of The Purple Sage, Talking Heads, Neil Young, The Beatles, Bob Marley & The Wailers, Foreigner, Jonathan Edwards, John Lee Hooker, Donovan and more!

It’s a day of rest, and the weather is beautiful here in the Boston area. The sun is shining and it’s actually just a bit chilly this morning. A great day to kick back and listen to some great music! The button is below.

Welcome to Sunday Funday!

Today It’s Our ‘Travelin’ Fever’ EP, a Phoebe Snow Spotlight & Live Heartbreakers, on Saturday, September 7, 2024

Good morning, weekenders! Once again, we start the weekend off with a bang, including a brand new Spotlight featuring the late, great Phoebe Snow that has been a long time coming.

Here’s your Saturday lineup:

9:00 a.m. Travelin’ Fever: Various Artists

Life on the road is a popular music topic of note. You’ll hear Canned Heat, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Creedence Clearwater Revival, the Steve Miller Band, Jackson Browne, Bonnie Raitt, Dan Fogelberg, Bruce Springsteen, Linda Ronstadt, Led Zeppelin, Paul McCartney & Wings, The Doors, The Eagles, Little Feat, The Band, Willie Nelson, Edwin Starr, Janis Joplin, The Byrds, Guy Clark, Joan Baez, Asleep At the Wheel, The Traveling Wilburys, Mudcrutch, Loggins & Messina, Buffalo Springfield, Ray Charles, The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Emmylou Harris, Del Shannon and more!

4:00 p.m. In The Spotlight: The Music of Phoebe Snow NEW!

Phoebe Snow was an amazing singer, songwriter and guitarist who shot into the public sphere with her song Poetry Man back in 1974. She released a series of great albums before fading from the music scene to take care of her daughter, who was born with severe brain damage. She cared for her daughter until her death at the age of 31. While this undoubtedly nearly ended her career, Snow left a legacy of great music behind.

8:00 p.m. Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers Live at The Docks, Hamburg, Germany, April 23, 1999

The Heartbreakers tear it up at The Docks in a performance recorded for the German TV show, Rockpalast.

Hey, it’s the weekend. There’s absolutely no excuse for not tuning us in. We’re totally free 24/7 and circulate 27,000 music files on a continuous basis. We break that up a bit with some great programming. The button’s below.

New Phoebe Snow!

It’s ‘Live’ Steely Dan, a Beach Boys Spotlight, and Volume Five of The All-Girl Revue on Friday, September 6, 2024

Good morning, musicologists! We are on the cusp of the weekend and we’ve got three great pieces of programming for you today, starting with some new ‘live’ music from one of our favorites, Steely Dan!

Here’s your end-of-the-work-week lineup:

10:00 a.m. Steely Dan Live at The Nissan Pavillion, Bristow, VA, July 21, 1996 NEW!

Undoubtedly one of the best bands to come out of the seventies. This was a stop on their very ambitious Art Crimes Tour, and many consider this performance one of their best-ever shows. Give it a listen.

4:00 p.m. In The Spotlight: The Music of The Beach Boys

We haven’t cued this one up in a while. Is there a better band that signifies the sounds of summer? We don’t think so. And then, there’s the genius of Brian Wilson.

8:00 p.m. The All-Girl Revue: Various Artists

We had a handful of these shorter shows from the ladies and, eventually, we rolled them into ‘Ladies Day Out’ and added even more! These come in handy when we need a fix. You’ll hear Joni Mitchell, Carly Simon, Jackie DeShannon, Carole King, Linda Ronstadt, Rosanne Cash, Joan Baez, Janis Joplin, Karla Bonoff, Wendy Waldman, Marcia Ball, Irma Thomas, Aretha Franklin, Judy Collins and more!

I’m here listening with you until retail hell calls, when The Music Mermaid will take over and help you through the afternoon. We’re on 24/7. We’re totally free. And there’s absofuckinglutely no commercial advertising. We’re all about the music.

New Steely Dan!

Midweek Brings ‘The Female Species’, Peter, Paul & Mary, and Live Allman Brothers Band, Wednesday, September 4, 2024

Good morning, musicologists and welcome to the midweek hump! We’ll help you cross over to the downslide to the weekend in style with some fine music!

Here’s your midweek lineup:

9:00 a.m. The Female Species: Various Artists

Not songs by women, but about women from Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Talking Heads, Jackson Browne, The Boogaloo Swamis, John Mayall, Hot Tuna, The Eagles, Elvis Presley, Electric Light Orchestra, Fleetwood Mac, Percy Sledge, The Beatles, Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac, America, Roy Orbison, Billy Joel, Jimi Hendrix, Aretha Franklin, Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, The Beach Boys, The Temptations, Linda Ronstadt and more!

4:00 p.m. In The Spotlight: Peter, Paul & Mary NEW!

Today we finally get around to a playlist for undoubtedly the most iconic band from the great sixties folk revival, formed in New York City back in 1961.

8:00 p.m. The Allman Brothers Band Live at A & R Studios, New York, New York, August 26, 1971

We close out the programming with a great live in-studio performance by The Brothers. Always a treat.

We’re not just playing great music when we have programming. We are on 24/7 with our big, wide Open Stream! And we’re free of charge and free from commercial interruptions!

The Female Species Returns!

The Ladies Are in Charge on the Final Day of the Month, Then It’s ELO and Ian & Sylvia on Saturday, August 31, 2024

Good morning, weekenders! It’s the long Labor Day Weekend and we’ve got a great start in store as we open it up with our ‘Ladies Day Out’ multi-artist EP!

Here’s your weekend kickoff lineup:

9:00 a.m. Ladies Day Out: Various Artists

The women of music are large and in charge today with Linda Ronstadt, Bonnie Raitt, Carly Simon, Emmylou Harris, Petula Clark, Laura Nyro, Cilla Black, Irma Thomas, Aretha Franklin, Joni Mitchell, Joan Baez, Etta James, Janis Joplin, Carole King, Maria Muldaur, Lucinda Williams, Rosanne Cash, Eva Cassidy, Wendy Waldman, Shawn Colvin, The Ronettes, Diana Ross & The Supremes, Gladys Knight & The Pips, Norah Jones, Phoebe Snow, Kate & Anna McGarrigle, Nicolette Larson, Sheryl Crow, Susan Tedeschi, Valerie Carter, Dusty Springfield, Dolly Parton and more!

4:00 p.m. Jeff Lynne’s ELO (Electric Light Orchestra) Live at Winterland Ballroom, San Francisco, CA, February 3, 1976

You’ll hear one great band led by one musical genius this afternoon in a performance in the iconic Winterland Ballroom.

8:00 p.m. In The Spotlight: Ian & Sylvia

A great folk music duo that sometimes falls through the cracks, but shouldn’t. Ian and Sylvia also became pioneers in country-rock after they moved to Nashville.

We begin the weekend in style today and we’re in holiday mood right through Monday! We’re on 24/7 for your listening pleasure at no cost to you and with no commercial interruption to break the flow. See for yourself. The button’s below.

We Celebrate Labor!

It’s The Sixties at Midweek Along With The Boss and a Very Consequential Joni Mitchell Concert, Wednesday, August 28, 2024

Good morning, musicologists! We’ve got a great lineup today and once again it’s all begins with the sixties. We’ve also got Springsteen and the concert that launched Greenpeace.

Here’s your midweek musical lineup:

9:00 a.m. The Sixties Rotation, Volume Two: Various Artists

We’ve got volume two of our big sixties rotation today with The Mamas & The Papas, Simon & Garfunkel, The Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, Buffalo Springfield, Sly & The Family Stone, The Temptations, The Beach Boys, The Rolling Stones, The Who, Roy Orbison, The Yardbirds, The Animals, Wilson Pickett, The Band, Bob Dylan, Judy Collins, The Kinks, The Ronettes, Velvet Underground, Jimmy Cliff, Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Byrds, Chuck Berry, James Brown, Blind Faith, The Four Tops, CSNY, Marvin Gaye, The Doors, The Box Tops, The Beatles and more!

4:00 p.m. In The Spotlight: The Music of Bruce Springsteen

This afternoon we put The Boss squarely In the Spotlight, the man who pioneered working-class heartland rock.

8:00 p.m. Joni Mitchell with James Taylor and Phil Ochs, Live at The Pacific Coliseum, Vancouver, B.C., Canada, October 10, 1970

This is the concert that launched Greenpeace. The concert featured Joni Mitchell with her boyfriend at the time, James Taylor, and folk legend Phil Ochs in a performance that funded the organization’s protests of the 1971 nuclear weapons tests conducted by the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission at Amchitka Island, Alaska.

It’s a good day to be here, people. We have what we hope to be one final summer gasp today as the temps have finally begun to moderate back into the seventies. Inside, however, we bring the heat from a musical perspective. The button’s below.

The Concert for Amchitka

We’ve Got Our Big, Bad Blues EP, a Jimmy Reed Spotlight, and Janis Joplin Live in Amsterdam on Tuesday, August 27, 2024

Good morning, Tuesday Bluesday lovers! We’re back once again for another day of blues programming sprinkled in our big, wide Open Stream!

Here’s your bluesy musical lineup:

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

Our biggest, baddest blues EP is here with Robert Johnson, Delbert McClinton, 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, Elmore James, The Robert Cray Band, John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers, Marcia Ball, Koko Taylor, James Cotton, Susan Tedeschi, Roomful of Blues, Howlin’ Wolf and more!

4:00 p.m. In The Spotlight: The Music of Jimmy Reed

Born to a sharecropper family back in 1925, Jimmy Reed’s unique electric blues style made him a favorite of both black and white musical audiences.

8:00 p.m. Janis Joplin & The Kozmic Blues Band Live at The Concertgebouw, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, April 11, 1969

We head into the Wayback Machine for this gem back in 1969 from one of the most consequential female artists in rock and blues music history.

Tune us in and see what Tuesday Bluesday is all about. Before, in between and after our scheduled shows, we give you our big, wide Open Stream on a 24-hour basis at no charge. No kidding. See for yourself! The button’s below.

It’s Tuesday Bluesday!

Spend Monday With Marvin Gaye, Harry Nilsson and Neil Young & The International Harvesters, August 26, 2024

The work week is back and it brings a pretty eclectic programming schedule with Harry Nilsson sandwiched between two great live shows!

Here’s your musical Monday lineup:

10:00 a.m. Marvin Gaye Live at The Montreux Casino, Montreux, Switzerland, July 17, 1980 NEW!

In 1980, the Prince of Soul included a stop at the Montreux Jazz Festival as part of his European tour. We’ve got it live for you this morning.

3:00 p.m. In The Spotlight: The Music of Harry Nilsson

Surely one of the greatest singer-songwriters of his generation who had his greatest success as an artist during the seventies.

8:00 p.m. Neil Young & The International Harvesters Live at The Moody Theater, Austin, Texas, September 25, 1984

We close out the day’s programming with Neil Young live at Austin City Limits with his mid-80’s touring band, The International Harvesters.

We’re here 24 hours a day, seven days a week, bringing you the best music on the planet free of charge and free of commercial advertising. Just hit the button below.

Monday, Monday. Again.