Category: In The Spotlight

The Byrds at The Fillmore, Volume Two of ‘Repeat After Me’ and Toots & The Maytals Are All On Tap, Friday, May 3, 2024

Good morning, musicologists! We continue on with Fillmore Week, give you volume two of ‘Repeat After Me’ and a Toots & The Maytals Spotlight feature.

Here’s your Friday lineup:

10:00 a.m. Repeat After Me, Volume Two: Various Artists

We’ve got volume two on tap with Joe Cocker covering The Box Tops, Kate Taylor covering The Four Tops, The Traveling Wilburys covering Del Shannon, Johnny Winter covering Bob Dylan, The Who covering Eddie Cochran, and more. You get the drill.

4:00 p.m. In The Spotlight: The Music of Toots & The Maytals

I sometimes feel that Toots Hibbert gets short shrift in the world or Reggae, but the Maytals were around from the early sixties and were instrumental in helping to push Reggae into the consciousness of the mainstream music lover.

8:00 p.m. FILLMORE WEEK! The Byrds Live at The Fillmore West, San Francisco, CA, February 7-8, 1969

One of the most iconic bands in all of music (imo) is on tap for this evening in a Fillmore performance as we continue on Fillmore Week.

In fact, we’re making Fillmore Week eight days a week so that we can get our final entry in on Monday. But that’s for us to know and for you to find out. That means you’ll just have to listen and stay engaged. The button’s below.

Fillmore Week Continues!

We’re Hitting Our Midweek Stride With The #BU House EP, a Dolly Parton ‘Spotlight’ and The Heartbreakers at The Fillmore, Wednesday, May 1, 2024

Good morning, global music lovers! We blast into another month with our House long player, Dolly In The Spotlight and The Heartbreakers continue Fillmore Week!

Here’s your midweek music:

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

We start it off with an uninterrupted love fest of the music and artists that inspired this station, including Barry McGuire, The Temptations, Edwin Starr, Peter Tosh, The Beatles, 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, Plastic Ono Band, Sam Cooke, The Rolling Stones, Joni Mitchell, Jimi Hendrix Experience, Three Dog Night, Jimmy Cliff, Richie Havens, Marvin Gaye, The Association, Phil Ochs, Tom Rush, Pete Seeger, The Band, Linda Ronstadt, Nina Simone, Janis Joplin and more!

4:00 p.m. In The Spotlight: The Music of Dolly Parton

The country music legend gets her own Spotlight. You’d better believe it. In a career that has spanned half a century, she remains the brightest of lights.

8:00 p.m. FILLMORE WEEK! Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers Live at The Fillmore West, San Francisco, March 15, 1999

This is not the incredible 1997 twenty-night residency, but it is nevertheless another great Fillmore experience from one of our House Bands and one of the finest live bands ever to grace a stage. By the way, the incredible 1997 Fillmore event will come at the end of this Fillmore Fest.

Great day to be here in The Lounge while I toil in hardware hell’s Truck Day. The Music Mermaid has it all under her fin. You’re good to go. So, join us.

Midweek Madness!

We End the Month On Tuesday Bluesday with EC & Friends, Paul Butterfield and Koko Taylor, April 30, 2024

Morning, bluesologists! We’re closing out April and heading toward May on a Tuesday Bluesday. The house is already filling up.

Here’s your Tuesday Bluesday lineup:

9:00 a.m. Eric Clapton & Friends: The Crossroads Festival Revisited

Guitar festival for sure, but also a blues festival with a lineup that includes Gary Clark, Jr., B. B. King, J. J. Cale, Doyle Bramhall III, Jeff Beck, the Robert Cray Band, Susan Tedeschi and more!

4:00 p.m. FILLMORE WEEK! The Paul Butterfield Blues Band Live at The Fillmore West, San Francisco, CA, October 14, 1966

An iconic blues band in an iconic venue, and vintage 1966, worthy of a trip in the Wayback Machine.

7:00 p.m. In The Spotlight: The Music of Koko Taylor

The woman known as The Queen of The Blues closes out our programming this evening. Her potent style encompasses the Chicago blues, electric blues, soul blues and a touch of R & B for good measure.

Always a good day to drop by The Mermaid Lounge. There’s no cover charge and we don’t want any of your personal information either. See for yourself.

Tuesday Bluesday!

It’s Sunday and The Ladies Own the Morning, Followed by The I-Threes and Some ‘Live’ ELO, April 28, 2024

Good morning, musicologists and welcome to another Sunday in The Mermaid Lounge where the music is free and the living is easy. The ladies rule the morning and early afternoon.

Here’s your musical lineup:

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

The ladies are back to rule The Lounge this morning 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, Nicolette Larson, Sheryl Crow, Susan Tedeschi, Dusty Springfield, Valerie Carter, Dolly Parton and more!

4:00 p.m. In The Spotlight: The Music of The I-Threes

Without a doubt the most influential all-woman Reggae band is In The Spotlight this afternoon. The I-Threes are Rita Marley, Marcia Griffiths, and Judy Mowatt.

8:00 p.m. The Electric Light Orchestra Live at The Paris Theatre, London, UK, April 19, 1973

Jeff Lynne’s ELO (not what they were called back in the day; but it is now) is here to close out the programming for today with a great live show at The Paris Theatre. They are on the road now for their farewell tour, and blow through Boston in September.

Join us on this fine, sunny Sunday (at least it is here for the moment) as we play the best music on the planet 24/7, free of charge and free from commercial advertising.

Sunday Funday!

Saturday Brings a J.J. Cale Spotlight, ‘Folk Music From A-To-Z’ and Linda Ronstadt at The Record Plant, April 27, 2024

Good morning, music lovers and weekenders alike! We have made it intact, and we are celebrating with some great music today.

Here’s your musical lineup:

9:00 a.m. In The Spotlight: The Music of J. J. Cale

Has there been a musician in history so revered who missed out on what we now call ‘the big time’? J.J. Cale invented the Oklahoma sound and his songs have propelled many an artist, but ‘fame’ eluded him. And perhaps that was by choice. Bobbie Gentry deliberately shunned the limelight. All we know is that artists like Tom Petty and Eric Clapton revered his handiwork, and we love him at the radio station, so we are putting him In the Spotlight.

12:00 p.m. Folk Music From A-To-Z: Various Artists

We’ve got five hours of folk music uninterrupted this afternoon with John Prine, Dave Van Ronk, Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Peter, Paul & Mary, Odetta, Yusuf/Cat Stevens, Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, 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, Bob Dylan, James Taylor, Phil Ochs, Townes Van Zandt, The Carter Family, Neil Young and more!

8:00 p.m. Linda Ronstadt Live at The Record Plant, Sausalito, CA, November 18, 1973

We’ve got some early Linda Ronstadt for you here this evening with a lot of Don’t Cry Now and just a hint of Heart Like A Wheel and the greatness to come.

You have absolutely nothing to lose by tuning us in. We don’t ask for a credit card or personal information. That’s because we’re totally free 24/7 playing the best music on radio, Internet or otherwise. See for yourself.

Just Push Play.

We Motor Along With ‘The Psychedelic Express,’ Marvin Gaye and The Beatles on Thursday, April 25, 2024

We are careening toward the weekend again, and we’re taking ‘The Psychedelic Express’ today. Then it’s a Marvin Gaye ‘Spotlight’ feature and psychedelia from The Fab Four.

Here’s your psychedelic lineup:

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

You don’t need no stinkin’ tickets to ride on the psychedelic express with Vanilla Fudge, The Chambers Brothers, The Beatles, Electric Prunes, The Animals, The Jefferson Airplane, Blues Image, Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Doors, Pink Floyd, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Donovan, Strawberry Alarm Clock, The Byrds, Jimi Hendrix, Traffic, Cream, Dr. John, Procol Harum, Fleetwood Mac, The Who, Canned Heat, Yes, Electric Light Orchestra, Tommy James & The Shondells, Mudcrutch, Blind Faith, The Grateful Dead, Velvet Underground, Big Brother & The Holding Company and more! It’s five hours of mind-bending music!

4:00 p.m. In The Spotlight: The Music of Marvin Gaye

Marvin Gaye isn’t called The Prince of Soul for nothing. This brilliant singer-songwriter helped shape the Motown sound in the sixties, first as an in-house session player and later as a successful solo artist. He’s In The Spotlight this afternoon.

8:00 p.m. The Beatles: Tripping The Light Fantastic

We close this psychedelic adventure with The Fab Four. It should be no surprise to anyone that The Beatles pioneered the psychedelic sound and embraced it before anyone else. We close the day with their contributions to the genre.

I’ll be laboring in hardware hell while The Music Mermaid joins you on your psychedelic journey this fine day. If you are a fan of the genre like me, you will not be disappointed. Best of all, we’re totally free and devoid of commercial interruption all day long.

The Psychedelic Express!

Tuesday Bluesday Brings Our Big, Bad Blues EP, Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac, and Marcia Ball, April 23, 2024

Good morning, bluesologists and welcome to another Tuesday Bluesday with our biggest, baddest blues EP, Fleetwood Mac when it was a blues band, and the great Marcia Ball.

Here’s your Tuesday Bluesday lineup:

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

We’ve got the biggest blues EP of them all today 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, Elmore James, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, the Robert Cray Band, J.J. Cale, John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers, James Cotton, Koko Taylor, Marcia Ball, the Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Susan Tedeschi, Roomful of Blues, Howlin’ Wolf and more!

4:00 p.m. Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac Live at The Warehouse, New Orleans, LA, January 30, 1970

Did you know that Fleetwood Mac used to be a blues band? Well, it’s true! They moved into mainstream pop/rock with the addition of Stevie Nicks and Lindsay Buckingham and the departure of one Peter Green. See for yourself.

7:00 p.m. In the Spotlight: The Music of Marcia Ball

We conclude the blues programming tonight with Marcia Ball, a fine blues singer and pianist whose style has been described as Texas stomp rock meets Louisiana swamp blues. Not to be missed.

We’re here on Tuesday Bluesday and every other day of the week on a 24/7 basis. Best of all, there’s no fee to listen and no advertising to interrupt the flow. Just hit the button below.

It’s Tuesday Bluesday!

Welcome to Monday With Ray Charles and Our ‘A Little Bit O’ Soul’ EP, April 22, 2024

Welcome to Monday, Monday. In between Ray Charles and our ‘A Little Bit O’ Soul’ EP, we’ve got a bunch of great wide Open Stream to kick off the week.

Here’s Monday’s lineup:

10:00 a.m. In The Spotlight: The Music of Ray Charles NEW!

This one has been a long time coming and it’s finally here. We kick off the program with a long-awaited Ray Charles spotlight. We have been remiss and we repent.

3:00 p.m. A Little Bit O’ Soul: Various Artists

We move from Ray Charles into our big, bad soul and R&B EP, where you’ll hear more Ray Charles in addition to Aretha Franklin, The Temptations, The Four Tops, The Ronettes, Marvin Gaye, 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, Ann Peebles, Al Green and more!

We are here 24/7 for your listening pleasure every single day of the year at no charge to you and with no commercial interruptions. We’re all about the music.

A Little Bit O’Soul

‘Ode To Morning,’ an Allman Brothers Spotlight, and a Band Too Big To Fail Are All On Tap, Sunday, April 21, 2024

Good morning musicologists and welcome to The Mermaid Lounge where music is Queen. We have a great lineup on tap, so read on for details.

Here’s your Sunday Funday lineup:

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

Fittingly, we begin the morning with songs about the morning. You’ll hear Yusuf/Cat Stevens, Hoyt Axton, The Beatles, Neil Young, The Rascals, Waylon Jennings, Joan Baez, James Taylor, Gram Parsons, Simon & Garfunkel, Taj Mahal, Dan Fogelberg, Linda Ronstadt, Harry Chapin, Three Dog Night, Ry Cooder, Tim Buckley, Muddy Waters, Jonathan Edwards, Bob Dylan, Townes Van Zandt and more!

4:00 p.m. In The Spotlight: The Music of The Allman Brothers Band

This afternoon we put the spotlight on the band that introduced and anchored the Southern Rock sound, started in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1969 by brothers Duane and Greg Allman. Another founding member was Dicky Betts, one of the finest guitarists on the planet, who left this planet just a few days ago. This one’s for him.

8:00 p.m. Bonnie Raitt, Jackson Browne, Shawn Colvin, Bruce Hornsby, David Lindley & Wally Ingram Live at Red Rocks Amphitheater, Morrison, CO, September 12, 1999

This is the band that was too big to fail. I was lucky enough to see this tour at what was then called The Tweeter Center in Mansfield, MA, under the stars. It was fantastic.

We’re in a hurry here. We begin at nine, so no time to banter. Yes, I overslept. Enjoy the musical journey!

Ode To Morning!

It’s Ry Cooder, The Grateful Dead and Our ‘Here Comes The Night’ EP Ringing in the Weekend on Saturday, April 20, 2024

Good morning, lovers of 4/20 and music alike! We’ve got some great stuff on tap for you today including a night-time airing of our ‘Here Comes The Night’ EP.

Here’s Saturday’s musical mayhem!

10:00 a.m. Ry Cooder Live at The Record Plant, Sausalito, CA, July 7, 1974

Certainly one of the most respected members of the rock music community, Ry Cooder has made some fantastic music over the years. Linda Ronstadt has always said he’s the best guitarist on the planet. He’s another one of our favorites here in The Lounge because he refuses to be defined by any one genre. Give a listen.

3:00 p.m. In The Spotlight: The Music of The Grateful Dead

I’m one of those anomalies in Grateful Dead lore. I prefer their studio work to their live work, although I have great respect for what they do on stage. Today we’ve got their studio work In the Spotlight.

8:00 p.m. Here Comes the Night: Various Artists

We close out the programming with several hours of music about the night in the title, lyrics or both. Open Stream with a Theme is the way we look at it. You’ll hear 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, the Electric Prunes, Phoebe Snow, Joe Walsh, The Eagles, The Ronettes, John Cougar Mellencamp, The doors, Poco, Emmylou Harris, Don McLean, The Animals, Steve Winwood, The Traveling Wilburys, Sam Cooke, Bonnie Raitt and more!

We’re here 24/7, like even when you wake up in the middle of the night and join the global universe. We’re totally free, no surprises and not just for a test run, but for good. And we do not play commercial advertising. What’s not to love here?

It’s The Weekend!