Category: Instrumental Music

We End the Month With ‘Great Beginnings,’ Live Dr. John, and Great Instrumental Songs, On Friday, July 31, 2025

We kick things off today with songs that have great openings, sometimes subtle, sometimes not. Then it’s on to Dr. John live in NY, and a lost genre in great instrumental songs!

Here’s your finally Friday lineup:

9:00 a.m. Great Beginnings: Various Artists

Today we begin with great beginnings! Songs that have great opening riffs and some more subtle great openings. You’ll hear The Beatles, Elton John, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, the J. Geils Band, Aretha Franklin, Yes, Chicago, The Who, Johnny Rivers, The Kinks, Electric Light Orchestra, Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Rolling Stones, The Allman Brothers Band, The Temptations, CSNY, Bonnie Raitt, Emmylou Harris, Linda Ronstadt, ZZ Top, Badfinger, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Steely Dan, Strawberry Alarm Clock, Paul Simon, The Chambers Brothers and more!

4:00 p.m. Dr. John Live at Ultrasonic Studios, Hempstead, NY, November 6, 1973

We spend some time this afternoon with the Nitetripper live at Ultrasonic. This guy never disappoints.

8:00 p.m. Instrumentally Speaking: Various Artists

It’s been a long time since we aired this one. It’s overdue. You’ll hear instrumentals from The Beatles, Mason Williams, The Edgar Winter Group, The Allman Brothers Band, Electric Light Orchestra, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Paul McCartney, King Crimson, Steely Dan, Traffic, Little Feat, the J. Geils Band, and more!

Let’s get it going. We start bright and early. Just hit the button below and you’ll see how easy it is to tune in to the greatest music on the planet!

Get On It!

Friday Is A Day For Our Big, Wide Open Stream With The Music Mermaid Fully In Charge, On April 4, 2025

We’ve got an Open Stream day today, giving you hours of our extensively eclectic musical collection with absolutely no commercial interruption. The Music Mermaid is fully in charge and who knows what she’ll do. She could actually even chose a playlist, or a trifecta, or she could just choose to let our file of 30,000 songs run free and wild. You won’t know unless you tune us in!

The button is, of course, below.

Big, Wide Open Stream!

At Midweek We Head for Motor City, Then It’s Booker T. & The MGs and New Marvin Gaye, Wednesday, August 14, 2024

Good morning, lovers of the ‘Motown sound’! We open up with a trip to Motor City this morning, then we move on to a Booker T. Spotlight feature and Marvin Gaye’s number one hits this evening!

Here’s your midweek lineup:

9:00 a.m. M is For Motown: Various Artists

We head for Motor City to hear Barrett Strong, Eddie Kendricks, Edwin Starr, Gladys Knight & The Pips, The Jackson Five, Kim Weston, Jr. Walker & The All Stars, Marvin Gaye, Martha & The Vandellas, Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, The Four Tops, The Isley Brothers, The Temptations, The Contours, Rare Earth, Mary Wells, Tammi Terrell, Diana Ross & The Supremes and more!

4:00 p.m. In The Spotlight: The Music of Booker T. & The MG’s

Surely one of the finest bands of the sixties. Before they hit the big time, they were the House Band for Stax Records, another soul and R&B powerhouse.

8:00 p.m. Marvin Gaye: The Number Ones NEW!

Known as the Prince of Soul, Marvin Gaye was instrumental in shaping the Motown sound of the sixties. It’s only fitting that we close out the programming with a collection of his number one hits.

What could be better than Motown and Stax on the same day? We’re on 24/7 at no charge to you, and we do not play the same playlist over and over every single day. We leave all those details to The Music Mermaid and, as you know if you listen, she has impeccable taste in music.

M is for Motown!

It’s Eclipse Day With ‘Under The Sun & Moon’, ‘Live’ Government Mule, and a Santana Spotlight, Monday, April 8, 2024

Good morning, eclipse viewers! Welcome to Monday in The Mermaid Lounge where we appropriately give you our ‘Under The Sun & Moon’ playlist at mid-day.

Here’s your musical lineup:

10:00 a.m. Government Mule Live at The Roseland Ballroom, New York, NY, October 22, 1996

If you like jam bands, this is one of the best, featuring ex-Allman Brother Warren Haynes on guitar. Today we’ve got them live from Roseland Ballroom.

3:00 p.m. Under The Sun & Moon: Various Artists

Right after the eclipse, we give you our ‘Under The Sun & Moon’ playlist featuring Yusuf/Cat Stevens, Linda Ronstadt, The Beatles, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Nina Simone, Norah Jones, Little Feat, America, Foo Fighters, Joni Mitchell, The Kinks, The Wallflowers, Rosanne Cash, Tom Rush, Emmylou Harris, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Laura Nyro, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers and more!

7:00 p.m. In The Spotlight: The Music of Santana

We close out today’s programming with a great Spotlight feature from Santana.

Don’t forget. Don’t be like The Orange Blob and look directly at the eclipse without NASA-approved glasses. Make America smart again. And we’re trying to make America listen to the radio again, just like the old days before you paid for your music.

Under The Sun & Moon

We’ll Start Our Friday ‘Down In New Orleans’ and Then It’s Tom Waits and ‘Live’ ELO From London, November 10, 2023

Good morning, music lovers! We start the day off with one of our absolute favorite EP’s, followed by Tom Waits and a new-to-the-station live concert from Electric Light Orchestra.

Here’s your musical lineup:

9:00 a.m. Down In New Orleans: Various Artists

We not only give you authentic New Orleans music, but we feature the music of artists who were born and raised there, including Allen Toussaint, BeauSoleil, Clifton Chenier, Dr. John, Buckwheat Zydeco, Fats Domino, Irma Thomas, Professor Longhair, Aaron Neville, Allen Fontenot, Lucinda Williams, The Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Kermit Ruffins, Louis Armstrong, The Day Walkers, The Neville Brothers, Jerry Lee Lewis, Chance Bushman, The Boogaloo Swamis, Queen Ida & The Bontemps Zydeco Band, Marcia Ball, The Magnolia Sisters and more!

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

Tom Waits drops by The Mermaid Lounge to take his final spin as our featured singer-songwriter. Tomorrow we introduce a brand new artist.

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

Jeff Lynne, a Mermaid Lounge favorite, brings ELO in for a great live performance from The Paris Theatre in London. This one’s new to our station. Enjoy.

It’s Friday. The weekend is on our doorstep, patiently waiting for us to open. We’re nearly there, and we’ve got some great music to take you over the finish line.

Down In New Orleans!

It’s a Blue Monday Here in The Mermaid Lounge, and We’ve Got Booker T. & The MG’s In the Spotlight, September 11, 2023

Fats Domino sang about hating Blue Mondays, but here in The Mermaid Lounge, we love them. Today we’ve got our ‘All About Blue’ playlists and the Stax House Band, Booker T. & The MG’s In the Spotlight later!

Here’s your Blue Monday lineup:

11:00 a.m. All About Blue, Volume One: Various Artists

Songs about my personal favorite color in the title, lyrics or both. You’d be amazed at how many there are. You’ll hear Linda Ronstadt, The Allman Brothers Band, Mudcrutch, The Beach Boys, Joni Mitchell, The Beatles, Eric Clapton, Taj Mahal, Fats Domino, Elvis Presley, Badfinger, Jonathan Edwards and more!

3:00 p.m. In The Spotlight: The Music of Booker T. & The MG’s

Booker T. & the MG’s were an American instrumental R&B/funk band that was not only the Stax Records House Band, but was also influential in shaping the sound of Southern soul and Memphis soul. The original members of the group were Booker T. Jones, Steve Cropper, Lewie Steinberg, and Al Jackson Jr. Today we put them In the Spotlight.

7:00 p.m. All About Blue Too: Various Artists

We continue on the blue theme this evening with a whole new set of characters including Laura Nyro, Robert Johnson, Steve Earle & The Dukes, The Doors, Van Morrison, Cream, Guy Clark, Canned Heat, The Smithereens, Emmylou Harris, Bob Dylan, The Kinks, Little Feat, B. B. King, Buddy Guy and more!

We’re on the way to another music extravaganza here on Monday as we head into the fall season. We’ve got some new ideas up our sleeve. Stay in touch.

Welcome To Blue Monday

It’s Friday in The Lounge With Townes Van Zandt, J.J. Cale, and Our Multi-Artist Summertime Playlist, May 12, 2023

Good morning, music lovers! We have made it to Friday at last, and the musical selection is damned near perfect with ‘live’ Townes Van Zandt to kick it off and our Summertime multi-artist playlist to close. In between, our final airing of J.J. Cale as our featured singer-songwriter for this week.

Here’s Friday’s musical landscape:

11:00 a.m. Townes Van Zandt Live at The Old Quarter, Houston, Texas, July 1973

The incredibly talented singer-songwriter from Texas was recorded live in a series of concerts during July of 1973 at The Old Quarter. We’ve got it on air for you today. And yes, Townes will find his way to the singer-songwriter series. We’ve got a long way to go.

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

Speaking of singer-songwriters, J. J. Cale takes his final turn as our featured singer-songwriter for this week. Not to be missed.

8:00 p.m. Summertime: Various Artists

We’re on the brink of summer, folks, so what better way to ease into the season than with our multi-artist Summertime playlist. You’ll hear Electric Light Orchestra, Eddie Cochran, Sly & The Family Stone, Joni Mitchell, The Doors, Van Morrison, Nina Simone, Foo Fighters, Tracy Nelson, Bob Dylan, The Blue Stingrays, Wendy Waldman, The Beach Boys, Dusty Springfield, Jan & Dean, Donovan, Paul Simon, Jimmy Cliff, Joan Baez, Poco, Johnny Rivers and more!

Y’all have made it to the week’s end, and you deserve some great music to help you get through the last day. We’re on 24/7 at no charge to you. We do not accept commercial advertising, so there’s no interruption. What’s not to love here?

Hot Fun in The Summertime!

We Head for the Weekend With the ‘Color My World’ EP, Lucinda Williams’ AOW, and Jeff Lynne In the Spotlight on Thursday, May 4, 2023

Good morning, musicologists! We begin the downslide to the weekend in style today with our ‘Color My World’ EP…songs with colors in the titles, lyrics or both. And that’s just the beginning!

Here’s today’s musical landscape:

9:00 a.m. Color My World: Various Artists

Pictured above are some of the artists you’ll hear, including The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Elton John, Donovan, Booker T. & The MG’s, Electric Light Orchestra, Procol Harum, Joni Mitchell, The Who, Amy Winehouse, Sam & Dave, Badfinger, Bob Dylan, Fleetwood Mac, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Stevie Wonder, Elvis Costello, Neil Young, The Hollies, Jefferson Airplane, Elvis Presley, Janis Joplin, Cream, Marvin Gaye, Lucinda Williams, John Hiatt, J.D. Souther, Linda Ronstadt and more!

4:00 p.m. Album of The Week: Car Wheels On A Gravel Road by Lucinda Williams

Lucinda takes another turn with this great Album of The Week. Final airing coming up on Saturday, so get one in!

7:00 p.m. In The Spotlight: The Music of Jeff Lynne

Jeff Lynne is a musical legend, a member of three successful bands and an extraordinary producer (he produced several Heartbreakers’ albums). Tonight we give you his music as a member of The Move, the leader of Electric Light Orchestra, and a founding member of The Traveling Wilburys, the best damned supergroup on the planet.

Tune us in. Join a worldwide musical community with a love of music and disdain for commercialization. We don’t cost a penny. We run no commercial advertising. We’re all about the music.

Color My World

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!

It’s Our Official ‘Summertime’ Kick-off With a Brand New Playlist, Badfinger at the BBC, and Joni In The Spotlight, Monday, June 27, 2022

Good Morning, Music Lovers! We hope we can brighten your work-week start today with some great music. It’s summertime, and we’ve got some brand new music for you.

We officially kick off summer with a brand new playlist today!

Here’s your Monday programming:

11:00 a.m. Summertime: Various Artists NEW!

This is the beginning of a week where we feature some new music. We start here with our new ‘Summertime’ playlist. We’ve got songs with the word summer, summertime, and variations thereof in the title but, if you listen closely, you’ll hear some surf music in there as well. You’ll hear from Paul McCartney, Electric Light Orchestra, Eddie Cochran, Joni Mitchell, Sly & The Family Stone, Poco, The Blue Stingrays, The Doors, The Beach Boys, Jimmy Cliff, Joan Baez, Foo Fighters, Donovan, Paul Simon, Van Morrison, Nina Simone, John Prine, Johnny Rivers, Gary Hoey, The Desert Rose Band, Dick Dale & His Del-Tones, The Stone Poneys, Chrissie Hynde, Bob Dylan, The Surfaris, Nanci Griffith, and more!

4:00 p.m. Badfinger: Live at The BBC Studios, 1972-1973

Today’s live music offering is Badfinger, a true power pop band that made some great music in its time. Today we’ve got them live at BBC Studios in London recorded in 1972 and 1973. Undoubtedly the best signing ever by Apple Records.

7:00 p.m. In The Spotlight: The Music of Joni Mitchell

It’s been a spell since we featured Joni Mitchell In the Spotlight, so we’re remedying that little miscue today. She’s kind of the sound of summer in a way. We’ve always loved Joni’s music here in The Mermaid Lounge. She is one of the most brilliant singer-songwriters on the planet.

Come on. It’s Monday. And we all know Monday’s suck. I’ve been sick with COVID for a second time here and I return to retail hell myself tomorrow, so why not join me today in kicking back and enjoying some great tunes.

Happy Monday!