Category: New Orleans

Fats Domino In the Spotlight, Emmylou Harris & Spyboy Live, The Final Airing of Our AOW, and “Live Dead” Tonight, Saturday, March 13, 2021

Good Morning, Folks! It’s our usual Saturday in The Mermaid Lounge, and our Music Mermaid has chosen some great material for today.

Emmylou Harris & Spyboy coming at ya later today.

Here’s today’s programming:

11:00 a.m. In The Spotlight: The Music of Antoine “Fats” Domino

We love Fats Domino here in The Mermaid Lounge. There’s a lot of discussion about where rock n’ roll started, what was the first rock n’ roll song, and the question has been asked “Was anyone singing rock n’ roll before Fats Domino?” Not sure anyone actually was, but we certainly consider our friend from New Orleans a pioneer of the genre.

3:00 p.m. Album of The Week: Heart of Mine by Maria Muldaur FINAL AIRING!

Today we have the final airing of our Album of The Week as sultry crooner Maria Muldaur interprets the romantic side of Bob Dylan. Don’t forget to tune it in. Tomorrow when you wake up, we’ll have a new choice.

6:00 p.m. Emmylou Harris & Spyboy Live at Kongresshaus, Zurich, Switzerland, January 20, 1997

A few weeks ago, we featured Emmylou Harris’s brilliant album, Wrecking Ball, as our Album of The Week. Her tour with Spyboy took Wrecking Ball on the road, although she did feature several songs from other albums, most notably, her ode to Gram Parsons, the beautiful Boulder to Birmingham. The stripped-down approach to her music continued her love of working with a variety of different musicians. The band consisted of country singer-songwriter Buddy Miller on guitar, and two New Orleans musicians, Daryl Johnson on bass and Brady Blade on drums.

10:00 p.m. Live Dead! The Grateful Dead Live at The Uptown Theatre, Chicago, Illinois, December 3, 1979 NEW!

One more from the road from the greatest jam band in popular music history. Not sure I’ve ever said this, but please keep in mind that Live Dead shows are sourced from a variety of providers, including fan-recorded events so there may be some flaws and quality variations as we progress through the catalogue.

Tune us in, people. Germany and Britain love us. We’ve recently added regular listeners from Estonia, the Russian Federation, and the Scandinavian countries. We hope you’ll join us soon!

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We Wind Up Mardi Gras Week With BeauSoleil, Then It’s Echoes, Our Album of The Week, and Saturday Night’s “Live Dead,” February 20, 2021

Good Morning, Musicologists! We wind up our tribute to the music of Louisiana, and New Orleans specifically, with a live performance by one of the most respected bands in The Big Easy. And that isn’t all for Saturday.

Today’s music from New Orleans is courtesy of BeauSoleil!

Here’s our Saturday line-up:

11:00 a.m. BeauSoleil Live in Louisiana!

A lot of New Orleans music is steeped in history, but there are modern-day bands playing all over the streets of The Big Easy every day. BeauSoleil is one of the more recent bands to make their mark. This is a collection of live performances from a number of locations in Louisiana. We think you’ll enjoy their style.

3:00 p.m. Echoes From The Canyon: Various Artists

Another of those historical music “scenes” is Laurel Canyon. Here, bands like CSNY, The Lovin’ Spoonful, The Beach Boys, The Byrds and The Buffalo Springfield developed their sounds. The British Invasion resonated with these bands, and these bands also had a creative effect on their friends across the pond. You’ll hear these bands plus Joni Mitchell, Jackson Browne, The Doors, and The Mamas & The Papas.

7:00 p.m. Album of The Week: Take A Little Walk With Me by Tom Rush FINAL AIRING!

Today we’ll have the final airing of Tom Rush’s Take A Little Walk With Me, released in 1966. Tomorrow when you wake up, there’ll be a new Album of The Week.

10:00 p.m. Live Dead! The Grateful Dead Live at Red Rocks, Morrison, Colorado, September 6, 1985 NEW!

Another new live concert performance from the masters of jam. As I continue to say, no two performances are ever the same…even when they happen on the same tour.

It’s Saturday, people. It’s time to kick back and enjoy some really great music from a really great radio station. That would be ours.

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Today’s NOLA Treat? The Magnolia Sisters! We’ve Also Got Creedence Clearwater Revival and The Updated All-Girl Revue Too, on Friday, February 19, 2021

Good Morning, Music Lovers! Today is a very exciting day here in The Mermaid Lounge as we feature The Magnolia Sisters, the only all-woman authentic Cajun music band. We’ve also got Creedence and our newly-updated All-Girl Revue Too.

The Magnolia Sisters, the only all-woman authentic Cajun band.

Here’s today’s line-up:

11:00 a.m. The Magnolia Sisters Live at The Simi Valley Cajun & Blues Music Festival, May 23, 2015 NEW!

This amazing collection of women is anchored by Ann Savoy (pronounced sa’vwa), perhaps one of the most accomplished musicians on the planet that nobody ever really heard of. I urge you to read about her here, and to check out her website here. This is the kind of stuff I live for. I first heard her when she recorded with Linda Ronstadt as The Zozo Sisters. They made a brilliant Grammy-award nominated album together called Adieu False Heart. This collaboration marked the first time Savoy recorded in English. Ever since then, I’ve been on a hunt for her music and was able to score two CDs by The Magnolia Sisters. These were added to the station’s standard rotation last evening. The hunt continues until I am satisfied, as she has also recorded with her husband, her children, and with her swing band, Ann Savoy and Her Sleepless Knights.

3:00 p.m. In The Spotlight: The Music of Creedence Clearwater Revival

One of my all-time favorite bands here. It’s only fitting that we play them during our New Orleans Mardi Gras week. Here we have four guys from Berkeley, California who sound like they were born on the bayou (pun intended, of course).

7:00 p.m. The All-Girl Revue Too UPDATED!

This was the second all-woman playlist we ever put together for the radio station, and I spent time yesterday updating and expanding the selection. We are continually amazed how women are ignored in the music world, and we intend to increase our focus on female singers and musicians. In this playlist, you will hear Bonnie Raitt, Susan Tedeschi, Linda Ronstadt, Norah Jones, Patti Smith, Mary Wells, Aretha Franklin, Amy Winehouse, Emmylou Harris, Laura Nyro, Shawn Colvin, Carly Simon and more!

This is a great day to tune us in. Authentic Cajun music is underappreciated, and to be exposed to it via an all-woman band is even better. We are free. We do not require a “subscription,” your credit card, or your personal information. All you need to do is click the link below.

www.tinyurl.com/Ungovernable-Radio

Today From The Mermaid Lounge, Leon Russell Live, Our NOLA Tribute Continues With Dr. John, and Tom Rush’s Album of The Week, Thursday, February 18, 2021

Good Morning, Musicologists! We’ve got a great line-up today here from The Mermaid Lounge as we continue our musical tribute to New Orleans and its artists.

Malcolm John Rebennack, Jr. Also known as Dr. John.

Here’s today’s line-up:

11:00 a.m. Leon Russell Live at Long Beach Arena, August 27, 1972

Leon is a legend. In addition to his solo career, he teamed up with many artists over his sixty-year career, including George Harrison, Joe Cocker, Bob Dylan, and The Rolling Stones. His genres covered the spectrum, including country, rock, folk, gospel, bluegrass, rhythm and blues, and the Tulsa Sound. Today we have him live from Long Beach, California.

3:00 p.m. In the Spotlight: The Music of Dr. John UPDATED!

Speaking of legends, today’s New Orleans entry is Dr. John, the Nite Tripper, a guy who was so influential that one of the Muppets was modeled after him. No lie. He wrote his first song at the age of 14, and his musical hero was Professor Longhair. In addition to his solo career, he was a much sought-after session musician, playing with Canned Heat, The Rolling Stones, James Taylor, Van Morrison, and Maria Muldaur. You can learn more about the great Dr. John right here.

7:00 p.m. Album of The Week: Take a Little Walk With Me by Tom Rush

This makes it a Legends Trifecta because our Album of The Week makes it a third musical legend whose career spanned sixty years. Tom Rush is credited with ushering in the era of the singer-songwriter, and rightfully so. This is his second album for Elektra, and was released in 1966.

You really ought to be tuning us in. Seriously. We’re free. We require no credit card, no personal information, and we allow absolutely no advertising. In fact, we are not-for-profit. We make no money. We are sharing our personal music collection with you. For free. Just click the link below.

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It’s Another (Mostly) Open Stream Wednesday EXCEPT For One Great New Orleans Playlist, On February 17, 2021

Good Morning, fellow music lovers! Here we are on our usual (mostly) Open Stream Wednesday. But we do have an amazing playlist for you today called the Down in N’Awlins Playlist. It offers just a hair (like, one second) over four hours of authentic music from one of great music centers in the world (in my humble musical opinion).

We’ve got four hours of great New Orleans music for you today!

Here’s what you’ll hear!

12:00 p.m. Down in N’Awlins Playlist: Various Artists UPDATED!

We have only one playlist for you today, and it’s a pretty amazing eclectic collection of all sounds New Orleans and Louisiana, from Cajun-Zydeco to the blues. We’ve also updated it from last year’s version to keep it fresh and to reflect music we’ve hunted for over the past year. Here are some of the people you’ll hear:

  • BeauSoleil
  • Clifton Chenier
  • Allen Toussaint
  • Kermit Venable
  • Dr. John
  • The Neville Brothers (together and solo)
  • Professor Longhair
  • Tony Joe White
  • Antoine “Fats” Domino
  • Irma Thomas (The Soul Queen of New Orleans)
  • Lucinda Williams
  • Queen Ida
  • Jerry Lee Lewis
  • Chance Bushman & Friends
  • The Daywalkers
  • The Boogaloo Swamis

Some of the people on this list I discovered on my trips to New Orleans. The Neville Brothers, for example, I saw at the world-renown venue called Tipitinas on one of my earliest business trips to the city.

I discovered The Daywalkers on a vacation trip I took in 2014 at one of Bourbon Street’s most famous venue called The Cat’s Meow. I spent the day driking Tito’s vodka and just having a blast with the music. I discovered another band on that same trip at a great restaurant called Cafe Sbisa, which has sadly closed temporarily due to COVID-19. The band’s name is Chance Bushman & Friends. By the way, they also make a great Bacon Bloody Mary for the day after.

One band, however, I discovered right here in the Boston area; in Somerville, Massachusetts, to be exact. The Boogaloo Swamis were as good a Cajun-Zydeco band as anything you can hear in New Orleans because they genuinely loved the music. It was a craft to them. We’d spend every Friday night at a great place called Johnny D’s Uptown just partying with the Swamis. Great food. Great Drinks. (And a great Sunday Blues Brunch as well.) The family-owned venue rocked for 47 years. It finally closed for good in 2016, but it remains one of the great Boston-area music venues of all time. Great memories. I went on a hunt for Boogaloo Swamis music. I found some. I have some in vinyl form that I will send out for conversion to mp3’s over the next couple of months, but I did have some in CD form which have already been converted and added to the radio station. You’ll hear some of it today, and it has also been added to the general rotation.

Please tune us in. We’re sure you’ll love this playlist. It begins at noon.

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Celebrating Mardi Gras in New Orleans 2021 Style

It’s a rough year for a lot of tradition. This year in New Orleans, all of the Mardi Gras parades have been cancelled due to COVID-19, I’ve been to New Orleans many times over the years. In fact, in a former life, I traveled there yearly for The Pittsburgh Conference. In spite of its name, the conference was always held in NOLA. Generally speaking, it was after Mardi Gras week, and I nearly always took a week vacation after the business was over.

A New Orleans street musician, photographed during my trip in 2014.

One of the best things about New Orleans is the street music. It’s everywhere, and it doesn’t have to be during Mardi Gras week either. It’s a daily tradition in New Orleans, as are the Jazz Funerals, which I got to witness a few times during my stay.

Although this year’s Mardi Gras festivities are cancelled, the party hearty people of New Orleans have continued the tradition in a very creative manner — by turning their homes into Mardi Gras floats. We’d like to share some of those photos with you today.

We hope you enjoyed the show, and that you will continue to tune us in as we celebrate the music of New Orleans this week.

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It’s Not Only Tuesday Bluesday, But It’s Fat Tuesday, and We’re Feeling New Orleans in Our Bones on February 16, 2021

Good Morning, Bluesianans (is that a word or did I make that up?)! We are not only in the midst of Mardi Gras, but it’s Tuesday Bluesday here in The Mermaid Lounge. Luckily, we don’t have to compromise!

It’s Fat Tuesday and we’re celebrating NOLA all week!

Here’s today’s line-up:

11:00 a.m. Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers Live at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival (2012)

I only got to visit the NOLA festival once, while I was on business in New Orleans in a previous life. I didn’t get to see Tom Petty, but what could be better than our House Band playing at such a legendary festival? Don’t worry. We’ll be playing a lot of traditional Louisiana music throughout the week at various times. This is a short concert set by Petty standards, but the participants are allotted a certain amount of time. There are plenty of participants over lifetime of the festival. Enjoy this one.

3:00 p.m. The Best of Louisiana Blues, Volume 1: Various Artists

Yes, there’s also a Part 2, which we will get to later in the week. You’ll be hearing artists like Muddy Waters, Slim Harpo, Little Walter, Clarence Frogman Henry, and Boozoo Davis.

7:00 p.m. Album of The Week: Take A Little Walk With Me by Tom Rush

The only entry today that has absolutely nothing to do with Louisiana, Fat Tuesday, or the blues. But nevertheless, Tom Rush owns our Album of The Week and here it is for you!

Tune us in. This is just the beginning of our ode to New Orleans. We’ll be running great music all week long in celebration of Mardi Gras. Yes, the parades have been cancelled due to COVID. But the people of New Orleans are turning their homes into floats! We hope to be showing you some photos on the blog during the week. You’ve got to love that party attitude.

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It’s a (Mostly) Open-Stream Wednesday Again, With a Sprinkling of T-PATH Later On, October 7, 2020

Good Morning, Music Lovers. Today’s the day you get a taste of what we’re all about on Open Stream, until later in the day when we most heartily welcome Tom Petty and his bandmates.

NEW ORLEANS, LA – APRIL 28: Tom Petty performs during the 2012 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival at the Fair Grounds Race Course on April 28, 2012 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic)

Here’s todays line-up:

5:00 p.m. Tom Petty: Wildflowers & All The Rest, The New Releases

Tom Petty’s Wildflowers Project will come to fruition this month, and we eagerly await it here in The Mermaid Lounge. Here are the five songs that have been released to Tom Petty Radio on Sirius-XM to date.

7:00 p.m. Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers Live at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, April 28, 2012

Tom Petty and his bandmates performed live at the yearly New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival every spring. This one is from 2012.

Tune us in, people. We’re (mostly) Open Stream all day today, with a little interlude from the house band later in the day.

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The Heartbreakers Up at High Noon, The Wailers at the Beacon, and Little Feat’s Album of The Week A Bit Later, Sunday, October 4, 2020

Good Morning, Music Lovers! Here we are again in The Mermaid Lounge and it’s another great day of music as ROCKTOBER moves along.

Bob Marley & The Wailers

Here is your Sunday Funday line-up:

12:00 p.m. Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers Live at The Fillmore, March 15, 1999

The Heartbreakers on a leg of their High Grass Dogs Tour.I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. The chemistry of this band is beyond amazing. They have it firing on all eight cylinders each and every outing. It’s Petty Month here in The Mermaid Lounge. There’s more where this came from.

5:00 p.m. Bob Marley & The Wailers Live at The Beacon Theatre, New York, April 30, 1976

The Legend and his bandmates, The Wailers, on their Rastaman Vibration Tour live from The Beacon.

8:00 p.m. Album of The Week: Waiting for Columbus by Little Feat NEW!

Again, the most underrated band in rock music because they defy definition. Little Feat is an eclectic combination of rock and roll, blues, boogie, country, folk, soul, New Orleans R&B, and swamp music. Waiting for Columbus was recorded over seven live performances during 1977. The venues were The Rainbow Theatre in London, and George Washington University’s Lisner Auditorium in Washington, D.C.

Although I generally don’t give a shit what critics think, it should be duly noted that critics widely believe this is one of the finest live albums in music history. And for once, I agree with their position.

Let’s get with the program, America. Everyone else has. Tune us in. This is a great day to start.

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It’s a Bluesy Saturday With Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac, and Albert King, September 26, 2020

Don’t scratch your head. The Heartbreakers often sang the blues both live and on vinyl, and the original Fleetwood Mac was a blues band. We also have one late-night tradition we cannot break here.

Peter Green (at the mike) and his blues band, the original Fleetwood Mac

Here’s your Saturday line-up:

11:00 a.m. Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers Sing The Blues

There wasn’t any style of music The Heartbreakers couldn’t make, and they have a lot of bluesy music in their catalogue. Mr. Petty often said he envisioned the band sitting around in chairs playing the blues when they got too old to rock. I have absolutely no doubt they could have pulled that off. You won’t either after you hear this playlist.

4:00 p.m. Album of The Week: Born Under a Bad Sign by Albert King

This will be our final airing of Albert King’s gem. Tomorrow at this time, there’ll be a brand new selection! If you want to learn more about this album, or any of our albums, all you need to do is click on the photo in the right sidebar of this blog!

7:00 p.m. Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac Live at The Warehouse, New Orleans, February 1, 1970

Is there a better place to hear a blues band live? Maybe Chicago, but that’s about it. No, this is not the current Fleetwood Mac. The original Fleetwood Mac was a blues band, baby. It might interest you to know that Black Magic Woman wasn’t a Santana song. It’s a Fleetwod Mac song.

10:00 p.m. Live Dead! The Grateful Dead Live at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center, New York, June 27, 1985 NEW!

Here’s another band who could sing it all in their own unique style, and they often sang the blues on stage. This is our one non-blue Saturday night offering that will not be denied. The SPAC was one of our favorite musical venues when we were young. I remember packing up the car on the weekends and heading out to upstate New York. We’d camp (for lack of money) and spend what we had at SPAC. We saw many bands here and I have so many fond memories. Never got to see The Dead here, but the imagination still works.

This would be an immensely good day for you to use your index finger to tune us in. It’s really very simple and it’s completely free and without strings, if you can imagine that.

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