Category: Power Pop

It’s Friday and We’ve Got ‘More Cowbell, Please’ Along With Karla Bonoff and Some ‘Live’ Peter Tosh Later, April 21, 2023

Good morning, gang! It is finally Friday and we’ve got some great stuff for you today starting with our ‘More Cowbell, Please’ playlist, Karla Bonoff’s final turn as our singer-songwriter in the middle, and Peter Tosh Live in Amsterdam to close out the programming.

Here’s today’s musical landscape:

11:00 a.m. More Cowbell, Please: Various Artists

It’s amazing how many songs employ the cowbell. In fact, some you’ve never imagined until you actually listen. You’ll hear music from The Beatles, The Alan Parsons Project, Aretha Franklin, Argent, Blind Faith, Blood, Sweat & Tears, Bob Dylan, Carly Simon, Linda Ronstadt, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Paul McCartney, The Eagles, Edgar Winter, Electric Light Orchestra, Jethro Tull, The J. Geils Band, Journey, Supertramp, Talking Heads, The Turtles, Warren Zevon, Stephen Stills and more!

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

Brilliant songwriter and great singer Karla Bonoff takes her final turn as our featured singer-songwriter for this week.

8:00 p.m. Peter Tosh Live at The Apartheid Festival, Jaap Eden Hall, Amsterdam, Netherlands, June 13, 1981 NEW!

The late, great Peter Tosh brings his considerable talent to The Apartheid Festival held in Amsterdam back in 1981. This is the first live Tosh performance in The Mermaid Lounge, but it will not be the last!

We’ve made it all the way to the end of the week. Why not get through the final day with some great music? We’re on 24/7 free of charge with no commercial interruption. Just do it.

We’ve Made It To Friday!

It’s ‘Ladies Day Out’ in The Mermaid Lounge, the Final Airing of “No Dice,” and the Introduction of Karla Bonoff as Our Featured Singer-Songwriter on Saturday, April 15, 2023

Good morning, weekenders! We have reached the first full day of the weekend! We have a great day with our five-hour, all-women music extravaganza to kick things off!

Here’s your Saturday lineup:

10:00 a.m. Ladies Day Out: Various Artists

Yes, the women of music own The Mermaid Lounge for a chunk of the day today. You will hear 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, Dolly Parton, Dusty Springfield, The Ronettes, Diana Ross & The Supremes, Gladys Knight & The Pips, Norah Jones, Phoebe Snow, Nicolette Larson, Sheryl Crow, Valerie Carter, Susan Tedeschi and more!

5:00 p.m. Album of The Week: No Dice by Badfinger FINAL AIRING!

We bid a fond farewell to this great power pop album by Badfinger, the album that put them on the map, particularly in the U.S., and gave us the hit No Matter What. Tomorrow there’ll be a brand new album here for you.

8:00 p.m. Singer-Songwriter Series: The Music of Karla Bonoff NEW!

Although Karla Bonoff has released several really wonderful albums, she is best known as one of the most brilliant songwriters of her generation. Linda Ronstadt feasted off Karla’s work, including Someone To Lay Down Beside Me, Lose Again, Trouble Again and others. Others who have sung Karla’s songs include Wynnona Judd, Lynn Anderson, and Bonnie Raitt (an amazing rendition of Home for one). Tonight, we get to hear Karla sing her compositions herself.

It is Saturday, folks, and we’ve made it to the weekend. Why not give yourself a real treat and tune us in. We’re on 24/7. We’re totally free of charge. We do not run any commercial advertising. And we offer great programming you won’t hear anywhere else. What’s not to love here?

Ladies Day Out!

It’s Tuesday Bluesday With Our ‘Best of Louisiana Blues’ EP, Our AOW and ‘Live’ Robert Cray Band Later, April 11, 2023

Good morning, bluesologists! We have another Tuesday Bluesday on tap here in The Lounge and we kick it off with five hours of uninterrupted blues from Louisiana!

Here’s your Tuesday Bluesday lineup:

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

There’s nothing like music from Louisiana. It has its own style, and that includes da blues. You’ll hear Ray Charles, Lillian Glinn, Slim Harpo, Fats Domino, Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown, Rodney Harris, Roosevelt Sykes, Shirley & Lee, Roy Brown, Papa Lightfoot, Guitar Slim, Annie Laurie, Fats Matthews, Big Joe Turner, Big Boy Myles, Little Walter, Mary Butler, Erline Harris, Marcia Ball, Allen Toussaint, Dr. John, Professor Longhair, The Neville Brothers, Irma Thomas, Dave Bartholomew and more!

4:00 p.m. Album of The Week: No Dice by Badfinger

We take just a slight break in the blues programming to give you the second airing of our Album of The Week, the album that put Badfinger on the map.

The Robert Cray Band Live at The Warfield Theatre, San Francisco, CA, December 2, 1995 NEW!

A live performance by Barack Obama’s favorite bluesman and his band billed as the 10th Annual Concert for Kids and broadcast on KFOG-FM closes out our blues programming for today.

It’s always a busy day on Tuesday Bluesday as we already have folks from Ireland, Greece, Italy, the UK, France, Australia, Spain, Portugal, Norway, The Netherlands and point beyond tuned in. Why not join them?

Tuesday Bluesday!

We Keep It Simple Today With Badfinger’s “No Dice” as Our AOW and ‘The Female Species’ EP, Sunday, April 9, 2023

Good morning, and if you’re celebrating, Happy Easter, Happy Passover and Happy Ramadan one and all! We’re keeping it simple as usual on this fine, sunny Sunday.

Here’s your holiday lineup:

10:00 a.m. Album of The Week: No Dice by Badfinger NEW!

I fell in love with Badfinger early on, and I supposed that’s because I could hear the influence of The Beatles. However, Badfinger was its own juggernaut, helping to create what is known as the power pop genre. It was the one band Apple Records signed that became a big time entity, in spite of the fact that their future held nothing but tragedy. Our album of the week, however, No Dice, was their third studio album released by Apple on November 9, 1970, and helped to expand the group’s popularity, particularly abroad. It was the first to feature lead guitarist Joey Molland. It also gave us the hit No Matter What, and the first recording of the song Without You, which would later become a huge hit for Harry Nilsson.

1:00 p.m. The Female Species: Various Artists

Nope. It’s not music by women, but it is music about women, girls, ladies, and chicks by artists like Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Talking Heads, Jackson Browne, The Boogaloo Swamis, John Mayall, Hot Tuna, The Eatles, Elvis Presley, Electric Light Orchestra, Fleetwood Mac, Percy Sledge, The Beatles, Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac, America, Roy Orbison, Billy Joel, Jimi Hendrix Experience, Aretha Franklin, Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, The Beach Boys, The Temptations, Linda Ronstadt, Bob Marley & The Wailers, The Rolling Stones, Peter & Gordon, The Rascals and more!

Before, in between and after it’s our great wide Open Stream courtesy of The Music Mermaid. She’s always on duty and has impeccable taste in music, as you well know by now. In between your celebrations, tune us in. We’re on 24/7, no matter what day it is.

Happy Holidays!

Saturday Brings Our ‘Here Comes The Night’ EP, the Final Airing of Our AOW, and Steve Winwood as Our Singer-Songwriter, April 8, 2023

Good morning, weekenders! We have finally reached mecca! Today we’ve got a great EP of songs about the night, the final airing of our Ry Cooder AOW and the legendary Steve Winwood as the new featured singer-songwriter.

Here’s your Saturday lineup:

10:00 a.m. Here Comes The Night: Various Artists

The night time is the right time, according to many artists. You’ll hear 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, Linda Ronstadt, Joni Mitchell, Emmylou Harris, The Doors, Poco, Neil Diamond, The Animals, The Band, The Rolling Stones, Don McLean, Steve Winwood, Cat Stevens and more!

4:00 p.m. Album of The Week: The Prodigal Son by Ry Cooder FINAL AIRING!

We bid a fond farewell to Ry Cooder’s great album today. Tomorrow we’ll have a brand new selection for you.

8:00 p.m. Singer-Songwriter Series: The Music of Steve Winwood NEW!

Today we introduce a most deserving candidate for our featured singer-songwriter in Steve Winwood. He was a member of three legendary sixties bands in The Spencer Davis Group, Traffic and Blind Faith. He wrote Gimme’ Some Lovin’ at the age of fifteen. He also had a massively successful solo career. Tune him in tonight to see why he’s a Mermaid Lounge favorite.

Let’s cut to the chase: We’re on 24/7. We’re free. We don’t accept any commercial advertising. And we don’t employ chatty DJ’s who talk through the beginnings of songs. Does that work for you?

Winwood is In The Lounge!

Monday Rolls Around & It’s Time for Mudcrutch and Some Tunes About the Color Blue, April 3, 2023

Good morning and welcome back to the work week. If you’ve got those work-a-day blues, we can help you out today. Nothing like a little Mudcrutch music to solve that problem.

Mudcrutch at Humprey’s By The Bay (photo courtesy of Alex Matthews)

Here’s your Monday, Monday lineup:

11:00 a.m. All About Blue: Various Artists

The color blue just happens to be my favorite color, so I’m indulging myself on Monday. In the first set, you’ll hear from Linda Ronstadt, Foreigner, The Allman Brothers Band, Taj Mahal, Electric Light Orchestra, The Beach Boys, Paul McCartney & Wings, The Beatles, The Band, Bob Dylan, Elvis Presley, Badfinger, Joni Mitchell, Jonathan Edwards, Mudcrutch, Fats Domino and more!

3:00 p.m. All About Blue Too: Various Artists

In our second set this afternoon, you’ll hear Phoebe Snow, The Rolling Stones, Robert Johnson, Jackson Browne, Paul Simon, Shawn Colvin, Marvin Gaye, Boz Scaggs, Van Morrison, The Doors, Buddy Guy, The Association, The Beatles, The Kinks, Canned Heat, The Smithereens, Janis Joplin, George Harrison and more!

7:00 p.m. Mudcrutch Live at The Fonda Theatre, W. Hollywood, CA June 26, 2016

The band that left Gainesville, Florida, and that would morph into Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers came back with a bang in 2008 with the original cast. This is from their 2016 tour across America (which I still kick myself for missing when it passed through the House of Blues in Boston).

What could be better to help you through a Monday than great music? Not much, I’d venture. We’re on 24/7 (not just when we have programming) and we’re totally free of charge and we’re also totally free of commercial advertising. Give us a spin.

Monday, Monday

Heading for the Weekend With ‘The British Are Coming’ EP, Hot Tuna and Our AOW, and ‘Live’ Heartbreakers Later, Thursday, March 30, 2023

Good morning, musicologists! We kick off the day with our ‘British Are Coming’ EP with music from the British Invasion years and beyond! We move on from there!

Here’s today’s musical landscape:

9:00 a.m. The British Are Coming: Various Artists

We kick off the day with music from ‘across the pond’ as they say, from The Beatles The Who, Dave Mason, Electric Light Orchestra, Petula Clark, The Zombies, The Hollies, Dusty Springfield, Small Faces, Led Zeppelin, The Kinks, Queen, The Animals, The Rolling Stones, the Dave Clark Five, The Bee Gees, The Moody Blues, Rod Stewart, George Harrison, Them, Herman’s Hermits, Gerry & The Pacemakers, Badfinger, The Yardbirds, Traffic, Elton John, Lulu, Pink Floyd, Yes, Manfred Mann’s Earth Band, The Spencer Davis Group, Cream, Donovan and more!

4:00 p.m. Album of The Week: Steady As She Goes by Hot Tuna

Love this band, but we’re winding down on this selection, so get it while it’s hot! The final airing of this great blues-rock release will be sometime on Saturday.

7:00 p.m. Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers Live at The Vic Theater, Chicago, IL, April 19, 2003

This was a great performance from what is considered one of the best road bands on the planet (actually, one of the very best bands on the planet). There’s nothing like seeing TPATH live (which I had the good fortune to do four times). TPATH is one of our official House Bands (along with The Beatles). Tonight we’ve got them live from the Vic Theatre in Chicago.

Tune in, folks. Join your worldwide friends. We have France, Germany, Italy, Sweden, Israel, Australia, Russian Federation, Portugal and Spain on all night and into the morning. Where are you?

The Weekend’s Coming!

Monday Rears Its Ugly Head But We’ve Got the Music You Need With Our ‘Water, Water Everywhere’ EP and No Nukes Later, March 27, 2023

It’s a back to the work week Monday here in The Mermaid Lounge, and we’ve got some great music for you today, including our first airing of the ‘No Nukes’ concert.

Here’s today’s lineup:

11:00 a.m. Water, Water Everywhere: Various Artists

We’ve said this before, the earth is composed of 71% water, and today our radio station is as well. Water is a popular topic for musicians and you’ll hear about it from Paul McCartney, Deep Purple, Joe Cocker, Simon & Garfunkel, The Beatles, Bruce Springsteen, Jackson Browne, Otis Redding, Neil Young, America, Johnny Rivers, Elton John, The Doobie Brothers, Valerie Carter, Bob Dylan, Alison Krauss & Union Station, Al Green, Loggins & Messina, Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band, Linda Ronstadt, Spirit, The Grass Roots, The Beach Boys, Lindisfarne, Van Morrison, Bonnie Raitt, Carole King, Steely Dan, Tom Rush, Donovan and more!

7:00 p.m. The No Nukes Concert, Madison Square Garden, September 21, 1979 NEW!

Last week we aired The Concert for Bandladesh, the very first “cause” concert and the brainchild of George Harrison and Ravi Shankar. Tonight we air No Nukes, a 1979 concert from MUSE (Musicians United for Safe Energy), a group consisting of Jackson Browne, Graham Nash, Bonnie Raitt, Harvey Wasserman, and John Hall. This activist group formed shortly after the Three Mile Island accident in March of 1979. Participating artists in the concerts included Jackson Browne, Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band, Bonnie Raitt, Crosby, Stills and Nash, James Taylor, Carly Simon, Tom Petty, Jesse Colin Young, Gil Scott-Heron, Dan Fogelberg, Poco and more.

Yes, the work week has indeed begun once again, but the music is still playing here in The Mermaid Lounge. If you’re lucky enough to work in an office, close your door, pull up a tab and put on some great background sounds. If you stream music in your work environment, give us a shot. We’re on the web, after all. Just plug us in.

Plug Us In!

Today We Bid Farewell to ‘Venus And Mars,’ Say Hello to ‘The Original Sixties Rotation’ and Intro JT as Our Featured Singer-Songwriter on Saturday, March 25, 2023

Good morning, music lovers! We’ve got a great lineup on this fine Saturday, including our original sisties rotation EP and James Taylor as our featured singer-songwriter!

The Original Sixties Rotation EP is back!

Here’s today’s lineup:

9:00 a.m. Album of The Week: Venus And Mars by Paul McCartney & Wings FINAL AIRING!

Today we bit a fond farewell to this great album. We’ll have a brand new selection for you when you roll out of bed tomorrow.

11:00 a.m. The Original Sixties Rotation: Various Artists

We’re back with our EP covering the early-to-mid sixties, although I’m quite sure some songs beyond that time may well be sprinkled in. Nevertheless, it was a great generation of music. You’ll hear Del Shannon, Little Eva, The Drifters, The Beatles, Gerry & The Pacemakers, The Hollies, The Walker Brothers, Mary Wells, Dusty Springfield, The Searchers, The Monkees, Sonny & Cher, Petula Clark, Glen Campbell, Johnny Rivers, The Dave Clark Five, The Supremes, Harry Nilsson, The Band, The Yardbirds, The Kinks, Simon & Garfunkel, Blind Faith, Janis Joplin, Chuck Berry, Elvis Presley, Marvin Gaye, The Who, Bob Dylan, Tony Joe White, Barry McGuire, Procol Harum, The Temptations, Fats Domino and more!

8:00 p.m. Singer-Songwriter Series: The Music of James Taylor NEW!

Tonight we introduce sweet baby James Taylor as this week’s singer-songwriter. We love his stuff here in The Mermaid Lounge and we know you will too!

It’s Saturday. And that means our weekenders are on and primed to go! Join listeners from Greece, Italy, France, Germany, Scotland, Ireland, Portugal, Russian Federation, Texas, Louisiana, Spain and other locales this morning. We’re free 24/7 with no commercial interruption. What’s not to love?

Welcome Weekenders!

On Thursday, We’ve Got One-Hit Wonders 60’s Style, Our AOW, and the First-of-Its-Kind Concert for Bangladesh, March 23, 2022

Good morning, music lovers! Today, we’re heading for the weekend, and we’ve got a great lineup with One-Hit Wonders, our Album of The Week, and the Concert for Bangladesh.

Here’s your Thursday menagerie:

11:00 a.m. One-Hit Wonders, Sixties Style: Various Artists

Every musical generation has them. We’re giving you our favorites today from Robert Knight, Jose Feliciano, the Count Five, Brenton Wood, Los Bravos, Mama Cass. Roy Head & The Taints, The Capitols, The Knickerbockers, The Nashville Teens, The McCoys, Zager & Evans, Wayne Fontana & The Mindbenders, Scott McKenzie, Strawberry Alarm Clock, Merrilee Rush, Little Peggy March, Mason Williams and more!

4:00 p.m. Album of The Week: Venus And Mars by Paul McCartney & Wings

The follow-up to the great Band On The Run was no slouch. It was another great collection of songs from a great band.

7:00 p.m. The Concert for Bangladesh, George Harrison & Friends, August 1, 1971, Madison Square Garden, New York City

Before there was Live Aid or Farm Aid, there was the Concert for Bangladesh. This first-of-its-kind gathering of musical stars was the conception of George Harrison and Ravi Shankar to benefit the refugees of East Pakistan following the Bangladesh Liberation War-related genocide. Joining Harrison and Shankar were Ringo Starr, Leon Russell, Eric Clapton, Billy Preston and Badfinger.

We’ve got a great eclectic lineup for you today. It’s a great day to discover #BecomeUngovernable Radio. We’re on 24/7. We’re free. Best of all, we do not clutter up your listening arena with commercial advertising. It’s all about the music.

Cursor Here, Please!