Category: protest music

It is Saturday, and Today We Repeat ‘We Dissent’ in Honor of No Kings Day, Then It’s The Fillmore’s Final Days, and a Neil Young ‘Spotlight’ Feature, October 18, 2025

Good morning, democracy and music lovers! This is one of those rare moments when we must all band together for the common good. Today we repeat our ‘We Dissent’ EP in honor of ‘No Kings Day’ across America.

Here’s your No Kings lineup:

9:00 a.m. We Dissent: Various Artists

Music has always played a key role in activism, and we are proud to repeat this playlist on this day, something we rarely do in the same month. It’s a history of protest in America in song from Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Bob Dylan, The Who, The Beatles, Tracy Chapman, Phil Ochs, Billie Holiday, Patti Smith, Bruce Springsteen, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Peter, Paul & Mary, Nina Simone, Sam Cooke, The Temptations, Stevie Wonder, Peter Gabriel, Barry McGuire, Jimmy Cliff, Bob Marley & The Wailers, CSNY, and so many more!

4:00 p.m. The Fillmore: The Final Days

As the Fillmore closed its doors, these folks rocked the hall: Hot Tuna, Cold Blood, The Elvin Bishop Group, New Rides of The Purple Sage, Tower of Power, The Grateful Dead, Boz Scaggs, Santana, it’s a Beautiful Day and more!

8:00 p.m. In the Spotlight: The Music of Neil Young

We close the day with a fantastic Neil Young ‘Spotlight’ feature covering the full expanse of his career.

We’re here. We’re free. And we love freedom in general. Tune us in. The button is below.

WE DISSENT!

On Sunday, We are Dissenting, Then It’s Live Badfinger, and a Paul Simon ‘Spotlight’ Feature to Close, October 5, 2025

Good morning, music lovers. In this day and age, dissent is essential and we feature our ‘We Dissent’ playlist, a history of protest music, for the first five hours of the day.

Here’s your Sunday Funday lineup:

9:00 a.m. We Dissent: Various Artists

We’ve had plenty of dissent over the years from musical artists like Neil Young, Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Phil Ochs, Bruce Springsteen, Peter Gabriel, The Temptations, Buffalo Springfield, Joni Mitchell, Marvin Gaye, The Who, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, The Doors, Sam Cooke, Tim Hardin, CSNY, Jesse Colin Young, The Beatles, The Band, Edwin Starr, The Byrds, Bob Marley & The Wailers, and more!

4:00 p.m. Badfinger Live at The Cowtown Auditorium, Kansas City, MO, April 7, 1972

Certainly the biggest and most successful act signed by Apple Records, and we’ve got them live this afternoon.

8:00 p.m. In the Spotlight: The Music of Paul Simon

We close with a legend, half of a dynamic duo that broke onto the music scene in the fifties, and stuck around for decades. Tonight we close with Paul Simon as half of Simon & Garfunkel and with music from his successful solo career.

We’re here. We’re free. There’s no commercial interruption. There’s no “subscription” required. What could be better? Oh, yeah, the best music on the planet. I nearly forgot that. Just hit the button below!

The Button.

On Sunday, It’s Some ‘Flower Power,’ a J. Geils Band ‘Spotlight’ Feature, and Live Lucinda Williams, September 21, 2025

Good morning, weekenders! It’s another Sunday Funday here in The Mermaid Lounge, and we’ve got the second airing of our ‘Flower Power’ playlist, a musical excursion that could well turn into an EP at some point! That’s where we start, but not where we end!

Here’s your Sunday Funday lineup:

10:00 a.m. Flower Power: Various Artists

Our newest playlist is back for its second airing with The Beatles, Donovan, Peter, Paul & Mary, Five Man Electrical Band, Three Dog Night, The Rolling Stones, Aretha Franklin, The Band, Bob Dylan, Brewer & Shipley, The Mamas & Papas, Joni Mitchell, Linda Ronstadt, Don McLean, Oliver, The Moody Blues, CSNY, Yes, Isaac Hayes, Grand Funk Railroad, Marianne Faithful, and more!

4:00 p.m. In The Spotlight: The Music of The J. Geils Band

My choice for Boston’s bad boys over Aerosmith. Sorry, Steven Tyler, but Peter Wolf rules.

8:00 p.m. Lucinda Williams Live at The Fillmore West, San Francisco, CA, November 20-22, 2003

We close it out with a true friend of Tom’s, who said she misses his music, but she misses him even more. Lucinda Williams and Tom Petty were a mutual admiration society, and she is one of the best singer-songwriters in all of music. She has stood the test of time.

We’re here all day, hangng out and playing music. We’re totally free with absolutely no commercial interruption. Just hit the button below to see for yourselves!

Flower Power!

On Monday, ‘We Dissent,’ We Have Emmylou & Friends Live for a Good Cause, and Smokey Robinson & The Miracles ‘In the Spotlight’ Later, August 4, 2025

Good morning, musicologists, and welcome to another work week. We kick it off in style with a fantastic programming lineup. Read on for details!

Here’s your Monday, Monday lineup:

9:00 a.m. We Dissent: Various Artists New Songs Added!

Protest music is powerful, and we’ve got a great collection here. In the era of Trump’s regime, we will be amping up our protest music roots. We’ve added a couple of great songs to the end of this list. We nearly forgot the great Beach Boys tune, Student Demonstration Time. It was something nobody expected from the boys of summer. We’ve also added a song a lot of people do not know exists called, Old Man Trump, which was written by Woody Guthrie about The Orange Scourge’s racist slumlord father. Back in the day Woody lived in one of his dumps. Woody never got to record the song himself, but it was evetually released by folk singer Ryan Harvey with help from Ani DiFranco and Tom Morello of Rage Against The Machine. We’ve added that song today.

Other artists you’ll hear are The Beatles, Pete Seeger, Barry McGuire, Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Peter Gabriel, Jimmy Cliff, Bob Marley & The Wailers, Bruce Springsteen, Patti Smith, Tracy Chapman, and more!

4:00 p.m. Emmylou Harris & Friends, Concerts for a Landmine-Free World, December 1999 into 2000 NEW!

We have a fantastic recording here of great acoustic music from Emmylou Harris, Nanci Griffith, John Prine, Patty Griffin, Steve Earle, and Bruce Cockburn. We know this was the first show, so we believe it was held at Stanford University in December 1999. They were held around the world into 2000, including Washington, D.C., Glasgow, London, Stockholm, and Oslo. We’re trying to get a better handle on the specifics, but there’s no need to hold up airing this for the details.

8:00 p.m. In the Spotlight: The Music of Smokey Robinson & The Miracles

We close it out with a band that was instrumental in establishing the Motown brand back in the day.

We’re ready for a new work week, and we’re playing the best music on the planet totally free of charge and free of commercial interruption. See for yourselves. The button is below.

WE DISSENT!

On Independence Day, ‘We Dissent’ Mightily For Several Hours, Then It’s The Grateful Dead Live in Boston, July 4, 2025

Good morning, music lovers! We have little to celebrate today, so we are playing the best protests songs for more than four hours. The list has been culled from hours of research and organization, and it is our newest EP. We follow that with Live Dead!

Here’s your Independence Day lineup:

10:00 a.m. We Dissent: Various Artists

We kick it off with our newest EP as we dissent where we are in history for more than four hours, and the playlist will be growing soon. You will hear the music of The Who, The Beatles, Tracy Chapman, Woody Guthrie, Phil Ochs, Billie Holiday, Patti Smith, Bruce Springsteen, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Peter, Paul & Mary, Pete Seeger, Nina Simone, Sam Cooke, Marvin Gaye, The Doors, Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Joni Mitchell, Buffalo Springfield, The Temptations, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Stevie Wonder, Peter Gabriel, Jimmy Cliff, Bob Marley & The Wailers, and more!

6:00 p.m. LIVE DEAD: The Grateful Dead Live at The Music Hall, Boston, MA, June 9, 1976

We’ll close out the programming this evening with a great episode of LIVE DEAD as we give you the band live from Boston’s Music Hall.

Before, in between, and after we give you our big, wide Open Stream. We’re anti-capitalist, and we’re serious about keeping it that way. We run no commercial advertising, we don’t require a ‘subscription’ and we don’t ask for your personal information. See for yourselves. The button is below.

We Dissent!

On Thursday We Open With a Grass Roots ‘Spotlight,’ Then it’s ‘The Original Sixties Rotation’ EP, and Gregg Allman Live at The House of Blues, On June 19, 2025

Good morning, music lovers! We’ve got a great day of music today that features songs from the sixties along with music from The Grass Roots and Gregg Allman!

Here’s your musical lineup of the day:

9:00 a.m. In the Spotlight: The Music of The Grass Roots

The Grass Roots were a hit machine, charting 21 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 between 1965 and 1975. If that isn’t enough, their songs were insanely great.

1:00 p.m. The Original Sixties Rotation: Various Artists

The greatest generation of music is up today. We’ll go through the afternoon with The Beatles, The Monkees, Sonny & Cher, Joe Cocker, Simon & Garfunkel, The Everly Brothers, The Searchers, Dusty Springfield, The Drifters, The Dave Clark Five, Johnny Rivers, Bob Dylan, The Animals, Petula Clark, The Rolling Stones, :Procol Harum, The Turtles, Del Shannon, The Temptations, James Brown, Fontella Bass, Blues Image, Booker T & The MGs, The Four Tops, The Lovin’ Spoonful, Them, The Left Banke, Fats Domino, The Kinks, and many more!

8:00 p.m. Gregg Allman Live at The House of Blues, New Orleans, LA, December 31, 2012

We’re closing out the programming this evening with Gregg Allman live on a solo tour. This performance comes from a great venue I’ve visited several times, The House of Blues in New Orleans.

We’re getting closer to the weekend and, as usual, we’ve got great music to help you get there! Tune us in. We’re 100% free. No small print. No credit card. No subscription. Just hit the button below.

The Button!

At Midweek We Have Two EP’s, and We Debut Our ‘We Dissent’ Volume This Afternoon, On Wednesday, June 11, 2025

Good morning, music lovers. Today we’ve got two EP’s in the cue giving you plenty of Open Stream with a theme! Our programming today includes ‘We Dissent,’ a four-hour history of protest music, very appropriate for our times.

Here’s your midweek lineup:

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

First us it songs about life on the road with Canned Heat, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Jackson Browne, Bonnie Raitt, Dan Fogelberg, Bruce Springsteen, Linda Ronstadt, Led Zeppelin, The Doors, Paul McCartney & Wings, Little Feat, The Band, Willie Nelson, Janis Joplin, Guy Clark, The Birds, Asleep at The Wheel, Mudcrutch, The Traveling Wilburys, Tom Rush, Buffalo Springfield, The Guess Who, and more!

4:00 p.m. We Dissent: Various Artists NEW!

Music for our times with The Who, The Beatles, Tracy Chapman, Woody Guthrie, Phil Ochs, Billie Holiday, Patti Smith, Bruce Springsteen, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Peter, Paul & Mary, Pete Seeger, Nina Simone, Sam Cooke, Marvin Gaye, The Doors, Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Joni Mitchell, Buffalo Springfield, The Temptations, Stevie Wonder, Peter Gabriel, Jimmy Cliff, Bob Marley & The Wailers, and more!

We are anti-capitalist, freedom-loving humans here who believe we all belong and we will continue to uphold those beliefs. We’re on 24/7, there’s no commercial advertising, and there’s no subscription required. We have not waded into “politics” and we do not believe what we are saying is about “politics” as usual. Our dangerous times require us to speak out. Please join us for ‘We Dissent.’ The button is below.

WE DISSENT!

At Midweek It’s Our House EP, Janis ‘In The Spotlight,’ and John Fogerty Live at Red Rocks, on Wednesday, June 4, 2025

Good morning, musicologists, and welcome to the midweek show! Today we’ve got our fantastic House EP starting off, then it’s a Janis Joplin ‘Spotlight’ feature and live John Fogerty celebrating 50 years in music!

Here’s your midweek musical lineup:

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

Yes, the music that inspired the radio station with 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, Joan Baez, Bob Marley & The Wailers, CSNY, Pink Floyd, The Animals, Ten Years After, The Plastic Ono Band, Sam Cooke, The Rolling Stones, Joni Mitchell, Jimi Hendrix, Three Dog Night, Jimmy Cliff, Richie Havens, Marvin Gaye, Phil Ochs, Tom Rush, The Band and more!

4:00 p.m. In The Spotlight: The Music of Janis Joplin

This afternoon we take a trip down memory lane with Janis Joplin and her fantastic blues rock catalogue!

8:00 p.m. John Fogerty Live at Red Rocks Amphitheater, Morrison, CO, June 20, 2019

We close out the midweek programming with John Fogerty live and celebrating his 50th year in music!

No hype; just music. No subscription required; no commercial advertising. We have absolutely nothing to sell you. Not even a tee shirt. We’re anti-capitalist, and we love it that way. The button is below.

The Button!

We Close Out Festival Week With Performances from Judy Collins and Joan Baez, and Our ‘M is For Motown’ EP, on Sunday, May 11, 2025. Happy Mother’s Day!

Good morning, weekenders, and Happy Mother’s Day to all you mothers out there! Festival Week ends today with live performances from both Judy Collins and Joan Baez (to close out the day). We begin the morning with our soulful Motown EP.

Here’s your Sunday Funday lineup:

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

We open it up with our tribute to Motown stars like 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. Judy Collins Live at The Newport Folk Festival, Fort Adams State Park, Newport, RI, 1957-1966

Judy Collins appeared at the vaunted festival several times. This is a compilation of her performances from 1957 and 1966.

8:00 p.m. Joan Baez Live at The Newport Folk Festival, Fort Adams State Park, Newport, RI, July 26 & 27, 1968

We close out Festival Week with Joan Baez’s 1968 performance at the Newport Folk Festival.

Could this be a time for another great folk resurgence? We think so. Artists like Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger birthed the protest song, then Bob Dylan took up the mantle. We love the genre here, and we certainly think the time is right. Join us today as we close out Festival Week. The button is below.

Happy Mother’s Day!

On Friday It’s The Newport Folk Festival With Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Johnny Cash and Richard & Mimi Farina, May 9, 2025

Good morning, folk music lovers! We’ve got a different arrangement today here in The Lounge. There is no available compilation from the Newport Folk Festivals, so we’re working on that for our next Festival Week. In the meantime, we’ve got a fantastic lineup today!

Here’s your Friday lineup:

9:00 a.m. Joni Mitchell Live at The Newport Folk Festival, Fort Adams State Park, Newport, RI, July 19, 1969

We start out the day with the legend herself, Joni Mitchell, and her full performance from the 1969 festival.

12:00 p.m. Bob Dylan Live at The Newport Folk Festival, Fort Adams State Park, Newport, RI, 1963-1965

Dylan is up next and this is a compilation of his appearances during the years 1963, 1964, and 1965. Of course, 1965 was the year he raised the hackles of many folk purists by having the audacity to appear on stage with an electric guitar! Enter the folk-rock genre.

4:00 p.m. Richard & Mimi Farina Live at The Newport Folk Festival, Fort Adams State Park, Newport, RI, July 25, 1965

Richard and Mimi Farina made their start in the clubs of Cambridge and Boston, Massachusetts, and became stalwarts of the folk music scene before Richard’s untimely death at the age of 29.

8:00 p.m. Johnny Cash Live at The Newport Folk Festival, Fort Adams State Park, Newport, RI, July 16, 1964

We close the festivities with the great Johnny Cash on stage at Newport from 1964, a great way to end the day’s programming.

Remember, festival week extends through Sunday. We still have some great programming in store for you all, so be sure to stick around! You won’t be disappointed. We’re on 24/7. We’re totally free. We do not run any commercial advertising. And we play the best damned music on the planet. The button is below.

Newport Folk Festival!