Category: Rock n’ Roll

Monday’s Back With a New Talking Heads Spotlight, Then Live Mudcrutch and The Magnolia Sisters, September 9, 2024

Good morning, music lovers and welcome to the work week once again. Today we’ve got a brand new Spotlight featuring Talking Heads for starters. It doesn’t end there!

Here’s Monday’s musical lineup:

10:00 a.m. In The Spotlight: Talking Heads NEW!

Yes, it’s one of our few trips into the 1980’s, even though I found the whole ‘big suit’ thing mildly disturbing at some level. Despite that suit, Stop Making Sense was one of the finest concert films ever made. Little Creatures was one of the finest albums ever made. The sixties and seventies we love; the eighties not so much but these folks definitely made the cut. We’ve got a brand new Spotlight feature for them today.

4:00 p.m. Mudcrutch: The 2016 Tour Best Live Performances

This is a great compilation of songs from Mudcrutch’s 2016 tour and includes the most incredible live performance of Hungry No More (my favorite Mudcrutch song) which was recorded at Boston’s House of Blues. I have two huge regrets in my musical life. Missing this concert was one of them. (The other was missing The Heartbreakers 2017 tour, which would be their last before Tom Petty passed.)

8:00 p.m. The Magnolia Sisters Live at The Simi Valley Cajun & Blues Festival, Rancho Santa Suzanna Community Park, Simi Valley, CA, May 23, 2015

It doesn’t surprise me that you probably don’t know this band. They do not play in the top ten, or even in the standard popular music arena. They are the only all-woman authentic Cajun Band led by legendary Ann Savoy, and they are amazing. We are definitely fans of Cajun/Zydeco music here in The Mermaid Lounge and these ladies deliver.

This is a pretty eclectic lineup today and it plays uninterrupted by commercial advertising. Expand your musical horizons. It won’t cost you a thing. The button is below.

New Talking Heads!

Sunday Funday Brings Warren Zevon, Our ‘Under The Influence’ EP and Live Brandi Carlile, September 8, 2024

Good morning, musicologists! It’s Sunday in The Lounge and we’ve got a great lineup for you that includes our first ‘live’ performance from Brandi Carlile!

Here’s your Sunday Funday lineup:

10:00 a.m. In The Spotlight: The Music of Warren Zevon

We lost one of the greatest singer-songwriters in music on September 7, 2003. Warren Zevon was not only a great performer in his own right, but he was a man whose music was recorded by many other artists. Today we pay him tribute by putting him In The Spotlight.

2:00 p.m. Brandi Carlile Live at Benaroya Hall, Seattle, WA, November 19, 2010 NEW!

Today we feature our first live performance by singer-songwriter Brandi Carlile. She appears in concert here with the Seattle Symphony Orchestra.

5:00 p.m. Under The Influence: Various Artists

We take a trip through the evening with five hours of music that is about being under the influence of various stimulants, some legal and some not. You’ll hear Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, The Byrds, Arlo Guthrie, Bob Dylan, Linda Ronstadt, Little Feat, The Rolling Stones, Small Faces, Jimi Hendrix, Steely Dan, New Riders of The Purple Sage, Talking Heads, Neil Young, The Beatles, Bob Marley & The Wailers, Foreigner, Jonathan Edwards, John Lee Hooker, Donovan and more!

It’s a day of rest, and the weather is beautiful here in the Boston area. The sun is shining and it’s actually just a bit chilly this morning. A great day to kick back and listen to some great music! The button is below.

Welcome to Sunday Funday!

Today It’s Our ‘Travelin’ Fever’ EP, a Phoebe Snow Spotlight & Live Heartbreakers, on Saturday, September 7, 2024

Good morning, weekenders! Once again, we start the weekend off with a bang, including a brand new Spotlight featuring the late, great Phoebe Snow that has been a long time coming.

Here’s your Saturday lineup:

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

Life on the road is a popular music topic of note. You’ll hear Canned Heat, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Creedence Clearwater Revival, the Steve Miller Band, Jackson Browne, Bonnie Raitt, Dan Fogelberg, Bruce Springsteen, Linda Ronstadt, Led Zeppelin, Paul McCartney & Wings, The Doors, The Eagles, Little Feat, The Band, Willie Nelson, Edwin Starr, Janis Joplin, The Byrds, Guy Clark, Joan Baez, Asleep At the Wheel, The Traveling Wilburys, Mudcrutch, Loggins & Messina, Buffalo Springfield, Ray Charles, The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Emmylou Harris, Del Shannon and more!

4:00 p.m. In The Spotlight: The Music of Phoebe Snow NEW!

Phoebe Snow was an amazing singer, songwriter and guitarist who shot into the public sphere with her song Poetry Man back in 1974. She released a series of great albums before fading from the music scene to take care of her daughter, who was born with severe brain damage. She cared for her daughter until her death at the age of 31. While this undoubtedly nearly ended her career, Snow left a legacy of great music behind.

8:00 p.m. Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers Live at The Docks, Hamburg, Germany, April 23, 1999

The Heartbreakers tear it up at The Docks in a performance recorded for the German TV show, Rockpalast.

Hey, it’s the weekend. There’s absolutely no excuse for not tuning us in. We’re totally free 24/7 and circulate 27,000 music files on a continuous basis. We break that up a bit with some great programming. The button’s below.

New Phoebe Snow!

It’s ‘Live’ Steely Dan, a Beach Boys Spotlight, and Volume Five of The All-Girl Revue on Friday, September 6, 2024

Good morning, musicologists! We are on the cusp of the weekend and we’ve got three great pieces of programming for you today, starting with some new ‘live’ music from one of our favorites, Steely Dan!

Here’s your end-of-the-work-week lineup:

10:00 a.m. Steely Dan Live at The Nissan Pavillion, Bristow, VA, July 21, 1996 NEW!

Undoubtedly one of the best bands to come out of the seventies. This was a stop on their very ambitious Art Crimes Tour, and many consider this performance one of their best-ever shows. Give it a listen.

4:00 p.m. In The Spotlight: The Music of The Beach Boys

We haven’t cued this one up in a while. Is there a better band that signifies the sounds of summer? We don’t think so. And then, there’s the genius of Brian Wilson.

8:00 p.m. The All-Girl Revue: Various Artists

We had a handful of these shorter shows from the ladies and, eventually, we rolled them into ‘Ladies Day Out’ and added even more! These come in handy when we need a fix. You’ll hear Joni Mitchell, Carly Simon, Jackie DeShannon, Carole King, Linda Ronstadt, Rosanne Cash, Joan Baez, Janis Joplin, Karla Bonoff, Wendy Waldman, Marcia Ball, Irma Thomas, Aretha Franklin, Judy Collins and more!

I’m here listening with you until retail hell calls, when The Music Mermaid will take over and help you through the afternoon. We’re on 24/7. We’re totally free. And there’s absofuckinglutely no commercial advertising. We’re all about the music.

New Steely Dan!

Today Brings Our ‘In Your Dreams’ EP, and Live Shows From The Highwaymen and Emmylou Harris, September 5, 2024

Good morning, musicologists! If you like dreaming and real country music, then this is your day, folks. We start streaming and dreaming at 9:00 a.m. then we have to great live country shows.

Here’s your musical lineup:

9:00 a.m. In Your Dreams: Various Artists

We start things off with songs about dreams and dreaming with The Everly Brothers, the Moody Blues, Van Morrison, the Flying Burrito Brothers, The Monkees, The Mamas & The Papas, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Linda Ronstadt, Randy Newman, The Monkees, Bob Dylan, Jimmy Buffett, Widespread Panic, Jackson Browne, Mudcrutch, Aretha Franklin, Patsy Cline, Harry Chapin, Roy Orbison, Townes Van Zandt, the Electric Prunes, Dusty Springfield, John Prine, Tom Rush, Melissa Etheridge, Electric Light Orchestra and more!

4:00 p.m. The Highwaymen Live at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, NY, March 14, 1990

This alliance brought the first bona fide country music supergroup (but not the last; we have them next week). Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Kris Kristofferson and Johnny Cash were pioneers of the outlaw country music genre, and today we have them live at the Nassau Coliseum.

8:00 p.m. Emmylou Harris & The Nash Ramblers Live at The Tennessee Performing Arts Center, Nashville, TN, September 28, 1990

This one is known as The Lost Concert, and it took place about a year before their concert that literally saved the original home of The Grand Ole Opry, The Ryman. Emmylou Harris has been an outlaw in her own right, assembling some of the best backup bands in the country music industry and challenging the norms. This great show was finally unearthed by Rhino Records and released in 2021.

It’s a great day for country music lovers, so just hit the button below and you’re in! It’s as simple as that. See for yourself!

Streaming & Dreaming!

Midweek Brings ‘The Female Species’, Peter, Paul & Mary, and Live Allman Brothers Band, Wednesday, September 4, 2024

Good morning, musicologists and welcome to the midweek hump! We’ll help you cross over to the downslide to the weekend in style with some fine music!

Here’s your midweek lineup:

9:00 a.m. The Female Species: Various Artists

Not songs by women, but about women from Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Talking Heads, Jackson Browne, The Boogaloo Swamis, John Mayall, Hot Tuna, The Eagles, Elvis Presley, Electric Light Orchestra, Fleetwood Mac, Percy Sledge, The Beatles, Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac, America, Roy Orbison, Billy Joel, Jimi Hendrix, Aretha Franklin, Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, The Beach Boys, The Temptations, Linda Ronstadt and more!

4:00 p.m. In The Spotlight: Peter, Paul & Mary NEW!

Today we finally get around to a playlist for undoubtedly the most iconic band from the great sixties folk revival, formed in New York City back in 1961.

8:00 p.m. The Allman Brothers Band Live at A & R Studios, New York, New York, August 26, 1971

We close out the programming with a great live in-studio performance by The Brothers. Always a treat.

We’re not just playing great music when we have programming. We are on 24/7 with our big, wide Open Stream! And we’re free of charge and free from commercial interruptions!

The Female Species Returns!

‘Ladies Sing The Blues’, EC & Friends, and James Cotton Deliver The Goods on Tuesday Bluesday, September 3, 2024

Good morning, bluesologists and welcome to another Tuesday Bluesday in The Mermaid Lounge. We begin the festivities and the blues month with the ladies large and in charge!

Here’s your Tuesday Bluesday Lineup:

9:00 a.m. Ladies Sing The Blues: Various Artists

The ladies dominate The Mermaid Lounge this morning, including Billie Holliday, Big Mama Thornton, Ruth Brown, Nina Simone, Janis Joplin, Koko Taylor, Bonnie Raitt, Christine McVie, Marcia Ball, Ellen McIlwaine, Susan Tedeschi, Irma Thomas, Tracy Nelson, Etta James, Linda Ronstadt, Sippie Wallace, Bessie Smith, Shawn Murphy, Angela Strehli, Aretha Franklin, The Blues Broads and more!

4:00 p.m. Eric Clapton & Friends Live at The Cow Palace, San Francisco, CA, December 2, 1983

EC’s friends include Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page, Joe Cocker, Charlie Watts, Bill Wyman, Ray Cooper, Andy Fairweather Lowe and others in a benefit concert (The ARMS Concert) for friend Ronnie Lane, who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1979.

8:00 p.m. The James Cotton Band Live at The Shaboo Inn, Willamantic, CT, December 6, 1974

We close out the Tuesday Bluesday programming with some great live James Cotton from what may seem an unlikely place called The Shaboo Inn in Willamantic, Connecticut.

Before, after and in between we give you our big, wide Open Stream. It’s a 24/7 commitment here in The Mermaid Lounge. Best of all, there’s no charge and no commercial advertising. We’re anti-capitalist.

Ladies Sing The Blues!

We Celebrate The Labor Movement With ‘Working Songs’ Then It’s The Beatles Top 100 Songs, Monday, September 2, 2024

Good morning, work-a-day people. It’s our day here and we’re celebrating in style with our expanded ‘Working Songs’ playlist. It’s not quite an EP. Yet. Then it’s on to The Beatles Top 100 songs at mid-afternoon!

Here’s your Labor Day lineup:

9:00 a.m. Working Songs: Various Artists UPDATED & EXPANDED!

Today we celebrate the American worker and the labor movement that gave us the weekend, worker protections and collective bargaining with Van Morrison, The Staple Singers, The Beatles, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Elvis Costello, Jim Croce, Little Feat, Woody Guthrie, Mudcrutch, Dolly Parton, Bachman Turner Overdrive, the J. Geils Band, Slim Harpo, Marvin Gaye, Lee Dorsey, Todd Rundgren, Sam Cooke, Neil Young, Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band.

3:00 p.m. The Beatles Top 100 Songs

From the slums of Liverpool to laboring in clubs throughout Europe to becoming the greatest rock band on the planet. There’s no better story in music. It’s a great way to celebrate Labor Day.

Before, in between and through the night we give you our big, wide Open Stream. We’re on 24/7 and the Music Mermaid is on duty all day long. There’s no commercial interruption and no endless DJ chatter. The button is below.

Celebrate Labor Day!

Today It’s Bob Dylan, Our House EP, and Some Hidden Gems From Emmylou Harris on Sunday, September 1, 2024

Good morning, music lovers! We break into a new month and season with some great stuff from Bob Dylan and Emmylou Harris, along with our House EP!

Here is your Sunday Funday lineup:

10:00 a.m. Bob Dylan: The Love Songs

Bob Dylan didn’t just write about social justice issues. He wrote some of the most amazing love songs on the planet, and we start the day there.

2:00 p.m. The #BecomeUngovernable House Playlist: Various Artists

This afternoon for five hours we’ve got the music that inspired the station from Barry McGuire, Edwin Starr, The Temptations, 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, Three Dog Night, Jimmy Cliff, Richie Havens, Marvin Gaye, The Association, Phil Ochs and more!

9:00 p.m. Emmylou Harris: Rare Tracks & Forgotten Gems

This is a short, but oh so sweet playlist of some of the things you may not know Emmylou Harris recorded, and some that have fallen through the cracks.

We’re on 24/7 uninterrupted by commercials or endless DJ chatter. We’re all about the music. See for yourself. The button is below!

Sunday Funday!

The Ladies Are in Charge on the Final Day of the Month, Then It’s ELO and Ian & Sylvia on Saturday, August 31, 2024

Good morning, weekenders! It’s the long Labor Day Weekend and we’ve got a great start in store as we open it up with our ‘Ladies Day Out’ multi-artist EP!

Here’s your weekend kickoff lineup:

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

The women of music are large and in charge today 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, Kate & Anna McGarrigle, Nicolette Larson, Sheryl Crow, Susan Tedeschi, Valerie Carter, Dusty Springfield, Dolly Parton and more!

4:00 p.m. Jeff Lynne’s ELO (Electric Light Orchestra) Live at Winterland Ballroom, San Francisco, CA, February 3, 1976

You’ll hear one great band led by one musical genius this afternoon in a performance in the iconic Winterland Ballroom.

8:00 p.m. In The Spotlight: Ian & Sylvia

A great folk music duo that sometimes falls through the cracks, but shouldn’t. Ian and Sylvia also became pioneers in country-rock after they moved to Nashville.

We begin the weekend in style today and we’re in holiday mood right through Monday! We’re on 24/7 for your listening pleasure at no cost to you and with no commercial interruption to break the flow. See for yourself. The button’s below.

We Celebrate Labor!