It’s a Folk Music Kind of Monday With Our A-Z Playlist and Bruce Springsteen’s Seeger Sessions, February 22, 2021

Good Morning, Musicologists. This is your day if you’re into folk music. We’ve got a great plalist that runs just under three hours. We also have some live music from Dublin featuring Springsteen and his Seeger Sessions Band.

We’ve got some great folk music going down today from The Mermaid Lounge,

Here’s today’s line-up:

11:00 a.m. Folk Music From A-Z: Various Artists

We’ve already expanded this play list once on a modest scale, but we’ve got an even bigger updated and expansion planned over the nest few weeks. In the meantime, you can hear just under three hours of Bob Dylan, Tim Hardin, Richie Havens, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, Cat Stevens, Pete Seeger, Judy Collins, Woody and Arlo Guthrie, Odetta, John Hartford, Tom Rush, Harry Chapin and more!

5:00 p.m. Bruce Springsteen & The Sessions Band: Live at the Point Theatre, Dublin, Ireland

Springsteen dropped the “Seeger” from the sessions band for this album performance; something we think is a shame. Ultimately this is Springsteens ‘take’ on Pete Seeger;s music, recorded November 17-19, 2006 in Dublin, Ireland.

The rest of the day is devoted to Open Stream, so tune us in. We’re sure you’ll like today’s music selection, and we’re completely free. No credit card of personal information is required. No advertising accepted. What are you waiting for?

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It’s Sunday in The Mermaid Lounge With Emmylou Harris’ “Wrecking Ball” and Our Sixties Rotation (Volume 1), February 21, 2021

Good Morning, Musicologists! It’s a bright sunny day here in the Boston area, in stark contrast to the past few days. It considerably improves the mood.

Emmylou Harris owns our Album of The Week. By anyone’s standards, “Wrecking Ball” was brilliant.

Here’s today’s line-up:

11:00 a.m. Album of The Week: Wrecking Ball by Emmylou Harris NEW!

Wrecking Ball was Emmylou Harris’ eighteenth release, and it was also a career-redefining effort, her music taking on a sharper edge as she combined with Daniel Lanois (known for his work with U2). She covered songs by Neil Young (the title song), Daniel Lanois, Steve Earle, Bob Dylan, and Lucinda Williams (not a complete list). Many helped out with the instruments and vocals. It won the 1996 Grammy Award as The Best Contemporary Folk Recording.This is a spectacular album. Not to be missed, people.

3:00 p.m. The Sixties Rotation, Volume One: Various Artists

Our monthly tribute to those who inspired this radio station is once again afoot. This is the original Sixties Rotation (we have two) where you will hear five hours of uninterrupted gems from Simon & Garfunkel, The Byrds, The Searchers, Dusty Springfield, The Beatles, The Hollies, Blind Faith, Jeff Beck, Johnny Rivers, Sonny & Cher, The Everly Brothers, Joe Cocker, Roy Orbison, Petula Clark, and many more!

Now, listen, folks. It’s Sunday. A day of rest, no matter what the capitalists tell you. Nobody needs to spend money seven days a fucking week. Got it? Kick back, put your feet up, and tune in some great music. It doesn’t cost you a penny, there’s no credit card or personal information reqired. Just your computer and a free tab.

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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.

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Here’s Today’s Lesson From the College of Rock n’ Roll Knowledge: 2/18/2021

Good Afternoon, Music Lovers! We’ve got your trivia lesson here guaranteed to make you the envy of your family and friends. You’ll impress them with the wealth of useless information you have!

Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers with producer Denny Cordell.

Here’s today’s lesson:

February 18, 1959: Ray Charles recorded What’d I Say.

February 18, 1963: Peter, Paul & Mary released their single Puff The Magic Dragon.

February 18, 1965: The Beatles recorded two new songs on this day, You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away and Tell Me What You See.

Also on this day, The Beatles’ publishing company, Northern Songs, appears on the London Stock Exchange.

The Kinks get into the act on this day also by topping the UK chart with Tired Of Waiting For You.

February 18, 1968: Paul McCartney and Ring Starr headed to Rishikesh, India to meet up with John Lennon and George Harrison. There they will study under the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.

Also on this day, Pink Floyd fired erratic frontman Syd Barrett.

February 18, 1969: The Jimi Hendrix Experience performed at Royal Albert Hall in London.

February 18, 1972: Neil Young’s Harvest album was certified Gold.

February 18, 1973: The nationally-syndicated King Biscuit Flower Hour made its debut, featuring Blood, Sweat & Tears, the Mahavishnu Orchestra, and Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band.

February 18, 1980: Bob Seger released the hit Fire Lake.

February 18, 1985: Don Henley released the single All She Wants To Do Is Dance.

February 18, 1995: Denny Cordell, who produced Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, The Moody Blues, and Procol Harum dies in Dublin of lymphoma at the age of 51.

February 18, 2006: The Rolling Stones gave a free concert at Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janiero, Brazil, with 1.5 million people in attendance.

February 18, 2007: Norah Jones went to #1 on the Album chart with Not Too Late, her third consecutive #1.

Born On This Day

February 18, 1934: Skip Battin, singer-songwriter and bassist for The Byrds, the New Riders of The Purple Sage, and The Flying Burrito Brothers was born in Gallipolis, Ohio.

February 18, 1941: Irma Thomas, The Soul Queen of New Orleans, was born in Ponchatoula, Louisiana.

February 18, 1948: Keith Knudson, songwriter and drummer for The Doobie Brothers, was born in LeMars, Iowa.

February 18, 1953: Robbie Bachman, drummer of Bachman-Turner Overdrive, was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.

And that is your lesson for today!

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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The Doors to the College of Rock n’ Roll Knowledge are Back Open: 2/17/2021

Well, we’re back up and running again. I am not sure the stamina is there to get this done every day, but I’m sure going to give it a hell of a shot.

Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash recorded together when Dylan was making Nashville Skyline. One of the songs found its way onto the album.

Here’s today’s lesson:

February 17, 1955: Little Richard sent his first audition tape to Specialty Records.

February 17, 1960: Elvis Presley received his first Gold Record for his debut album, Elvis.

Also on this day, after a string of hits on Cadence Records, The Everly Brothers sign a 10-year contract with Warner Brothers. The price is said to be a million dollars, but many think that was inflated for PR purposes.

February 17, 1962: The Beach Boys debuted on the charts with the song Surfin’.

February 17, 1964: Chad & Jeremy appear on the Patty Duke Show.

February 17, 1965: The Kinks release their single Tired of Waiting For You.

February 17, 1966: James Brown recorded It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s World at Bob Gallo’s Talentmasters studio in New York. The song would eventually top the Billboard R & B chart.

Also on this day, The Beach Boys begin recording the Brian Wilson masterpiece, Good Vibrations. It would take eleven sessions and multiple layered overdubs to complete the song. Although it hit #1 around the globe and sold millions of copies, it would be the band’s last #1 for the next ten years.

February 17, 1967: The Beatles’ double A-side hit Penny Lane/Strawberry Fields Forever was released in the US.

Also on this day, The Beatles began recording a John Lennon song, Being For The Benefit of Mr. Kite. The lyrics were taken from an antique poster that Lennon bought promoting a circus performance that took place in February 1843 in Rochdale, Lancashire.

February 17, 1968: Big Brother & The Holding Company signed a recording contract with the new CBS label, Columbia Records.

February 17, 1969: Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash got together to record some duets in Nashville while Dylan was recording his Nashville Skyline album. The song Girl From the North Country finds its way onto Dylan’s album. Cash wrote the liner notes for the album. The rest of their session would be released later.

February 17, 1971: James Taylor makes his debut on ABC’s Johnny Cash Show.

February 17, 1972: Pink Floyd wrapped up a tour of the UK with the first of four shows at The Rainbow Theatre in London. They perform Eclipse at the show. A year later, it becomes The Dark Side of the Moon album.

Born On This Day

February 17, 1941: Gene Pitney, who had hits with It Hurts To Be In Love and Only Love Can Break A Heart, was born in Hartford, Connecticut.

February 17, 1972: Taylor Hawkins, who was touring drummer for Alanis Morissette’s Jagged Little Pill tour, and drummer for the Foo Fighters, was born in Fort Worth, Texas.

And that is it for today.

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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