We Head to the Weekend With Our House EP, Simon & Garfunkel, and Clapton & Winwood, Thursday, August 1, 2024

Good morning, musicologists! Here we are on the downslide to the weekend and at the beginning of a brand new month, and we’ve got a great lineup for you today that starts out with our official House EP!

Here’s your musical lineup:

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

We’re back with the music that inspired the 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, 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, Tom Rush, Pete Seeger, The Band, Nina Simone, Janis Joplin, Linda Ronstadt and more!

4:00 p.m. In the Spotlight: The Music of Simon & Garfunkel

The kids who met in grammar school and who made their first live appearance in their teens went on to dominate the music scene and sell more than 100 million records worldwide.

7:00 p.m. Eric Clapton & Steve Winwood Live at Madison Square Garden, New York, NY, February 25-28, 2008

Two masters of their craft together live on stage at Madison Square Garden with music from their days together in Blind Faith and beyond.

Great day to tune us in. It’s going to be brutal here today as we all grapple with global warming. (Yeah. And it is real.) But The Music Mermaid is cool as a cucumber here in The Lounge and she’ll keep everything on track. Just use the button below!

We Keep It Simple On Monday With ‘The Best of Reggae & Ska’ and ‘The Original Sixties Rotation’ EP, July 22, 2024

Good morning, musicologists everywhere! We are back to Monday, Monday again and we’ve got some great stuff waiting in the wings!

Here’s your musical lineup:

10:00 a.m. The Best of Reggae & Ska: Various Artists

Time to bust this one out again! We’ll hear Bob Marley & The Wailers, Prince Buster, Desmond Dekker & The Aces, Peter Tosh, Jimmy Cliff, Judy Mowatt, Laurel Aitken, Marcia Griffiths, Rita Marley, The Jiving Juniors, Derrick Morgan, The I-Threes and many more!

3:00 p.m. The Original Sixties Rotation: Various Artists

One of our original playlists that morphed into a monster and split in two. In this volume you’ll hear The Beatles, The Monkees, Sonny & Cher, Joe Cocker, Simon & Garfunkel, Little Eva, 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, The Box Tops, Blues Image, Booker T & The MG’s, The Four Tops, The Lovin’ Spoonful, Them, The Left Banke, Fats Domino and many more!

Before, in between and all through the night it’s our big, wide Open Stream. And today is no exception. We’re totally free and we’re also totally free of commercial advertising. Use the button below.

We Start Off Thursday ‘Under The Influence’, Then It’s Lucinda Williams and The Heartbreakers, July 11, 2024

Good morning, musicologists! We’re going to open up with some really great tunes about being ‘Under The Influence’, then it’s a Lucinda Williams Spotlight feature and Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers as cover band.

Here’s your musical mayhem for Thursday:

9:00 a.m. Under The Influence: Various Artists

Plenty of songs about being under the influence, both legal and not so legal. 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!

4:00 p.m. In The Spotlight: Lucinda Williams

We have singer-songwriter extraordinaire, Lucinda Williams, In the Spotlight today.

8:00 p.m. Petty Theft: The Covers

The same qualities that make Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers the best American rock and roll band make them the best cover band. Tonight you hear them cover their favorite songs by the bands who influenced their music.

Remember, it’s a 24/7 deal, totally free and completely devoid of commercial advertising. We’re anti-capitalists. We’re in it for the music.

We’re at Midweek With ‘A Little Bit O’Soul’, Live Bob Marley and Ry Cooder In the Spotlight, Wednesday, June 26, 2024

Good morning, musicologists. We’re at midweek and we’ve got our ‘A Little Bit O’ Soul’ EP, The Wailers at The Record Plant and a brand new Spotlight featuring Ry Cooder.

UNSPECIFIED – CIRCA 1970: Photo of Ry Cooder Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

Here’s your midweek musical lineup:

9:00 a.m. A Little Bit O’ Soul: Various Artists

This is the big kahuna of soul with Aretha Franklin, The Temptations, The Four Tops, The Ronettes, Marvin Gaye, Ray Charles, Otis Redding, Jimmy Ruffin, The Drifters, Chuck Berry, Stevie Wonder, Carla Thomas, James Brown, The Shirelles, Etta James, Curtis Mayfield, Sam & Dave, The Staple Singers, Nina Simone, LaVern Baker, The Supremes, Sam Cooke, Edwin Starr, Fontella Bass, Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, Irma Thomas, The Box Tops, Jr Walker & The All Stars, Percy Sledge, Al Green and more.

4:00 p.m. Bob Marley & The Wailers Live at The Record Plant, Sausalito, CA, October 13, 1973

The Legend and his bandmates take over The Record Plant for a great performance.

Truly one of the most incredible artists of our time. To this day, Linda Ronstadt calls Ry Cooder the best guitarist she’s ever worked with. He is a master of the slide guitar, and is one of the most sought-after studio musicians. He is also known for his collaborations with a variety of artists from a variety of musical backgrounds, like Taj Mahal, The Chieftains, and Ali Farka Toure. Ry Cooder has earned his place In The Spotlight.

Celebrate Friday With Live Bob Marley and Linda Ronstadt, and a Valerie Carter Spotlight Feature, June 7, 2024

Welcome to Friday here in The Mermaid Lounge. Today we’ve got two great live performances, one by Bob Marley and the other by Linda Ronstadt, plus a Spotlight feature with the late, great Valerie Carter.

Here’s your Friday lineup:

10:00 a.m. Bob Marley & The Wailers Live at The Stanley Theater, Pittsburgh, PA, September 23, 1980

In spite of his ill health, The Legend was game. This would be Bob Marley’s final live performance before his death from melanoma.

4:00 p.m. Linda Ronstadt Live at Nippon Budokan Hall, Tokyo, Japan, March 3, 1979

By 1979, Linda’s career was in full bloom, and she was touring largely in support of her Living In The U.S.A. album. I flew out to the L.A. Forum to see her December 24, 1978 show. Her Japan shows on this tour were March 1, 2 and 3 of 1979.

Closing out today’s programming we have the late, very great singer-songwriter Valerie Carter, who was also a friend of Linda. I saw them together at The Orpheum in Boston when Valerie opened for her and then joined her on stage for several songs. Valerie Carter left us too soon, but her music is forever.

We Welcome June in The Lounge With Our House EP, and Live Music From Mark Knopfler & Emmylou Harris and George Harrison, Saturday, June 1, 2024

Good morning, music lovers. We kick off the month of June with our House EP and two sets of great live music.

Here’s your musical lineup:

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

This is one of the first EP’s we ever put together. You’ll hear 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, 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, Tom Rush, Pete Seeger, The Band, Nina Simone, Janis Joplin, Linda Ronstadt and more!

4:00 p.m. Mark Knopfler & Emmylou Harris Live at The Arena Di Verona, Verona, Veneto, Italy, June 3, 2006

Mark Knopfler and Emmylou Harris hit the road in support of their All The Roadrunning album.

8:00 p.m. George Harrison Live at The Capitol Center, Landover, MD, December 13, 1974

Tonight we feature George Harrison live on his Dark Horse Tour.

Tune us in, kids. We’re on 24/7 and we’re totally free of charge to all. We don’t ask for your credit card or personal information. All you need to do is hit the button below.

‘The Best of Reggae & Ska’, ‘Soulsville, USA’ and ‘Live’ Mudcrutch Are All On Tap For Monday, May 20, 2024

Good morning, workforce! We’re all back at it for another week and we aim to start it off on a great note with a pretty eclectic lineup!

Here’s your Monday, Monday lineup:

10:00 a.m. The Best of Reggae & Ska: Various Artists

We love this playlist, but it’s a first pass. We are poised for expansion and, perhaps, splitting it into two volumes, but I digress. You will hear Bob Marley & The Wailers, Prince Buster, Desmond Dekker (with and without The Aces), Peter Tosh, Jimmy Cliff, Judy Mowatt, Laurel Aitken, Marcia Griffiths, Rita Marley, The Jiving Juniors, Derrick Morgan and more!

4:00 p.m. Soulsville, USA: The Music of Stax Records

There’s Motown and then there’s Stax, where the ‘house’ band was the great Booker T & The MG’s. In addition to Booker T, you’ll hear Albert King, Otis Redding, Sam & Dave, The Staple Singers, Carla Thomas, Eddie Floyd, Isaac Hayes, The Dramatics and more. By the way, the Stax documentary produced by HBO begins streaming today!

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

We’ve got a Mudcrutch Monday on tap today as we give you their live performance from the band’s great 2016 tour. Still kicking myself for missing them at Boston’s House of Blues, but at least I have this!

Yes, it’s Monday and Mondays suck in general, but they don’t have to. Just join us here. We’ll make your life better. And we’re free.

At Midweek, We’re ‘Under The Influence’ With a Spotlight on The Band, and Some Live Little Feat, Wednesday, May 8, 2024

Good morning, musicologists! We take a favorite EP out of mothballs today and give you a Spotlight feature on The Band and ‘Live’ Little Feat from London.

Here’s your midweek musical lineup:

9:00 a.m. Under The Influence: Various Artists

We have all been here. There’s no denying it. Some of our ‘influences’ have been legal; some decidedly not. You’ll hear Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, The Byrds, Bob Dylan, Arlo Guthrie, 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!

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

They were once Bob Dylan’s backup band. That’s how they got their name. They were referred to as ‘the band’. And then, they morphed into one of the most prolific and influential musical groups of their generation. They are In The Spotlight today.

8:00 p.m. Little Feat Live at The Rainbow Theatre, London, UK, August 4, 1977

Speaking of great bands, we close the programming with a great live performance from Little Feat from The Rainbow in London.

I hear the weather is going to be nasty today here in the Boston area, rainy with possibly our first round of thunderstorms this season. We’ll see. But if I could hunker down here today with this great music, I’d be doing it. The button’s below.

Saturday is For ‘Water, Water Everywhere’, Bob Marley & The Wailers and The Stone Poneys, April 13, 2024

Good morning, music lovers and welcome to the official weekend, brought to you by the Labor Movement. We’ve got a great lineup for you today for sure, so stick around.

Here’s your musical lineup:

9:00 a.m. Water, Water Everywhere: Various Artists

Water is a popular topic in all its forms. Just ask Paul McCartney, Deep Purple, Joe Cocker, Simon & Garfunkel, The Beatles, Bruce Springsteen, Jackson Browne, Otis Redding, 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, Tom Rush, Donovan, America, Johnny Rivers and more!

4:00 p.m. Bob Marley & The Wailers Live at Westfalenhalle, Dortmund, Germany, June 13, 1980

There are only two Jamaican musicians in the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame. Jimmy Cliff is one. This guy is the other; the man who made Reggae accessible to the entire world. Today we’ve got him recorded live in Dortmund for Rockpalast.

8:00 p.m. In The Spotlight: The Music of The Stone Poneys Featuring Linda Ronstadt

Who knew that when she left Tuscon and went out to L.A. to hang out and make music with Bobby Kimmel and Kenny Edwards that she would turn into the Queen of Rock for two solid decades. This evening we’ve got the beginnings of the amazing career of Linda Ronstadt.

Join us today as we spread the musical around the globe freely. We’re all about the music. There’s not much chatter. There is no commercial advertising. And there’s no need for your credit card or personal information. Give us a try.

We Begin Anew With Emmylou Harris, The Best of Reggae & SKA and Music From ‘The Queens’, Monday, April 1, 2024

Good morning, music lovers! It may be April Fool’s Day, but we’re not fooling around here in The Mermaid Lounge. After a day off from programming we’re back with some great programming selections!

Here’s your April Fools Day lineup:

10:00 a.m. Emmylou Harris With The Daniel Lanois Band Live at Shepherd’s Bush Empire, London, UK, November 23, 1995

On her eighteenth studio album, Wrecking Ball, Emmylou Harris moved away from her traditional acoustic sound to work with Daniel Lanois. I don’t need to write a trove of stuff here when you can read this great review from Pitchfork. We start the day with her live performance with The Daniel Lanois band in 1995. Hear it for yourself.

2:00 p.m. The Best of Reggae & Ska: Various Artists

We will be expanding this soon, but for now it’s a pretty damned good playlist. You’ll hear Bob Marley & The Wailers, Prince Buster, Desmond Dekker & The Aces, Laurel Aitken, Derrick Morgan, Jimmy Cliff, Peter Tosh, Judy Mowatt, Bunny Wailer, Rita Marley, The Rhythm Aces, Marcia Griffiths, the Jiving Juniors and more!

7:00 p.m. Long Live The Queens: Various Artists

Haven’t spun this one for a while, but we give you Koko Taylor (The Queen of The Blues), Aretha Franklin (The Queen of Soul), Irma Thomas (The Soul Queen of New Orleans), and Linda Ronstadt (The Queen of Rock) all in one very enjoyable playlist. Don’t miss it.

Time flies when you’re having fun, and we are having fun here in The Mermaid Lounge. It’s already April and we’re easing into a new approach here and we’ll be adding new artists that have been on the waiting list for a while. Keep us tuned in.