Friday Brings Vintage Joni Mitchell, a Musical Trip to New Orleans, and a Surprise Byrds Reunion, April 12, 2024

Good morning, musicologists! We have made it to the end of the week once again and we’ve got a great lineup for y’all today starting with the one and only Joni.

Here’s your musical lineup:

10:00 a.m. Joni Mitchell Live at Club 47, Cambridge, MA, January 10, 1968

Time to jump into the Wayback Machine again for this one at the famous Club 47 in my hometown. It would morph into Passim’s Coffee House, where I would spend a good deal of time hearing great music in Harvard Square. Many have passed through here on their way to their heralded musical careers, like Linda Ronstadt, Bonnie Raitt and Guy Clark. Then, there’s Joni Mitchell. And we’ve got that one today.

12:30 p.m. Down In New Orleans: Various Artists

Haven’t broken this one out in a while and it’s about damned time. We have authentic NOLA music mixed in with rock n’ roll artists who were born and raised there. You’ll hear BeauSoleil, Allen Toussaint, Dr. John. Buckwheat Zydeco, Fats Domino, Professor Longhair, Irma Thomas, Allen Fontenot, The Neville Brothers, Lucinda Williams, Boozoo Chavis, the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Louis Armstrong, Queen Ida & The Bon Temps Zydeco Band, The Daywalkers, Jerry Lee Lewis and more!

8:00 p.m. The Byrds Live at The Boarding House, San Francisco, CA, February 9, 1978

Here’s the story on this great performance. Three of the Byrds’ founding members, Roger McGuinn, Gene Clark and Chris Hillman were touring the west coast, each playing a short solo set and then convening on stage for some vintage Byrds tunes. On this particular night, David Crosby joined them on stage for several tunes (I think it was 9 songs), making it the closest thing to a Byrds reunion as you can get. The only missing piece was drummer Michael Clarke. It’s here tonight.

We’ve got some great stuff on tap for today. Don’t know about the weather where you are but we’re at monsoon level today I hear. Lots of wind and rain. Great day to hunker down with some great tunes.

Tomorrow is Officially Fat Tuesday and The Grand Finale of Mardi Gras Season, So The Mermaid Lounge Celebrates With Our ‘Down in New Orleans’ EP and The Neville Brothers In The Spotlight Later, Monday, February 20, 2023

Yes, folks, we’ve been in the midst of Mardi Gras and that is party time in party town! Since tomorrow is Tuesday Bluesday, we are celebrating today. Some of the greatest music on the planet comes from New Orleans and we’re giving it to you today!

Here’s your Mardi Gras lineup:

10:00 a.m. Down in New Orleans: Various Artists

We start off the day with just over four hours of great music from New Orleans. We feature original cajun/zydeco bands as well as artists who were born in New Orleans. Some of the band in this EP were ‘locals’ I discovered on a 2014 trip to The Big Easy. You’ll hear Fats Domino, Lucinda Williams, Professor Longhair, Boozoo Chavis, Tony Joe White, Kermit Ruffins, Louis Armstrong, The Daywalkers, Allen Toussaint, Dr. John, Jerry Lee Lewis, The Neville Brothers, Chance Bushman, The Boogaloo Swamis, La Touche, Irma Thomas (the Soul Queen of New Orleans), Kermit Venable, The Dirty Dozen Brass Band, The Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Allen Fontenot and more!

7:00 p.m. In The Spotlight: The Music of The Neville Brothers

The Neville Brothers are an R & B, soul and funk band formed in New Orleans in 1976. The members consisted of brothers Aaron, Art, Cyril and Charles, and have also intermittently included Aaron’s son, Ivan (keyboards) and Art’s son, Ian (electric guitar). They have officially disbanded, but they have left behind a legacy of great music.

Before, in between, and after we have our wide Open Stream courtesy of The Music Mermaid. We are on 24/7 uninterrupted by commercial advertising and overly-talkative DJ’s. Tune us in, folks. Join your friends from around the world.

It’s Turkey Day and We’ve Got Our Traditional Airing of the ‘Alice’s Restaurant’ Saga, the ‘Down in New Orleans’ Multi-Artist EP, and Our AOW Later, Thursday, November 24, 2022

Happy Thanksgiving, Musicologists! What are we thankful for today? Great music for one thing, and the fact that it’s totally free here on #BecomeUngovernable Radio. We’ve got a great line-up for you today, so don’t forget to tune us in.

Here’s today’s lineup:

11:00 a.m. Arlo Guthrie’s Alice’s Restaurant Massacree: A Thanksgiving Tradition

This is our fifth year of this great Tradition, all 18 minutes of Arlo Guthrie’s rambling historical narrative of Alice’s Restaurant. Whether the event really happened according to the musical legend or not has been the subject of much discussion over the years. However, it seems that The Berkshire Eagle has finally put the question to bed for all of us. Come join us for this great holiday tradition!

2:00 p.m. Down In New Orleans: Various Artists

We haven’t aired this great EP since sometime in September, but it’s back today for Thanksgiving. Not only do we have all of the rock n’ roll artists who were born in New Orleans, but we’re playing traditional New Orleans blues, jazz. R & B, and Cajun/Zydeco. You’ll hear BeauSoleil, Clifton Chenier, Lucinda Williams, Allen Toussaint, Dr. John, The Neville Brothers, Tony Joe White, Professor Longhair, Fats Domino, Irma Thomas, Allen Fontenot, Aaron Neville, the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, The Daywalkers, the Boogaloo Swamis, Kermit Ruffins, Jerry Lee Lewis, The Magnolia Sisters, The Meters, Queen Ida and The BonTemps, Boozoo Chavis and many more!

8:00 p.m. Album of The Week: Everybody Knows by Stephen Stills and Judy Collins

This is our next-to-last airing of this album, the first and only collaboration between old lovers and friends from the sixties, Stephen Stills and Judy Collins. Don’t miss it. The final airing will be sometime on Saturday.

Come celebrate Thanksgiving with us here in The Mermaid Lounge. You can’t go wrong. You can kick back after that l-tryptophan kicks in and just chill. We don’t cost you a thing except time. No surprises. I promise,

We Start Off a New Week With Our New Sixties ‘One Hit Wonders’ Playlist and The ‘Down In New Orleans’ EP Later, Monday, September 5, 2022

It’s officially Labor Day today and we’d like to take the time to thank the labor movement, the people who brought you the weekend. We begin a brand new week with a new sixties-focused playlist called ‘One-Hit Wonders’ and take a trip to New Orleans later.

We have our ‘Down in New Orleans’ EP starting at 5:00 p.m. this afternoon!

Here’s today’s musical landscape:

12:00 p.m. One-Hit Wonders: The Sixties NEW!

One-hit wonders are wonderful things. Those who made them are never forgotten even though they may not have lasted decades like other musicians. In our sixties edition, you’ll hear The Amboy Dukes, Bobby Hebb, Desmond Dekker & The Aces, Bobbie Gentry, The Easybeats, Count Five, Gary Lewis & The Playboys, Jose Feliciano, Mason Williams, Merilee Rush, Richard Harris, Thunderclap Newman, The Capitols, The Contours, The Edwin Hawkins Singers, The Standells, Tony Joe White, The Knickerbockers, The McCoys, Zager & Evans, The Youngbloods, Scott McKenzie and more!

Please visit the Playlist tab and scroll to the bottom. You’ll find a complete list of the tunes included in this playlist there.

5:00 p.m. Down in New Orleans: Various Artists

This is one great EP. It not only covers traditional New Orleans musical styles, but it highlights the rock n’ rollers who were born and raised in New Orleans. You’ll hear BeauSoleil, Clifton Chenier, Lucinda Williams, Allen Toussaint, Dr. John, The Neville Brothers, Tony Joe White, Professor Longhair, Fats Domino, Irma Thomas, Allen Fontenot, Aaron Neville, The Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Chance Bushman, The Daywalkers, The Boogaloo Swamis, Kermit Ruffins, Jerry Lee Lewis, The Magnolia Sisters, The Meters, Queen Ida & The BonTemps, Boozoo Chavis and more!

I don’t know what it’s like where you are, but we here in the Boston area are finally getting some much-needed rain and the temp is down in the sixties, which is perfect in my mind. Great day to hunker down and hang out with some great musical artists before heading back to work tomorrow. Give it a shot.