Tag: In The Spotlight

Our Roots are Showing With The ‘Folk Music From A-To-Z’ EP, Baez Sings Dylan, Shawn Colvin, and LIVE DEAD! Later, Saturday, July 16, 2022

It’s another full-on Saturday here in The Mermaid Lounge with some great folk music roots showing through today. You won’t want to miss this one!

Here’s your Saturday lineup:

10:00 a.m. Folk Music From A-to-Z: Various Artist

This one’s always a treat, folks. We’ve got the luminaries of the folk music scene along with those who pay very able tribute to the craft. Folk represents the origins of the protest music movement in so many ways. You’ll hear Bob Dylan, Woody Guthrie, John Prine, Dave Van Ronk, Pete Seeger, Peter, Paul & Mary, Odetta, Cat Stevens, Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, The Beatles, Arlo Guthrie, Bonnie Raitt, Joan Baez, The Band, Eric Andersen, Tom Rush, Judy Collins, Nanci Griffith, Jesse Winchester, Joni Mitchell, The Stone Poneys, Harry Chapin, Phil Ochs, The Kingston Trio, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, Lead Belly, Tim Hardin, Simon & Garfunkel, Richie Havens, Jackson Browne, The Carter Family and many more!

4:00 p.m. Album of The Week: Baez Sings Dylan by Joan Baez FINAL AIRING!

What can we say about this one. The perfect album for a folk music kind of day. This is the swan song for this one. We’ve got a brand new album all ready for tomorrow.

7:00 p.m. In the Spotlight: The Music of Shawn Colvin

Today we put a great artist In the Spotlight in Shawn Colvin, a woman who has one foot firmly planted in folk and another wherever she pleases at any given moment. One thing is for certain, you always know Shawn Colvin’s true roots.

10:00 p.m. LIVE DEAD! The Grateful Dead Live at The Roscoe Maples Pavillion, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA, February 9, 1973 NEW!

We’ve got another new soundboard recording of The Dead, this one from Palo Alto. Almost thought I’d have a rare repeat until this one fell in our lap here. Enjoy.

We’re cooking here in The Lounge today with The Music Mermaid at the helm. You’ll be in great hands while I spend my final day toiling with the entitled consumer masses. She’s ready and raring to go as we get off to an early start. And remember, we’re always 100%, no-strings-attached, no surprises free. All day every day for eternity.

Folk Music Fiesta!

We Inch Closer to The Weekend With Our ‘Paint It Black’ Playlist, John Prine In The Spotlight, and Our AOW, Thursday, July 14, 2022

Good Morning, Musicologists! Here we are again on the weekend doorstep and we’ve got some really great stuff for you today interspersed among all that wide Open Stream!

Here’s your musical landscape for Thursday:

11:00 a.m. Paint It Black: Various Artists

Yes, today it’s songs about black, the color. In the title, lyrics or both. You’ll hear The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, The Wallflowers, The Doobie Brothers, The Move, Steely Dan, Johnny Cash, Amy Winehouse, The Hollies, Stephen Stills, Warren Zevon, The Band, Nina Simone, Tom Rush, k.d. lang, The Grateful Dead, Fairport Convention, Dr. John, The Kinks, Guy Clark, J. D. Souther, Curtis Mayfield, Linda Ronstadt, The Flying Burrito Brothers, and more!

3:00 p.m. Album of The Week: Baez Sings Dylan by Joan Baez

This is our next-to-last airing of this week’s AOW. The final airing will be sometime on Saturday. On Sunday, we’ll have a brand new selection to play for you.

7:00 p.m. In The Spotlight: The Music of John Prine

We bring John Prine back into the spotlight. He’s been gone for far too long. We’ve got a new Prine playlist coming, along with some new ‘live’ music from him. In the meantime, we’ve got a great spotlight feature while we wait. One of the greatest singer-songwriters of his generation here. Included in this playlist is his live version of Angel From Montgomery with Bonnie Raitt.

Come on, folks. We’ve got a International meeting of the minds currently tuned in with listeners from the UK, Chile, Portugal, Spain, Greece, Italy, Australia, Russian Federation, France, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Switzerland, and points beyond. Join them.

Cursor here, please.

It’s Tuesday Bluesday and We’ve Got Our ‘The Best of Chicago Blues’ EP and Marcia Ball In The Spotlight Later, July 12, 2022

Good Morning, Bluesologists! We’ve got our great extended playlist featuring the Chicago Blues today along with Marcia Ball later. Sandwiched in between is our Album of The Week.

It’s The Best of Chicago Blues to kick off the day at 10:00 a.m.

Here’s your Tuesday Bluesday lineup:

10:00 a.m. The Best of Chicago Blues: Various Artists

This just officially grew up and became an EP in June, and you will hear Otis Rush, Willie Dixon, Albert King, Muddy Waters, Little Walter, Bo Diddley, Koko Taylor, Lowell Fulson, Howlin’ Wolf, Buddy Guy, Magic Slim, Sonny Boy Williamson, Son Seals, James Cotton, Paul Butterfield, Elmore James, Jimmy Reed, Otis Spann, and more!

4:00 p.m. Album of The Week: Baez Sings Dylan by Joan Baez

This is the second airing of this great album, as we inject a little bit of folk into the day. We have the work of two folk luminaries here.

7:00 p.m. In The Spotlight: The Music of Marcia Ball

Marcia Ball is a blues singer, songwriter and superb pianist raised in Vinton, Louisiana. Her style is best summed up as a marriage of Texas stomp-rock and Louisiana swamp-blues. She was awarded the Contemporary Blues Album of The year in both 2002 and 2004. If you don’t know Marcia Ball, you should tune this Spotlight feature in tonight.

Here we are again. Before, after and in between our programming we’ve got wide Open Stream courtesy of The Music Mermaid. We run 24/7 uninterrupted by commercial advertising. And did I mention that we’re totally 100% free, no strings attached. Ever.

The Best of Chicago Blues!

It’ll Be a Better Monday With Mudcrutch Madness, Fats Domino, and Some ‘Live’ CCR Bringing Up the Rear, July 11, 2022

Good Morning, Musicologists! We haven’t had a Mudcrutch Monday Madness for far too long now, so that’s how we’ll kick off the day, followed by Fats Domino In the Spotlight, and ‘live’ CCR later!

Here’s today’s lineup:

11:00 a.m. MUDCRUTCH MONDAY MADNESS!

Today’s madness is the full catalogue. Just over two hours of every song Mudcrutch ever made before they morphed into our House Band, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers. This is the band that left Gainesville for L.A. all those years ago. In 2008, Petty would reunite the band with it’s original members, Mike Campbell, Benmont Tench, Randall Marsh, and Tom Leadon, to great success.

4:00 p.m. In The Spotlight: The Music of Fats Domino

The question remains: Did Fats Domino invent rock n’ roll? You know, nobody can say for sure. Rock n’ Roll had its own group of ‘founding parents’ as I like to call it, and surely Fats Domino is high up on that list. One thing is for sure, nobody can definitively say he wasn’t the first guy to play that music.

7:00 p.m. Creedence Clearwater Revival Live at The Fillmore West, San Francisco, July 4, 1971

Speaking of bands with a unique sound, this band of brothers definitely qualifies. You instantly know who’s singing that song when you hear it. Four guys from Berkeley who sound like they just came out of the Bayou.

No doubt about it. Monday’s suck. Every week I’m eternally grateful that Sunday and Monday are my weekend days. Somehow, it makes the rest of the week go faster. I know. It’s all psychological, but it works for me. In the meantime, if you work somewhere where you can multitask, grab yourself some ear buds, pull up a tab, and tune us in. It’ll make Monday oh so tolerable.

Mudcrutch Madness!

We Head to the Weekend With Lucinda Williams In the Spotlight, Jethro Tull ‘Live’ On Stage and Our Steely Dan AOW, Thursday, July 7, 2022

Good Morning, Music Lovers! We begin the final slide toward the weekend today with some great programming. This is the place to be.

Later today we bring you some ‘live’ Ian Anderson and Jethro Tull.

Here’s your musical journey:

11:00 a.m. In The Spotlight: The Music of Lucinda Williams

Ah, Lucinda Williams, a Louisiana native with that great twang in her voice as she sings the blues, some country, country-rock, folk and whatever she just about wants. She is undoubtedly one of the great treasures in popular music, somewhat underappreciated but certainly not by her peers. We’ve got her In the Spotlight to start off the day.

3:00 p.m. Album of The Week: The Royal Scam by Steely Dan

This is the next-to-last airing of this week’s selection by The Dan, a band whose albums never disappoint as they’ve successfully managed to marry their great jazzy arrangements with their insatiable rock energy. On Sunday, this one will be in the record books. Saturday will be the final airing. Plan wisely.

7:00 p.m. Jethro Tull Live at The Capitol Centre, Landover, MD, November 21, 1977

I don’t know how many of you have had the opportunity to see the band live on stage, but I’ve seen them a few times in my day. There is no way to describe Ian Anderson on stage, and you’re certainly not watching video here, but his flute playing is legendary and their songs are timeless.

Get on it, people. It’s all downhill from here and you might as well make it an enjoyable slide into the weekend, where we some more great program awaits your arrival. We’re on 24/7 with no commercial interruption and we won’t cost you anything but time.

Just Do It, People!

We’re On The Downslide to The Weekend With ‘Live’ Neil Young, Emmylou Harris In the Spotlight, and Our AOW, Thursday, June 30, 2022

Good Morning, Musicologists! We are on the way to the weekend effectively this morning, and we’ve got three pieces of great programming today to help get you there.

Here’s today’s programming:

11:00 a.m. Neil Young Live at The Cellar Door, Washington, D.C., recorded in 1970 NEW!

This collection of live performances was recorded during Young’s six live performances in Washington in 1970. It is vintage Neil Young from his early albums and from his Buffalo Springfield years. It also features the only known recording of Cinnamon Girl (a Mermaid Lounge favorite) with young playing piano.

3:00 p.m. Album of The Week: American Beauty by The Grateful Dead

We’re at the next-to-last airing of American Beauty. The final will be sometime Saturday and, by Sunday, it will be a thing of the past as we have a new selection waiting in the wings.

7:00 p.m. In the Spotlight: The Music of Emmylou Harris

It’s time to put Emmylou in the spotlight again. Over the cours of her career she has evolved into one of the most influential contributors to the country and country-rock music scene. She has released dozens of singles and albums over her career and has won 14 Grammy Awards. She became a member of the Grand Ole Opry in 1992, ws inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2008, and received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2018.

Great day to tune us in, as is every day. I know. I sound like, well, a broken record. But I can’t help myself. I can’t understand for the life of me why people would prefer to pay for their music. Or have to put up with commercial advertising and chatty DJs. What are you waiting for?

Just Push Play!

It’s Our Official ‘Summertime’ Kick-off With a Brand New Playlist, Badfinger at the BBC, and Joni In The Spotlight, Monday, June 27, 2022

Good Morning, Music Lovers! We hope we can brighten your work-week start today with some great music. It’s summertime, and we’ve got some brand new music for you.

We officially kick off summer with a brand new playlist today!

Here’s your Monday programming:

11:00 a.m. Summertime: Various Artists NEW!

This is the beginning of a week where we feature some new music. We start here with our new ‘Summertime’ playlist. We’ve got songs with the word summer, summertime, and variations thereof in the title but, if you listen closely, you’ll hear some surf music in there as well. You’ll hear from Paul McCartney, Electric Light Orchestra, Eddie Cochran, Joni Mitchell, Sly & The Family Stone, Poco, The Blue Stingrays, The Doors, The Beach Boys, Jimmy Cliff, Joan Baez, Foo Fighters, Donovan, Paul Simon, Van Morrison, Nina Simone, John Prine, Johnny Rivers, Gary Hoey, The Desert Rose Band, Dick Dale & His Del-Tones, The Stone Poneys, Chrissie Hynde, Bob Dylan, The Surfaris, Nanci Griffith, and more!

4:00 p.m. Badfinger: Live at The BBC Studios, 1972-1973

Today’s live music offering is Badfinger, a true power pop band that made some great music in its time. Today we’ve got them live at BBC Studios in London recorded in 1972 and 1973. Undoubtedly the best signing ever by Apple Records.

7:00 p.m. In The Spotlight: The Music of Joni Mitchell

It’s been a spell since we featured Joni Mitchell In the Spotlight, so we’re remedying that little miscue today. She’s kind of the sound of summer in a way. We’ve always loved Joni’s music here in The Mermaid Lounge. She is one of the most brilliant singer-songwriters on the planet.

Come on. It’s Monday. And we all know Monday’s suck. I’ve been sick with COVID for a second time here and I return to retail hell myself tomorrow, so why not join me today in kicking back and enjoying some great tunes.

Happy Monday!

The Weekend is Knocking and We’ve Got ‘The #BecomeUngovernable House Playlist’ EP, and Lukas Nelson and Promise of The Real Later, on Friday, June 24, 2022

Good Morning, Musicologists! We are cookin’ today with our very own House playlist, which is also an EP, so that means five hours of great uninterrupted music. As we say, there is music that has inspired this station, and we have lots of it today. Later on, we have Lukas Nelson & POTR to take you into the night.

Starts today at 11:00 a.m.

Here’s Friday’s lineup:

11:00 a.m. The #BecomeUngovernable House Playlist: Various Artists

Yes, music lovers, it’s our very own House EP full of great music from Barry McGuire, The Temptations, Edwin Starr, Peter Tosh, The Beatles, Genesis, T. Rex, The Who, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Country Joe & The Fish, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Bob Marley & The Wailers, Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, CSNY, Pink Floyd, The Animals, Ten Year’s After, The Plastic Ono Band, Billy Joel, George Harrison, The Rolling Stones, Sam Cooke, Joni Mitchell, Jimi Hendrix, Three Dog Night, Jimmy Cliff, Richie Havens, Marvin Gaye, Phil Ochs, The Association, Tom Rush, Pete Seeger, The Band, Nina Simone, and more!

7:00 p.m. In The Spotlight: The Music of Lukas Nelson & Promise of The Real UPDATED!

Here’s a great little country rock band that’s fronted by Willie’s boy, Lukas. Any band that does road duty with Neil Young is okay with us. But POTR is a band in its own right as well, so give them a listen.

Here we are again on the cusp of another weekend, and we’re starting it off with a great extended playlist here. Before, in between, and after our programming, we give you that great, wide Open Stream. We’ve added new music from Bobbie Gentry, Tedeschi-Trucks Band, Gov’t Mule, Koko Taylor, Tracy Nelson, Chuck Berry, and more! We’ve also got brand new playlists in the works to get us through the dog days of summer here. Just. Do. It.

Just Push Play!

I Know. The Start of Summer Was a Few Days Ago. We’re Kicking It Off Today With The Beach Boys, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers and “McCartney,” Thursday, June 23, 2022

Good Morning, Musicologists! Yes, I know we’re a bit late on the uptake here. The first day of summer was a few days ago. But hey, we don’t stand on ceremony here. We thought The Beach Boys would be a nice touch.

Here’s your lineup for today:

11:00 a.m. In The Spotlight: The Music of The Beach Boys

We haven’t heard this one in a while. It’s a very modest kick-off to summer here in The Mermaid Lounge, but we’ve got something else in the works that should be ready in the next day or two. In the meantime, these guys know how to make it feel like summer for some reason. Maybe it’s all in the name. And Brian Wilson is a musical genius. Even Paul McCartney and Linda Ronstadt think so.

3:00 p.m. Album of The Week: McCartney by Paul McCartney

This is our next-to-last airing of this iconic solo debut by McCartney. Over the years, it has become one of the most revered solo debuts by any musical artist. The final airing will be some time on Saturday. Sunday will bring a new selection.

7:00 p.m. Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers Live at The Vic Theatre, Chicago, IL, April 19, 2003

Great concert here in what can be considered a small venue. The Heartbreakers played a lot of large halls in their day, but they always preferred small, intimate settings. IMO, it didn’t matter where they played. They were one of the best live bands in the history of rock n’ roll.

Great day to be here with us. I know I say that every single day, in one way or another, but it’s true. This is where the music never stops. We run 24/7 totally free of charge with absolutely no strings attached. Your money is no good here. Know what I mean?

Open 24/7!

It’s Another Tuesday Bluesday and We’ve Got Koko Taylor In the Spotlight, and Some Live Buddy Guy with Stevie Ray Vaughan Later, On this First Day of Summer, June 21, 2022

Good Morning, Bluesologists! We’re back for another Tuesday Bluesday and we have some new blues today as we add the late, great Koko Taylor to our Spotlight list. And later it’s two great blues guitarists together live.

Today we put the great Koko Taylor In the Spotlight!

Here’s your Tuesday Bluesday lineup:

11:00 a.m. In the Spotlight: The Music of Koko Taylor NEW!

There’s no doubt about it: Koko Taylor is a blues powerhouse whose musical style encompassed Chicago blues, electric blues, rhythm & blues, and soul blues. She’s often called the Queen of The Blues, just as Aretha is called The Queen of Soul and Irma Thomas is called The Soul Queen of New Orleans. Come to think of it, that would make a fucking great playlist. But I digress because today, we put Koko Taylor In the Spotlight where she belongs.

3:00 p.m. Album of The Week: McCartney by Paul McCartney

Our only break in our blues programming today is to hear Sir Paul’s iconic 1970 debut album. The simple beginnings of an amazing post-Beatles career that’s still going strong as he turns 80 this week.

7:00 p.m. Buddy Guy & Stevie Ray Vaughan Live at The Lone Star Cafe, New York, April 14, 1986

Two blues guitar masters together is a real treat, and we close out our Tuesday Bluesday programming today with them live at the Lone Star Cafe in New York.

Tuesday Bluesday here in The Mermaid Lounge is always a great take. Make this the day to join your friends from Germany, Switzerland, Norway, The Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, South Africa, Russian Federation, Chile, Australia, Texas, New York, North Carolina, Flori-DUH and points beyond.

Tuesday Bluesday!