We Start Off the Work Week With Dylan’s 1966 Concert at Royal Albert Hall, Valerie Carter In the Spotlight, and Some Live Little Feat Later, Monday, March 6, 2023

We kick off the work week in style today with three great programming interludes interspersed among all that great wide Open Stream!

Here’s your Monday lineup:

11:00 a.m. Bob Dylan Live at Royal Albert Hall, London, May 17, 1966

Dylan was just about 24 years old when he played the Royal Albert Hall in London. We have that performance here to kick off our programming today.

3:00 p.m. In the Spotlight: The Music of Valerie Carter

Valerie Carter began her singing career in coffeehouses as a teen, then became part of a trio called Howdy Moon. The band released one album, now fairly obscure. However, she wrote the song Cook With Honey, which became a hit for Judy Collins later and managed to meet Lowell George of Little Feat, who produced her next album and became her mentor until his death. He introduced her to Jackson Browne, James Taylor and Linda Ronstadt and so it began. Valerie Carter has an amazing voice and that girl can sing. Give a listen as we continue to celebrate Women’s (Musical) History Month.

7:00 p.m. Little Feat Live at The Rainbow Room, London, August 4, 1977

Speaking of Little Feat, we’re back in London tonight for their performance at The Rainbow Room. It’s a good one. Don’t miss it!

Let me repeat. We’re on 24/7 and we’re totally free of charge and free of commercial advertising. We have absolutely nothing to sell you. Not even a subscription. Because you don’t need one. What more can you ask for?

We are ‘Under The Influence’ at Midweek; We’ve Also Got Van Morrison and Eva Cassidy Along For the Ride, on Wednesday, February 15, 2023

Good morning, music lovers! Today we kick off early with our ‘Under The Influence’ EP of mind-bending songs, then we move on with Van Morrison as our featured singer-songwriter and Eva Cassidy’s live performance at Pearl’s.

Here’s your midweek lineup:

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

We start off the morning under the influence with songs about mind-bending substances, both legal and not. Hey, we’ve all been there at least once in our lives. Some of us more. You’ll hear Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Arlo Guthrie, The Byrds, Jefferson Airplane, Bob Dylan, Commander Cody & His Lost Planet Airmen, Donovan, Glen Frey, John Lee Hooker, Jonathan Edwards, Linda Ronstadt, Little Feat, The Traveling Wilburys, The Temptations, Small Faces, Steely Dan, Talking Heads, The Beatles, Neil Young, New Riders of The Purple Sage, Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Velvet Underground, The Rolling Stones, Dave Van Ronk, Emmylou Harris, John Prine, Jackson Browne, Steve Winwood, Led Zeppelin, Harry Chapin, The Band, The Fraternity of Man and more!

4:00 p.m. Singer-Songwriter Series: The Music of Van Morrison

Van takes his second turn as this week’s featured singer-songwriter. This guy has been at it for seven decades and is still going.

7:00 p.m. Eva Cassidy Live at Pearl’s, Annapolis, MD, September 14, 1994

Eva Cassidy was robbed of her future just two years after this performance when she passed away from cancer, but she left an awful lot of great music behind for us to enjoy. Luckily we’ve managed to find a some live performances to bring you over the past several years. Like many others, I never heard her before her death. If you’ve never heard Eva sing before, this would be a great night to introduce yourself to her talent.

We’re here 24/7 at no cost to you. We are totally free of charge and free of commercial advertising. We are all about the music and nothing more. Whether we have two people or two thousand listening, we are the same. Give us a listen.

We Ease You Into the Work Week With Our ‘On The Map’ Playlist, The I-Threes In the Spotlight, and Some Live Blind Faith Later This Evening, Monday, January 30, 2023

Happy Monday, kids! It’s the beginning of another work week and we’ve got just what you need to get rid of those Monday blues as we give you ‘On the Map’ along with The I-Threes In the Spotlight and live Blind Faith later.

Here’s your Monday, Monday lineup:

11:00 a.m. On The Map: Various Artists

We start our programming with a playlist about places across the globe, from Boston to Timbuktu, with The Beatles, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, America, Little Feat, Joni Mitchell, The Beach Boys, Paul Simon, The Lovin’ Spoonful, The Doors, The Association, Scott McKenzie, Fats Domino, Linda Ronstadt, Bonnie Raitt, Jesse Winchester, Tom Rush, James Taylor and more!

3:00 p.m. In The Spotlight: The Music of the I-Threes

As I’m learning, many people don’t know who the I-Threes are. They are Rita Marley, Judy Mowatt, and Marcia Griffiths and they are the most influential female band in Reggae and Ska who provided the background voices for Bob Marley & The Wailers. They also recorded albums individually, so today, we enlighten those who have never before heard them sing. It’s a treat.

7:00 p.m. Blind Faith Live at The Earl Warren Showgrounds, Santa Barbara, CA, August 16, 1969

Blind Faith were an English supergroup featuring Steve Winwood, Eric Clapton, Ginger Baker, and Ric Grech. They weren’t around for very long, only for one album and one extended summer tour. We’ve got one of those performances from that tour for you today. (I’m sure that the Earl Warren Showgrounds were used for more than music, but the thought of a psychedelic rock band performing at a venue named after a Supreme Court judge makes me chuckle.)

We’re here no matter how damned tired we are because we have The Music Mermaid and she is large and in charge. We’re on 24/7 (not just when we have programming) totally free to the listening public. You don’t need a subscription. You don’t need a credit card, and we don’t even want to know your name. We just want you to listen.

We are at Midweek With Our ‘Under The Influence’ EP, Dylan as the Featured Singer-Songwriter, and Bonnie Raitt ‘Live’ In Studio With Her Friends, January 18, 2023

Good morning, Music Lovers! We’ve got a great lineup today as we are totally ‘Under the Influence’ with Bob Dylan as our singer-songwriter and some ‘live’ Bonnie Raitt with Lowell George and John Hammond.

Here’s the midweek lineup:

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

They say music is usually about sex, drugs and rock n’ roll. This is the drug portion of the program, but there is also this thing called booze. Hey, we’ve all been here at one time in our lives or another. You’ll hear Arlo Guthrie, The Byrds, Jefferson Airplane, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Bob Dylan, Commander Cody & His Lost Planet Airmen, Donovan, Glen Frey, John Lee Hooker, Jonathan Edwards, Linda Ronstadt, Little Feat, The Traveling Wilburys, The Temptations, Small Faces, Steely Dan, Talking Heads, The Beatles, Neil Young, New Riders of The Purple Sage, Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Velvet Underground, The Rolling Stones, Dave Van Ronk, Emmylou Harris, John Prine, Jackson Browne, Steve Winwood, Led Zeppelin, Harry Chapin, The Band, The Fraternity of Man and more!

4:00 p.m. Singer-Songwriter Series: The Music of Bob Dylan

I don’t know what else I can say here about this guy other than what I’ve already said. This is our second airing of Bob Dylan as our featured singer-songwriter. Our final airing will come sometime on Friday.

8:00 p.m. Bonnie Raitt & Friends Live at Ultrasonic Studios, Hemstead, New York, October 17, 1972

Bonnie Raitt, Lowell George and John Hammond ‘live’ in studio for this one with a collection of great songs for your listening pleasure. There’s nothing like three musical geniuses getting together to spread the wealth. This is a great session.

We’re at midweek and the music today will hold us over as we head toward the downslide to the weekend once again. We’re totally free 24/7. Your money is no good here, kids. We don’t even so much as ask your name. All you need to do is click the button below.

Monday Delivers ‘Live’ Van Morrison, Our ‘Under the Sun and Moon’ Multi-Artist Playlist, and Bob Dylan & George Harrison Together at Columbia Studios, December 19, 2022

Good morning, music lovers. It’s once again the beginning of the week, but it is also holiday week so maybe that takes the edge off just a hair. We’ve got just the right music to start your week with here in The Mermaid Lounge.

Here’s your Monday, Monday lineup:

11:00 a.m. Van Morrison Live in San Francisco, December 1993 NEW!

This is actually a compilation of ‘live’ performances by Morrison from 1993 recorded December 12, 17 and 18 at both the Masonic Auditorium and The Mystic Theatre. Morrison is in fine R & B and blues mode here, and he brings along special guests to help him out, like Candy Dulfer, John Lee Hooker, Junior Wells, Jimmy Witherspoon, and Georgie Fame. Shana Morrison, his daughter is even along for the ride, handling the vocals on Beautiful Vision. It’s a veritable musical celebration.

3:00 p.m. Under the Sun & Moon: Various Artists

We bring you a couple of hours of great music with songs about the sun and moon in the title, lyrics, or both. You’ll hear The Beatles, Nina Simone, Norah Jones, Bill Withers, Little Feat, Donovan, Cream, Cat Stevens, The Animals, Neil Young, Foo Fighters, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Gordon Lightfoot, Stevie Ray Vaughan, The Kinks, Valerie Carter, The Doors, America and more!

7:00 p.m. Bob Dylan & George Harrison: The Columbia Studios Sessions, May 1, 1970

Bob Dylan snuck into Columbia Studios B on May Day in 1970 and recorded for twelve hours with special guest George Harrison. We’ve got that for you right here this evening. This was originally a bootleg (our version), but it was later included in a Dylan box set. Enjoy two masters at work before The Traveling Wilburys.

Here we are again close to yet another year. It’s officially Christmas week, and we’re not going to be playing a steady diet of Christmas music. We’re going to keep on keeping on under the guidance of The Music Mermaid, our music maven. We’re totally free and devoid of commercial advertising. We also don’t ask you for a subscription or your credit card numbers. Give the gift of music this holiday season by forwarding our link.

Saturday Brings the ‘Are You Ready For The Country’ EP, Volume Three of The Heartbreakers’ Fillmore Adventure, and Dan Fogelberg as Our Featured Singer-Songwriter as the Holidays Approach, December 17, 2022

Good Morning, Musicologists across the globe! Hope you’re all doing well as we tee it up in The Mermaid Lounge this morning. We’ve got a pretty full slate peppering our great wide Open Stream (a little Tom Petty imagery there).

Here’s your Saturday lineup:

10:00 a.m. Are You Ready for The Country: Various Artists

We’re talking real country here. And we’re also talking about the pioneers of country-rock who made it happen from the cross-fertilization center of the world: Laurel Canyon. You’ll hear Guy Clark, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash, Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris, Linda Ronstadt, Neil Young, The Byrds, Gram Parsons, Pure Prairie League, Asleep at The Wheel, The Ozark Mountain Daredevils, Bob Dylan, The Eagles, Townes Van Zandt, Steve Earle, the Marshall Tucker Band, Alison Krauss & Union Station, Glen Campbell, Rosanne Cash, Dan Fogelberg, New Riders of The Purple Sage, John Prine, Kris Kristofferson, The Desert Rose Band and more!

4:00 p.m. Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers Live at The Fillmore, San Francisco, CA 1997, Volume Three NEW!

The third and final installment as we roll out the brand new Heartbreakers’ compendium of their legendary 20-night residency as The Fillmore House Band. They threw away the script and kicked ass, and every one of them felt it was the most creative opportunity the band had, and the highlight of their time together. For the first time ever, there are more cover songs on a Heartbreakers album than original compositions. That was by design as they chose to pay homage to those artists who inspired them. They are, in our humble opinion, the best cover band on the planet.

7:00 p.m. Singer-Songwriter Series: The Music of Dan Fogelberg NEW!

It’s time to flip the switch to a new featured singer-songwriter, and Dan Fogelberg is one of the most underappreciated. Except here in The Mermaid Lounge, where we made him one of the very first artists to have a ‘Spotlight.’ Today he starts a week in the spotlight as our featured singer-songwriter.

10:00 p.m. Album of The Week: Dixie Chicken by Little Feat FINAL AIRING!

Tonight we bit a fond farewell to one of our favorite albums and bands as we close out this week’s featured album. We’ll be back tomorrow with a brand new selection.

Saturday is always a bit of a busy day here in The Mermaid Lounge, but we never have more programming than open stream in a 24-hour cycle. We also never run commercial advertising or emply overly-talkative DJ’s. We just play music. Free of charge 24/7. No lie. No surprises. No credit card. No personal information. Ever.

We Begin Unpacking The Heartbreakers’ Fillmore Box, Give You Our AOW, and Hot Tuna ‘Live’ Later, on Thursday, December 15, 2022

Good Morning, Petty-Ologists! Today is the day we begin to unpack that box of wonder known as Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers Live at The Fillmore, vintage 1997. We also have our Album of The Week and Hot Tuna ‘Live’ at the same Fillmore later.

Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers vintage Fillmore 1997 posters.

Here’s today’s musical lineup:

11:00 a.m. Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers Live at The Fillmore, San Francisco, CA, 1997, Volume 1 NEW!

Today’s the day we finally get into the long-awaited 72-song Fillmore box set from our house band, and a box of musical delights it truly is. We will be airing volume two on Friday (7:00 p.m.) and volume three on Saturday (4:00 p.m.). We promise that these will repeat over the next few weeks. The entire package has also been added to our standard rotation.

The band tossed out the script for their vaunted 20-night residency at The Fillmore, offering up a different show every night. For the first time, their “covers” of those who inspired them outnumbered their own compositions. We’ve said all along that they are not only one of the greatest rock n’ roll bands in history, but hands down the best cover band on the planet. The Fillmore box only serves to bolster our argument. Enjoy.

3:00 p.m. Album of The Week: Dixie Chicken by Little Feat

We’re winding down on this particular album, so this would be the time to get in on this one. Our final airing will be sometime on Saturday. By Sunday, we’ll have a brand new album.

7:00 p.m. Hot Tuna Live at The Fillmore, San Francisco, CA, March 4, 1988

Tonight we’ve got another great show from a historic venue when we give you Hot Tuna live from 1988. We haven’t heard this one in quite a while, so it’s worth tuning in.

Before, in between and after, we continue to bring you our great wide Open Stream. The Music Mermaid has everything under control here. We have the ultimate faith in her. She has never let us down.

Welcome To Tuesday Bluesday With Some ‘Live’ James Cotton, Our AOW, and a New Spotlight Featuring the Tedeschi Trucks Band, December 13, 2022

Good Morning, Bluesologists! It’s another Tuesday Bluesday here in The Mermaid Lounge, and we’ve got some great stuff on tap for today, including the Tedeschi Trucks Band Spotlight feature!

Here’s your Tuesday Bluesday lineup:

11:00 a.m. James Cotton Live at Antoine’s Night Club, New Orleans, LA, July 1987

There are just some shows we can’t nail a date down for. Trust me. I’m totally anal retentive about this stuff. I have looked everywhere. Not happening. But nevertheless, it’s a great James Cotton show. Enjoy.

3:00 p.m. Album of The Week: Dixie Chicken by Little Feat

Not a blues album per se, but this is the album where Little Feat established its sound, moving into the realm of New Orleans rhythm & blues and funk. Sam Clayton (percussion) and the late, great Paul Barrere (guitar) became permanent members of the band on this album. This would be the final lineup before the death of Lowell George and the band’s dissolution.

7:00 p.m. In the Spotlight: The Music of Tedeschi Trucks Band NEW!

Right now, this is our premier blues-rock band with arguably the best blues guitarist in the business in Derek Trucks. His wife, Susan Tedeschi, is no slouch on that thing either. And she can sing the blues. This one has been a long time coming. We’ve also gotten hold of some great live performances that we’ll soon be featuring.

This is the place to be on Tuesday because it’s blues day. We’ve always got a global full house on this day, so why not join the club? We’re on 24/7. We’re totally free…no credit card or personal info required. It’s all about the music.

Sunday Brings Little Feat’s “Dixie Chicken” as Our AOW, and the ‘Little Bit O’ Soul’ EP, December 11, 2022

It’s a Sunday in The Mermaid Lounge with the threat of what we call a ‘wintry mix’ in the air. That’s when the weather people hedge their bets because they can’t figure out if it’s going to be snow or rain or both. I’m hedging my bets with a nice day indoors listening to some great music!

Here’s your Sunday Funday lineup:

11:00 a.m. Album of The Week: Dixie Chicken by Little Feat NEW!

This was Little Feat’s third studio album, released in 1973, and certainly became a landmark for the band. The title song would go a long way toward establishing the band’s great signature sound. Little Feat also added the great guitarist Paul Barrere and percussionist Sam Clayton. Bassist Kenny Gradney was also added to replace Roy Estrada. It signaled a change of the band’s sound, moving them toward New Orleans R & B and funk.This lineup would endure until Lowell George’s death in 1979 and the band’s subsequent breakup.

3:00 p.m. A Little Bit O’ Soul: Various Artists

This is the Grand Kahuna of our R & B/soul playlists which is all encompassing, and not just dedicated to Motown artists. You’ll hear Aretha Franklin, The Temptations, The Four Tops, Al Green, The Ronettes, Marvin Gaye, Ray Charles, Otis Redding, Chuck Berry, Jimmy Ruffin, The Drifters, 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, Eddie Floyd, The Ad Libs, Arthur Conley, Joe Tex, Wanda Jackson, Percy Sledge, Ann Peebles and more!

Let’s get with the program, people. Sunday is a day of rest, and what better way to kick back than with great music. We’ve got it here and it won’t cost you a thing. I promise. We run 24/7, and always with more Open Stream than programming, at absolutely no cost to you. All you need is a computer and a free tab.

One Day Away From the Weekend With Our ‘Travelin’ Fever’ Multi-Artist EP and Carole King’s Final Airing as Singer-Songwriter, Friday, December 9, 2022

We are one day away from the official start of the weekend. Of course, some of us will toil in retail hell for one more day tomorrow, but we’re getting closer. We’ve got a lot of wide Open Stream today with some excellent programming tossed in for good measure.

Here’s your musical journey for today:

11:00 a.m. Travelin’ Fever: Various Artists

Stories about the road, the air, the sea, and going places from 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, Guy Clark, The Byrds, Asleep at The Wheel, The Traveling Wilburys, Joan Baez, Mudcrutch, Loggins & Messina, Buffalo Springfield and more.

7:00 p.m. Singer-Songwriter Series: The Music of Carole King

Today we bid a fond farewell to Carole King as our featured Singer-Songwriter, a woman whose music has been both an inspiration and a musical career builder. Tomorrow we welcome the late, great (and often troubled) Warren Zevon.

Before, in between and after we’ve got some great wide Open Stream, which has recently been significantly bolstered. This is not the place to detail that, but I will be writing a separate blog post on that very soon, so stay tuned! We’ve added some great artists we’ve been working on and bolstered the content of many others!