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.

We’re at Midweek With ‘Color My World’, a Dusty Springfield Spotlight & a McCartney Tokyo Show, Wednesday, April 17, 2024

Good morning, musicologists! We’re already at midweek and we’ve got a great lineup, including a Dusty Springfield Spotlight feature and a show from McCartney’s 1993 World Tour.

Here’s your musical lineup:

9:00 a.m. Color My World: Various Artists

First, however, we start out with colors in the title, lyrics or both with The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Elton John, Donovan, Booker T & The MG’s, Electric Light Orchestra, Procol Harum, Joni Mitchell, The Who, Amy Winehouse, Sam & Dave, Badfinger, Bob Dylan, Fleetwood Mac, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Elvis Costello, Neil Young, Jefferson Airplane, The Hollies, Elvis Presley, Janis Joplin, Cream, Marvin Gaye, Lucinda Williams, John Hiatt, J.D. Souther, Linda Ronstadt and more!

4:00 p.m. In The Spotlight: The Music of Dusty Springfield

The mezzo-soprano master of blue-eyed soul was more than all that. She was another great singer who refused to be defined by any one style.

We close out the programming later with a trip to Tokyo with Paul McCartney on his 1993 World Tour.

It’s ‘Color My World’, Joni Mitchell’s AOW, and Carly Simon, Thursday, March 14, 2024

Good morning, musicologists! I’m still lost in the COVID fog, so we are running a bit behind, but better late than never. We’ve got a full slate of good stuff for you today!

Here’s your Thursday lineup:

9:00 a.m. Color My World: Various Artists

Ah, yes, we return again to colors in song titles, lyrics or both with The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Elton John, Donovan, Booker T. & The MG’s, Electric Light Orchestra, Procol Harum, Joni Mitchell, The Who, Amy Winehouse, Sam & Dave, Badfinger, Bob Dylan, Fleetwood Mac, Tom Petty, Elvis Costello, Neil Young, Jefferson Airplane, The Hollies, Elvis Presley, Janis Joplin, Cream, Marvin Gaye, Lucinda Williams, John Hiatt, J.D. Souther, Linda Ronstadt and more!

4:00 p.m. Album of The Week: Court & Spark by Joni Mitchell

We’re back with this masterpiece of an album. It could not be any more perfect than it already is, and it has more than stood the test of time.

8:00 p.m. In The Spotlight: The Music of Carly Simon

We continue on with Women’s (Music) History Month with a Carly Simon spotlight.

Tune us in, folks. We’re here 24/7 totally free of charge for your listening pleasure. We give you music uninterrupted by commercial advertising. Just do it.

It’s a Busy Monday With ‘Working Songs’, Rickie Lee Jones, Van Morrison and Elvis Costello, February 12, 2024

Good morning, music lovers! I was a bit overexuberant last night and went off the ledge on scheduling today. (We’re actually exploring a bit of late-night programming for our overseas listeners!)

Here’s your Monday, Monday lineup:

11:00 a.m. Working Songs: Various Artists

Quite appropriate on a Monday morning as the work week begins. You’ll hear from The Staple Singers, Van Morrison, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Creedence Clearwater Revival, John Lennon, Slim Harpo, Neil Young, Jim Croce, Little Feat, Bob Dylan, Jesse Winchester, Maria Muldaur and more!

4:00 p.m.  In The Spotlight: The Music of Rickie Lee Jones

Over five decades this great singer-songwriter has recorded songs in a variety genres, including jazz, rock, pop, soul and R&B.

7:00 p.m.  Van Morrison Live at The Bottom Line, New York, NY, November 1, 1978

Van the Man is a staple around these parts. We haven’t heard him for a while, so we thought it was about time we break him out of mothballs.

Here we have another great Elvis, but it’s Costello. You can love him or hate him, but the man broke barriers and is a hell of a singer-songwriter. He’s one of the very few of his generation that I actually listen to.

Another Monday in paradise…at least for me since my “weekends” fall on Sunday-Monday. We’ve got some great music today and we’re toying with late-night programming. We’ll see how it goes. Our overnight listeners are generally outside the U.S. Give us a listen.

Our Simple Sunday Fare Includes The Boogaloo Swamis With Our AOW and the ‘Color My World’ EP, December 10, 2023

Good morning, weekenders! We are here in the Boston area with temps of about 55 degrees slated for today, absurd for December in New England. People just seem to love the effects of global warming. That’s all I hear. Just wait. That’s all I can say.

Here’s your Sunday Funday lineup:

More than likely, you’ve never heard of this Boston-based band unless you have sought out Cajun and Zydeco music, but I learned about them at Johnny D’s Uptown, a favorite haunt of my youth. They are a fantastic band playing some of the best New Orleans sounds on the planet. These days, you can only get their music on Ebay or Discogs. We have been on a search for more, and we’ve finally found some. It’s on the way. Get ready by listening to this great album.

3:00 p.m. Color My World: Various Artists

Primary colors are a popular topic in the music world. We’ve got an entire EP about color from The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Elton John, Donovan, Booker T & The MG’s, Electric Light Orchestra, Procol Harum, Joni Mitchell, The Who, Amy Winehouse, Sam & Dave, Badfinger, Bob Dylan, Fleetwood Mac, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Elvis Costello, Neil Young, Jefferson Airplane, The Hollies, Elvis Presley, Janis Joplin, Cream, Marvin Gaye, Lucinda Williams, John Hiatt, J.D. Souther, Linda Ronstadt and more!

Saturday Brings Elvis’ AOW, Our ‘Under The Influence’ EP and Walter Becker-Donald Fagan as Our Singer-Songwriters, November 18, 2023

Good morning, weekenders! Yes, it’s finally Saturday and The Music Mermaid has her selections all queued up for this fine day. Read on for the details!

Here are your musical details:

9:00 a.m. Album of The Week: Elvis Presley by Elvis Presley FINAL AIRING!

We bid farewell to Elvis’ debut album today, a fine piece of music from what I personally consider his best time, right around 1956 and the Nashville/Sun sessions. Tomorrow, we’ll have a new album.

12:00 p.m. Under the Influence: Various Artists

Ah, yes. In my youth, some of my best times were spent under the influence. Today, you’ll hear Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Arlo Guthrie, Jackson Browne, Bob Dylan, Jefferson Airplane, 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, The Beatles, Talking Heads, Neil Young, New Riders of The Purple Sage, Lynyrd Skynyrd, 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!

There’s a thing out there on social media asking the best bands of the seventies. Had it not been for Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Steely Dan would have been my number one. They’re a very close number two. We love them here in The Mermaid Lounge, and they are that good because of the singer-songwriter duo that put them on the map.

On Monday, It’s Neil Young, Bob Dylan, and a New Beatles Playlist, November 13, 2023

Good morning, worldwide workers! We’re back to Monday and we’ve got just what the doctor ordered for your day, including a brand new Beatles playlist in the evening slot.

Here’s your Monday musical lineup:

11:00 a.m. In The Spotlight: The Music of Neil Young

Neil Young turned 78 yesterday, and today we are celebrating his infinitely brilliant career by putting him In the Spotlight, where he belongs.

4:00 p.m. Bob Dylan Live at Budokan, Tokyo, Japan, February 28 & March 1, 1978

This afternoon we’ve got a Dylan concert from Budokan, recorded on February 28 and March 1 of 1978. We haven’t heard this one in a while, so it’s time to break it out.

Yes, it’s a new playlist for the station, and it also includes the Beatles’ brand new and final single together, Now And Then, which has shattered a number of records since its release on November 3. It is the fastest-selling single of the century as it skyrocketed to the number one slot in England, over a half century after the legendary band broke up. It’s a thing of beauty, and so is this playlist.

Friday Has Arrived and We’ve Open Up With Some Seedy People, Then Roy Orbison and New ‘Live’ Little Feat, November 3, 2023

Good morning, budding weekenders! We are almost there, kids, and today we’ve open up with our multi-artist ‘Villains, Scumbags and Lowlives’ Playlist, then it’s on to Roy Orbison and Little Feat.

Here’s your work week-ending lineup:

11:00 a.m. Villains, Scumbags and Lowlives: Various Artists

There are a lot of seedy people on the planet. Some of them are in full view in Washington right now. And they are a popular subject in music as well. You’ll hear The Beatles, The Crazy World of Arthur Brown, Shawn Colvin, Jimi Hendrix Experience, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers,The Rolling Stones, Electric Light Orchestra, The Who, Warren Zevon, Supertramp, Linda Ronstadt, Foreigner, John Lee Hooker, Elton John, Dolly Parton, Neil Young and more!

4:00 p.m. Singer-Songwriter Series: The Music of Roy Orbison FINAL AIRING!

We bid a fond farewell to Roy Orbison today, this week’s featured singer-songwriter. Tomorrow, we’ll have a brand new artist featured here.

We’ve got a new-to-the-station live performance by Little Feat during the Lowell George period (the best period, I might add) live from the Uptown Theatre.

It’s Simply Sunday in The Lounge with Steve Winwood and Our ‘Folk Music From A-To-Z’ Multi-Artist EP, October 22, 2023

Good morning, weekenders! As you know, we keep Sunday’s simple here in The Mermaid Lounge and today is no exception. Steve Winwood owns our AOW and we follow that up with our ‘Folk Music From A-To-Z’ multi-artist EP.

Here’s your Sunday Funday lineup:

Steve Winwood is a legend in these here parts. He spent his early musical years in the Spencer Davis Group, Blind Faith and Traffic before embarking on a successful solo career. I saw him live at what was then called The Tweeter Center in Mansfield, Massachusetts, many years ago out in the open air and it was a fantastic show. This was Winwood’s fifth solo studio album and it was his most commercially successful. It went to No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard 200 and sold three million copies. It’s our Album of The Week.

3:00 p.m. Folk Music From A-To-Z: Various Artists

We’ve got them all for you today, from the pioneers of the genre to those who pay homage to the genre. You’ll hear John Prine, Dave Van Ronk, Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Peter, Paul & Mary, Odetta, Cat Stevens, Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty & The Hearbreakers, The Beatles, Arlo Guthrie, Bonnie Raitt, Joan Baez, The Band, Eric Andersen, Tom Rush, Judy Collins, Nanci Griffith, Jesse Winchester, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, Lead Belly, Tim Hardin, The Kingston Trio, Simon & Garfunkel, Richie Havens, Jackson Browne, Guy Clark, James Taylor, Phil Ochs, Harry Chapin, Bob Dylan Townes Van Zndt, Neil Young, The Carter Family and more!

Thursday Puts Us ‘Under The Influence’, Brings Our AOW, and Cream’s Final Live Performance at Royal Albert Hall, October 19, 2023

Good morning, workers! We are heading toward the weekend once again. We’ll be there before you know it, and we’ve got some great music to make the trip brighter.

Here’s your musical lineup:

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

Yes, some legal. Some not. Come on. We’ve all been there. You’ll hear The Byrds, Arlo Guthrie, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Bob Dylan, Jefferson Airplane, Commander Cody & His Lost Planet Airmen, Donovan, Glen Frey, John Lee Hooker, Jonathan Edwards, Little Feat, Linda Ronstadt, The Traveling Wilburys, The Temptations, Small Faces, Steely Dan, The Beatles, Talking Heads, Neil Young, New Riders of The Purple Sage, Lynyrd Skynyrd, 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. Album of The Week: Duets by Linda Ronstadt

Linda Ronstadt and her musical friends drop by for another afternoon visit of song. We’re winding down on this one. The final airing will be on Saturday.

7:00 p.m. Cream Live at Royal Albert Hall, London, UK, November 26, 1968

This was Cream’s final live performance ever broadcast on the BBC. Don’t miss it!

We’re rolling now, citizens. Everything here is downhill toward the weekend. We’ll help you get there in style with some great 24/7 music and some fun programming in between all that wide Open Stream.