On Friday It’s ‘Free As a Bird,’ a Nicolette Larson ‘Spotlight,’ and Volume One of The Beatles Live at The BBC, May 30, 2025

Good morning, music lovers and welcome to the cusp of the weekend once again! Today we open with songs about being free, followed by Niclette Larson ‘In the Spotlight’ and our boys live at The BBC!

Here’s your Friday musical lineup:

10:00 a.m. Free As a Bird: Various Artists

We start off with songs about freedom from Edgar Winger, The Beatles, CSNY, The Byrds, Richie Havens, Van Morrison, Three Dog Night, Tracy Chapman, Emmylou Harris, Allen Toussaint, Pete Seeger, Joni Mitchell, Loggins & Messina, Tedeschi Trucks Band, Curtis Mayfield, The Kinks, and more!

4:00 p.m. In The Spotlight: The Music of Nicolette Larson

Nicolette Larson burst onto the music scene with her recording of Neil Young’s Lotta Love, and became one of the great girl singers of her generation. By 1985, she had turned to country music, charting one Top 40 country hit before her tragic death at the age of 45. Today we put her ‘In the Spotlight’ where she belongs.

8:00 p.m. The Beatles Live at The BBC Studios, Recorded June-September 1963

The Fab Four did a lot of live ‘in studio’ performances during their early years to help get their songs out to the world. This series was called Pop Go The Beatles, and it’s a great collection of music. Enjoy.

No EP today so that means plenty of our big, wide Open Stream. We’re on 24/7. We’re totally free, and we run absolutely no commercial advertising. We’re all about the music. Come on in. Give it a shot. You’ll see what we mean when we say we play the best music on the planet. The button is below.

Today We’ve Got Our ‘Folk Music From A-To-Z’ EP, a New Marcia Griffiths ‘Spotlight’ Feature, and Laura Nyro Live at Carnegie Hall, On Friday, May 23, 2025

Good morning, musicologists and welcome to Friday. We’re on the cusp of the weekend, and we’ve got some great music here today, including a new ‘Spotlight’ from a reggae legend!

Here’s your week’s end musical lineup:

9:00 a.m. Folk Music From A-To-Z: Various Artists

This is one of our favorite EP’s with music from the folk legends as well as the artists who keep the genre alive, including John Prine, Dave Van Ronk, Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Peter, Paul & Mary, Odetta, Yusuf/Cat Stevens, Bruce Springsteen, The Beatles, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, 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, Bob Dylan, Harry Chapin, Townes Van Zandt, The Carter Family and more!

Today we introduce a brand new ‘Spotlight’ featuring a six-decade legend in Reggae music. Marcia Griffiths has been on the scene not only as a solo artist for decades, but also as a fierce collaborator with other reggae artists. She was a member of the I-Threes (who also have a ‘Spotlight’ here) along with Rita Marley and Judy Mowatt. Together, they were Bob Marley’s back-up singers and one of the most influential Reggae acts in the genre. Today she’s in our ‘Spotlight.’

8:00 p.m. Laura Nyro Live at Stern Auditorium, Carnegie Hall, New York, NY, March 31, 1976

Speaking of music legends, here’s another. Her compositions put many, many artists on the map and on the charts, but there is nothing like hearing her sing them herself. Tonight you can!

Once again, allow me to remind you all. We’re on 24/7 and we’re completely free. No strings. No surprises. No credit card required, nor is there a required subscription. We’re anti-capitalist, anti-fascist, and all about the music. The button is below!

We’re Back With Our ‘House EP’, a Beatles ‘Spotlight’ Feature, and The Byrds Live in London, On Saturday, May 3, 2025

Welcome, Weekenders! We’re back with some great programming today as we begin the weekend and head toward ‘Festival Week’ on Monday. Read on for all the details!

Here’s your Saturday lineup:

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

The music that inspired the radio station starts off the day. We’ve got music from Barry McGuire, The Temptations, Edwin Starr, Peter Tosh, The Beatles, T. Rex, The Who, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Bob Dylan, Country Joe & The Fish, Bob Marley & The Wailers, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, 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, Phil Ochs, Richie Havens, Marvin Gaye, The Association, Tom Rush, The Band and more!

4:00 p.m. In The Spotlight: The Music of The Beatles

This was a tough playlist to create. Ultimately, I ended up putting a bunch of sheets of paper in a bucket with songs written on them and pulling them out. There’s simply no logical way to do this in your head. There are far too many great songs from the greatest rock band on the planet.

8:00 p.m. The Byrds Live at Royal Albert Hall, London, UK, May 13, 1971

We close it out from one of the most significant bands of the sixties whose music influenced many who followed, most notably Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers. The Byrds were a fine band, and Roger McGuinn is a legend.

We’re here 24/7 and we play the best damned music on the planet. It’s an eclectic rotation with few duplications in even a week, let alone a day. The Music Mermaid has this down. Join us. The button is below.

On Thursday It’s ‘Folk Music From A-To-Z’, a Visit From The Soul Men and The Stones Live in Saitama, Japan, August 29, 2024

Good morning, music lovers and welcome to another day in The Mermaid Lounge as we get closer to the weekend! We’ve got a great lineup for you today.

FILE – In this Dec. 1975 file photo, musicians Roger McGuinn, Joni Mitchell, Richie Havens, Joan Baez and Bob Dylan perform the finale of the The Rolling Thunder Revue, a tour headed by Dylan. (AP Photo, File)

Here’s your musical lineup:

9:00 a.m. Folk Music From A-To-Z: Various Artists

We kick the day off with a bit of Americana with the pioneers and revivalists of the craft like Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Lead Belly, The Kingston Trio, John Prine, Dave Van Ronk, Arlo Guthrie, Bonnie Raitt, Odetta, Peter, Paul & Mary, The Beatles, Cat Stevens, Tom Rush, The Band, Eric Andersen, Judy Collins, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Nanci Griffith, Jesse Winchester, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, Lead Belly, Tim Hardin, Simon & Garfunkel, Richie Havens, James Taylor, Phil Ochs, Harry Chapin, Bob Dylan, Townes Van Zandt, The Carter Family, Neil Young and more!

4:00 p.m. The Soul Men: Various Artists

We get a visit from some the Soul Men this afternoon, including Stevie Wonder, James Brown, Al Green, The Four Tops, Marvin Gaye, Fats Domino, Jackie Wilson and more!

8:00 p.m. The Rolling Stones Live at The Saitama Super Arena, Saitama, Japan, April 2, 2006

We close the programming with The Stones live in Saitama, Japan.

We’re here 24/7 at no charge to you because we’re all about the music; not about the money. And we’re not kidding. See for yourself. No strings. No bait-and-switch. Nada. The button’s below.

It’s Saturday in The Lounge With ‘Folk Music From A-To-Z’, Jesse Winchester and Jefferson Airplane, June 29, 2024

Good morning, musicologists! We’re making our way into the dog days of summer. But we’re cool in The Lounge with a folk music start and a psychedelic finish.

Here’s your Saturday lineup:

9:00 a.m. Folk Music From A-To-Z: Various Artists

Songs about hope and bravery is what the early folk music movement was all about. In this EP, you’ll hear John Prine, Dave Van Ronk, Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Peter, Paul & Mary, Odetta, Cat Stevens, Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, The Beatles, Arlo Guthrie, Bonnie Raitt, Tom Rush, Joan Baez, The Band, Eric Andersen, Judy Collins, Nanci Griffith, Jesse Winchester, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, Lead Belly, Tim Hardin, The Kingston Trio, Simon & Garfunkel, Richie Havens, Phil Ochs, James Taylor, Townes Van Zandt, The Carter Family, Neil Young and more!

4:00 p.m. In The Spotlight: The Music of Jesse Winchester

We continue the folk music vibe before we swing into something a bit more…psychedelic. I was fortunate enough to have seen Jesse Winchester perform twice, the first time as the opening act for Emmylou Harris; the second as the headliner. Bob Dylan, the master songwriter himself, once said of Jesse Winchester, “You can’t talk about the best songwriters and not include him.” Indeed.

We had the Airplane soaring high over Golden Gate Park as we were moving out of the sixties and into the next decade. However, I beg to differ with people out there talking about 1969 as the ‘Summer of Love.’ Not true. The ‘Summer of Love’ happened in 1967. We have definitive proof, so stop spreading musical misinformation. But I digress, and I apologize.

We’re at Midweek With a Focus on Folk Music, and a Visit From Delbert McClinton, Wednesday, January 24, 2024

Good morning, folk-ologists! We’re focused on folk today as we open and close with folk music pioneers and those who continue to support the genre.

Here’s your midweek lineup:

9:00 a.m.  Folk Music From A-To-Z: Various Artists

Today we salute the pioneers of folk, those who have kept the genre flourishing, and those who pay it homage. You’ll hear John Prine, Dave Van Ronk, Woody Guthrie, 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, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, Led Belly, Tim Hardin, The Kingston Trio, Simon & Garfunkel, Richie Havens, Jackson Browne, Guy Clark, James Taylor, Phil Ochs, Harry Chapin, Bob Dylan, Townes Van Zandt, The Carter Family, Neil Young and more!

4:00 p.m.  Singer-Songwriter Series: The Music of Delbert McClinton

Delbert stops by at 4:00 p.m. for his second spin as our featured singer-songwriter.

Ian & Sylvia was a true folk duo that performed together from 1959 to 1975; after moving to Nashville, they were also instrumental in helping the country-rock genre take hold. They were pretty well respected in their time, but have somehow fallen through the cracks. But today, we put them In The Spotlight where they belong.

Today It’s Our ‘Folk Music From A-To-Z’ EP, the Final Airing of The Kinks’ AOW and We Introduce Ray Davies as Our Featured Singer-Songwriter, August 19, 2023

Good morning, folk music lovers! We are back with our big, bad EP that delivers all things folk, from the early pioneers of the genre to those who pay it homage as part of their musical repertoire.

Here’s Saturday’s musical lineup:

Today we take you back to Woody Guthrie and bring you through the great folk renaissance of the sixties and seventies. You’ll hear John Prine, Dave Van Ronk, Woody Guthrie, 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, 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 Zandt, The Carter Family and more!

5:00 p.m. Album of The Week: Give The People What They Want by The Kinks FINAL AIRING!

Today we bid a fond farewell to The Kinks’ Album of The Week…on a day when we introduce the guiding force of the Kinks as our featured singer-songwriter! Tomorrow, we’ll have a brand new album in place.

Tonight we introduce The Kinks’ guiding force as our new singer-songwriter. Ray Davies was the lead singer, rhythm guitarist and primary songwriter for this great British Invasion band. It’s only fitting that he’s featured this week.

Our ‘Folk Music From A-To-Z’ EP, Smokey Robinson, and Al Green are in The Lounge on Wednesday, July 19, 2023

Good morning, music lovers! We are at midweek and we’ve got both the parents of folk and the members of the great folk revival in The Lounge today, along with Smokey Robinson and Al Green.

Here’s your midweek lineup:

9:00 a.m. Folk Music From A-To-Z: Various Artists

Folk is the original protest genre, and it made a huge revival in the sixties, particulary in the Greenwich Village music scene. Today we’ve got pretty much all the players who’ve contributed, including John Prine, Dave Van Ronk, Woody Guthrie, 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, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, Lead Belly, Tim Hardin, The Kingston Trio, Simon & Garfunkel, Richie Havens, Jackson Browne, Guy Clark, James Taylor, The Carter Family, Harry Chapin, Linda Ronstadt (& The Stone Poneys), Phil Ochs, Townes Van Zandt, Bob Dylan and more!

4:00 p.m. Singer-Songwriter Series: The Music of Smokey Robinson

Smokey Robinson drops by The Lounge for his second spin as our featured singer-songwriter today. Give a listen.

8:00 p.m. In the Spotlight: The Music of Al Green

The reverend Al drops by to give us a little soul and R & B to close out the formal programming for the day.

After today, it’s all downhill as we make our way to the weekend! We’ll help you get through the midweek morass with this great music today. And, as always, it’s 100% free of charge to all with absolutely no commercial interruption.

We Keep It Simple On Sunday With Karla Bonoff’s AOW and Our House EP of Music That Inspired Us to Start, April 23, 2023

Good morning, musicologists! We’re here on another ‘keep it simple’ Sunday with Karla Bonoff’s self-titled AOW and our #BecomeUngovernable House EP.

Here’s today’s lineup:

11:00 a.m. Album of The Week: Karla Bonoff by Karla Bonoff NEW!

The self-titled, RIAA Gold-Certified debut album by Karla Bonoff is a treasure. She sings many of the songs made famous by her peers: Lose Again, Home, If He’s Ever Near, and Someone To Lay Down Beside Me. She established herself as a masterful songwriter, writing eight of the ten songs on the album. Not to be missed.

4:00 p.m. The #BecomeUngovernable House EP: Various Artists

Truly the music that inspired us to do this. Originally, we were going to mix this with political talk and then we asked ourselves why we wanted to ruin a good thing. We dropped the politics. You’ll hear Barry McGuire, The Temptations, Edwin Starr, Peter Tosh, The Beatles, Genesis, 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, The Plastic Ono Band, Billy Joel, George Harrison, 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 and more!

We’re not just broadcasting when we have programming going on. We’re on 24/7 with our wide Open Stream of more than 27,000 songs (and growing). The Music Mermaid is always on duty here in The Lounge, and she has impeccable taste in music.

We’re at Midweek With Our Great ‘Folk Music From A-To-Z’ EP, Karla Bonoff and a New Playlist Tonight, Wednesday, April 19, 2023

Good morning, music lovers! We’ve hit midweek once again and we’ve got a full slate lined up for you today, including a new playlist to wrap up the day about the rain.

Here’s today’s lineup:

9:00 a.m. Folk Music From A-To-Z: Various Artists

Folk brought us the music of both social justice and social unrest. In this EP you’ll hear from John Prine, Dave Van Ronk, Woody Guthrie, 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, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, Lead Belly, Tim Hardin, The Kingston Trio, Simon & Garfunkel, Richie Havens, Jackson Browne, Guy Clark, James Taylor, The Carter Family, Harry Chapin, Bob Dylan, Linda Ronstadt, Townes Van Zandt, Phil Ochs and more!

4:00 p.m. Singer-Songwriter Series: The Music of Karla Bonoff

The second airing of Karla Bonoff as our featured singer-songwriter for this week.

8:00 p.m. Looks Like Rain: Various Artists NEW!

Not quite an EP, but with a great selection of artists. You’ll hear The Temptations, James Taylor, America, Willie Nelson, The Rascals, Linda Ronstadt, The Lovin’ Spoonful, the James Gang, Joni Mitchell, J.D. Souther, Gordon Lightfoot, Poco, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Bob Dylan, Elvis Presley, Carole King, Melanie, Maria Muldaur, The Beatles, The Eurythmics, Tom Waits, Fats Domino, Valerie Carter, Electric Light Orchestra, Creedence Clearwater Revival and more!

We’re halfway to the weekend again. They call this “hump day” for a reason. Great day to tune us in. No cost. No advertising. Just music.