What Could Be Better Than a Friday ‘Under The Influence’ and With Lucinda Williams In the Spotlight Later? February 18, 2022

Good Morning, Musicologists! We’ve made it to Friday. Yes, we have. And it’s looking good as the weekend approaches. Next to love, perhaps being ‘Under The Influence’ is the most sung-about condition. We’ve got it here for you today!

Come join the fun! They’re clearly ‘Under the Influence’

Here’s your Friday line-up:

11:00 a.m. Under The Influence: Various Artists

Look, let’s face it. We’ve all been here at one time or another in our lives, and sometimes with legal substances…but sometimes not. So, we can all identify with the songs of The Doors, The Byrds, Donovan, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Arlo Guthrie, Glenn Frey, Linda Ronstadt, Jonathan Edwards, Small Faces, The Rolling Stones, the Jimi Hendrix Experience, Pink Floyd, The Beatles, The Velvet Underground, Jackson Browne, Harry Chapin, Emmylou Harris, The Band, Eric Burdon & War, Bob Dylan, The Fraternity of Man, Little Feat, and more!

7:00 p.m. In The Spotlight: The Music of Lucinda Williams

Lucinda Williams is a blues, country, rock and folk singer, songwriter and musician. Like so many other women of her generation, her early releases went ignored. However, as of today, Williams is recognized as one of the most influential singer-songwriters of her generation. Her commercial breakthrough finally arrived in 1998 with her album Car Wheels On A Gravel Road, which fused blues, rock, country, and Americana music into Lucinda’s own signature sound. The album won the Grammy for the Best Contemporary Folk Album. The rest, as they say, is history.

The weekend is technically here, people. Yes. Yes. I know we have one more day of work (in my case, two days), but the end is in sight now. It’s time to start to mellow out. It would be a great weekend to get on board the music train here in The Mermaid Lounge. Come on. You know you want to.

We’ve Made It To Friday and We’ve Got ‘The Female Species’ EP and Poco ‘Live’ on KBFH, February 11, 2022

Good Morning, Music Lovers! We’ve got an excellent programming plan today that includes not on one of our newest EP’s but a brand new live performance from Poco, a band that does not get enough credit for what they’ve done for country-rock.

Today we’ve got some ‘live’ Poco, one of the premier bands of country-rock.

Here’s your Friday line-up:

11:00 a.m. The Female Species: Various Artists

Nope. It’s not an all-girl EP, but it is a playlist that includes references to women, girls and ladies in the title, lyrics, or both. Some references are happy, some sad, but either way you’ll hear from Talking Heads, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Jackson Browne, The Boogaloo Swamis, John Mayall, Hot Tuna, The Eagles, Elvis Presley, Fleetwood Mac, Electric Light Orchestra, Percy Sledge, The Beatles, Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac, America, Roy Orbison, Billy Joel, Jimi Hendrix Experience, Aretha Franklin, The Beach Boys, Linda Ronstadt, Bob Dylan, The Temptations, and many more!

7:00 p.m. Poco Live at Orrie de Nooyer Auditorium, Farleigh Dickerson University, Madison, NJ, November 2, 1973 NEW!

We should add that it is broadcast live on King Biscuit Flower Hour as well, one of our favorite radio stations in the history of popular music. Poco doesn’t get enough credit for its contributions to the development of the country-rock genre, but we’re going to change that as we build our music library. By the time this particular live event came around, a tour in support of their sixth album, Richie Furay, Jim Messina (who went on to play with Kenny Loggins), and Randy Meisner (who later became part of the Eagles) had already left the band. Only Rusty Young (pedal steel guitar, banjo and vocals) and George Grantham (drums, vocals) remained of the original members. They added Paul Cotton (guitar, vocals) and Timothy B. Schmidt (bass, acoustic guitar and vocals). We should mention that Timothy B. Schmidt would also later become part of the Eagles. For this particular show, they added two special guests who were also instrumental to the country-rock genre in Stephen Stills and Chris Hillman.

We’re all here waiting for you to join. And by that, I mean open up a tab and hit the link below. No subscriptions, credit cards, or personal information are required. Ever. We’re all about sharing music here in a world that gets uglier by the day. Music is soothing to the soul. Take advantage of us. We love it.

Welcome To Sunday With Bobbie Gentry Owning Our Album of The Week and Our ‘Ode To Morning’ EP, February 6, 2022

Good Morning, Musicologists! We’ve got a great line-up for you today as we finally focus a bit on Bobbie Gentry, a musical pioneer who is often overlooked. No more. Today is just the beginning.

Remembered for her hit “Ode To Billie Joe,” Bobbie Gentry was so much more than that. But we start there today.

Here’s today’s line-up:

11:00 a.m. Album of The Week: Ode To Billie Joe by Bobbie Gentry NEW!

This is another artist who has been high on our list, but when you’re a one-woman band here it takes time. Bobbie Gentry really just wanted to write songs to sell to others. She never really wanted to perform her own work. But singing Ode To Billie Joe was cheaper than hiring someone else to do it, so she went into the studio. The rest is history, and the album garnered several Grammy Awards. The problem is that people only remember her for Ode to Billie Joe, and she was so much more. We will begin to reveal the many facets of Bobbie Gentry today.

3:00 p.m. Ode To Morning: Various Artists

This is the second airing of our newest EP. Last week we gave you our ‘Here Comes The Night’ EP, so this week we give you our songs that focus on the morning. You’ll hear Nanci Griffith, The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Dusty Springfield, Linda Ronstadt, Alison Krauss & Union Station, Electric Light Orchestra, Harry Nilsson, Emmylou Harris, The Wallflowers, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Norah Jones, Todd Rundgren, Gordon Lightfoot, Willie Nelson, Jefferson Airplane, Harry Chapin, Three Dog Night, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Foreigner, Gram Parsons, Taj Mahal, James Taylor, Cat Stevens, B.B. King, Hoyt Axton, Townes Van Zandt, Badfinger, Chris Hillman, Hot Tuna, Fairport Convention, Stevie Ray Vaughan, The Association.

This would be a most excellent day to join the rest of the listeners from around the world. I must say, I believe we are also catching on here in the U.S. these days. Hell, we’re so much better than Spotify. We don’t charge you to be misinformed. And we don’t charge you for the music either. All you need to do is push the button below.

The Original Sixties EP, The Final Airing of “Sticky Fingers” and LIVE DEAD! All On Tap For Saturday, February 5, 2022

Good Morning, Weekenders! Some of us have to work in retail for a living, but many of you can start to enjoy our weekend offering today!

It’s baaaaaack!

Here’s your Saturday line-up:

10:00 a.m. The Original Sixties Rotation: Various Artists

Ah, yes. The music that is the lynchpin of this radio station. One of our very first playlists ever created here. You will hear from The Monkees, Sonny & Cher, Mary Wells, Dusty Springfield, The Drifters, The Beatles, Gerry & The Pacemakers, The Hollies, Petula Clark, Buddy Holly, The Kinks, Neil Diamond, The Band, The Yardbirds, The Searchers, The Rolling Stones, Donovan, Bob Dylan, Fats Domino, Simon & Garfunkel, The Supremes, Aretha Franklin, and many more. More than five hours of uninterrupted sixties music.

7:00 p.m. Album of The Week: Sticky Fingers by The Rolling Stones FINAL AIRING!

Today we have the final airing of Sticky Fingers, our current Album of The Week. Tomorrow, we’ll have a brand new selection for you.

10:00 p.m. LIVE DEAD! The Grateful Dead Live at Hampton Coliseum, Hampton, Virginia, March 27, 1988 NEW!

Another great soundboard recording of the world’s ultimate road and jam band for your listening pleasure. This one is from the Hampton Coliseum.

In addition to all this great Saturday programming, you’ll get our usual wide Open Stream courtesy of The Music Mermaid. She has impeccable musical taste, as you well know if you tune us in every day. We won’t cost you a cent. This isn’t Spotify. We don’t air medical misinformation, nor are we seeking to turn our little station into a repository of talking heads. Join us (figuratively, that is). There are no subscription fees and no joining fees.

We’re at Midweek With Our ‘Here Comes The Night’ EP and The Beatles Album Openers Later, Wednesday, February 2, 2022

Good Morning, Musicologists! We’ve hit our midweek stride with a great EP about night time, and a brand new playlist of songs that open the Beatles US and UK album releases.

The Beatles album openers are on tap for later!

Here’s today’s musical landscape:

10:00 a.m. Here Comes The Night: Various Artists

We’ve got an EP dedicated to the morning, and we’ve got one for the night. Songs with the word “night” in the title, lyrics, or both is on tap for this morning. You’ll hear Warren Zevon, the J. Geils Band, Poco, Cat Stevens, Neil Diamond, Bonnie Raitt, The Traveling Wilburys, The Beatles, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Joe Walsh, the Ronettes, Linda Ronstadt, Joni Mitchell, Emmylou Harris, Dr. John, Bob Dylan, Wilson Pickett, Steelers Wheel, Gregg Allman, Sam Cooke, Phoebe Snow, The Electric Prunes, Jimmy Cliff, and more!

7:00 p.m. The Beatles: The LP Opening Songs NEW!

Some playlists are long; others short. By our standards, this one is pretty short but oh, so sweet. We give you the opening songs from both the US and UK Beatle album releases. As you know, some were different country-to-country and, in some cases, albums were released in one country and not in another. We do not focus on compilations or post-career releases…just the studio albums released on the Beatles labels over the years (Capitol, Parlophone, Apple, and so on).

A couple of more comments on this playlist, there is a complete list (with notes) on the blog under the Playlist tab should you wish to take a look. And while some sources do not include “With A Little Help From My Friends” as part of the opening to Sgt. Pepper, we here in The Mermaid Lounge do.

Come on, people. It’s midweek and we’re going strong around the planet this morning. It’s time to tune us in. We’re free 24/7. No credit card or subscription required. No personal information requested. We’re all about the music.

Today It’s CSNY In the Spotlight, The Magnolia Sisters ‘Live’ in Simi Valley, and ‘Paint It Black’ Later, Monday, January 31, 2022

Good Morning, Musicologists! It’s another Monday morning here in The Mermaid Lounge, and we’ve got a great line-up for you to start the week off with.

Today we’ve got some Cajun music from the Magnolia Sisters!

Here’s today’s line-up:

11:00 a.m. In the Spotlight: The Music of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young

Our number one supergroup here in these parts is for sure The Traveling Wilburys, but these guys are right behind them at number two. Crosby, Stills & Nash were the original configuration, but Neil Young added a dimension that cannot be denied, giving them the Canadian portion of this Canadian-American supergroup. They made some great music together, and we’ve got them In the Spotlight to start off the day.

3:00 p.m. The Magnolia Sisters: Live at the Simi Valley Cajun & Blues Festival, Rancho Santa Susanna Community Park, Simi Valley, California, May 23, 2015

We love Cajun-Zydeco here in the Lounge as you know, and we’ve got a short but sweet performance here by the only all-girl Cajun band on the planet. Ann Savoy is the impetus behind the Magnolia Sisters. For those who may not know her, she teamed up with Linda Ronstadt (as the Zozo Sisters) for the brilliant Grammy-nominated album Adieu False Heart, and their remake release of Walk Away Renee. Their music is part of our standard rotation, but we hope to bolster this genre of music in 2022, starting today. We remain on the hunt for more live music from The Magnolia Sisters.

7:00 p.m. Paint It Black: Various Artists

Nope. It’s not quite an EP, but that’s okay because we do need some short players as well. This is all about the color black in song…in the title or lyrics, or both. You’ll hear from The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, The Doobie Brothers, The Wallflowers, The Move, Steely Dan, Curtis Mayfield, The Flying Burrito Brothers, Linda Ronstadt, 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, and more!

Look. It’s Moan-Day. We all need a bit of a lift to start the week off. We’ve got it for you here all day long. Best of all, it’s free. No subscription required. No credit card need come out of your wallet. No commercials will blight the airwaves. And best of all, we think Joe Rogan is a public menace. He doesn’t have a home here. Tune us in.

Under a Blizzard Warning in Beantown, and We’re Spinning Our House Playlist EP, Giving You The Final Airing of Our AOW, and LIVE DEAD! Later, Saturday, January 29, 2022

Good Morning, Music Lovers! The snow’s flying. The wind’s blowing. And the music’s flowing. We’ve got a great line-up for you today, no matter what your weather is.

Our very own EP starts at 11:00 a.m. today and runs uninterrupted for just about five hours

Here’s today’s line-up:

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

It’s that magic time again. Our House Playlist calls, and we give you Barry McGuire, the Temptations, CSNY, Pink Floyd, Peter Tosh, Edwin Starr, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Animals, The Chambers Brothers, Buffalo Springfield, Stevie Wonder, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, The Byrds, Donovan, Jimmy Cliff, Cat Stevens, The Association, Marvin Gaye, The Band, Arlo Guthrie, George Harrison, Joni Mitchell, Nina Simone, and more!

7:00 p.m. Album of The Week: Blood On The Tracks by Bob Dylan FINAL AIRING!

Today is the final airing of this week’s Album of The Week, Blood On The Tracks by Bob Dylan. Get it while you can. Tomorrow, there will be a brand new featured album when you roll out of bed.

10:00 p.m. LIVE DEAD! The Grateful Dead Live at Boston Garden, Boston, MA, May 7, 1977 NEW!

The Dead bring their Wall of Sound to the fabled Boston Garden for this one, vintage 1977. Another great soundboard recording for your listening pleasure from the world’s premier road and jam band.

Well, gang, we’re rolling here in The Mermaid Lounge. The good news is that we will keep on keeping on through this New England blizzard. Be sure to join your friends from around the globe today!

Friday Brings ‘The British Are Coming’ EP and Puts Neil Young In the Spotlight As We Prepare For The Snow, January 28, 2022

Welcome to Friday as we all prepare to be bombed by a potentially historic nor’easter here in the Beantown area. As we all know in these parts, we can get anywhere from 10 inches to 2 feet. Stay tuned. But one thing is certain, the music is always outstanding here in The Mermaid Lounge, rain, snow or shine.

Yeah. They’ll be here promptly at 11:00 a.m. EST for an extended visit.

Here’s Friday’s musical landscape:

11:00 a.m. The British Are Coming: Various Artists

We all know how the story goes. The American musicians were influenced by the Brits, and vice versa. That’s how we got here. With this extended playlist, you’ll hear The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Them, The Hollies, The Who, The Animals, Yes, Queen, The Kinks, The Dave Clark Five, Rod Stewart, The Bee Gees (before they caught night fever; not after), The Yardbirds, The Pretenders, Lulu, Herman’s Hermits, Blind Faith, The Spencer Davis Group, Cream, Traffic, Donovan, Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac, and more! That’s five hours of uninterrupted music from across the pond!

7:00 p.m. In The Spotlight: The Music of Neil Young

While we remove Eric Clapton from the limelight, we put Neil Young in the limelight. This isn’t a question of politics which, as you know, we keep out of this radio station’s airing. The public health is not a political issue, and medical misinformation is not in the public interest. We will neither participate in it nor will we give voice to those who do. Like Eric Clapton. Aside from Neil Young’s stand on the issue, consider that the man is the Energizer Bunny of rock n’ roll, recently releasing his 41st album and his 14th with Crazy Horse. His career has spanned more than a half century, and he is deserving of the spotlight.

All of our friends are here this morning, including our new listeners from Pakistan, Lithuania, and Turkey. Why don’t you join them? It’s easy, as they’ve found out. No information required. No subscription required. No credit card required. All you need is a computer, a new tab, and your mouse. Eek.

We Head Toward The Weekend With a Fun Beatles Playlist, Volume 1 of ‘Repeat After Me’ and Our AOW, Thursday, January 27, 2022

Good Morning, Music Lovers! Today it’s just cold, but by Saturday we could be buried in over a foot of snow in the Boston area. We’ll see how that goes. But today, we’re talking great programming.

Today’s Beatles playlist is all about their imaginary friends.

Here’s today’s musical line-up:

11:00 a.m. The Beatles: Songs With Character

The Beatles certainly have had their share of imaginary friends: Maxwell and his silver hammer, Jeremy Hillary Boob (aka, Nowhere Man), Lucy who flew around the sky with diamonds, the tiger-hunting Bungalow Bill (who always took his mom). And some have been drawn from real life, like Penny Lane’s barber, the man in the mack who wouldn’t let John and Yoko get married, and Eleanor Rigby. We’ve got them here for you today in one place.

3:00 p.m. Album of The Week: Blood On The Tracks by Bob Dylan

Once again, we’re winding down on this one and are preparing for the next album. This is our next-to-last airing. Our final will be on Saturday.

7:00 p.m. Repeat After Me: Various Artists

They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and this playlist proves it. Here we give you the original versions of some great songs along with their reboots. You know, like Tumblin’ Dice by The Rolling Stones covered by Linda Ronstadt and Thirteen Days by J. J. Cale covered by Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers. Get the drift here?

Today we’ve added listeners from the Republic of Korea, Pakistan, Lithuania, and Turkey to the mix. When are you coming on board? It’s a really simple process. All you need to do is pull up a tab and use the button below. End of story.

Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers Live, The All-Girl Revue Too, and True Love Dominate The Day, Monday, January 24, 2022

Happy Monday, Musicologists! We’ve got a great mix for you kick off the week with today. You can’t go wrong with this particular line-up.

Today’s live Heartbreakers performance is vintage 1978!

Here’s today’s musical menu:

11:00 a.m. Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers Live at The Paradise, Cambridge, MA, July 16, 1978

The Paradise Rock Club in Boston (well, technically Cambridge) played host to a very young Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers. This would have been earlier than Damn The Torpedoes, the album that put them on the map. That momentous event would not come for another year. This is vintage, early Heartbreakers, and I was there.

3:00 p.m. The All-Girl Revue Too: Various Artists

This was the second such playlist we put together in this vein. You’ll hear Bobbie Gentry, Linda Ronstadt, Carlene Carter, Carly Simon, Carole King, Chi Coltrane, Anne Peebles, Etta James, Joan Baez, Maria Muldaur, Laura Nyro, Norah Jones, Patti Smith, Shawn Colvin, Susan Tedeschi, Bonnie Raitt, Janis Ian, Janis Joplin, and more!

7:00 p.m. True Love Always: Various Artists

Last week we brought you the heartbreak. Today, we bring you the other side. Yeah. It’s called true love. You’ll hear The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Boz Scaggs, Delaney & Bonnie, The Band, Buffalo Springfield, Van Morrison, Carly Simon, Stevie Wonder, Basia, The Mamas & The Papas, Bonnie Raitt, Guy Clark, The Hollies, Joni Mitchell, Tom Rush, Jackson Browne, George Harrison, and more!

Great music can help a Monday pass in better fashion, you know. You can just tune this station in and keep it running all day long as background music. All you need is a computer tab and a mouse. No credit card required. No personal information sought. And we don’t sell you anything. No advertisers allowed.