We’re at Midweek With the ‘Are You Ready for The Country’ EP, Aretha Franklin, and Ringo Starr, Wednesday, May 17, 2023

Good morning, music lovers. As I prepare to head out I’m giving you the lowdown. We’ve got our big-ass country and country-rock EP up today, Aretha’s second turn as our featured singer-songwriter, and an updated Spotlight featuring Ringo Starr.

Here’s your midweek musical landscape:

9:00 a.m. Are You Ready for The Country: Various Artists

We start off the day with our playlist of great country music, from the masters to the generation that created the country-rock sound starting in Laurel Canyon. You will hear Guy Clark, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash, 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, Jerry Jeff Walker, Mudcrutch, The Band, Alison Krauss & Union Station, Hank Williams, Glen Campbell, Rosanne Cash, Dolly Parton, Dan Fogelberg, New Riders of The Purple Sage, John Prine, The Desert Rose Band and more!

4:00 p.m. Singer-Songwriter Series: The Music of Aretha Franklin

From country to the Queen of Soul as Aretha Franklin takes her second turn as this week’s featured singer-songwriter.

8:00 p.m. In the Spotlight: The Music of Ringo Starr UPDATED!

Perhaps not as prolific as McCartney (but who is?), but Ringo Starr has made over 39 albums since The Beatles split. His All Starr Band tours continue to pack them in and, in his 80’s, he’s got his 2023 tour on track. Tonight we put him In the Spotlight where he belongs.

It’s midweek. From here on out, we’re on the downslide to the weekend. It gets better from here, people. And it will be a pleasant slide if you simply tune us in. We’re totally free 24/7 with no commercial advertising. What are you waiting for?

Songs About Trains, Dolly Parton Takes Her Final Turn, and Petty & Campbell Close Out the Programming on Cinco de Mayo!

Good morning, music lovers! Today we debut a new playlist about trains, another popular topic of musicians of all genres, Dolly Parton takes her final turn as our featured singer-songwriter, and we feature The Heartbreakers at the end.

Sunrise over a rail line in rural Alberta, Canada

Here’s your musical landscape:

11:00 a.m. Train Tracks: Various Artists NEW!

Today we debut a great playlist about trains and, believe me, they come from all genres. Trains are a popular topic for musical artists like Joni Mitchell, Guy Clark. Linda Ronstadt, Bob Marley & The Wailers, Seve Winwood, Rod Stewart, Pete Seeger, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, the Flying Burrito Brothers, Laura Nyro, Professor Longhair, J.J. Cale, Chicken Shack, Paul Butterfield Blues Band, the Boogaloo Swamis, Wendy Waldman, Gladys Knight & The Pips, Lucinda Williams, The Guess Who, Paul Simon, Rosanne Cash, Taj Mahal & Ry Cooder and more!

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

We hate to see her go, but Dolly Parton’s taking her final stage call as this week’s featured singer-songwriter. But don’t despair! Tomorrow we debut a great new artist as you will see.

8:00 p.m. Tom Petty & Mike Campbell: The Dynamic Duo

Speaking of songwriters, Tom Petty is right at the top of the list (his day will be coming), and he has had help from Mike Camp, his sidekick for many years, on many Heartbreaker songs. We debuted this playlist over three years ago and it never gets old. Tonight we air it to close out our programming.

We’ve made it to the end of the week and it’s Cinco de Mayo. For many it’ll be party time after hours. But for those who choose to party at home, we’re on 24/7 at no charge to you at any time. And better still, we do not accept commercial advertising, so there’s nothing to clog up the airwaves.

Friday in The Lounge Brings The ‘Foodies Only’ Playlist, Van Morrison as the Featured Singer-Songwriter, and Linda & Emmylou ‘Live’ Together in Boston, February 17, 2023

Good morning, weekenders. It’s almost here! We have a great lineup for you as we ease you into the weekend. We start out with a fun playlist this morning called ‘Foodies Only’ and it just may make you hungry because it’s songs about food and drink in the title, lyrics or both!

Here’s your Friday lineup:

11:00 a.m. For Foodies Only: Various Artists UPDATED!

Songs about food (and drink) in the title, lyrics or both open up our programming today. You’ll hear The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, Little Feat, Van Morrison, The Four Tops. Tony Joe White, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, The Strangeloves, Steely Dan, Harry Nilsson, Cream, Booker T. & The MG’s, Fats Domino, The Guess Who, Neil Young, Supertramp, Bob Dylan, The Flying Burrito Brothers and more! And yes, we’ve added a few new songs.

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

Today is the final airing of Van Morrison as our featured singer-songwriter for the week. His talent cannot be denied. His career has spanned seven amazing decades. Tune it in today.

7:00 p.m. Linda Ronstadt & Emmylou Harris Live at The Orpheum, Boston, MA, October 1, 1999

Linda and Emmylou have been friends for a very long time. If you’ve seen the Linda Ronstadt documentary, The Sound of My Voice, you know the depth of their friendship. This tour was in support of their Western Wall album, which is an amazing piece of work. I remember the years leading up to the album and wishing that they’d do something together. It was worth the wait. Tonight we feature them live from my hometown in a historic music venue.

Hey, I sound like a broken record, so I’m not repeating my canned closing here. Suffice it to say if you’re not listening, you’re missing out on a great thing. (And it’s 100% FREE.)

We’re One Day From the Weekend and We Feature Our Final Airing of Shawn Colvin as Our Singer-Songwriter, We Have Our ‘In Your Dreams’ EP, and We Put Dusty Springfield In the Spotlight Later, Friday, January 27, 2023

Hell, music lovers, we’re almost at the end of the first month of the new year and we’re one day away from the weekend! We’ve got a great lineup for you today with our ‘In Your Dreams’ EP sandwiched in between two of our favorite Mermaid Lounge women.

Here’s Friday’s musical lineup:

9:00 a.m. Singer-Songwriter Series: The Music of Shawn Colvin FINAL AIRING!

Today is the final airing of Shawn Colvin as this week’s featured singer-songwriter, a woman who turned the folk music genre on its head with her 1998 release A Few Small Repairs and her double-winning Grammy hit Sunny Came Home. I never had the pleasure of seeing Shawn Colvin live, but I did see her in a great multi-artist concert joining friends Bonnie Raitt, Jackson Browne, David Lindley and Bruce Hornsby back in the late 90’s. We’ll be airing that concert next week, in fact.

12:00 p.m. In Your Dreams: Various Artists

Dreams are a funny thing. I almost never remember mine unless they are the craziest. Yet, they are certainly the subject of some great music. You’ll hear the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Aerosmith, Crowded House, the Moody Blues, Van Morrison, The Eurythmics, The Flying Burrito Brothers, Nanci Griffith, The Electric Prunes, Fleetwood Mac, Roy Orbison, The Mamas & The Papas, Jimmy Buffett, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, The Allman Brothers Band, Supertramp, Randy Newman, Aretha Franklin, Widespread Panic, Linda Ronstadt, Emmylou Harris, Bob Dylan, The Youngbloods, Jimmy Ruffin, Jackson Browne, Mudcrutch, Patsy Cline, Joe Walsh, Bruce Springsteen, k.d. lang, Dusty Springfield and more!

7:00 p.m. In the Spotlight: The Music of Dusty Springfield

British-born Dusty Springfield is a Mermaid Lounge favorite. Her sultry mezzo-soprano voice is immediately recognizable and she was one of the most popular female singers of the sixties. Her repertoire encompassed blue-eyed soul, pop, country, jazz and soulful ballads. This is a great playlist.

We’re one day away from being ‘weekenders’ folks. If you’ve got an office, a free tab and a mouse, we can make your Friday a hell of a lot better. Just play us in the background. There’s no effort involved. We don’t ask for a subscription, a credit card or your name. Just click on the button below.

Today We’ll Do a Little Dreaming, Give You The Final Airing of Kate & Anna McGarrigle, and Put Aretha In the Spotlight Later, Friday, December 30, 2020

Good Morning, Music Lovers! We’re onto a good day here in The Mermaid Lounge with our ‘In Your Dreams’ EP starting everything off and Aretha Franklin closing out the programmed portion of the program. Did you get that?

Here’s Friday’s programming:

9:00 a.m. In Your Dreams: Various Artists

Do you remember your dreams? Sometimes I do. Dreaming is a good subject for a playlist. We left a lot of songs off this one. Maybe we’ll build two eventually. For today, you’ll hear the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Aerosmith, Crowded House, the Moody Blues, Van Morrison, The Eurythmics, The Flying Burrito Brothers, Nanci Griffith, the Electric Prunes, Fleetwood Mac, Roy Orbison, The Mamas & The Papas, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Jimmy Buffett, The Allman Brothers Band, Supertramp, Randy Newman, Aretha Franklin, Linda Ronstadt, Emmylou Harris, Bob Dylan, Widespread Panic, The Youngbloods, Jimmy Ruffin, Jackson Browne, Mudcrutch, Patsy Cline, Joe Walsh, Bruce Springsteen, k.d. lang, Dusty Springfield and more!

3:00 p.m. Singer-Songwriter Series: The Music of Kate & Anna McGarrigle

We wrap up the McGarrigle sister’s stint as our featured singer-songwriters today. Next up is Jackson Browne on New Year’s Eve.

7:00 p.m. In the Spotlight: the Music of Aretha Franklin

Closing out the programming is the undisputable Queen of Soul. She’ll be here to serenade you as we close out the day’s programming and return to our wide Open Stream.

We’re off to the races this morning as I’ve been bequeathed a mission of mercy by my eldest child. They never really grow up, you know. It’s a myth. But I digress. Tune us in. We’re totally free of charge 24/7. Your money’s no good here.

It’s a Simple Start to the Week With One New Playlist and One of Our Veteran EP’s Later, Monday, November 28, 2022

Good Morning and welcome to another work week. Today we’ve got a couple of multi-artist playlists, one an EP and one not quite but, hey, everything is relative isn’t it? Including time. And that’s how we begin our musical programming today.

Here’s Monday’s musical journey:

10:00 a.m. Time is Relative: Various Artists NEW!

According to Einstein, everything’s relative, including time. Today’s new playlist gives you songs with references to time in the title, lyrics or both. You’ll hear from The Guess Who, The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, the J. Geils Band, Warren Zevon, Paul McCartney & Wings, The Doors, Carly Simon, Willie Nelson, Little Feat, Joni Mitchell, Canned Heat, J.D. Souther, The Chambers Brothers, The Eagles, Paul Simon, The Byrds, Nina Simone, Lukas Nelson & Promise of The Real, Shawn Colvin, Fairport Convention and more!

3:00 p.m. In Your Dreams: Various Artists

We’ve got a second multi-artist list here to bring us into the evening so that our overnight visitors have access to some of our material. This is one of our most popular EP’s with The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Aerosmith, Crowded House, the Moody Blues, Van Morrison, The Eurythmics, The Flying Burrito Brothers, Nanci Griffith, the Electric Prunes, Fleetwood Mac, Roy Orbison, The Manas & The Papas, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Jimmy Buffett, The Allman Brothers Band, Supertramp, Randy Newman, Aretha Franklin, Linda Ronstadt, Emmylou Harris, Bob Dylan, Widespread Panic, The Youngbloods, Jimmy Ruffin, Jackson Browne, Mudcrutch, Patsy Cline, Joe Walsh, Bruce Springsteen, k.d. lang, Dusty Springfield and more!

Hey, it’s like a name-droppers convention here today so get on board. We’ve got artists from all over the musical spectrum featured in today’s programming, so it’s a good day to give us a shot. And then, there’s our wide Open Stream that takes over before, after and in between the programs. You can’t go wrong.

The Beatles 2022 ‘Revolver’ is Our Album of The Week, ‘In Your Dreams’ is Our Featured EP, and The Heartbreakers as Cover Band Later, Sunday, October 30, 2022

Good Morning, Beatle Fans, and we know that we certainly are here in The Mermaid Lounge because they are one of our House Bands (the Heartbreakers being the other). We’ve got a treat for you today with the new Revolver release as our AOW.

Here’s today’s lineup:

11:00 a.m. Album of The Week: Revolver by The Beatles (The 2022 Giles Martin Remix) NEW!

We certainly have already featured Revolver here once at our early stages of life, but this version is the newly remixed version by Giles Martin, son of the man known as The Fifth Beatle, the late Sir George Martin. This is part of the new 5-CD set that we recently got our hands on, released yesterday. We will be featuring this music as part of our general rotation and we will be playing the rest of the material on it as programmed sessions throughout the next several weeks. The package takes you on a musical journey through the making of what is often considered The Beatles most significant album.

2:00 p.m. In Your Dreams: Various Artists

Our featured EP today is ‘In Your Dreams’ with songs about dreams and dreaming. You’ll hear the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Aerosmith, Crowded House, the Moody Blues, Van Morrison, The Eurythmics, The Flying Burrito Brothers, Nanci Griffith, The Electric Prunes, Fleetwood Mac, Roy Orbison, The Mamas & The Papas, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Jimmy Buffett, the Allman Brothers Band, Supertramp, Randy Newman, Aretha Franklin, Linda Ronstadt, Emmylou Harris, Bob Dylan, Widespread Panic, The Youngbloods, Jimmy Ruffin, Jackson Browne, Mudcrutch, Patsy Cline, Joe Walsh, Bruce Springsteen, k.d. lang, Dusty Springfield and more!

9:00 p.m. Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers: Under the Covers

The same qualities that make The Heartbreakers a great rock n’ roll band are the same qualities that make them the greatest cover band in music as they pay homage to those who have inspired their work. Waiting for them to pull one of these songs out of their bag of musical tricks was always one of the best features of their live shows. Enjoy this playlist as we wind down our annual Tom Petty month. Tomorrow will be the last day.

It’s Sunday and remember, if there is a big guy up there, he even took today off. Sit back, kick off your shoes, grab the beverage of your choice, and tune us in. We are totally free 24/7 because we are all about sharing the music.

Saturday Brings Our ‘Are You Ready For The Country’ EP, the Final Airing of Our AOW, and Our New Singer-Songwriter Series, October 15, 2022

Good Morning, Music Lovers! We start the day by announcing a new series revolving around singer-songwriters, some of them travel in pairs (Lennon-McCartney, John-Taupin, and some go solo, like James Taylor and Bob Dylan). To accommodate our new series, we are taking a break from our LIVE DEAD! broadcast. But fear not, we’ll move Dead concerts into the regular programming rotation.

We kick off our new Singer-Songwriter Series tonight at 10:00 p.m.

Here’s today’s line-up:

11:00 a.m. Are You Ready for The Country: Various Artists

Once again, we pay homage to the pioneers of the country-rock genre and also to the artists of real country music (not bad pop bands with fiddles). You’ll hear from Guy Clark, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Dolly Parton, Johnny Cash, Emmylou Harris, Linda Ronstadt, Neil Young, The Byrds, Gram Parsons, The Flying Burrito Brothers, Pure Prairie League, Asleep at The Wheel, The Ozark Mountain Daredevils, Bob Dylan, The Eagles, Townes Van Zandt, Steve Earle, Marshall Tucker Band, Jerry Jeff Walker, Mudcrutch, The Band, Alison Krauss & Union Station, Glen Campbell, Rosanne Cash, Dan Fogelberg, New Riders of The Purple Sage, John Prine, The Desert Rose Band and more!

7:00 p.m. Album of The Week: Gris-Gris by Dr. John FINAL AIRING!

This is the final day for Gris-Gris, Dr. John’s debut album combining New Orleans R & B with Psychedelic Voodoo. Tomorrow when you roll out of bed, we’ll have a new psychedelic album!

10:00 p.m. Singer-Songwriters: The Music of Paul Simon NEW!

We put LIVE DEAD! on hiatus for a while and begin our series on Singer-Songwriters in this broadcast hour. You’ll be hearing from some of our regulars, but there’ll be some new additions as well. Every Saturday night at 10:00 p.m. We begin to night with the music of Paul Simon, both as a member of Simon & Garfunkel and as a solo artist.

It’s a Mermaid Lounge Saturday and we begin a new feature this week. We hope you’ll give us a shot and tune us in. We’re totally free every single day of the week, no joining fees, no “subscriptions” required, no personal information asked for, and no surprises. Just push the button below.

We Made It! Friday is Here and So is Our ‘House’ EP and Some ‘Live’ Flying Burrito Brothers Later, September 23, 2022

Good Morning, Musicologists! It’s the end of another work week (for most of us; I’ve got one day left) and we’ve got a great day of programming lined up. As always, we are modest in structure. Most of our day is dedicated to that great wide Open Stream.

We kick the day off with our #BecomeUngovernable House EP!

Here’s your end-of-the-week lineup:

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

Totally inspirational music here for you, folks. The music that inspired the station. Plenty of protest music and plenty of psychedelia. You’ll hear plenty of The Mermaid Lounge favorites with Barry McGuire, The Temptations, Edwin Starr, Peter Tosh, The Who, The Beatles, Genesis, T-Rex, 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 Years After, The Plastic Ono Band, Billy Joel, George Harrison, The Rolling Stones, Sam Cooke, Joni Mitchell, Jimi Hendrix Experience, Three Dog Night, Jimmy Cliff, Richie Havens, Marvin Gaye, The Association, Phil Ochs, Tom Rush, Pete Seeger, The Band, Nina Simone and more!

7:00 p.m. The Flying Burrito Brothers Live at The Palomino, West Hollywood, CA, June 8, 1969

One of the bands at the forefront of the country-rock phenomenon that took root in Laurel Canyon, the breeding ground for two generations of musicians who helped meld country and rock. Tonight we have them live from The Palomino.

This is the place to be today. There is a lot of great music in both the programming and the open stream, and you’ll be under the mesmerizing control of The Music Mermaid. That is significantly better than being under the control of Donald Trump. I think we can all agree on that. We’re totally free. We take no commercial advertising, so there’s no interruption (except for a few modest station I.D.’s from me), and no ‘subscription’ required. Therefore, you need not provide a credit card nor personal information. What more do you want?

Monday Brings Our ‘In Your Dreams’ EP and a Brand New Spotlight Featuring Singer-Songwriter James Taylor, August 29, 2022

Happy Monday, Musicologists! Another work week rolls around, but at least I’m not working my day off like I was last week. We’re thankful for small favors, and we’re thankful that we have The Music Mermaid to get us through the day.

Today we take a trip into dreamland with songs that mention dreams in the title, lyrics or both!

Here’s your Monday musical landscape:

11:00 a.m. In Your Dreams: Various Artists

One of our newer EPs bring you music about dreams from The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Aerosmith, Crowded House, the Moody Blues, Van Morrison, The Eurythmics, The Flying Burrito Brothers, Nanci Griffith, the Electric Prunes, Fleetwood Mac, Roy Orbison, The Mamas & The Papas, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Jimmy Buffett, The Allman Brothers Band, Supertramp, Randy Newman, Aretha Franklin, Linda Ronstadt, Emmylou Harris, Bob Dylan, Widespread Panic, The Youngbloods, Jimmy Ruffin, Jackson Browne, Mudcrutch, Patsy Cline, Joe Walsh, Bruce Springsteen, kd lang, Dusty Springfield and more!

7:00 p.m. In The Spotlight: The Music of James Taylor NEW!

This one is long overdue and we’re glad it’s finally here. James Taylor is one of the greatest singer-songwriters on the planet. I finally realized this had to be done when we started working on our new singer-songwriter EP. Don’t miss this one!

We’ve got a big swath of listeners from around the globe this morning with Greece, Italy, The Netherlands, Brazil, Spain, the UK, Germany, Australia, Russian Federation, Chile, Brazil, Denmark, Switzerland, not to mention Kansas, Texas and New York. Where are you this morning?