January 9, 2025: Legends in their own right

We’re in the presence of royalty, because a third generation in Columbia's cumbia legacy is landing in Amherst this evening to spread the sound of the genre. Yeison Landero, the grandson of “King of Cumbia”  Andrés Landero, stops through our studios before Secret Planet brings him to The Drake in Amherst this evening for a little live music Thursday. But even though Yeison has been playing music since he was seven all over Columbia and beyond, you might not know much about the legacy that his grandfather engendered, so we’ll hear a bit of context from Dj Bongohead, Pablo Yglesias of Peace & Rhythm Records, on the history of cumbia, it’s importance in Columbia in particular, and the Landeros’ very large place in the genre’s standing. And it’s our first Thursday back and our first chat of the year with Congressman Jim McGovern, where the woes of 2024 carry over into Social Security, the Laken-Riley and Leahy acts, ongoing issues in Gaza, and how all of those tie into a speech he gave recently. Not to mention the flurry of activity in the executive branch with the day of mourning for former President Jimmy Carter’s passing, and the distribution of Medals of Freedom.