May 29, 2026: House Party Edition

It's a house party this weekend, y'all. For the house, we have a conversation with newly appointed leader of the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities, secretary Juana Matias in the midst of her whirlwind Western Mass Tour, and get to ask about the ways the Baystate is helping it’s westernmost parts to weather the storm of our current housing crisis while learning how the office pivots in the face of construction and community opposition.  In Parties, River Valley Democratic Socialists are seeking to make better working conditions for all of our trans neighbors and friends through a Pre-Pride Party at Fame in Holyoke on Saturday, May 30th, featuring the sound of the Trans Inclusive Crime Syndicate DJ collective on the turntables. NEPM reporter Phil Bishop joins us to speak with co-chair Sasha Morsmith about the needs of trans workers in the area and about the importance of celebration to protest and progress. And since a good party needs music, we crash the rehearsal space of W. New England’s own Glad Machine for Live Music Friday to hear a bit of how their sound has evolved, and get folx ready to get down with them this weekend at the Drake in Amherst.