The Fabulous 413

We have several reads for you, especially for your littles of whatever size and age they come in. The R.I.S.E. Festival is currently in its second year, bringing authors, artists, musicians and more to Northampton High School to celebrate the written and illustrated word, as well as promote the wellness that the arts can instill in all of us. We speak with organizer Jarrett J Krosoczka about all of the folx joining the festivities, and hear a preview from local musician Louis Phipps, one of the young performers who’ll join in those celebrations, and hear how this years festival has packed even more activities into one very full day on May 16th. And Congressman Jim McGovern checks in on the way to his offices in DC to explore the congressional votes on a war resolution for Iran, the administration’s current trip to China, the spread of redistricting fever in the fallout of the Callais decision, and the hotbed issue of rotisserie chicken that arises from a bevvy of listener questions. 

If you didn’t get enough beautiful bee content yesterday, today is gonna melt your wax. Because we're going to one of only two state apiaries here in Massachusetts, nestled into the far reaches of the UMass Amherst Campus now in it's 10 year of collaboration with the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR). We talk with beekeepers and researchers Kim Skrym and Jessica Glover, don protective suits and head off to see their many hives and the residents thereof and talk about the very necessary and incredibly hard work of keeping bees in the Bay State. While there, we get to taste royal jelly and fresh honey, get in-depth on the work and lifespan of Queens, drones and workers, and hear about some of the challenges facing bees in the northeast, and more. Plus we'll let you know how you can visit the bees themselves at events around western mass this spring!

We are full of fiery passion, and beesYesterday's show might have sparked your yen for equity and justice. In which case interlink books might just have the kindling for your acts of protest. "Don't Be a F#$king Marshmallow: A Beginners Guide to Revolution" is a new graphic essay from author-illustrator Jesse Mechanic about which he'll be in conversation with Leyla Moushabeck of Interlink Books this weekend at Amherst College, and we'll chat with both about how to keep starting proverbial firesBut if your desire is bees, there's a festival for that. The Greenfield Bee Fest happens this weekend celebrating one of the most important pollinators, and the legacy of beekeeping connected to the city. We'll hear music from performers Mr. G (and Mrs G), as well as organizer Hannah Rechtschaffen of the Greenfield Business Association and get a taste of the festivities coming to the city formerly known as a town. And a great source to feed those bees is native plants and grasses. We head up to Conway Natives to talk with Lilian Jackman about integrating species that have called this land home longer than we have into your lawns and gardens and more. 

Today is a bit of a bummer if equality is a thing that you’re into (and hopefully you are), but the recent decisions by the supreme court might have you questioning if equality is a thing that America is actually into. So we talk with Haydenville’s proverbial canary in our democracy coalmine, author and former editor at Slate Magazine, David Daley, who has now written two books outlining the possibility of what just happened with the recent Callais decision, to dig into the far reaching effects of the ruling both for right now, and beyond the current redistricting. But we have hopeful things as well. Rachel’s Table is a local organization that has made headway in local hunger for over three decades. This weekend they’re encouraging the community to come together for their Outrun Hunger 5K event in Forest Park raising funds for their many programs and services, about which we’ll chat with ex. dir Jodi Falk. And Mr. Universe, Kainaat Studios’ Salman Hameed, takes a careful scientific comb to the many click-bait prone findings of recently released documents on UAPs, and how that sensationalism can affect later discoveries and more. 

The unsavory necessities of today means that a city full of people are ostensibly also filling their bodies with food which eventually becomes… other things that fill up toilets and that we don’t want to keep in our houses. But if not there, where does that go? There’s actually several answers, but one of them sometimes affects the Connecticut River and your ability to go out on it and enjoy the things the water brings us. Andrew Fisk of American Rivers takes us on a walk along Springfield’s riverfront to explore what Combined Sewer Overflows (or CSOs) do and how they affect the nearby populations. We’ll also have Live Music Friday with the post-punk perfection of Grammerhorn Wren, whose intricate quitars and heady vocals are celebrating the release of their latest album AEOE with a show at the Marigold Theater tonight, May 8. And in that same city of Easthampton, we head just across Perfume Pond to celebrate the longer days at with the folx of Tip Top Wine Shop in a showdown of savory white wines for this week’s thunderdome. 

In Haydenville, a microfarm is bringing colorful blooms to events and homes all over the baystate by doubling down on locally grown flowers. Flora Farm began with a much wider perspective, but has been focused on making their quarter acre of blossoms key to the floral needs of Western Mass and beyond. We talk with farmer Aspen Bey about the farm’s history, some of the challenges for younger farmers, and how their own history is being continued through the flowers they grow. We’ll also head to Longmeadow to meet the many teens organizing the Future Planet Fiesta. A festival only in its second iteration, the event is gathering ecologically minded school groups of all ages and community organizations to host a fun and information filled  gathering on the Town’s Common this Saturday, and we’ll hear from all of them the importance and cathartic nature of engageable action. And Congressman Jim McGovern  checks in with us still riding a high from Hampshire Pride, to explore the hidden costs and repercussions of the Iran war, his encouragement for folx to continue to be civically engaged, the draining of the social security funds and much more. 

We’ve got a super fun extra rare Live Music Wednesday in store with Rev. Peyton’s Big Damn Band before they take the stage at the Iron Horse in Northampton tonight, May 6th. They’ve been sterling examples of virtuosity in finger-picking , slide guitar, and washboard across their many albums and singles, and we’ll get a taste of their award nominated sound and heritage holding instruments right here in our studios with a few tracks from their latest LP, Honeysuckle. We’ll also head to Worthington where William Shakespeare and Tom Stoddard are meeting over a Danish kingdom. The Little Garden Theater is performing both Hamlet and the Hamlet-inspired Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead this weekend May 8-10th, intrepidly weaving together both stories and their respective casts in innovative ways. We speak with their production’s Danish prince themself Ace Tayloe, and hear about the largess of joining these two stories in the hilltowns.  Plus Word Nerd Emily Brewster, Senior Editor at Merriam-Webster invites us to slide out chairs up to the table and dig into a listener question about the origins of words used to describe meals of the day, from breakfast, to supper, and beyond. 

Today is all connected to the BerkshiresIn a new novel from Longmeadow native Vincent Yu, a small town and the base of the westerly mountains is rocked by a sudden alert about their imminent demise. What follows is the subject of the novel Seek Immediate Shelter, which highlights several Asian-American citizens of the fictional town of "Beckitt" and their connections to this mistake. We speak with the author about the novel, with its many twists, turns, and local easter eggs,  before you can meet him in person at the Odyssey Bookshop in South Hadley on Wednesday night, May 6th. We’ll also head to the very real city of Pittsfield to chat with our next Mayor of the Month: Peter Marchetti. Hot off the heels of a meeting with the many other mayors of the baystate we get to learn from him about Pittsfield’s housing issues and economic drive. Plus we’ll hear about his volunteer work with Berkshire Pride, and learn how the recently launched 413 link bus service is starting to make a difference for the folx of his city, and much much more. 

Red Shirt Farm is a prodigal agricultural endeavor, but is innovating with vigor. Not only are they using green methods to heat their greenhouses, but a brand new farmstore is helping them to provide fresh produce and local products to folx in the northern and central berkshires. We speak with Farmers Jim and Sarah with Berkshire Agricultural Venture’s Dan Carr about the story of the farm and more. We’ll also have live music Monday from Max Wareham. The storied banjo player and historian has a brand new album due out in June. He takes stage at the Parlor Room this Friday, May 8th,  and we’ll hear how recording this album by himself in the most bluegrass-y of locations has shifted his perspective on the music he makes. And it’s Star Wars Day, and even though Mr. Universe, Kainaat studios’ Salman Hameed is more of a Star Trek Person, that doesn’t mean we can’t celebrate by talking about super massive black holes, binary star systems, and other things that pop up in the galaxy far far away. 

It’s Free Comic Book Day! Started 24 years ago, shops and libraries around the country have given away millions of issues in the ensuing years. We chat with Xtian Reader of Comics ‘N More in Easthampton about how they’re celebrating this year, and the community connections this day bringsThe Adams Theater will showcase the work of artists who are looking at grief and connection through the lens of Dance. Boca Tuya has been in residence honing a massive work called Yahaira Yahaira, and we’ll speak with founder Omar Román de Jesús company manager Rachel Secrest and Theater Director Yina Moore about the importance of being given space and more. And on Sunday, folx will gather to celebrate the memory and work of a beloved member of the community lost over the winter. Nat Graves was a conduit for creation, and we’ll talk with Kat Adler about the memorial Absence|Presence that honors them at the Shea Theater in Turners Falls. 

Today is a garden sandwich with musical bread. Next door to us at the Hope Center for the Arts, a heartland grown sound that’s been honed for 40+ years takes the stage in Springfield. The BoDeans formed in Wisconsin but have brought their take on roots music into the 21st century and we’ll speak with founder Kurt Neumann about his time in the music industry and more before you can see their show Sunday, May 3rd. Polyglot Emily Wells is known for her inventive and evocative take with the music that she makes. One of the most interesting of which is shifting some of the more electronic all in one approach to  more acoustic bodies and instruments arrangements. She joins us alongside her string quartet of friends for Live Music Friday as her Antenna Cloud Farm residency concludes with a concert at The Shea Theater on May 2nd. And on the eastern edge of Springfield, the 16 Acres Garden Center has been bringing color to the yards and landscape of the area for almost 65 years. We take a tour of what spring is bringing to their facilities and learn about early pitfalls new gardeners can avoid.

Amherst Media takes the tools of tv, video, and podcasting and puts them in the hands of a public eager to create their own content for themselves, the folx of the town, and beyond. We take a tour of the oldest continuously operating public access station in the nation, and learn how you can both celebrate and support them this weekend at their gala from executive director Rachael Figurasmith, board president Jennifer Shiao, and board member Andrew Hart. Then we head to Becket where Jacob’s Pillow’s inaugural spring season brings an examination of sound, body, and connection through intercontinental pathways. Rowdies in Love returns to Jacob’s Pillow this weekend, having honed the vision birthed from Hari Krishnan and the company inDance at the Pillow Lab. We’ll speak with the choreographer and dancers Spenser Stroud and Eury German about the many manners of affection that manifest in the work as Indian Classical dance meets modern body movements. And congressman Jim McGovern addresses the press correspondent’s dinner events, Hegseth’s defense of our actions in Iran, his attempts to fight for the steadily eviscerated Farm Bill, SCOTUS’ demolishing of the Voting Rights Act and more. 

Today on the Fab 413, we immerse ourselves in an exhibit that seeks to make sure everyone has access to art with temporal freedom in that connection. Don’t mind if I do is a collaborative experiment demonstrating how temporary changes in power structures create pathways of access for visitors, artists, and staff. Anchored by a conveyor belt that brings artworks to visitors who are invited to sit around comfortable furniture and engage with it directly.We’ll head to Smith College Museum of Art, where this work is currently on display, to engage with it in person alongside curator Emma Chubb, and learn how the public of western mass has been interacting with it, and what the museum has done to make it western Mass. specific. We’ll also get to speak with the Artist behind the whole work Finnegan Shannon, and the original  and traveling curator of the piece Lauren Leving to hear about it’s origins, and some of the hidden nuances that have really resonated with folx in it’s travels around the country. After which we’ll tap senior editor at Merriam Webster word nerd Emily Brewster to get into the very weird way we talk about the vegetation we eat. 

We now turn our attention to another film that is locally grounded. Watching Mr. Pearson is a beautiful look at fame, legacy, memory and care through an aging actor and his two caretakers, and we speak with the core of the movie’s production teams Samantha Valletta and Dillon Bentlage about the process of completing this work before you can see it for yourself at Garden Cinemas in Greenfield this Wednesday. April 29th at the Hope Center for the Arts will be filled with an ongoing legacy of vocal prowess. Madeline Peyroux joins us before she takes that stage tomorrow to talk about the political arc of her recent albums, the joys of collaboration, and the winding road her sound has taken to get to this point. And Mr. Universe, Kainaat Studios and former Hampshire College astronomer Salman Hameed, talks about that loss in particular and how it resonates on a larger scale against a backdrop of recent and ongoing federal cuts to science agencies, even in the wake of the successful Artemis mission. 

We head to the homestead of one of the area’s most famous and prolific writers to celebrate National Poetry Month with the written word past and present, because when your body of work is 1800 strong, there’s plenty to read and connect with.  We’re broadcasting from the Emily Dickinson Museum in the Evergreens with Jane Wald (Executive Director) and Brooke Steinhauser (Senior Director of Programs). We’ll hear some of Dickinson’s work and learn more about some of the museum’s upcoming programs in person and virtual, and learn about the updates and restoration happening in the Main building that will bring us closer to the times Emily was living in. Then we turn to the poets of now as we’re joined by two local writers: Nathan McClain and Rebecca Hart Olander. We’ll hear poems from each of them, learn more about the writing and editing process from their extensive  careers, and process the academic tie that connects them: Hampshire College. 

We’ve been a little remiss with our prose, because it’s National Poetry month and we have not really leaned into thatSo today we fix it because we’re chatting with folx from The Massachusetts Review. Founded by professors from area colleges, the magazine has become one of the most prestigious in the nation, having featured the work of Pulitzer and Nobel winners, and remains on the forefront of writing that confronts important issues facing us all. We speak with executive editor Britt Rusert, and managing editor Edward Clifford about the latest issue, and more. Springfield’s own Parris joins us for Live Music Friday. The multi-hyphenate performer is preparing for the release of her latest EP “2002”, but joins us as she also readies to put those songs on stage next week for the Community Music School of Springfield’s Spring Gala on May 1st. And the Wine Thunderdome returns to the location of its origin at State Street Fruit Store, Deli, Wine & Spirits, to explore new world takes on old world styles as California takes a hard look at France and tries to recreate it in bottle. 

We get our flags ready for one of the area’s longest running traditions. Hampshire Pride hits the streets of Northampton and beyond on Saturday, May 2nd, one of the first of the calendar year in the nation. This year, the organization which was revived after the pandemic has an even larger celebration planned for the LGBTQIA2S+ community and its allies. We speak with Clay Pearson, Jay Kehoe, and Colleen Jordan about the considerations and spectacles that will make up this year’s event. This Sunday, you can learn more about one of music’s more notorious figures through an afternoon of local luminaries, and a beverage or two. Opera on Tap Boston makes a stop at the Iron Horse to perform its program on Mozart, complete with pianist, a set of renowned western Mass. based opera singers, and a potentially tipsy historian to take you through some of Mozart’s less shining moments and notorious rumors. Mezzo-Soprano Caitlin Felsman walks us through some of the experiences they’ll bring to life in Northampton on April 26th. And our weekly chat with Jim McGovern sees the congressman in a whirlwind of activity and upset regarding the continuing war in Iran, issues that beleaguer the upcoming midterms, and his own disappointment with his party in regards to some bills that will soon be voted upon that have very real impact on the whole nation.

We’re looking for answers about sustainability because it’s earth Day today. So in the most literal sense we’ll chat with organizers behind the Amherst Sustainability Festival taking place this Saturday, April 25th. Bringing together demonstrations, over 50 vendors of a wide variety of disciplines, workshops, bands and entertainment on the Amherst common so we all might make shifts for a better tomorrow. Stephanie Ciccarello, Amherst’s director of Sustainability, chats with us about this free event and how her department strives to shift the practices of the town. For the more esoteric, we’ll look at the sustainability of profession in times of uncertainty. Reporter Melissa Sances has just released a fascinating report on the entropy of the Strathmore Paper Mill in Turners Falls that brings to question not just our ongoing issues regarding industry of old, but of the place and drive of those pursuing these truths in a time where revelations of this sort can be incredibly polarizing. And word nerd Emily Brewster, senior editor at Merriam-Webster, explores the sustainability of one word’s direct object usage as we look at the place, time and frequency with which we use the word “whom”. 

The 4 counties are rife with film creators. The fifth Easthampton Film Festival takes place this weekend bringing a whole host of new and established movie makers together to screen their work, deepen their craft, and engage with the public! We speak with founder Chris Ferry, programming chair Lena Vani, and filmmakers of the short film "Thickly Settled" Brian Jones and Jordan Brooks, about the weekend’s showings and beyond. The David Ruggles Center is using it's Founder's Day celebration to explore the area’s history with worker owned co-operatives through the mission of The Northampton Association. We speak with Education Coordinator at the David Ruggles Center for History and Education Tom Goldscheider and founding member of the Ruggles Center and worker-owner at Collective Copies Steve Strimer about this history that you can learn more about through a panel discussion they'll host this Sunday, April 26th at Bombyx Center for Arts and Equity in Florence. And a tale of two cafes joined in their pursuit of local produce and products. We head to Northampton to Woodstar Cafe to talk to owner Mark Krause about the connection with his first cafe, Esselon, to the bakery and beyond, the important part that local sourcing plays in their day to day operations and more. 

Today on the Fabulous 413, we head back to the Berkshires to read more. The inaugural Berkshires Book Con happens Tomorrow April 18th through a super fun collaboration of local businesses and organizations. We talk with the folx making it happen at the Athenaeum, Pittsfield’s public library and hear about those partners helping to get the community more engrossed in all aspects of books with Librarians Caroline Villarreal and Tom Jorgenson, including their community read of Rules for Ghosting by local author Shelley Jay Shore. Live Music Friday brings the heartfelt lyrics, deft vocals, and inspired guitar of Liz Longley to the studios. Hot on the release of her latest album “New Life” we hear about the inspirations she draws from the many music scenes she’s been a part of and the influence of motherhood on her work as she readies for a performance tonight, April 17th at the Button Ball Barn in Egremont. And at the Leverett Village Co-Op, the only store in Leverett, Massachusetts, 2nd level sommelier and Franklin county wine friend Ken Washburn helps us discover Italian red varietals that hadn’t been on his radar before until how. 

Today, we head to Pittsfield where we’re using literacy to help encourage your littles to be more accepting in one of the best ways possible: with a drag show and dance party! The Berkshires chapter of the national non-profit Drag Story Hour is hosting the fundraiser EXTRAVAGANZA: Once Upon a Comeback at Wander this Saturday. We speak with organizer Poppy da Bubbly aka Casi Kristant about the importance of the work they do and how you can help, by getting down. And we’ll hear four voices from Europe’s breadbasket in song. Yagody may have started as a spontaneous collaboration, but it’s become a new take on the traditional sounds of the Ukraine, and they’ll join us in studio to share their amazing harmonies and novel takes on folk songs before you can see them yourselves in Florence on April 17th at Bombyx Center for Arts and Equity. And the congressman for the 2nd district Jim McGovern is just as baffled as we are by the AI gallery being proffered of and by the current president, not to mention his other questionable actions as week one of the ceasefire sails by, but finds time to speak with us about the vitriol that befalls elected officials, and answer some listener questions as well. 

Everyday on the Fabulous 413 we’re trying to make more community and today we’ll chat with some folx that are taking new approaches to just thatIn East Longmeadow, a couple of goats have paved the way to slowly return one plot to the farmland it once was. Dusty Goat Farm is growing microgreens, and has just evolved its thriving farmers’ market start into wholesale for the area. we speak with owner Erin Sewell about the many benefits of baby greens and the expanding projects the farm has engendered. Speaking of Gender, in  Easthampton, Acting Class; 2 Fast 2 Furrious is the second iteration of a show from last year’s Pay It Forward cohort featuring a blend of theatrical traditions from comedia dell’arte, to clowning, and of course Drag. We speak with creator Patric Madden, and producer Urgyen Joshi about their respective personas in the show (Dame Judy Dentures and Dr Mary Poppers respectively), and making the audience a true part of the show, which you can see on April 17th & 19th. And word nerd Emily Brewster explores the connection of where we sit and where we grow with a phrase and its eggcorn and question whether we should deep seat or deep seed our fears and hopes. 

Today is entirely educational, in one way or another. Parent Villages have been using a multi-generational approach to education, encouraging stronger communities while doing so for a number of years and spreading their mission further throughout the area. This Saturday, April 18th, they’ll host their 8th annual Education Matters Brunch, and we’ll talk with president, CEO and co-founder LaTonia Monroe-Naylor about this important program.Smith College is bringing an alumna back to campus to speak on her work in video games. Anna Megill has written for a number of fantastic titles including Dishonored, Control, Fable 2 and many others. We speak with her about her work and love of games and her talk on April 15th  at the Jacobsen Center.Amherst College’s Jen Acker has a new novel out today blending a love of goats with midlife crisis and small town daily life. Surrender is a book of many shifts for the characters within and we speak with its author before you can meet her and grab your own copy at Odyssey Bookshop tonight, April 14th. And Hampshire College has just announced that it will close at the end of 2026. We speak with Astronomer Salman Hameed about his tenure there, and the legacy of the institution. 

For this official Western Mass holiday, we hold a live 4-1-3 day trivia show at the NEPM Studios, where in honor of the area in which we live, we are challenging ourselves and a few audience members on our knowledge of said area in which we live. Helmed by Chris Bigelow of Cloud 9 Productions, who happens to run one of the longest continuously operating trivia nights in the valley, we’ll test ourselves on the stories, places, and interesting things that have happened in the 4 counties. But it wouldn’t be fun if it were just us, so we’re bringing in ringer guests with their own areas of expertise. Leading American ornithologist, author, and illustrator David Sibley, and the second in executive office for the commonwealth, Lt Gov Kim Driscoll, so you can see if you know as much about the birds and governance of the bay state as they do. With live music provided by the intrepid and innovative cellist Matthew Thornton, get ready for a romp through facts and quirks of the four counties of western Massachusetts. 

We’re giving you a devil’s choice of fantastic and inventive sounds. And a whole nation of awesome agriculture, because we’ve got not one, but two bands joining us for live music Friday. Each exploring interesting connections between Americana and the louder beyond.There’s the one man sonic cavalcade of self-made instruments that is Matt Lorenz aka The Suitcase Junket. This weekend sees the third iteration of the celebration he built to honor his sister and former band mate Kate Lorenz, take stage at The Shea Theater in Turners Falls. We’ll hear a few tunes from him and learn who else will join him for Sparkletown on Saturday. And then there is the sound of metal meeting the acoustic fret boards and clever lyrics with the duo Mattie and Debbie. Hot off of releasing their debut album, Satan’s Junction, today, they’re in the middle of a whirlwind array of dates in the northeast to celebrate. We hear from drummer/singer Sean Trischka and Bluegrass guitarist/singer Stash Wyslouch how rock begets bluegrass and harmonies with before you can hear them at the Parlor Room on April 11th. And in the middle of our music sandwich, we’re making plans to explore the vintages of Italy at Provisions’ upcoming Italian Wine Festival. We get a preview of the event with two bottles at their Thorne’s Marketplace location for this week’s Tina Turner Memorial Wine Thunderdome.

Spring seems to finally be spring-ing, and you can hear it though in the music in the air.Tanglewood Learning Institute’s inaugural spring programming continues with a touch of jazz. Renowned saxophonist Nick Hempton brings his organ trio into their illustrious halls on Friday, April 10th. We talk with the Hard Bop enthusiast about his ska origins, emigration to the US from Australia, his latest album Horns Locked and more. This Saturday sees another transatlantic look at the connections in scores with the Springfield Symphony Orchestra. Their upcoming program “Gloria!!!: From Vivaldi to Gershwin” centers around a truly massive work by Poulenc, but connects works from France, Italy, and the US. We speak with guest conductor Kedrick Armstrong as well as President Heather Caisse-Roberts about the upcoming performance on April 11th,  and connecting communities with music.And Congressman for the 2nd district Jim McGovern is just as baffled and on edge from the executive office’s actions this week, but still finds time to speak with us about his recent tour of an ICE facility, ongoing issues with a wide array of benefits including SNAP, and more. 

In Northampton, P’frogi Pierogies is looking for a little help to aid their food trailer upgrade, and on Thursday, April 9th the Unitarian Society of Northampton and Florence will host a fundraising dinner to help. We speak with Irida Kakhtiranova, who built the business while in sanctuary at that very location during the first Trump administration, and learn about this evolution in her business and more. West Africa meets the sounds of western Mass as the Senegal America Project begins a small area tour including a performance in Westfield at First Congregational Church to benefit the sanctuary's Open Pantry Services. The two artists helming this collaboration, Massamba Diop and Tony Vaca, join us for a live music Wednesday and delve further into this partnership that’s spanned over two decades of music. Plus, we know that words are magical, but there’s a word in English that has its origins in the transcendental nature of learning and communication, and it’s pretty to boot! Word Nerd Emily Brewster, senior editor at Merriam-Webster casts our attention on the word “glamour”.

Connecting the arts across the ocean are two W. Mass based composers who'll each have premieres performed in Florence at Bombyx Center for Arts and Equity on April 12th.  Ensemble Télémaque is currently touring on a project they initiated to collaborate with US composers for the first time in their tenure, linking American scores and literary pieces with ties to Marseille. We speak with Kate Soper and John Aylward about writing for this group of musicians, and some of the spectacle you’ll hear as part of this Sunday's performance. We’ll also meet members of Greenfield Community College's upcoming production of The Laramie Project, a devised theater work that looks at the circumstances and impact of the murder of Matthew Shepard in Wyoming and on the rest of the nation.  Alex West, Jesse Archambault, Ioana Teutsch, and Tom Geha of the production team make a visit to our studios to discuss how the piece continues to strike chords with the people, policies, and policy makers of today as they prepare to put it onstage next weekend.    And in Granby, a collaborative partnership is getting local produce on the tables of seniors. We head to Dave’s Natural Garden to learn more about the senior shares they provide  through a partnership with CISA and local governance. There farmer Meghan Hastings shows us around  not just their farm store, but how they’re significantly shifting their growing practices for a changing climate, as Claire Morenon of CISA and Andy Rogers of South Hadley's Council on Aging elaborate on how this triumvirate keeps the community healthier. 

Here at the show, we are big fans of language and the many ways that we communicate with each other, and this weekend on the UMass campus, the first ever Festival of Languages and Dialects happens April 11th and 12th featuring a huge array of activities including a parade! We speak with organizers and linguists Edwin Everhart and Ashley McGraw about the fun that can be had when we listen more closely to each other. We’ll also head back to Don Blanton’s amazing array of artwork at Westfield on Weekends to hear from the artist himself and president Bob Plasse about hear a little about his most far out landscapes and work, the closing celebration they’re holding for the extended exhibit that you can attend this Sunday, and how he'll be remaining engaged with the location in his new residency. And of course, Mr. Universe, Kainaat Studios and Hampshire College’s Salman Hameed has to talk about the Artemis II mission, which will take humans farther than our species has ever gone before, but which brings some questions about our priorities between this exploration, and the current issues of this nation. 

We’re exploring innovations, and traditions, and some places where the two overlap. In Westfield, an incredibly prolific local artist has just had his exhibit extended. It seems that there is practically no medium that Don Blanton does not engage with, from sculpture, to painting, to graphite and ink, and even poetry, and currently a wide array of his work is on display at Westfield on Weekends. We get a tour with the artist and president Bob Plasse, and learn how you can celebrate with them as the exhibit comes to a close, and talk about the intersection of America's past with African history in Blanton's creations.We also get to hear the sounds of the eastern Steppes. Alash is a trio of renowned Tuvan artists bringing the amazing techniques and sounds of their culture worldwide who’ll be performing at the Iron Horse on Sunday April 5th. Live Music Friday sees their vocal finesse  and traditions fill our studios And we got word of a new style of decanter that allows even more enjoyment of what your vintages have to offer. We speak with creator Michael Fors about his Liquid Jazz Experience and get a chance to the innovation this week’s thunderdome. 

We’re highlighting an event that takes all we do on this show and condenses it into a day of learning, sharing, and expansion on the UMass Campus. Art for the Common Good is a full day convention at the Fine Arts Center that is bringing together artists, healthcare practitioners, policymakers, researchers and community leaders from across Massachusetts to look at the connections between art and our well being as humans.We speak with Drs. Jean King and Tasha Golden, as well as Jamilla Deria, director of the Fine Arts Center, and Betsy Cracco, assistant vice chancellor for Campus Life and Wellbeing and co-Chair of the Okanagan Wellbeing Collective on Campus about  the ways in which arts and creativity can support healing, build stronger communitiesAnd although congress is currently on break, Rep. Jim McGovern still finds time to chat with us about DHS bill that did not fund ICE, birthright citizenship, a short civics lesson about the letter of the constitution and procedures that are currently either under fire or being shirked, plus the places in his constituency that he’s been visiting in this downtime. 

No joke, we are building a better future through skill and laughterRight here in our own building the NEPM Media Lab spring cohort has just wrapped up their projects, which spanned from working with reporters at Mass Live, to interviewing their peers at schools in the area, and more. NEPM's director of education, Ismary Santiago-Lugo and education program coordinator Donyel Le’Noir Felton reveal more about the students of this session, and cohort members Enrique and Jahlyssa explain  their insights and experiences as their time with us comes to a closeAnd laughter is some of the best medicine around, and it’s at the core of an upcoming fundraiser for the Northampton Center for the Arts. Revelry at 33 is an incredible affair featuring music, art, an auction, tasty delights, and this year, stand up comedy. We talk with the two performers who’ll take the stage to ensure art is available to everyone: beloved local figure  Kelsey Flynn, and Rhymes with Orange cartoonist Hilary Price as well as NCA co-director Kelly Silliman to discover more about the communal nature of comedy, and the importance of having community performance spaces like 33 Hawley. 

“Alienated Tongues” is the theme of this year’s Massachusetts Multicultural Film Festival (MMFF) which kicks off tomorrow at Amherst Cinema and will run every Wednesday in April. We are joined by MMFF guest program curator Ayanna Dozier, a Brooklyn-based filmmaker and assistant professor of communications at UMass Amherst, to hear about her vision for centering women directors for this festival, and how her non-film work has added to the history and legacy of Janet Jackson.Then we’re off to the hills of Colrain to visit the largest brewery in town yet one of the smallest breweries in New England to talk to Justin and Katie Korby from Stoneman Brewery. We meet up with Jennifer Core, executive director of CISA, traverse a dirt road, a covered bridge, and visit the microbrewery to learn about how they became the first in the country to create a community supported agriculture (CSA) beer share.

Today’s show is one big love fest.Big Love Little Performances is the area’s only karaoke and lip sync fundraiser, and it's happening April 2 at The Iron Horse in Northampton to benefit Big Brothers Big Sisters of Hampshire County. We talk with two long-time ‘bigs,’ Bob Lowry and Jack Petrides, about the impact of mentorship on both the littles and on the bigs. We also talk with the creators of the event,Tara Brewster of Greenfield Savings Bank and Ann Walsh of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Hampshire County.We show some big love to valley-based Transhealth, the only independent, non-profit healthcare organization in the nation devoted solely to serving trans and gender-diverse communities. We meet CEO Jo Erwin and hear what they are up to in anticipation of the Trans Day of Visibility tomorrow and the challenges they face from the federal government as they try to provide gender-affirming care here in western Massachusetts.And, astronomy lover Mr. Universe, Salman Hameed of Hampshire College and Kainaat Studios, tells us what might interfere with the love of star gazing as a corporation plans to launch thousands of mirrors into space that will impact our dark skies at night.

The Back Porch Festival descends upon Northampton with 60 artists in American Roots music across a dozen venues, and The Fabulous 413 broadcasts live from The Iron Horse on to kick things off. For an extra special Live Music Friday, we’re joined by musical guests Willie Carlile, bringing us Queer Country out of Kansas; Olive Klug, singer-songwriter storyteller from Portland, Oregon; Sally Baby’s Silver Dollars who are bringing sounds from New Orleans; and old-timey bluegrass Celtic jazz sounds from our local heroes, The Faux Paws.We are also joined by the founder of the festival, Jim Olsen, who’s been the host of the Back Porch Radio Show for decades.

Yesterday, we learned the news of Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author Tracy Kidder’s passing. Today we revisit some of our conversation with the Williamsburg author after publishing his book, “Rough Sleepers.”And, we are joined by Salar Nader, protege of Zakir Hussain, as he brings the tabla to the studio for the first time for Live Music Thursday.  We hear a preview of his contemporary sound rooted in tradition before he brings his Afghan Music Project to The Drake in Amherst March 26.Plus, as the war in Iran continues, our listeners want to hear from their elected officials about what the end game will be. Rep. Jim McGovern answers some of your questions about the war in Iran and the future of our own democracy here at home.

Poetry and politics cross paths in Montague this Sunday with a benefit to support our immigrant neighbors. We hear the debut of a brand new poem, inspired by an immigrant rights activist born in Montague, by National Book Award winner and UMass Professor Martín Espada. State Senator Jo Comerford from the Hampshire, Franklin and Worcester districts, who will also be at the event in Montague this Sunday, gives us an update from Beacon Hill about the status of immigrants in our community.Plus, born on the streets of New Orleans and shaped by the city’s second-line tradition, The Soul Rebels have redefined what a brass band can be. They will play De La Luz in Holyoke on March 26, but you can get a preview as they create a brass explosion live in the studio for an extra special Live Music Wednesday. 

Spring is trying real hard to spring. Thus, we will do our part to gently nudge it along as we visit a small hilltop in Montague where Jo Rosen at Meadowhawk Farm is embracing her role as a seed steward and working towards seed sovereignty. Plus she'll give some insights to what you can be doing right now at the end of March to get your own seeds ready for your own garden.And the vernal times are when more than just birds break into song. The Local Vocal Chord Bowl highlights some of the area's many singing groups  across a wide array of age ranges. Roxy Schneider and Ann Chiara of founding group and local ensemble, Green Street Brew, give us a rundown of the gathering and we and eavesdrop on a rehearsal with Susan Dillard and the Northampton High School Chamber Choir who'll perform at this Saturdays event happening at Northampton High.And Word Nerd Emily Brewster, resident wordster and senior editor at Merriam-Webster in Springfield explains to us why and how we organize adjectives in the way we do as we learn about the Royal Order of Adjectives.

We get a chance to sit with an incredibly gifted, lauded professor and author who is making an appearance in Northampton. Jesmyn Ward is a professor at Tulane University, a MacArthur Grant recipient, has won the library of congress prize for fiction, is the only black person or woman to win the national Book award twice, and all this from the acclaim of 4 novels, and 3 works of non-fiction.  Although her body of work clearly meant she was a perfect fit for her upcoming sold out lecture at Smith College on "Hauntings," it has also been a network of constellations illuminating experiences across the black diaspora, and especially those in the south. So we get a chance to speak with the author about the balance of writing fiction, essays, non-fiction, the love and importance of reading aloud, connections of family and spirit and perseverance, using all one's senses in one's sentences, Martial arts movies and lots lots more. Plus Mr. Universe, founder of Kainaat Studios and board member of Amherst Cinemas, Salman Hameed, wears both of his hats as he talks about andrew weir’s latest adapation to hit cinemas nationwide and we explore the spectacle and science found onscreen in "Project Hail Mary." 

 We talk with one of the more important health organizations in the area. Tapestry Health provides care, information, and support for all four counties through an incredible network of programming including WIC, Harm reduction, Sexual and reproductive health, and much much more. We speak with some of their leadership team: CEO Mavis Nimoh and directors Lakayla Harris and Pedro Alvarez about the many ways they build and aid the community, and how you can help them continue the work at their upcoming Gala. There's celebrations ongoing, a band that feasts on tiny bursts of pop brilliance is coming to the Shea Theater to perform this evening. Brooklyn’s The Dream Eaters make a stop at the studios before heading up to Turners falls to join us for a most irreverent Live Music Friday. And in Easthampton, we’re celebrating Women’s History Month by heading to the women owned Tip Top Wine Shop for a battle of bubbles between two women winemakers, and get to hear about a wicked cool women forward wine convention that Lauren Clark just attended as well. 

Right here in Springfield, the Community Music School is hosting a festival on Saturday afternoon, perfect for kids and their parents who often have to choose sleep over late night concerts. The Platform Festival is bringing 8 performances, crafting activities, Girl Scout cookies and more all together at the Robyn Newhouse Hall, and we’ll speak with some of the folx involved with both the event and CMS’ Prelude Preschool of the Arts Program, including organizer Sarah Soller-Milek, about making sure the whole family can be more involved in the arts. Genre defying artist Indë is celebrating the release of their debut album Role Model this weekend with a release show at Bombyx Center for Arts and Equity in Florence. The work has been a long time coming and the concert itself is proving to be a wide sweeping affair including appearances by many of the groups that the artist is involved in. We’ll hear a bit this new music, and hear about the journey to making both these tracks and the greater concert experience happen. And congressman for the 2nd district Jim McGovern talks about the disregard of the current administration for the economic struggles of non-billionaire Americans (which is most of us, btw), the Save America Act, the hearings for a new Homeland security chief, and more. 

Today is full of lofty aspirations, including a farm putting its principles into practice to create better food ways for all of us. Meadowsweet Farm is a Real Organic livestock endeavor in Hawley that is keeping community in milk and meat, and showcasing quite a lot of what the area is producing in their remarkably stocked farm store. We meet Kyra and Gus Tafel, who shifted their location from New York to the W. Massachusetts hilltowns and walk us through their operations, including more lambs, and explain their connections to the methodologies they employWe’ll also have an extra special Live Music Wednesday with Boston quartet High Horse, who’ve been crafting their sound since their days at Berklee College of Music and New England Conservatory. And they’ll show off all of those skills, artistry, and innovation that blends a wealth of Americana traditions with modern songwriting in our studio before you can catch their set at The Foundry in West Stockbridge tonight. And word nerd Emily Brewster, senior editor at Merriam-Webster, rouses us from slumber to gain a better understanding of the word "dream" and its evolution in English.

 It is the greenest of days; originally celebrating a saint driving out proverbial snakes, that has become a hallmark of the Irish-American community So for this St. Patrick’s Day, we’ll chat with someone who spent time there being that connection between communities. After his tenure as congressman for the 4th district, Joe Kennedy III became special envoy to Northern Ireland during the Biden administration, learning more about their history, people, community, and economics in the process. We’ll get some of his insights from his experiences there. Sounds of the emerald isle are coming to the stage of the Shea Theater this Sunday, March 22nd in the form of a sprawling and talented local supergroup. We gather a few of their number, Rosie Caine, Chris Devine, and Michael Morgan to talk about how the ensemble came together, Rosie’s late start with songwriting, and how the sounds of Ireland have influenced their other musical endeavors beyond Rosie Caine and her Wild Irish ShenanigansAnd those Irish sounds are far reaching, so we’ll also mention some of our favorite Irish bands, so that if you don’t want to listen to yet another free U2 Album you don’t have to.**Kaliis says she meant to include Thin Lizzy in the honorable mentions, please don't come for her. 

Today explores things in smaller sizes, like tiny pithy songs about the quirky nonsense of our lives. The Dream Eaters are a Brooklyn based band whose catchy pop nuggets have striking video and dance components. What started as a quote unquote serious project intended for YouTube has grown to something with a trajectory all its own and we speak with Elizabeth LeBaron and Jake Zavracky about their origins, music, and aesthetic. Essayist and professor Anne Fadiman has recently released a new collection. Frog and other essays is a personal look at a wide variety of unlikely and very personal connections, successes, and the finite. We speak with the Whately author about this stage of her work, and the many diversions found within its pages, as she readies for an in-person event in Northampton at Broadside Bookshop on March 18thAnd Mr. Universe Kainaat Studios and Hampshire College’s Salman Hameed wades through the Oscar aftermath to take a look at the troubling tale of Pluto and what it means for ongoing science and scientific process. 

The culmination of Award season is happening this Sunday, so to get warmed up for all of the Academy’s rewards, we’ll talk with someone who has been portrayed in an Oscar winner. Walter Robinson was leading the Spotlight Team of investigative reporters at the Boston Globe in 2002 when they broke the news of decades of sexual abuse among the clergy in the Metro Boston area. We speak with him about the movie, the state of journalism, and more. Plus we'll let you know how you can ask your own questions at a special screening of the Best Picture winner for 2016, Spotlight, at Garden Cinemas in Greenfield next week on March 18th. The Academy Awards invite quite a bit of speculation from the film and lay community alike, with folx everywhere making their own predictions about the winners. We happen to know a certain ringer who’s been mostly on the money for the last few years with their picks: Enzo Belmonte. We speak with him and NEPM News Executive Editor Elizabeth Roman about our own takes on Sunday’s event. And an Oscar party is a great place to have a glass of a late winter white wine as the sun slowly comes back to us. So we head to State Street Fruit Store, Deli, Wine and Spirits to pit Italy against Portugal for this week’s Thunderdome. 

In two weeks the city of Northampton will be flushed with sounds from all over the roots, traditional, and Americana diaspora. The 12th Back Porch Festival returns with a stellar lineup of 60 artists and musicians across a bevvy of 10 venues. We chat with founder, organizer, and host of the Back Porch Radio Show Jim Olsen about some of the highlights you can see all over the city, and the new ways the event is connecting folx with music. Then we turn to a blend of the traditional and the modern with Sonny Singh and his project Sangat who’ll perform at the Parlor Room this coming Monday, March 16. We’ll hear how the combination of Sikh and Muslim devotionals and classical instruments resonates with the sounds of right now in this collaboration with Qais Essar and Sukmani bringing the rebab, tabla, and trumpet together to break boundaries and bring us together.And our weekly chat with Congressman Jim McGovern explore the running calculator of costs for this war, the question of oversight and it’s possibility in this year of midterm elections, the looming disaster of the SAVE act in light of those elections and more. 

We make our second stop with our next Mayor of the Month in Whoville, which is to say Easthampton and the newly elected Salem Derby. Though he’s been in the office since last July it was only made official with this past election. We talk with him about the exit of his opponent Lindsay Sekula who had been working in the office, the first wave of issues he’s preparing to face and his first proposed budget, his hopes for a more robust performing arts scene in the city, housing initiatives and much, much more. Then we get embroiled in scandal, or rather a modern suffix that has begun to denote controversy with Word Nerd Emily Brewster as we look at the origins and many usages of “gate” from its beginnings with Nixon, to it’s latest iterations attached to pizza and gamers

Today we put our efforts where our segments have been by heading up to the last of the 978 W. Mass towns we hadn’t visited yet and lend our efforts to the Morning chores at Hettie Belle Farm in Warwick. The farm is the other home of CISA executive director Jennifer Core, who shows us the ins and outs of caring for their many chickens, cattle, and copious amounts of sheep many of whom have just given birth, from feeding to watering, and even getting to attach a brand new lamb to its mother, we get an inside hands on look at the effort it truly takes to keep a working solvent farm going in Massachusetts. And in Easthampton, we’ll take a look at the friendships of women through the lens of a century. Enchanted April is a heartfelt comedy of connection centering 4 women each of whom steps a bit outside of their comfort zone in Edwardian Europe. We speak with Michael Budnick, Louise Krieger and Katerina Midtskogen of the Easthampton Theater Company that’ll perform the work this weekend and next about how the work resonates a century after its setting.

In Northampton this weekend, you have a chance to learn and plant something a little different. Grow Food Northampton hosts its Annual Seed Share: a swap full of donations from local farms, businesses, and individuals, as well as many grown on the Grow Food Northampton Community Farm. We speak with co-executive director Alisa Klein about the event, and bringing the community together through workshops, activities and more to produce a more eclectic mix in their own foodOne of the folx leading a workshop for the event is Hunter Livingstone of Livingstone Mycology. We hear how he and his partner both came from different sciences to the fascinating world of mushroom production, and learn some of the benefits of fungi consumption, plus some of the most amazing looking reishi mushrooms and more. And Mr. Universe, Kainaat Studios and Hampshire College’s Salman Hameed covers ground as expansive as the heavens themselves with an exploration of the oscars, the ongoing illegal aggressions in Iran, and a recently observed brand new black hole intriguing astronomers near and far. Including why if you’re following the discoveries of the Vera Rubin Observatory, you may want to turn your notifications off this week. 

Her excellency the governor of the commonwealth of Massachusetts Maura Healey stops by the studio ahead of a visit to the Springfield Regional Chamber of Commerce. As she is up for re-election there’s a number of issues coming to the fore that we are looking for her take on including the budget that’ll be reviewed next week, ICE activity, her task force on hunger, Rural transportation and education and a couple of listener questions to boot. Also, you've got a chance to see the conversations about the FY 2027 budget presented at UMass Amherst next week. And for Live Music Friday, we’re joined by Noam Schatz and Anand Nayak one half of local band the Unlucky Shots, who are about to release their first EP with that particular name. Because you might have read about their plight concerning their nomenclature in the Boston Globe, but it turns out that story is longer and way more nuanced than even that article could include so we get more of the details about their journey to the name change.