The Fabulous 413

Next Wednesday Sept 9th, the Fine Arts Center at UMass Amherst will show the 2024 documentary film Wisdom of Happiness which offers an intimate and inspiring portrait of the fourteenth Dalai Lama. The showing joins not just the campus with the local and global Tibetan community, but with our representation and beyond in a talk-back featuring leaders of the International Campaign for Tibet, and our own congressman Jim McGovern. We speak with the many folx that have come together to make this event happen about the importance of the film, and the vigilance of hope: Betsy Cracco, Assistant Vice Chancellor for Campus Life and Well Being and Chair of the Planning Committee, Thondup Tsering  Co-Chair of the committee, Dr. Dhardon Sharling, who will serve as emcee for the evening, and Elizabeth Gittens, the Fine Arts Center's director of education and engagement.One of the folx that will participate in that post film conversation is the producer on the film itself, Richard Gere. No stranger to UMass since his attendance in his early twenties, we speak with the world renowned Actor about his connection with the Nobel Peace Prize laureate, the experience of production on this work, and his ongoing ties to the plight of Tibet and the teachings of Buddhism. And at Provisions they’re getting ready to celebrate the land of the rising sun with Japan Fest, exploring the many beverages, snacks, and other comestibles of that nation. We head to their Northampton location with purveyor Benson Hyde for a preemptive thunderdome of Sake in preparation of the delights coming to their Amherst location. 

After a summer of renovations and construction one of the oldest college museums in the country is on the verge of reopening. The Mount Holyoke College Art Museum is celebrating 150 years with a revamp and a rethinking of their collections in a way that is sure to inspire students and community members alike. We head to South Hadley to get a tour of the new layout with Museum Director Tricia Y. Paik and curator Kendra Weisbin to see some of their unique pieces Plus, we’ll see how they’re encouraging all of the public to come and experience their exhibits, especially for their upcoming grand opening. And Congressman Jim McGovern is officially back to work on Capitol Hill where we get to ask his impressions of the primary results from Tuesday, our very murky international policy landscape which mirrors our startling resemblance to an early 1930s Germany. Also we’ll hear about the ties his political career has to the late Gloria Steinem

We head to the fields to see where the highland cows venture in South Deerfield at Roaming Farm. There we meet co-owner Julie Chalfant  who talks about her family’s journey to cattle raising on their 75 acres, the challenges and benefits of their unbelievably cute cows including how climate change impacts their herd, and how important local beef has been to the local community. We get an impromptu Live Music Wednesday from multi-instrumentalist duo Larry and Joe, who’ll bring their multi American sounds to the Parlor Room in Northampton tonight, and get a small update on the changes for their music since we last saw them at the Green River Festival for llanera legend Larry Bellorín and Grammy nominated Joe Troop . Plus summertime funtime interim word nerd and Jazz a la mode host Peter Sokolowski shows us one of the precursors to the dictionary’s digital age, with a whole set of definitions organized backwards, and learn about how that keys into the ways we now search for words on their website. 

Franklin County Technical School is just starting its school year welcoming young adults to it’s many courses of study. But what pathways might the class of 2030 pursue? We learn more about the school’s 50 year legacy from the many teachers and administrators making this training possible. Then find out how the 19 towns and city in Franklin County could impact its future with a vote this October. Twin Peaks began with an intense following in the 90s that has only grown in the intervening decades, especially with creators David Lynch and Mark Frost reuniting to complete the ellipsis left after it’s second season. The Hope Center for the Arts is hosting a celebratory Q&A with some of the production and cast members from the series on Sept 19th and we’ll chat an iconic actor from that series who’ll be headed to Springfield to participate: Dana Ashbrook. 

We sneak one more candidate in as the primary looms large on tomorrow’s horizon.  Andrew Fitch is challenging the incumbent former mayor of North Adams for a seat with the State Representatives. We’ll talk with the small business owner about how he came to North Adams, his call to public service, the needs of the First Berkshires district, and more. We’ll also bring the nation of Wales very close to the town of the same name for a weeklong celebration of heritage. The Festival of Wales is making its first ever appearance in Western Massachusetts bringing folx of Welsh decent from near and far together in Downtown Springfield. We’ll hear from some of the folx making this year's festivities happen as we chat with Megan Williams and Margaret Karhonen about the 6 days of activity you can join in on. And Mr Universe, Kainaat Studios and temporarily UMass' Salman Hameed is excited about a new way to view the sky. We’ll learn more about the Nancy Grace Roman Telescope and how it is expanding the view for future astronomical research, including the ways its collaborative nature might just be a lesson for us all. 

We connect with another candidate making an appearance on the Primary ballot this Tuesday: Senatorial Incumbent Ed Markey. The sitting senator speaks about his pursuit of medicare for all, campaign finance, and AI. We also get to hear his take on the age issue that keeps being raised, the future for bipartisan legislation, and the origins of his distinctive accent. In North Adams a hilarious multi hyphenate is taking the stage at Mass MoCA this weekend on Saturday, August 29th. Jay Jurden’s star is rising and we talk with him about the appeal of comedy and his many writing credits. Plus we learn how his southern roots have influenced his latest special “Yes Ma’am”, and whose laughter it feels best to earn.And just next door, a history of playing with gender and space is coming to the ‘62 Center for Theater and Dance (through a collaboration with the Adams Theater) at Williams College in the latest work of Sasha Velour titled Travesty on August 29th.  The RuPaul’s Drag Race Winner talks with us about her comic and graphics origins, the importance of teaching history, her own history with drag and more. 

Arcadia Folk Festival happens this weekend, bringing a slew of incredible artists to the 700 acres of conservation land in Easthampton, for a gathering that has proven itself super sustainable and impactful. We head to the trails where the stages will be situated for the now sold out festival, to take in the sounds of nature with festival founder and organizer Jim Olsen of Signature Sounds, and MJ Rappaport, sanctuary manager. Tonight in Northampton, someone who’s become an icon in punk music and gender is playing her second show at the Iron Horse this evening. Laura Jane Grace has always had a way of making songs that say *something* about the moments we are all living in, and we get a chance to gush over her catalog and explore her ever evolving artistic process. And Congressman Jim McGovern is currently on his farm tour of the district which makes him more philosophical about the role that agriculture plays in our lives, and his own role as legislator. But finds time to applaud the Bernardston Fire Dept, the Meta settlement, Dolly Parton’s legacy and more. 

Today we’ll meet challenger in the US Senate contest, Seth Moulton, though he’s no stranger to government as he’s been in congress for 6 terms. We get to talk with the physics degree holding veteran about technology in the legislative branch, his views on healthcare, his critiques of the democratic party, the work he’s done over those 12 years, and other important issues in this upcoming senatorial battle. On August 28th, the Springfield Museums are celebrating one of the largest populations of Springfield. The 4th Latino Arts Festival is a culmination of culture with art, music, food and more. Mi Museo chair Lydia Martinez-Alvarez joins us to talk about this new tradition in the city of firsts and how everyone can come together for free this Friday. And our summertime interim word nerd, editor at large at Merriam-Webster and NEPM Jazz a la mode host Peter Sokolowski takes us through the ways English’s roots seep through a number of words to create a whole new phrase that is distinctly ours with folk etymology.

We continue to meet the folx appearing on the primary ballots this coming Tuesday Sept 1st with the second candidate for the 1st Franklin state rep seat. Lora Wondolowski is well known to those in Greenfield as she’s served on city council and is currently its president. We speak with her about the connections between her non-profit service origins and running municipalities, the biases that erupt in a political race like this, the changes she’s seen in the area over her years in Franklin County, and much more.This Friday, Aug 28th, Springfield Museums host the 4th Latino Arts Festival, and as part of that welcomes home someone whose taken their western Mass experiences and made them part of a national ethos. Dr. Ariana Curtis is Curator of Latinx Studies at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture and will give a lecture on this subject as part of the festivities. We talk about her work as a part of that national museum and how her youth in the 413 has helped shape her curation practice. And Hadley is heating up with hot peppers at Kushi Farm and the North Hadley Chili Pepper Company. . We head to their plot to learn the history and legacy of their family’s relationship with the  land, and the pivot to hot peppers and hot pepper jelly with owner Matt Kushi. 

We begin our quest to talk with all the folx on the primary ballot ahead of the elections next Tuesday Sept 1st.Starting with one of the candidates for the Franklin First State Rep. seat: Corinne Coryat. Stepping out of the shadow of the woman in whose office she’s worked for the past 5 years, we ask the former aide about the effect of those years with former Rep Blais, the impact of running for office amidst a number of other life changes, and the true course of her campaign which may get lost in the noise. Plus Mr. Universe, Consortium professor at UMass and Kainaat Studios’ Salman Hameed, is worried about the light, and crowding of the skies themselves. We talk about Reveal’s current project to launch more satellites in order to provide more light at night, and the many consequences that can have on humans, other earthbound species, the ways we study the skies, and much more. 

Today we explore the boundaries of sound and togetherness.Because for 21 years Greenfield has been inviting the entire community to come and eat the bounty of the season in the center of Downtown. This Saturday the annual Harvest Supper returns to Greenfield inviting everyone to enjoy a full multi-coursed dinner featuring ingredients from farms all over franklin county. We speak with Kirsten Levitt of Stone Soup who’ve helmed the event in recent years about the important place this pay what you can feast and where it sits in the county’s ongoing issues with hunger. Roomful of Teeth returns to North Adams and the museum of its inception to bring a work in progress to life. The Puerto Rico Experiment is a song cycle rooted in our nation’s fraught relationship with our oldest colony.  Artistic director for Roomful of Teeth Cameron Beauchamp and composer of the work Angélica Negrón, who’ll bring her own ensemble , Balún to participate, chat with us about how this collaboration came to fruition, and what sounds they’ll create at Mass MoCA this evening. And speaking of musical experimentation, Sable Island Pony, performs at City Space in Easthampton on Aug 22nd. The show celebrates a new single and marks the beginning of shows making up this year’s Pay It Forward Grantee schedule for the venue, and we’ll hear more about both for live music friday. 

We once again enter THE THEATER.In Great Barrington, The Berkshire Opera Festival is launching its main-stage production of Lucia di Lammermoor, a difficult bel canto classic, on the stage of the Mahaiwe. But the festival does much more than present incredible works as it hones the craft of young singers in the summer months. We speak with festival founder Jonathan Loy, and the tragic romantic interest from Lucia Terrence Chin-Loy about the importance of this work and moreIn the north Berkshires is a wholly different take on theater and our connections with it. The Songbook is a theatrical experiment and expansion, one woman’s curious exploration on where script ends and drama and comedy begin to weave those threads in real time in front of an audience. We speak with the show’s creator and actor Williams College visiting professor Erica Terpening-Romeo about this work and the upcoming performance at 62 Center this weekend. And our weekly chat with Jim McGovern sees the congressman exploring Maine, and navigating his recent impromptu visit to a detention center in Plymouth, the local connections to the ongoing federal problems and shortfalls of SNAP, and answering listener questions on legislative AI Slop, presidential runs and more.

We hear how a Franklin County community and farm is collaborating with a community and farm across the border in the 802.The Kibilio Community and Farm in Leyden, MA is rooted in Black and Queer land sovereignty.  And the Susu Community’s Afro-Indigenous farm and healing sanctuary in Newfame, Vermont draws its inspiration from Black Womanism. This Saturday the communities team up to celebrate Audre Lorde’s teachings on self-care as political warfare, and the transformative wisdom of our bodies, through the healing power of vibration and sound. We’ll hear more from Kibilio’s David Ragland and Susu’s Amber Arnorld.Starting tomorrow, the Great Barrington Public Theater will reinterpret a late 19th century work of horror through the lens of the pandemic with the premiere of the play Yellow Wallpaper 2.0 2020. We’ll meet the director of the show Judy Braha and Playwright, Jennifer Maisel. And our interim summertime Word Nerd, Merriam-Webster and NEPM’s own Peter Sokolowski, examines when and how all the poetry got scrapped from the dictionary and how dictionary-ese was born right here in Springfield

In the hilltowns a community center along the side of Rt 9 has been a collective off and on for a little over 120 years, although these days you can get much more than dairy at their location. We head to Cummington to explore the Old Creamery Co-Op, or colloquially, the Cummington Creamery, who are providing a surprising amount of local service in their storefront. We speak with general manager Lloyd Miller and marketing and membership coordinator Jesse Messero about the legacy of the location, its full circle returning to being a cooperative, and the important resource it remains for folx in the hidden hillsAnd speaking of those hidden hills, a former teacher is hoping to represent them in congress. We speak with the first of our primary candidates, Jeromie Whalen, who seeks the 1st congressional seat, and hear more about how this campaign is going, how the community is responding, the importance of education to the position and much much more. Plus we’ll learn what got him interested in pursuing the seat in the first place. 

We’ve now had legal cannabis in Massachusetts for a decade, but what changes has that had on the Bay State and other states who’ve changed their stance on marijuana. This is the subject of a new study by the Parabola Center which asked folx in places that have legalized weed for at least 5 years, the results are very interesting, and we chat with one of the authors and researchers of "I Like Not Having to Go Behind the Dumpster at Taco Bell", Dr. Faith English, about what they found. In Chester, the 2026 season for the town’s theater company is coming to a close, and inviting questions about our own interactions in it’s final production. Dear Alien starts with the author of an advice column, but delves into a number of other topics, and we’ll speak with playwright Liz Duffy Adams and director  (And co-artistic director at Chester Theater itself) Michelle Ong Hendrick about this new work and the way it makes us look at connections we make with each other and the world. And speaking of this world, Mr. Universe, Kainaat Studios and Consortium Astronomer Salman Hameed, is extra excited about a new super earth that’s been found to have an atmosphere. We’ll learn why this is an important detail amongst the many other super earths that have been found, and how it relates to the idea that we may not be alone out here in the cosmos. 

The northern and southern Berkshires are coming together to take advantage of the future of sound both in listening technology and composition. Tonight, August 14th at Studio 9 in North Adams, five fellows from the Tanglewood Music Center will show works they’ve been developing to take advantage of the Meyer Sound Constellation System the venue has installed. We’ll speak with one of those fellows, Elise Arancio, as well as Faculty member Todd Reynolds about this innovative program and what Elise, Diallo Banks, Omer Barash, Tianci Lu, Joseph (Sehyeok) Park have created for it.This Tuesday August 18th, the local music scene will once again come together to raise funds for Northampton arts programs. Transformance 36 takes place at look park under the theme “Moonage Daydream” and we’ll learn more about the much beloved event as we hear one of the many ensembles in the lineup: Edy Savage and Adrien Poser-Davey as Sun Kil Moon. And the Wine Thunderdome visits the amazing pair of women at the helm of Tip Top Wine Shop in Easthampton, Lauren Clarke and Miranda Brown, to pit northern hemisphere against southern with two food ready expressions of Chenin Blanc.Note: We mistakenly refer to TMC Faculty member Todd Reynolds as Todd Roberts early in the program, this is corrected in the later segments. 

Today, we're trying to fix that which is broken.How we as a nation care for those less fortunate is broken, but not in the way the rhetoric often puts forward. Cuts to SNAP, to housing assistance, to services that people rely on have very real consequences. For the commonwealth, there is a significant delay in getting people access to these services through the Department of Transitional Assistance. We head to Gardening the Community which is now at the center of a very physical call to action made by the farm’s director Liz O’Gilvie, and DTA Supervisor (also president of SEIU local 509) Antoinette Hughes to hear about what’s currently happening with the Baystate and DTA. Academia is also broken, and some of that proof is that the 5 college consortium at the end of this year will return to being a 4 college one. But an intrepid and eager collection of alums, students, parents, faculty, and folx that have a connection to Hampshire college have gathered to try to preserve some of of the campus in the name of its mission. We head to Amherst to speak with Joan Wattman, Ann Hackler, and Bera Dunau about the efforts of Hampshire Next and how the organization seeks to keep that curious academic experiment going. And our weekly chat with Jim McGovern sees the congressman returned from holiday on the Cape to talk about our many exploits in Iran, how ageism influences congress, more efforts to Save SNAP, the blatant exploitation of the judicial branch, and questions from listeners like you. 

We resume our efforts to explore local legislation with our Mayor of the Month for August, William C. Reichelt of West Springfield. With the Big E looming, we get to ask about the fair’s involvement with the greater city, the plethora of current, ongoing and upcoming construction projects the city is taking on, his take on the congressional primaries, and more. Plus we’ll hear how this recent election process shifted his perspective on some of the municipalities needs and plans. We’ll then head to Northampton where a batch of budding creators will open their new show this Friday as part of Arts Night Out. The Emerging Artist series is an ongoing endeavor of 33 Hawley to encourage and highlight newcomers to the local art scene, and we’ll meet the curator and a few of the participating artists to hear how their perspective is shifting on their own personal relationships with the work they make. And summertime funtime word nerd, Jazz a la mode host and Merriam-Webster editor at large Peter Sokolowski shows us a fun way to explore the dictionary through time by shifting to chronological order. 

Diemand Farm in Wendell is way bigger than it looks, with it's 3rd and 4th generations currently stewarding the land they’ve farmed for 90 years. The farm has grown and shifted a lot in the intervening decades, bringing innovations, new diversity to the birds they’re raising, a whole farmstand and more. Annie Diemand Bucci and Tessa White Diemand, the mother-daughter pair currently helming their massive operation, show us some of the ins and outs of western mass poultry farming, and ways that local philanthropy and government agencies have helped them to get to where they are today. Then we dance, because if we can’t dance in your revolution, we don’t want none, which seems to also be a prevailing principle behind the band Bhangra Liberation Orchestra. Featuring sound rooted in the genres of bhangra, qawwali, afrobeat, and jazz, we speak with 2 of the members of the ensemble, Miwi La Lupa and Sonny Singh, about the get downs they’ll encourage onstage at the Iron Horse this Sunday August 16th.

In Easthampton, the Chickadee Karaoke Rooms have just opened. Rooted in the experiences of owners James Crawford and Ashley Anglin as they finished graduate work in Hawaii, the space is seeking to get the community to come together without the pressures that sometimes come from singing in, or at, an unfamiliar crowd.  We get a tour of the beautiful new space and sing along with "May" Crawford, as we hear about getting folx on mic and more comfortable with their own voices. Mr. Universe, Kainaat Studios and consortium astronomer Salman Hameed, mentions how you can do a bit of astronomy yourself this week, and further explores the heavens with a talk on Betelgeuse, the super nova it will become, and its unique circumstances concerning companion and neutron stars. And Professor Ousmane Power-Greene got into a supreme court dissent! We speak about his work that is referenced, its connections to Liberia, Lincoln, and the current plight of birthright citizenship for another Power of History segment that brings a fine toothed comb to go over the details and impact of the 14th amendment.  

We are learning to process better, for everyone’s sakes. The Adams Theater has had a bustling summer full of interesting productions and with more on the way. We speak with artistic director Yina Moore about the many shows finding a home in their end of the northern Berkshires, their collaborations with Williams College, and get a heads up on the innovative multigenerational shows happening this very weekend: Lost Place on Saturday, August 8th, and The Light House on Sunday, August 9th. In Wilbraham, an important resource for our human journey has helped families navigate their grief for almost twenty years. Rick’s Place provides free resources to those facing the repercussions of loss intergenerationally in western mass and we’ll speak with some of the folx who know their work intimately and hear about their upcoming Golf Tournament Fundraiser, where you can help them to continue providing this important programming. And for Live Music Friday, Kimaya Diggs is on the verge of releasing a new album in addition to performing at the Emily Dickinson Museum today. We’ll hear songs new and old and learn how this new album and her songwriting have been shaped by her own grief and resilience. 

On Saturday August 8th in Northampton at the A.P.E. Gallery, the stories of several continents and generations will culminate in the performance of one woman. Muriel "Monik"Johnson has been telling tales from far, wide, and right here for decades, and using them as a base for her careers in education and art. We speak with the modern day griot about her one night only show "Fredella Mae's Daughter is a Storyteller", and the tales of her life and beyond that provide inspiration. Two local music venues are collaborating to support each other and the local scene with a fundraiser this September. Miles for Music will have music lovers walking and running from The Drake in Amherst to the Iron Horse in Northampton to raise funds and awareness for both non-profit ventures. We’ll speak with the ex. directors of each, Claudia Pazmany and Chris Freeman respectively, about this collective effort. And congressman Jim McGovern may be tired of rehashing the issues of our ongoing war in Iran and the benefits being cut from the latest proposed Farm Bill, but we’ll hear how a 40M agricultural reimbursement, this latest wave of primary results and more are keeping him going during congress’ break.

In Greenfield, a parcel of land belonging to the city is being stewarded by new farmers who’re actively building access into the way they tender the land. Just Roots is located on what used to be the town’s “Poor farm” but now is 61 acres of community garden, produce and fruit, and companion land for their agricultural endeavors and others as well. We speak with farm manager Meryl La Tronica, Greenfield Farmer's Market managerTaylor Lopatofsky, and CISA's Clarissa Adan about the important place the farm plays in Franklin County.Just south on rt 9 in Florence, a bookstore is feeding the literary dreams of littles all across western Mass. High Five Books might have blossomed just before the pandemic, but it’s fostered a love of reading and an incredible network of authors and illustrators in the intervening years. We sit with owner Lexi Wright to hear about the store’s journey, a journey you can make of your own for the Pioneer Valley Book Crawl, and the recent honor she’s received from the Commonwealth. Plus interim word nerd and Jazz a la mode host Peter Sokolowski duplicates our understanding with a look at the unique ways English deals with pluralization. 

We’re on the grounds of The Boston Symphony Orchestra’s summer home for the event that really marks the middle of summer for the area. It’s Tanglewood on Parade today, where the many musicians on campus along with performers of all disciplines from all over the Berkshires and beyond for a celebration of music, community, and more. We’ll meet some of those performers and presenters including Chris Newell, founding director of UConn’s Native American Cultural Program and co-founder and director of education for the Akomawt Educational Initiative, Angela Palmer, President of Festival Latino of the Berkshires, Fiddler and educator Ida Mae Specker and her legendary dad John Specker, plus Joanne Nelson of Lee Junior and Senior High schools, who’ll lead her school as well as young musicians from Pittsfield High School and Hoosac Valley High in the actual parade. Tanglewood’s own Mark Rulison, Artistic Administrator for the Learning Institute and Humanities, and Amy Aldrich, Senior Director of Patron Experience, join us to explore the many festivities happening today on the campus showing how this event connects Tanglewood to the greater southern Berkshires community. Plus we’ll learn from all of them about the ongoing We the People project curated by Yo Yo Ma that was a major factor in how this year’s parade came together.

Tonight and tomorrow you have a chance to hear about one of America’s most important cultural icons of the 20th century, from the author who’s written an incredibly nuanced tome on the figure’s bright but brief life. Water, Mirror, Echo: Bruce Lee and the Making of Asian America examines the man from birth to death and the many cultural contexts that lead to his acting career and infatuation with many styles of martial arts, drawing parallels to the trajectory of post war life and culture for Asian-American communities. Author Jeff Chang joins us to talk about the insights he gleaned in the making of this work, from its inception to the lessons he learned in his previous work on hiphop that helped shape this biography. All of which he’ll bring to The Mount in Lenox for their Summer Author Series on August 3rd and 4th. And Mr. Universe, Kainaat Studios founder and proud member of the Asian community himself, Salman Hameed, is not proud of the current administration’s efforts to shift federal science funding from research institutions to specific scientists instead. We get into the details of why that’s a step backwards. 

10 bands from near and far are headed to the northern Berkshires on Aug 15th for the inaugural Williamstown Blues and Roots Festival. Organizer Gina Coleman of Misty Blues joins us for live music Friday to talk about this brand new gathering and the folx who’ll join her on stage for it, as well as where you can see her and her band perform tonight as well. In Northampton, a fun fundraiser will help bring new life to communities on both sides of the Atlantic. The Midwifery Exchange in Ghana is an educational collaboration sharing knowledge between birthing professionals and on Saturday, in Northampton, they’re raising money to help those learning experiences continue. We speak with one of the organization’s core members, Anastasia Hallisey, about the importance of this work, and the fun they’ll have on August 1st. Plus we return to the wine bunker to the birthplace of the Thunderdome deep underneath the walls of State Street Fruit Store Deli Wine and Spirits to explore a region and style we don’t think gets nearly enough love, but is perfect for summer: Alsatian Gentiles

At Chester Theater the third production of their 2026 season is a look at what connects us even though climate crises and our own isolations. Amchitka is a premiere work by playwright Mark St. Germain, featuring a tiny cast, an elaborate set, and aspirations for a better tomorrow.  We speak with the author, and managing director Hanna Williams about this show and Chester’s important place in the western Mass. theater landscape.In Holyoke, the bulk bins runneth over at the brand new home of Cornucopia Natural Wellness Market, the much beloved natural grocer has just reopened in Holyoke after leaving the location it had inhabited in thrones marketplace in Northampton for decades. We tour the new digs with owners Nate Clifford and Jade Jump and learn where this shift into Hampden County is leading their future. Plus our weekly chat with congressman Jim McGovern explores the country’s ongoing Netanyahu issues, Lindsey Graham’s funeral and it's connection to current legislation, Fauci's return to headlines, and a slew of listener questions. 

Today is all about zippy energy, including the energy given from the land and by growing things in it. We The Land is a conference in its second year bringing together Black and brown farmers to Smith Campus to talk more about their journeys and share information. We speak with two of the conference’s organizers Mandana Boushee and Shingai Kagunda about the importance of building this collective on farming, and the connections those communities have to land especially in the Northeast. We also head to a brand new community hang out space in South Hadley. Violet is offering coffee, small plates, wine, beer and more to a crowd that may already be familiar with it’s sister space Blue Door Gatherings in Holyoke and we speak with the chef behind both businesses, Laura Bowman to learn more about her vision for each.. And with one of New England’s most iconic festivals happening this weekend, our interim word nerd and year round jazz a la mode host, Merriam-Webster Editor at large Peter Sokolowski explores the definition of Jazz, its incredibly American origins, and the shifts in cultural landscape that have led to its position today.

It’s the time of year where an intrepid trio of musicians and composers invite other adventurous writers and players of music to the northern Berkshires for weeks of intense creation and communion. Bang on a Can’s Loud Weekend starts this Thursday, July 30 at Mass MoCA in North Adams, the culmination of their Summer Workshop which invites young musicians to attend for weeks of intense study. Each year the festival brings those fellows that have been living and creating together onto the many stages of the museum to show works they've built and created throughout that time, along with luminaries of music composition and performance from all over the world. We chat with Bang on a Can and festival co-founder Julia Wolfe about this years group of fellows, and the works that she and her fellow founders will have performed over the course of the festival’s three days. And with workshop alums and beyond Shelley Washington and Karl Larson, both of whom will perform at this year’s festival, about their time in the program and how it’s influenced their work and performances in the intervening years. Plus, we’ll get to listen in on the rehearsal of one of the festival’s spotlight compositions from Bang on a Can All Star Ken Thompson “We Stay the Same”, and a performance of the haunting "Ghost Song" with Karl Larkin as well, both of which will premiere this weekend. 

We celebrate coming back from adventures by reading about them. What Came West is a brand new book from bi-coastal, sometimes Conway resident Josh Weil that tells a story of expansion and preservation from a perspective not often seen in westerns. We speak with the author about this new novel, and his many inspirations and innovations within, before you can ask your own questions at his book release event at Odyssey Bookshop in south Hadley on July 30th. Summer has us thinking about beaches and the wildlife that you can see on them, including whales that definitely are not sunfish. This week the Triplex Cinemas in Great Barrington is satisfying all those cravings with a little AC thrown in with a showing of Free Willy this Wednesday, and we’ll talk with one of the film’s stars who happens to make their home in the southern berkshires, Jayne Atkinson. And Mr. Universe, Kainaat Studios’ and former Hampshire College astronomer Salman Hameed, returns to gazing at the skies and screens both with the dual spectacles of Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey, and a brand new artistic observatory nestled in the desert of New Mexico

We speak with folx from the most recent Commonwealth Murals Community Paint Party and tell you how you can join the next, and introduce you to Ellery Klein of Celtic Band the Bow Tides who'll perform at Bombyx on July 24th. 

One man’s percussive crusade to bring peace and connect cultures through his own is making a stop in Florence next week. Award winning Taiko player Takumi Sato is performing with his three sons in an ensemble called Peaceful Forest at Bombyx on July 21st, and we’ll speak with the family and Abby Kingsman of Mountain River Taiko about the upcoming show and his dream to play 1000 taiko shows throughout all 50 states. We’ll then head to Holyoke where for 50 years, Jericho, Center for exceptional children and adults has been making community for all, regardless of disability or personage. This Wednesday July 22nd they’ll host their annual Golf Tournament Fundraiser, so we take a tour of their 37 acre property with director Marie McCourt while summer camp is in session to hear about their history, and the resources they hope more folx come to take advantage of. And we end our wine drought by heading to one of our favorite spots in the Berkshires to hang out with Mary and Ben Daire at Dare Bottleshop and Provisions in Lenox where they bring back one of our favorite games, the blind taste with refreshing summer whites from unsung grapes.

We head to Greenfield where the Second Congregational Church is launching a brand new music series allowing music of all sorts to grace the halls of their sanctuary. We speak with the primary organizer of this new endeavor, Director of Music Mike Pfitzer, and their first concert’s headliner, intrepid singer songwriter Gillian Grogan about starting this program and the sounds you may hear along the wayIn Ludlow, a family farm has been bringing produce to western Mass for 80 years. Randall’s Farm is a name we’ve heard from many of the other farms we’ve visited over the years and with good reason, their well stocked farm store has been an important pivot providing local produce to folx in the area, and a great source for quality local ice cream. We speak with the third generation at the operation’s helm Karen Randall, about the history and importance of their farm store. And congressman for the 2nd district Jim McGovern doubles down on his stance regarding ICE especially after their deadly altercations in Maine and Texas, explores the murky business of budget reconciliation, highlights the importance of the vacuum left with the dissolution of DOGE and more. 

Today we’ve got three ways that you can immerse yourself across western Massachusetts and in a wide array of mediums as well. In Great Barrington, they are once again encouraging the kids with cameras to share their films with all of us. TriFest International Film Festival returns highlighting the movies made by folx under 25 and giving them big screens for us all to watch. Year two is bringing exponential growth to the festival and we speak with founder Nicki Wilson about the event’s expansion.On Saturday, folx’ll have the opportunity to really engage with the history of the town through a new work of theater. Common is a tale told through immersive audio giving folx better insight to the area, and we speak with theater-makerJohn Bechtold and Liz Larsen of the Amherst Historical Society about collaborating to celebrate the nation and the town in this unique way. And our interim word nerd author, Merriam-Webster editor at large, and NEPM Jazz A-la-Mode host, Peter Sokolowski, joins our excitement for the upcoming Christopher Nolan movie and voyages far and wide to explore words in English that have origins in the Odyssey

In Ashfield, the immersive experimental collective Double Edge Theater is bringing their summer spectacle to life. Cada Luna Azul is an expansive exploration through memory, connecting community to consequence, collective action to a changing landscape. We head to the hilltowns to bear witness and hear the cast and crew’s perspective onthe newest version of this production. A tome outlining the history of one of this nation’s original peoples has finally been released. A History of the Cherokee Nation by Rachel Eaton was rejected by academia and publishers alike for decades due to its frank and well researched contents. we chat with the author’s great niece, Mount Holyoke College professor Patricia Dawson, about her family’s perseverance to get the work in print, and more.And movie theaters have been a refuge in the hotter months, providing both a cool gathering spot and entertainment both. And with one of the Berkshires recently Oscar nominated neighbors, Josh Safdie, they’ve come up with a series of summer movies to help us really feel the season on screen. We talk with Triplex creative director Ben Elliot about the 8 movies they’re showing as part of Free Air Conditioning. 

In Conway, we get to meet one of our most innovative farmers of an oft ignored crop. Windrow Farm is growing hay across several tens of acres, none of which are specifically belonging to the farm itself. We speak with farmer Jae Silverman about the importance of hay to the area, how he came to this particular business model, and get a chance to see how the knowledge of a century ago is still one of the better practices for feeding livestock in the area. This past week, the issue of lynching has once again re-entered public conversation, and there’s a Smith College professor who’s recently published a new book looking at the ways the black community has protested and made attempts to raise awareness about these tragedies. Assemblies of Sorrow: Performances of Black Endangerment in the Jim Crow Era is Samuel Galen Ng’s examination of those events, and we speak with him about their impact then and now. And when a star gets hungry, what does it eat? Turns out it’s the planets that are nearby, and Mr. Universe, Kainaat Studios' Salman Hameed, introduces us to a nearby system that may be able to show us between its star and brown dwarf, what’ll happen when we become a tasty morsel for our own star. 

We’re on the road, exploring a festival bringing performing arts of all sorts to the southern Berkshires all summer long.Starting as we were beginning to head outside again just after lockdown in order to bring more life and engagement downtown, Berkshire Busk has been placing performers on the streets and corners of downtown Great Barrington since 2021, and in the intervening years in addition to growing in scope, they’ve also become a non-profit as well. So we’re broadcasting from the stage in the heart of W.E.B. DuBois’ hometown to get a preview of what performances lie ahead for this very weekend.We’ll hear from the organizers of Berkshire Busk: Gene Carr and Carli Scolforo and learn about the festival’s origins, it’s impact on the town itself, and the many types of performances you can catch over the course of the summer months. And then because more visual performing arts are hard to describe on radio, we’ll hear from some of the musicians whose music you can hear this weekend all around town, Rees Shad, Colby Lewis, Steve Ide, Kat Winston & Michael Aaron,  all of whom have distinct takes on music they’ll share with all of us their enthusiastic public. 

'Tis the time of the season for festivals, and we’ve got two headed to Hampden and Hampshire counties for folx to get out in the sun and get some music along with their Vitamin DWe’ll hear about this year’s Yidstock bringing the newest, innovative yiddish music to Amherst. Starting today and going through July 12th, the four-day festival features seven concerts, workshops, talks, and special tours, all in celebration of Yiddish music, language, and culture. We’ll hear one of the bands joining that lineup, Levyosn. Just down the block from us, the Springfield Jazz and Roots Festival is also taking place this weekend, making a triumphant return to its original location in Court Square. The festival is much more than just the world renowned acts that play in the city of firsts, however, this year including Omar Sosa, Dumpstafunk and others, and so we crash a workshop being led by Zikina at the Community Music School in Springfield and learn how Blues to Green is incorporating those students into this year’s line up. And in our weekly conversation with Jim McGovern, we find the congressman up to his knees in cheese curds in Wisconsin, and get his take on our on-again, off again war with Iran, Platner dropping out of his senatorial bid, and a pile of listener questions on the liberties being threatened by proposed legislation. 

Nearly 100 years ago, 4 Massachusetts towns were dis-incorporated, their populations moved, and the area filled with water to appease the needs of people on the eastern half of the state. In the intervening years, the towns surrounding the Quabbin Reservoir have struggled to get their  needs updated and addressed by the state. This Thursday, folx from those 8 towns have a chance to speak with the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority in person, and perhaps discuss the legislation put forward as well, and we’ll hear from Belchertown's Ed Comeau and Shutesbury's Matteo Pangallo about the reservoir’s true impact on the people and land that surround it.One of the nation’s oldest towns is celebrating America’s 250th anniversary with a trio of plays to bring us closer to the stories of the time of revolution. A Stake in the Ground 1774 is opening at Historic Deerfield and we’ll chat with artistic director of Plays in Place Patrick Gabridge and  director of museum education, Claire Carlson, about this collaboration and theatrical journey back in time. And speaking of the 250th, English has quite a few ways to go about saying that marker more easily, and our interim word nerd, editor-at-large at Merriam-Webster and Jazz a la mode host Peter Solokowski explains the whys of how the language treats these numbers. 

Right here in Springfield, we’re returning to our rudie dreams for the Pioneer Valley Ska Festival. 30 bands from all over the nation will venture to 52 Sumner in Springfield for 2 days of skanking, ska, and ska-punk goodness. We’ll hear from one of those 30 bands, Futon Lasagna from eastern and central Mass, as well as organizer Eric Coles of 413Ska about picking up the beat in this corner of the valley. In Florence, the 17th Etchings Festival is bringing contemporary composers of many genres to the area to hone their craft and have it performed by well honed professional musicians in the Ecce Ensemble as well. Centered at Bombyx, the festival hosts 4 days of performances in their sanctuary and Look Park, and we’ll speak with founder John Aylward and visiting performer Pandelis Karayorgis of Boston Jazz outfit Surface of Sphere. And in a less music oriented cavalcade, but no less celebratory fashion, Silverthorne Theater is on the verge of opening their second production of their summer season, which will be their last on the Hampshire College campus, which has served as their summer home for years. We speak with director Ezekiel Baskin and others from the show Deep Blue Sound about this community environmental story, and what’s next as they look for a new summer location for the coming years. 

In the northern Berkshires, Many Forks Farm changed hands a few years ago, but that’s provided them with the opportunity to get themselves even more involved in the local community, and other organizations. We head to Clarksburg where there are no trains, but farmer Molly Comstock tells us of her journey through photography to get to agriculture and the innovative way the land is being preserved for farmers to come. Just next door, is a young city that's spawned legends in its own right, not the least of which is the Coca Cola Monster. Cryptids aside, the book North Adams Panopticon refocuses the infamous ledge and leads the reader through many incidents and occurrences that have happened on its precipice. We speak with author John Seven about his interest in the local urban legends, and more. And Mr. Universe, Kainaat Studios' Salman Hameed, shows us the many places where the building blocks of life have been found terrestrially and celestially, and how looking further into those origins might be more difficult with changes to grant review in the NSF. 

We conclude our trio of 250th focused Power of History talks with Clark University Professor Ousmane Power-Greene by looking at the years just after our official separation from England, our baby steps as a nation seeking to establish federal criteria, and the circumstances that led to Elizabeth "Mumbet" Freeman’s court case that would officially end slavery in the Bay State. On our nation’s birthday this weekend, you have an opportunity to expand your perspective to encompass the whole state. In Common:From the Berkshires to the Bay is a new program from GBH News that seeks to connect the stories of all 351 towns and cities in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and we talk with host Jeremy Siegel about the series, the surprising facts he’s learned about our corner of New England, and the pilot episode that you can hear this weekend. And Congressman Jim McGovern is managing to survive summer in the DMV in this heatwave, a feat in and of itself, while simultaneously giving us his takes on recent SCOTUS decisions, his worries about possible executive branch intervention in the upcoming midterms, his thoughts on the nation’s birthday this weekend and more. 

In Williamstown, Images Cinema is about to emerge from a year of construction chrysalis with double the theaters and a wealth of other improvements. We head to the northern Berkshires to see the changes first hand and get a tour of the details from a member of their board who helped to design the upgrade, Matt Brogan, better known as the cider maker of Berkshire Cider Project. Now that July is firmly upon us, the berries are all out, and at one of the biggest farms in the 4 counties, they’re cultivating better plants for the climate changes to come. Nourse Farms in Whately provides strawberry, raspberry, and blackberry plants for farms all over the country, and fresh fruit for us lucky residents of western Mass, and we get a tour of their massive facilities and a taste of their bounty with CEO John Place, and Chief Administrative Officer Rachael Monette.Plus Word Nerd Emily Brewster, Senior Editor at Merriam Webster, walks us through one of the trickier practies of the English Language, where the soft sounds lay in schwas, and how they pop up in words we use regularly. 

We eke out a Mayor of the Month for June with Jennifer Macksey of North Adams, amidst the chaos of Solid Sound. We hear how this year is going, the effect that the festival has on the businesses and more in their downtown area, and some of the ways the city might see traffic change in the years aheadMount Holyoke College maintained a robust summer stock theater program for decades. After a 25yr dormancy, the program returns to the South Hadley campus to perform two fun family friendly mysteries. We speak with program revitalizer and director of the first production; Noah Ilya-Alexis Tuleja, an alum of the program himself, about bringing a more realistic theater experience back to campus. And a last pride story for June as we head to the hilltowns to discover a brand new school tailored for the experiences and needs of LGBTQIA2S+ youth. The J.S. Bryant School is a year round theraputic high school nestled in Cummington, and we speak with founder and school head Allison Druin about their methodology, and challenges

 Mark Greenberg is the studio manager and part of the production team at The Loft, Wilco’s Chicago recording studio and HQ. He composes and produces music for film, television, and video games through his own studio, the Mayfair Recordings Workshop. A long-time contributor and advocate of art and music in Chicago, Mark was the assistant talent booker at Lounge Ax, headed the team that built the physical aspects of Art Chicago at Navy Pier, was a founding member of the Coctails, and continues to play and record with Eleventh Dream Day among others. He's also one of our favorite people to hang out with every other year, so before Wilco's Saturday concert of originals at this year's Solid Sound Festival, Monte had a chance to sit with him and hear how the music is going. 

In a brand new collection from Restless Books, it’s made apparent that we as a country have been trying to figure out our relationship with the divine for centuries. A Nation Wrestles with God: American Prophets, Philosophers and Firebrands is a collection of writings from before this was a western recognized nation to to present day and we speak with editor Ilan Stavans and contributor Reza Aslan about the ways the untied states have engaged with and without religion. This past weekend one of the most lauded guests at Wilco’s every other year festival was a surprise to Solid Sound attendees. Natalie Merchant was all over the festival, performing pop-ups, and comedy, and sitting in on sets over all three days. We chatted with her about her history with the project, and her musical education work including her project with the Chicago Symphony: Mother Goose & the Cabinet of Wonder.  And Mr. Universe, Kainaat Studios' Salman Hameed, is fresh off a trip to the southwest and returns to relate how our approach to the Grand Canyon gives a lot of insight to the ways people lay claim to the Moon. 

It’s that time again. The time every other year that fans of a very specific Chicago band head east to North AdamsSolid Sound 9 is happening this weekend in the Berkshires, and today we’re at Mass MoCA to capture it.So as we ready to hear Mermaid Avenue for the first time ever live in concert with both Wilco and Billy Bragg, we’ll talk to some of the multi-hyphenate members of that band about this festival and their many other projects, including a documentary from keyboardist Mikael Jorgenson, and a sound art installation from drummer Glenn Kotche.We’ll talk music with Sima Cunningham of Finom, I Hear Voices, Postock, and many other musical ensembles about the pop-ups she’s involved with all weekend, and Jeff Tweedy himself about the importance of performing Mermaid Avenue at this moment.Plus the curator of the festival’s comedy cabaret, and former W. Mass resident himself, John Hodgman gives us a preview of the funny folx headed to the air conditioned portion of the weekend, and what hijinx helps to bring comedians to the northern Berskhires.

A rewind to last weekend at the Green River Festival where we’ll hear the warm bass tones of the Amherst based bassist Deja Carr better known to the world as Mal Devisa. We’ll get a glimpse into Deja’s creative process and revel in her performance under the Grandstands at the Franklin County FairgroundsAnd US Congressman Jim McGovern gives us his take on what went on with Trump’s alleged temper-tantrum where he refused to sign a bipartisan housing bill. And if the Democratic Social Mayor Mamdani effect, that swept through NY primaries this week, will have any implications for Democratic primaries closer to home.

We are getting people together for artistic endeavors no matter how harrowing it may be. Off to Westhampton, where one of the many studios that is part of the pottery collective the Hilltown 6 lays nestled by a waterfall. The artists who make up the group are hosting a workshop at Easthampton Clay this weekend and opening up their respective workplaces for a tour later in July. Potters Sam Taylor and Robbie Heidinger meet us to talk about the ceramics scene of western mass and more. In Amherst just outside of the UMass campus is an important lifeline to folx of Hampshire and Franklin counties. The Amherst Survival Center is much more than just a food pantry, addressing the growing needs of the public. We get a tour of their daily work with director Carleen Basler, hear a bit of how their services have changed, and learn how you can support them at a benefit concert this weekend. And word Nerd Emily Brewster knows we might be a bit stressed out by language sometimes, and especially with a deeper look at wrack with a w versus rack without one and how their meanings are kinda tied together.

We head north, to Northfield where a farm segued into beer-making, while supplying a much needed crop for the northeast. Four Star Farm has been growing hops of various varieties well before they conjured up their own brewery and we chat with brewer Chris Sellers about his journey from Poli-Sci to agricultural and local product advocate among the hop bines. Speaking of growing things, young artists are budding along with their creative parents. The exhibit Imaginary Friends is a collaboration of 11 artist parents with their children to create work together and spans from the small, to the interactable, and even to video projects in their ongoing question of how to maintain one’s craft with and after kids. We crash their installation process, getting a glimpse of what the public might see at their opening tonight. And musician, artist, folklorist, and more Mica Farias Gomez joined us for one of our Green River Festival pop-ups this past weekend. We’ll hear  the sounds of her incredible journey into her native Argentina and across south America, and with her co-conspirator Manuel Uriona about their connections to Double Edge Theater, and the liberation we’re all seeking.