The Fabulous 413

We know that the area is rife with a legacy of abolition, but it’s very different when you get to see the places where that history happened up close. This Saturday July 12th, The Pan African History Museum is hosting an interactive tour of downtown sites significant to this movement, and we chat with PAHMUSA Vice President Drew Keaton, and Springfield Preservation Trust President Erica Swallow about the partnership bringing more people in touch with the history at their fingertips. We’ll also see how we as community are caring for others with a heart-wrenching memoir that also serves as a call to action. A Place Called Home recounts David Ambroz’s youth and personal experiences with homelessness, mental illness, and the foster care system right here in Massachusetts. We speak with the author about the state of that system, and the changes everyone can make to improve the lives of some of the most vulnerable citizens. And our weekly chat with congressman Jim McGovern sees eerie similarities in climate disaster between the catastrophic floods in Texas, and the ones that devastated the farmland in W. Mass 2 years ago, and explores any possible buyers remorse over the recently passed budget with its sweeping cuts to medicaid, SNAP, plus a look on the horizon at the election season to come.

We got a glimpse of the devised theater work STILL last year, but it’s been in progress ever since and a new iteration will premiere this weekend at the APE Gallery. We speak with creator Marcia Gomes about the changes the work has been through. And we’ll also speak with Roberta Uno, longtime director and founder of New World Theater, has returned to the area and STILL is just one of her many projects. We’ll hear how this work fits among the rest and how her work as the production's dramaturg has shaped this incarnation of bringing one's ancestors to life. Also, we had to go back and learn more about the upcoming Springfield Jazz and Roots Festival. So we’ll check in again with festival founder Kristen Neville of Blues to Green and producer Evan Plotkin to get more details on the free celebration, and hear how NAI Plotkin got involved to bring all of Springfield and beyond together with music. Plus word nerd Emily Brewster breaks up compound words we really should have more questions about the components of to give us better understandings of how English works.

This week is enriching the cultural landscape just down the street from us in a festival and a brand new place to see music, shows, and more. Of course we had to go and broadcast live from their brand new facilities, so today we broadcast live from the newly 2 days old HOPE Center for the Arts, and in celebration of the Springfield Jazz and Roots Festival happening this weekend We'll hear from members of the team helping to bring that vision to life: Technical Director Kyle Homestead and Artistic Director Isaac Eddy about the man whose vision it was to return a beloved stage to Springfield in a way that engendered arts education: Bob Bolduc. And we’ll learn about the incredible lineup of folx who’ll be gracing the stages of this year’s festival from founder Kristen Neville of Blues to Green and co-producer Evan Plotkin of NAI Plotkin. Plus we get a live performance from one of the bands performing this weekend for those festivities, who’ll be taking advantage of the technology built into this location: Water Seed

Today, we have music to soothe the dairy beast. Which may not be how that phrase works; but we’re betting it could work at Fletcher Farm, in Southampton, where their cows and calves are not only bringing milk to the community, but fostering connection and learning amongst those who may one day also lead their own herds. 2nd generation farmer Nicole Schwab lets us explore among her 80 heads of milking ladies. But if you’re craving more of a cow-less get down, we’ll introduce you to a new series about to launch in Northampton. Parties in the Park is a free to the community gathering bringing some of the best and most eclectic DJs in the area to spin for the public, and we sit with Just Joan (Casey Williams) and Studebaker Hawk, two of the folx stepping up to the turntables to hear war stories and what’s in store for Wednesdays. And Susan Bronson of the Yiddish Book Center joins us to talk about their upcoming festival: Yidstock, which celebrates Yiddish music and the innovators making new sounds under a cultural marker over the course of 4 days

Today on The Fabulous 413 as the nation looks back in time to 249 years ago and the Declaration of Independence, we take you back to two weeks ago to the Green River Festival in Greenfield, where we recorded a series of pop-up concerts. We’ll hear the Brattleboro Vermont glam, post-rock new wave band THUS LOVE play songs from their new album, All Pleasure, and hear about how their DIY house concert aesthetic has influenced all aspects of their group, from touring, to songwriting, to general philosophy. The Bay State born and based Ali McGuirk has transitioned her songwriting from 3 chord pop mimicry into jazzy and soulful R&B tunes. We’ll hear about what lead to that change in her style through songs from her forthcoming album on the Northampton label Signature Sounds. Plus a quick rundown of where you can commemorate the Fourth of July the words of Frederick Douglass with Clark University Professor Ousmane Power-Greene, with a list of where you can see fireworks in the area to boot.

We’re seeking out public places where there is AC that also happen to be fonts of knowledge. Millions of years ago, the Connecticut River was a hotbed of dinosaur activity, and Dino Trail Week explores the contributions the Asparagus Valley has brought to the study of the “terrible lizards” through the past two centuries. We head the Beneski Museum to meet Museum Educator Fred Venne, student docent Cirdan Kearns, and Dino Trail Week organizer Jonathan Mirin of Piti Theater as we explore their collection, learn more about how fossils and tracks get studied, and hear about all the fun dino oriented things you can do starting July 5th. Less fun but no less important is the ongoing conversation about enslavement and the North. As part of those conversations Historic Northampton has spent several years exploring the city’s place in that history, and unveils their current findings in a new exhibit today. Slavery and Freedom in Northampton, 1654 to 1783 presents the names and lives of those enslaved and we talk with Betty Sharpe of Historic Northampton, Dylan Gafney of Forbes Library, and professor Ousmane Power-Greene of Clark University about their journey to this opening in an extra special Power of History segment. And congressman Jim McGovern caps off two late-running congressional sessions by chatting with us about the impact the budget bill will have on millions of Americans, and the issues of bipartisanship he continues to encounter on Capitol Hill.

Two artists, two continents, and two endeavors to bring more awareness to each of their peoples. At Springfield Museums, a collection of paintings aimed at raising awareness and honoring the many missing and murdered indigenous women across the Americas is currently on display. Nayanna LaFond’s Portraits in RED melds realism with indigenous belief as it puts faces to the ongoing issue and we hear more about the projects online origins in the pandemic, it’s impact on folx everywhere, and the reasons for and hows of the projects upcoming end. And tonight at the Iron Horse, an afrobeat legend plays to close out the Secret Planet Music CSA’s second season. Gyedu Blay Ambolley has a storied career spanning 5 decades and 30 albums, including being a pioneer and innovator for two, possibly three musical genres. We speak with the musical ambassador and veteran about music in Ghana, the rhythmic diaspora he works with, and the importance of playing his debut album July 2nd in Northampton.

We’re taking a close look at local innovations and memory. We’ll head to Hatfield where a prodigal farmer is building culinary forward farm dreams. Sara Fil has a history at farm stands, but with Ruffled Feather Farm she’s now providing vegetables, flowers, herbs and eggs to adventurous locals, and we’ll chat with her about the importance of the stand to her work. We’ll also look to Hadley and the original location of an innovative school that is the subject of a new podcast. Radiotopia presents “We’re Doing ‘The Wiz’” takes a look at Pioneer Valley Performing Arts School in its early days through the experiences of staff members and alums of the institution, including some missteps and key moments that lead to the titular production. The award winning Creative Team behind the episodes Ian Coss and Sakina Ibrahim, both of whom were in this musical, talk to us about their episodes and experiences, and the impact creating this very specific aural snapshot of PVPA has had on their lives and processes, and how that work stays with them today.

We’re taking a local approach to national affairs, especially because at the top of this administration’s list of issues is immigration, and this particular nation of immigrants is about to celebrate a birthday. Some of those immigrants will be naturalized as American citizens in Northampton on the 4th of July this week. and we’ll hear from folx who get to see that process firsthand from the Center for New Americans, Laurie Millman and Harleen Multani. And perhaps we'll see if we who were born here might be able to keep our citizenship if we were asked to take the same tests that we ask of those who come here from afar. But honestly that might be a little in jeopardy too, and there’s a whole lot that is happening in the judicial branch overall, so we’ll speak with former editor-in-chief at Slate and author of Antidemocratic, Haydenville's own David Daley about the possible repercussions of the recent slew of decisions from the highest court in the land. Plus Mr. Universe, Kainaat Studios and Hampshire College’s Salman Hameed explores the wicked cool images we’ve gotten from the Vera Rubin Telescope, coupled with the bittersweet knowledge that the DEI forward parts of the observatory's website, and perhaps their program, have been scrubbed.

Now that we’ve given you a list of local authors to read, you need a place to actually flip through the pages right? Then you may want to get thee to Westhampton this weekend, where they’ll be Lounging for Literacy on June 28th, both to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the library’s move and renovation, but to raise awareness and funds in light of the national cuts to Museum and Library services library director Meaghan Schwelm, along with library volunteer Laurie Sanders, selectboard member Jennifer Milikowsky, local musician and avid composer of library songs Jim Armenti, and donkey wrangler Ali Jenkins with donkey in tow join us on the Westhampton Public Libaray lawn to talk about the event and the connecting point the library serves to its greater community. We’ll also revisit our pop-up session with the inspiring and impressive Leyla McCalla from last week’s Green River Festival. We’ll hear a bit about her recent concert with her Songs for our Native Daughters co-horts at the Hollywood Bowl too, and how place and belonging have shaped the base of her songwriting. And we’ll make a return to the wine thunderdome in Northampton down in the wine bunker of State Street Deli Wine and Spirits, where we try out two varietals that are perfect for the heatwaves to come.

Today we'll speak with two folx who are trying their very hardest to make the nation better, through reading materials, and reading the writing slowly getting scrawled on walls Locally an incredibly prolific author illustrator not only has a new novel to celebrate, but a whole exhibit looking at her books, her paintings, her process, and whole career. A living retrospective of Grace Lin’s work is on display at the Eric Carle Museum in Amherst, and we take a trip to see her work unfold on the walls there, and continue our impromptu summer reading week, as we all explore the possibilities of cultural connection and the importance of being seen. And a lot has changed in the political landscape over the last few days. So our weekly chat with congressman Jim McGovern is covering a lot of ground as well. From the bombings in Iran, to more possible cuts to Snap nationwide there’s troubling situations afoot. But there’s also glimmers of good stuff as well, and we’ll get into how the recent NYC elections tie into a sea change in the Democratic Party, and how the Dali Lama is helping to buoy his hope this week.

Today we're bringing other locales into closer view. In literature, we’ll dig into Mattea Kramer’s new novel The Untended, which takes a very close look at a fictional woman’s interaction with the very real opioid crisis with a Greenfield Backdrop. And hear about treading proverbial lines between the real and unreal on the page, from someone who’s been addressing issues like these in the public sphere for years. . We’ll also evoke more than a little Clouseau with the music of someone you can see perform at the Iron Horse tonight. John Carroll Kirby has collaborated with big names you know like Solange and Blood Orange, but on his solo albums evokes more of a free-form electronica and we’ll ask him about the music and art he makes with others and for himself before you can see it in person in Northampton And word Nerd Emily Brewster senior editor at Merriam Webster, takes us back to English’s origins with German words we’ve taken and adopted for our own linguistic purposes. Which is a bit of an oroborous of a journey, except that that word is Greek.

Today on the Fabulous 413, we’re turning dreams into reality, which is a tall order, but sometimes, the magic just happens. In Northampton which has had a particular hole in its culinary landscape. We head to the future home of Lichter and Levin Jewish Delicatessen to hear from the music stewarding duo at the helm of this endeavor, the eponymous Emily Lichter and Ben Levin, as well as their talented chef, Alex Hanley, and familiar face to their location, Robin Wynn, at their downtown digs about the joke that started it all, and the legacy they’re accidentally continuing. Oh and a quick taste test of some of their delicious menu items! We'll also head to Chicopee where Evan Nawrocki of Nightjar Farm turned almost an acre of land at his grandmother’s house into a growing farm operation and we head to his burgeoning homestead to hear how this very young farmer got into the business, along with CISA executive director Jennifer Core. And our very favorite of the Baystate’s unique geological features is once again up in the legislature to become the official sedimentary structure of Massachusetts. Professor Richard Little joins us to talk about how you can write in support of them becoming official, and about the JAMB-oree being held this weekend to celebrate them.

We are winding down from an amped up weekend locally and globally Locally, the Green River Festival wrapped yesterday, and beyond our live show being the very first thing on any of the stages as the festival opened, a good handful of artists agreed to sit with us for pop-ups throughout the course of those 3 days. Including one who nearly didn’t make it to the festival at all. We hear music and stories from our session with Olive Klug. Globally, the US has been up to things. Kinda terrible things that have repercussions on the scientific community in ways you wouldn’t expect, so Mr. Universe, Kainaat Studios and Hampshire College's Salman Hameed, walks us through some of the implications of our bombing of Iran. And what better way to unwind from being amped up than to nestle in with a new noir novel that follows actors, con artists, journalists and the organizations that tie them all together. The Set Up is the first novel by UMass Professor of Sociology John Wynn that explores all of this against a Las Vegas Backdrop, and we chat with the author about this foray into fiction.

We’re in Franklin County, on the country fairgrounds, ready to begin 3 days of music, fun, and community in Greenfield It’s time once again for the Green River Festival. What started as a small birthday party for a local radio station has grown to be much much bigger, from 1 day to 3, and with or without hot air balloons, it’s still one of the most fun gatherings around. And we are broadcasting live from the grounds as they open to let in the peoples, hoping against hope for better weather this year. We’ll hear from Maker’s Market Co-ordinator Mark Lattanzi about his role and the many creative artisans that you can encounter on the grounds this weekend, especially with a new twist on their location Western Canada's Ocie Elliott joins us with the sweet harmonies of their folk sound, and some corrections to the internet's record. As will the Winterpills, with their western Mass. dream pop and an announcement of music to come. And speaking of new music, we check in with Philadelphia's Mo Lowda and the Humble before they take the Main Stage to hear about the album they just released today!

Today on the show, we double your Pride, double you chance to party for equality. We’ll head up to Charlemont and get wet at Zoar Outdoors. Jason Costa and Ann Gillard take us out on the river for a paddling experience, not unlike the ones folx will experience at their Pride event this weekend. We’ll hear about the importance of creating queer space outside, and hear about the classes, clinics and party they’ve got planned as we take a few kayaks on the Deerfield River We’ll also head to Holyoke who’ve got Pride Fest happening this weekend. The city will be a-buzz with a wealth of activity, but post parade partying is headed back to one of our favorite haunts in Hampden county: Fame Eatery and Lounge. We’ll chat with proprietor David Blood, and mixologist and pride committee member Alex Torres about what fun activities you can expect on Dwight Street this Saturday. And word nerd Emily Brewster, senior Editor at Merriam Webster, has us take a closer look at the way our language pluralizes things, and how other languages we’ve borrowed from are leaving their marks at the end of words in English. (Looking right at you octopus, and you too mouse.)

We’re talking with folx creating connections in their fields Sometimes literally as we venture out to see how the berries are doing at Dickenson Farm. We’re at the height of Strawberry season and on the verge of Blueberry season, both of which you can venture into the fields and pick for yourself at their Granby location. 3rd generation farmer Nate La Flamme shows us the lay of their multi generation farm’s land, including the diversity they're growing across their just under 200 acres. . And sometimes it adorns the walls you see every day. This Thursday on Juneteenth, Common Wealth Murals is hosting a bus tour of some of the public artwork in Springfield with specific connections to the holiday and the black community. We speak with executive director Britt Ruhe about the art you can see in the city of firsts, the importance of public art, and how you can be a part of a new mural going up in Indian Orchard. Occasionally, it’s crossing genres. Composer/saxophonist/bandleader Felipe Salles released a brand new album earlier this month. Camera Obscura blurs the lines between light and dark, chamber music and jazz, large and small ensembles to create an atmospheric auditory take on perspective and memory, and we chat with the creator about the work itself and two opportunities in the 413 you’ll have to see it performed live.

Today, we are getting a very intimate tour of an institution with someone who has seen the move of its evolution to the point where an exhibit was just created to cover the 5 decades of his tenure with them. Norton Owen began as a student at the festival, but now fills a position that was made for him: Preservationist, a title he gets to add to that of curator, archivist, dancer and more that he’s engaged with at Jacob’s Pillow. We get a personalized tour of the archives at the Festival with the Man himself and learn about his impressive tenure and the development and expansion of the archive and its attached exhibition space. We’ll also hear about the award he’s being honored with at the gala that marks the start of the festival and even delve into the depths of the archive itself to see some of the amazing costumes, film, posters and more marking the history of the festival and beyond for posterity. And Monte brushes the sand off of his recorder to hang out with Mr. Universe, Kainaat Studios and Hampshire College’s Salman Hameed explains how scientists are using the Pandora Galaxy Cluster as a lens to check out more heavenly phenomenon.

We're headed to to the screen to meet the young local black W. Mass creatives putting their work on it. We speak with the creator, producer, and writer of The Matumbilas, an animated series about a young Tanzanian family and their experiences in the US. Zulfiqar Manzi now finds the story that was inspired by his own experiences in Springfield on two African Based platforms, Kweli TV and AfroWatch, and we hear from the man himself about the changes that’s brought in his work and more. We also get to see a new production company emerge into the light with a fantastic script to boot. Christian Banda comes to the studios to talk about his past season writing a screenplay inspired by polish cinema, the lessons learned from his first short film that he brings with him, and how the community can be a part of bringing the Decalogue to life through crowdfunding. . And for Live Music Friday, indie tinged americana heads to the Marigold theater tonight, June 13th in the sounds of Melanie A. Davis. Noctalgia is Melanie A. Davis’ fourth full-length album and the first to feature her full-band outfit, Melanie A. Davis & The Madness. Released late last year, it is a love letter to the fading night sky that’s slowly “disappearing” from our perspective due to climate change, the 10-track collection runs from doo-wop, to honkytonk, and everywhere in between and beyond.

Including a brand new Pride celebration this weekend as Lee prepares to put on it’s very first Pride events EVER. Although nestled within Berkshire Pride the southern Berkshires town is putting on it’s own festivities this Saturday June 14th and we speak with Leah Docktor about the full day of activity, the importance of towns beginning their own Pride traditions We also have live music THURSDAY with local kinks inspired band the Muswell Hillbillies who are bringing Tom Petty to life on the Iron Horse Stage this Sunday. The band stops by the studio to relive some of the rock icon’s song glory and hear what's still compelling about his massive catalog. And Monte being out of town makes it the perfect time to make our regular guests play games with me, so I sit with Prof Ousmane Power Greene to talk about a crucial moment in American history with my favorite game to casually bring up with people: 6 degrees of the failure of reconstruction.