The Fabulous 413

Today is full of archaic lore, which sometimes comes in the form of movement and sound. Flamenco Boston has been keeping their centuries old tradition alive in New England. The collective of dancers and musicians are performing today at the Holyoke Library with a stop by our studios to share their incredible artistry and learn more about this art form’s origins in the people's feet and on guitars...

We’re heading to Wilbraham where a turn off a main road brings wondrous vistas and copious amounts of locally grown fruit. Fern Valley Farm is nearing its tenth year of bringing bucolic views and tree fruits of all sorts to the area, and we talk with the family that brought it back from disrepair, Dan and Brooke Fernandes, and learn more about the trees and varieties they’re raising, and the commu...

Musician, writer, film and tv producer Boots Riley is headed to Amherst for a talk at UMass and a double showing of his movie I Love Boosters at Amherst Cinema. But his latest work is just the tip of the creative iceberg that started with rallies and hip hop group The Coup , and has several forays onscreen as well. We sit with the raconteur to talk about his activist upbringing and leanings, the r...

Singers are coming up from Connecticut to sing for the planet. Which is an incredible over simplification of what will happen when Concora arrives in Florence to perform “A Passion for the Planet" , a homegrown oratorio by Amherst composer Geoffrey Hudson that blends scientific prose, poetry, and sacred texts, advocating for change, and building a vibrant future. We’ll meet the composer as well as...

NYT best selling author illustrators Tony DiTerlizzi and Jeff Kinney both have new books for your littler ones, each dealing with a touch of the spooky. The Wump , which sees a middle school student’s inner demons suddenly become outer ones, and Rowley Jefferson’s Awesome Friendly Spooky Stories 2 explores the imagination of a character from the Diary of a Wimpy kid series. We’ll talk with both ab...

This weekend on Sept 25th and 26th, the streets of Northampton will be filled with music. The Northampton Jazz Festival happens this weekend, and although they’ve been actively encouraging folx of all walks all year round, this is their big shindig, and we speak with board president Ruth Griggs and member Ricard Torres-Mateluna about what this year brings, especially with their headliner Lakeisha...

We're getting out in the community to see how we grow and learn more about ourselves in the process.  Woven Roots Farm has been providing produce and more for the community for over 20 years. From its start as a garden project to their current home in Tyringham the farm has sought to not just feed our neighbors, but create more positive impact on the land and environment as well. We speak with Ex....

A new local book combines the art world with language on the page and the intricacies of establishing a voice for oneself, even when that voice is subsumed in someone else’s story. Bird Girl is a new novel from author Duston Spear, centering an artist who is forced to confront a pivotal moment of her youth as it’s revisited in a podcast, and we’ll speak with her about the impetus for the work, the...

We head to the river where the community is coming together this weekend and next to improve the health of our local waterway. The Source to Sea Cleanup is happening at locations all along the Connecticut River, and we’ll speak with a matroyshka set of activists helping to make this happen, individually and through their respective organizations: David Bowles of Greenfield’s clean up, Nina Gordon-...

The Amherst Mushroom Company is a newer farm in its namesake town bringing tasty fungi to markets all over the asparagus valley. But it’s only part of a much bigger picture of conservation that their land is seeking to pursue. We head to their brand new facility to speak with farmers Sabina Shelby and Sean Lopez to get the full scope of their mycological journey.  In Great Barrington, two great ac...

The Walk for Every Body is a fundraiser to help all of the people in our area to stay healthy and keep the programs that Tapestry Health fosters in all four counties of Western Mass running. The event is in its second year and we speak with Interim CEO Damaris Jones, and Chief Development and Communications Officer Lisa Andrews to learn more about it.  In the Hilltowns, they are once again gatheri...

For Constitution Day, the SBS Democracy Project at Umass is hosting a wide array of talks and workshops to engage folx with our democratic process. And what does that have to do with Astronauts you might ask. It turns out that over 100 astronauts have banded together to start a nonprofit that specifically seeks to defend the constitution called Astronauts for America, and we’ll hear from Umass Gra...

Starting this weekend, in Northampton you can get up close and personal with the history of Paradise City with the new production from Plays in Place. The Hull/Hawley plays are taking a close look at two known figures in the city: Bathsheba Hull, and Joseph Hawley, and the impacts they had on the Northampton of their time. We speak with director Brianna Sloane and actor Trenda Loftin about the imp...

Dino Map Adventure Live is bringing the time of terrible lizards to life all over the areas where they used to roam, complete with real live scientists to help you and your littles understand more about it. We meet with one of the architects of this series, Marshall Escamilla of Tumble Science Podcast for Kids at the location they’ll visit on Saturday, the Chicopee Public Library, to learn more ab...

The Academy of Music has just gotten a new director this summer. Ray Dumont may be new to western Mass, but is well versed in not just the operations of larger theater in smaller towns, but of the goings on of Broadway productions as well. We head to his new workplace to meet the new leadership and hear about his journey from Maine and touring productions to this post and his vision for centering...

We’re adjusting for a changing landscape, which for sound means building the community that you want to see in the world by bringing folx from all over the eastern seaboard together for a festival in Easthampton. The 3rd Queercore Fest is taking place once again at CitySpace assembling an amazing lineup of bands and artists for two days of music and solidarity and organizers Ben and Issley join us...

Some disparaging words were slung at bill proffered to help in the area of agrotourism. And frankly, you may not be aware of what that industry is either, or how it can have an impact on the livelihood of local farmers.  So we brave the rain and head to Sunderland to meet with one of folx who’s been championing this particular measure on Beacon Hill: state senator Jo Comerford , along with someone...

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...

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. Pa...

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 impromp...

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. ...

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 clos...

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 mul...

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...

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 senatoria...