The Fabulous 413

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...

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, Gree...

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 Chri...

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...

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 he...

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 w...

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 o...

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...

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 relea...

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 through...

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...

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 Festiva l returns highlighting the movies made by folx under 25 and giving them big screens for us all to watch. Year two is bringing...

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 h...

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 o...

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 t...

'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 D We’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 tour...

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...

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...

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 f...

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 birt...

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 f...

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 ahead Mount Holyoke College maintained a robust summer stock theater program for decades. After a 25yr d...

 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 p...

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 Asla...