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The Fabulous 413

The Fabulous 413 is a daily afternoon radio show celebrating life in western Massachusetts — and a kind of "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood" for grown-ups.

  • Today we bring you 13 instruments that you can hear on either side of the mountains this weekend.* We’ll head to Pittsfield to the 10 x 10 Upstreet Arts Festival where a celebration of short plays has grown to encompass the entire upstreet arts district and beyond. We chat with director of the Office of Cultural Development for the city of Pittsfield, Jen Glockner, and one of the performers as part of the festival, saxophonist Scott Robinson, who’ll bring 10 saxophones to the occasion, about the 11 days of arts and activities engulfing the city for the next two weeks. And local musician and ethnomusicologist Tim Eriksen stops by the studio for Live Music Friday before you can catch him in a rare solo show at The Parlor Room. In addition to hearing his interpretation of old American songs and sounds, he brings a bevvy of fascinating instruments with interesting stories of their own for us to explore, and keys us into a convention bringing those enamored with Sacred Harp singing to the valley very soon. Plus one of our cinematic heroes is getting a posthumous celebration in Great Barrington. The Triplex Cinema starts their David Lynch festival tomorrow with the film “Wild at Heart” and we’ll talk with Creative Director Ben Elliott about the impact not just of Lynch’s work and style, but the importance of the this “Time to Wake Up.” series starting with This particular movie
  • Today we’re taking a closer look at the folx telling stories about themselves in new ways and through new avenuesIncluding much beloved author of children’s books and more, local legend Jane Yolen. A new picture book has just been released about her earliest work titled "Janie Writes a Play: Jane Yolen’s First Great Story", which proves there’s no age restrictions on coming up with a great tale. And that book’s author has a tale of her own also. Heidi E. Y. Stemple joins us to talk about writing this book about her mother, how narrative clearly runs in the family, and how you can celebrate the heroine of the story and her 86th birthday this Saturday at High Five Books in Florence. We’ll also find out about a storytelling event in Florence.The second Queer Story Slam is happening at Bombyx Center for Arts and Equity this weekend exploring all expressions of love and desire in the tales being told onstage, and we’ll chat with organizers Wylder Ayres and Reen Smith about the power of seeing these lives in their own words, and how those visions reinforces community. And our weekly chat with Congressman Jim McGovern tackles the possibilities of constitutional crisis, the consequences of lying in senatorial confirmation hearings, the budget, his vote on a recent bill concerning fentanyl and how you can ask your questions of the representative IN PERSON very soon.
  • It’s a pre-Valentine’s Day extravaganza for those of you celebrating, with wine and chocolate and innuendosWe’ll take you to the heart of Thorne’s Marketplace in Northampton, where chocolate dreams are being made real from the worlds of pure imagination. Dan McKenney of Firetype Chocolate talks about his unlikely journey into confectionery, the impacts that climate change has on making sweets locally, and the many delicious treats you can get from their location year roundThen we head up to the hilltown hinterlands to get a taste of an extra special beverage. Headwater Cider is making Ice Wine with their apple bounty and we chat with proprietor Peter Mitchell about his apples and the many ciders they’re fashioning in Hawley, and with Doctoral Candidate Elizabeth Garofalo of UMass Extension about the science helping those apples to thrive.And word nerd Emily Brewster, senior editor at Merriam Webster, shows us yet another evolution of language with a delve into algospeak, including a little exploration into the other online based language variations that got us to here.
  • Today, we have live music, history and a cultural journey. A virtuoso on the national instrument of Puerto Rico, cuatrista Fabiola Mendez, makes a visit to the studios. We find out about her call to educate the public on the cuatro and its versatility and the other projects her music has connected her to, including a children’s series you might have seen on NEPM TV. And, we also speak with an extra-local connection to the instrument. William Cumpiano has been making cuatros and guitars for many decades right here in the valley. We ask him about his luthiership and the history of the instrument he's been called not just to make but to document the history thereof with the Puerto Rican Cuatro Project.And, the Power of History is also strengthened by four this month as Clark University professor Ousmane Power-Greene takes a look at the long lasting impacts of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), including now-contentious diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives and what its removal may mean for all of us.
  • We’re giving lots back to the community in these very grey days of February while learning how greater community has helped us as well.The Lift Every Voice lecture series returns to the valley this week with a theme, "Resilience and Resistance: The Fight for Justice in the Age of Regression," bringing speakers from all parts of Black culture to Springfield all month. We talk with organizers Bishop Talbert Swann and Ayanna Crawford as well as tomorrow’s featured speaker, UMass professor Whitney Battle-Baptiste, about the ongoing importance of the event, the community members they’re honoring and who is coming to broaden our perspectives this year. The Center for Human Development's Big Brothers, Big Sisters of Hampshire county are bringing the community together to sing at the Big Love Little Performances fundraiser at the Iron Horse Feb. 13. But, how can karaoke improve the lives and wellbeing of the Hampshire County youth? We find out from organizers Tara Brewster and Ann Walsh.And, Mr. Universe, Salman Hameed of Kainaat Studios and Hampshire College, continues to be alarmed by federal cuts to research, programming and international aid and the impact they may have on the scientific community. Particularly, he tells us a story about the impact of USAID that hits very close to home.
  • We're bringing you a well rounded course of music and context. Live Music Friday brings Le Vent du Nord to the studios ahead of their show in South Hadley this evening. The group has spent decades seamlessly blending new and old french folk songs into their repertoire, and they tell us about the appeal of preserving and growing those traditions.We also spend time with rising bass phenom Endea Owens. From Detroit to Julliard to Jon Batiste's band on The Late Show to humanitarian work with the Community Cookout, she's been making a name for herself everywhere. We hear about her inspirations and many collaborations before you can catch her band onstage at the UMass Fine Arts Center tonight. The Super Bowl is this weekend, but it's been a struggle to see equity in the field. Professor Ousmane Power-Greene joins us for another Power of History segment to look at the legacy of Black quarterbacks in the NFL, the evolution of the halftime show and where Kendrick Lamar's presence fits in that line. And, we head back to our origins in the Tina Turner Memorial Wine Thunderdome at State Street Fruit Store where we eschew the call for hearty reds in these cold times for a touch of spring in French rosé instead.
  • We get to find out more about “MORE LOVE,” curated concert series put together by Secret Planet, De La Luz Soundstage and Original Ting Music to bring the best electronic dance music from around the globe to Holyoke.We speak with one of the folx taking to the turntables this Saturday, Deejay Theory, about bringing the sounds of the Bay area to the Bay state, digging into some of the lesser known genres that will totally get you grooving and venturing the dance music landscape as a whole.And Secret Planet’s own Edo Mor joins to talk about the impetus for the event some of the other ways the international music “CSA” is bringing the sounds of the world to the 4 counties of western Mass., including their upcoming Almost Spring Weekender.Plus, our weekly chat with Rep. Jim McGovern addresses a LOT of listener questions. We gain his take on Elon Musk’s recent actions, the plight of the U.S.Treasury and USAID, cryptocurrency and more.
  • Today we get a little tricksy and build connections right underneath our very eyesIncluding a father son combination bringing folx together in communities near and far. We’ll speak with Tom and Stefan Weiner, who’ll bring a polar plunge raising money for Palestine and a queer centered concert both in Northampton this weekend. We’ll hear how they’ve come to their respective causes including the Palestinian House of Friendship, a little about their family, and a lot about the change communication can bring. And last week we got a little into the possible effects of a federal freeze on funding where education is concerned, and that might hit one of the more effective programs that’s been supported by those funds: Head Start. We chat with executive director of Holyoke Chicopee Springfield Head Start, Nicole Blais to find out if the youth really will be alright if the program ends up on the federal chopping block. Plus word nerd Emily Brewster tackles a listener question about the pronunciation of word mischievous as the senior editor at Merriam Webster helps us examine this tricky wicket and a few others like it.
  • Today, we have kids, food, drink, and an organization that connects them all!At Holyoke High School, the students are putting a William Golding classic on its feet as they perform Lord of the Flies this weekend. One might say that the presentation is an inspired choice and we’ll talk with Holyoke High School Theater Company director and theater teacher Bevan Brunelle and cast member sophomore Darius Baez about choosing to have this work as their winter production.We’ll also meet another of the storytellers taking the stage at CISA’s Field Notes event on Saturday. Kyle Zegel from Just Roots joins us to talk about how their farm evolved from a community garden into so much more, including participating in several innovative commonwealth initiatives encouraging healthy eating throughout the bay stateAnd we’re singing the trees into good health, which sounds very pagan, and it sorta is! We’ll hear all about traditions old and new when we speak with Kat Hand and Matt Brogan of Berkshire Cider Project about their wassailing event at Tourists in North Adams on Sunday, and how bringing community together in the cold times can actually help local agriculture in addition to getting you a nice warm beverage.
  • Now, more than ever, you probably need a good laugh and, perhaps, a reason to be hopeful. So we’re doing both with an added dose of science for good measure. We head to Hadley where a comedy dream has come to life and has continued to grow in the past 10 years. Happier Valley Comedy may have started on a personal dare, but it has since become a philosophy of improv that can apply to any aspect of human interaction. We chat with Pam Victor and Scott Braidman about how to craft community around and with the chaos as the organization enters its second decade. There’s a new audio documentary exploring the lives of lifelong activists and idealists Wally and Juanita Nelson in their own words and through the perspectives of people who knew them. We speak with one of the producers of the “Eyes on Freedom: Evolving Gifts of Simple, Nonviolent Living,” Carrie Kline, and get you ready to hear the whole piece in person later this week at their community listening sessions.And, Mr. Universe, Salman Hameed of Kainaat Studios and Hampshire College, shows us how life may be finding more ways in space as the OSIRIS-REx mission returns with fascinating discoveries about amino acids on the asteroid Bennu.
  • We’re recuperating a lot after this week and, in that renewal process, we’re getting more in touch with ourselves and others. We bring local singer-songwriter Heather Maloney in for Live Music Friday to celebrate the release of her new album, “Exploding Star,” full of songs that almost didn’t see the public eye. We hear how art and grief have shaped her songwriting process in this new collection of songs and get a preview of her sold out two-night residency at the Iron Horse next week. And UMass Amherst is preparing to host the Black Artistic Freedom Conference (Black AF) bringing folx together to explore the expansion of education in a more equitable and modern way. We speak with Imani Wallace, otherwise known as Lyrical Faith, about the intersection of art, activism, and education.Plus, it’s the very last day of January, and we almost made it dry for the whole month. Alas, we return to our old ways back to West Springfield to taste two Veneto wines with Michael Quinlan at Table & Vine for our first Wine Thunderdome of 2025.
  • We’re putting the many in multi-disciplinary and putting on our party hats because there’s anniversaries aheadThe LAVA Center in Greenfield is about to celebrate its fifth birthday this weekend, adjacent to the Winter Carnival festivities. Their scope is so broad that it’d be easier to narrow down what they don’t do, so we head up to the city formerly known as a town’s center to get a glimpse of what the organization has been up to in this half decade with manager Vanessa Query.We’re also meeting the friends made along the way in music with a trio of folx taking the stage at the Iron Horse tomorrow night, the duo High Tea and singer-songwriter Wallace Field are co-billing a performance in Northampton on the 31st, and we’ll have all three in the studio to talk about new things on the horizon, and the communal nature of the music scene in the area. And our weekly chat with Representative for the 2nd district Jim McGovern is a doozy. If we thought last week was a hotbed of crazy activity, this week said to "hold its beer", and steers our conversation through the Fed funding freeze, constitutional crises concerning the balance of power, censorship with the NIH and CDA, reader questions, Guantanamo and immigration and ICE and more.