The Fabulous 413

We’re covering the full breadth of the bay state and a pinch of the sky.  Mass Humanities has begun to honor those with particularly interesting and important stories to tell about and to Massachusetts, and their second honoree might be best known for Shipping up to Boston. Ken Casey of the Dropkick Murphys will receive the honor and we talk with the man himself as well as Brian Boyles of Mass Humanities about the award and the event you can attend where he'll receive it, and the legacy of the band in music and solidarityWe also head up to Williamstown where a beloved movie theater is about to get a facelift. Images Cinema is about to shift its programming around in order to begin construction on their theater’s meiosis, where their 120 seat theater will become 70 and 19 seat theaters. We chat with director Dan Hudson about the change, and the partners they’ll utilize to continue showing movies and more to the north Berkshires during construction. And Mr. Universe, Kainaat Studios' Salman Hameed, looks up to the sky and sees that Chris Cornell may have had the right of it, and that people should stop being so mean to the James Webb Space Telescope, because it is very hard to break space, unlike what click-bait headlines would suggest.

We are in the North County of the Berkshires as we say goodbye to summer, and hello to Fresh Grass.This Friday, Saturday and Sunday The FreshGrass Music Festival at Mass MoCA in North Adams will feature grassroots music from a swath of diverse genres. And today on the show we’ll hear music from Juno Award, Americana Music Award, and Steve Martin Banjo Prize winner Allison DeGroot, whose new FreshGrass music commission pairs her extraordinary picking with the percussive dance of Nic GareissAnd we’ll hear more music from Grammy Award-Winning Composer, Cellist and Vocalist and Silk Road Ensemble member Mike Block who'll tell us about his new commission, The Frank Lloyd Wright Cello Concerto, and give us a preview of the work with his trio, rounded out by Zachariah Hickman on Bass, Joe K. Walsh on Mandolin, and fellow silk road ensemble member Kevork Mourad on live animated visuals.  Plus we’ll give you a glimpse into what else FreshGrass has in store this weekend and explore the new Fresh Grass institute’s home base, Studio 9 at Porches with the FreshGrass Foundation’s director of programming, Ollie Chanoff, Director of the FreshGrass Institute Sue Killam and Addie MacDonald General Manager of Events at Mass MoCA. 

Today is jam packed, with theater, books, and government. One of those things is not like the others, but accidentally ties them together, as Congressman Jim McGovern explores the fallout of free speech in this country as censors come for Jimmy Kimmel,  the UN’s recent declaration of Israeli actions as Genocide, and much more. There’s a book fair this weekend in Northampton that’ll encourage you to engage more with the first amendment. The 2nd Read & Resist Book Fair happens Sept 20th, with authors, activists, workshops and more. We'll chat with organizer Hannah Moushabeck of Interlink Publishing about what this new year brings. Then a theater collaboration that seeks to meld continents, folklores, people and place into a work of restoration. We'll speak with creator Ebony Noelle Mitchell of Jupiter Performance Studio about again, the watercarriers: Ceremonies from in the name of the m/other tree which opens at Double Edge Theater tomorrow. Plus at Adams Theater they’re hybridizing a fundraiser with what they do best, providing space for innovative approaches to performance, founder Yina Moore, Cellist Coleman Itzkoff, and Choreographer Or Schraiber talk about The Cello Player and showing love for small theaters. 

Today we explore stars of screen, stage, page, and mutual aid. On the page, we’re taking one from the Shelburne Falls Welcome Committee, who are co-hosting a benefit for immigrant rights this weekend with the  FCCPR Rapid Response Network. "It Can’t Happen Here: A Benefit for Immigrant Rights" is an event that will bring together activists, poets, musicians, storytellers, and even immigration lawyers to raise funds to help their efforts. We speak with committee member Lynn Benander and poet Martin Espada who’ll be a part of the lineup to learn more about it and their ongoing work to lend aid to those striving to become Americans. And just down the road in Ashfield, birthplace of Cecil B DeMille, a celebration of western mass on proverbial celluloid happens this weekend. The 15th Ashfield Film Festival happens this weekend, highlighting the filmmaking endeavors of our neighbors in short and feature length films. We speak with organizer Christopher Seward and one of the stars of this year’s feature film June Millington about the appeal of moviemaking in the hilltowns. And Word Nerd Emily Brewster, senior editor at Merriam-Webster, takes us on perhaps our nerdiest venture yet, where we question the validity of prepositional positions as we get to where we’re going, and see how that’s changed as we’ve arrived over the centuries.

We’re helping our neighbors today in their passion, and in their hungers, and their survival.For survival we head to Mohawk Regional School where tomorrow the Mary Lyon Association is hosting a Resource Fair to connect community members with local resources and services, including SNAP/HIP, fuel assistance, literacy programs, senior services, and much more. And we’ll chat with CEO Kristen Baker about the 30+ nonprofits and other festivities that will be at the event. We’ll also learn about a place in the Berkshires where an intrepid group of young theater makers have made a space for others to make more new theater. The Barn at Lee was created under the mantra “We need artists and artists need space” envisioning an environment in which artists would be nurtured in a residency setting and given the time and space to explore new ideas or develop those already in motion. And we’ll hear about that space from founders Julianna Mitchell and Misha Brooks, and the creator of their current work Even Cowboys Get the Blues, Ankita Sharma.Plus we get a visit from Riley Gilroy of Go Fresh Mobile Market on one of his rare days off, and hear about the constantly shifting landscape of mobile markets at a time where they are really needed, and his market’s place between the farmers, the people, HIP and SNAP and more. 

Schools are a hot topic for this year's election cycle.And in Franklin County, there’s a big shift that may be on the horizon. Faced with a declining school-aged population, 6 towns are seeking to create a sustainable educational future by merging into one regional district. We’ll speak with Six Town Regionalization Planning Board members Greg Snedeker, Deb Potee, and Deb Loomer as well as Gill Moderator and parent Isaac Bingham about the 5 year study that encouraged this change and where you can learn more about this possibility before voting on the issue this coming November. And the Big E is now in full swing just across the river from the NEPM Studios, and there’s a great small scale introduction to the festival by littles for littles. Ashley, Jesse, and Dylan Kelleher are the authors of The Big E Picture Book which details some of the fun things you can get up to and we’ll talk with the trio about their own connections to the Eastern States Exposition. Plus last week, NASA made an announcement about findings on Mars. Are they proof of extraterrestrial life, or getting our hopes up just to be dashed once again? We sit with Mr. Universe, Kainaat Studios' Salman Hameed, to explore the details and possibilities. 

We conclude our week of chatting with the 4 potential Mayors for Northampton who’ll be on the preliminary ballot this coming Tuesday. Jillian Duclos is pivoting from her role at the Downtown Northampton Association to seek the seat of leadership for the city of Northampton. The only renter of the 4 candidates shares with us her perspective on the place of small businesses in the future of the city,how the housing fits into that picture, and about providing space for community voices and needs. We’ll also check in with our friends on the other side of the state Jim Braude and Margery Eagan from BPR who’ll bring their 617 show in extended form to our 413 studios next week just in time for the Big E, and they’ll let you know how you can help them have an even better time west of Worcester. . And the wine thunderdome takes a small reset in the basement of its origins, and while we pit two pinot noirs against each other at State Street Fruit Store, Deli, Wine & Spirits, our tie-breaker and mayoral journey companion Nirvani Williams helps us to explore the whys of wine tasting and building a palette. 

Today we sit in the backyard of our third candidate seeking the position of mayor in Northampton as we spend this week conversing with all 4 of the folx on the preliminary ballot this coming Sept 16th. Dan Breindel has worn many hats in his career, but it’s the unanswered questions of himself and his neighbors that put him on his current path. We’ll hear about the choice to seek the mayoral seat instead of one on the council, and the disconnect he sees between the needs of the people, and the progress of the city. We’ll also meet new homes, friends, and family in a new novel from beloved local author Jeanne Birdsall. The Library of Unruly Treasures is a bit of a departure from her well known Penderwick series, and we chat with the author, and a certain someone who also hosts this show about how this story came about and how you can celebrate its release with both of them this Sunday, Sept 14th at Bombyx Center for Arts & Equity. And Congressman Jim McGovern’s week has been quite busy dealing with the sudden fallout around Charlie Kirk, new rhetoric calling democrats “terrorists”, the situation regarding drones over Poland, Israel assassinating Hamas leaders in Qatar, and more

Our chats with the candidates for Northampton mayor continue with David Dombrowski, a Northampton native and former police officer looking to fill the seat and address the issues he sees within the city including concerns over Picture Main Street, revitalizing the local economy, examining the housing and financial woes of the city and more. We’ll also head to Amherst to find out more about a new work that explores the boundaries and ties between humanity, memory, and technology. "The Onion" is a new opera in which family secrets collide with a memory-enhancing AI, and we’ll speak with the creative team that created the show as well as the stellar cast that will perform it this weekend.Plus triplex cinemas this weekend they’re celebrating the 25th anniversary of a cult classic. "Psycho Beach Party" is a campy romp through 50s tropes and 80’s slasher sensibilities that has just been added to the Criterion Collection, and we’ll meet two of the film’s stars who’ll be in conversation after the showing on Saturday: 413 resident and actor Lauren Ambrose, and screenwriter/actor Charles Busch.**Addendum: we mistakenly refer to Charles Busch as Chris Busch in the intro of this episode.

Today on the Fab 413, we’re starting a deep dive into the politics light portion of our ethos, because Northampton has a Heavily contested mayoral preliminary going on right now. So for the rest of the week we’ll be chatting with each of the four contestants in that particular race. And today we’ll start those conversations with the woman who currently has that seat: Gina Louise Sciarra. We’ll explore how her time as mayor has gone, as well as some of the more controversial issues in the race including the ongoing housing and property tax issues, the question of Picture Main St, the funding of schools, and more alongside NEPM News Room’s Adam Frenier. Then we’ll sidle over to the next Hampton on the list for a one man stage show that examines the less titillating positions in the adult entertainment industry. "Near Sex for Work" presents writer, comedian, and actor Daniel Shar’s very clothed, very sex-free contributions to the risque and we’ll talk to him about what that entails exactly, and how he came to be sought after in that industry for doing what seems to be the opposite of what it asks for, and other secrets he'll divulge on the City Space Stage in Easthampton  on Sept 10th. 

We’re digging into a bit of delicious history and listening to decades of dedication We sit with Mother-Son authors Jyoti and Auyon Mukharji, who’ve combined their talents to release the cookbook Heartland Masala. The book is an amazing and tasty snapshot not just of cultures meeting within one family, but of history, and interpersonal connections, with Jyoti’s incredible career trajectory from medicine to measuring cups, and Auyon’s growing involvement from musician in the band Darlingside, to recipe consultant, to budding food historian. Also, we’ll tell you how you can ask all your own questions about their recipes and more at their book launch happening this Tuesday at Daily Operation in Easthampton. And we’ll have an extra rare Live Music Monday with Veteran singer-songwriter Ron Sexsmith before he plays at the Iron Horse Sept. 9th. And get to hear first hand the thrice Juno award winner’s brand new eighteenth album Hangover Terrace released 40 years after his first self published work and 30+ years after his first official label release. .Plus we’ll peruse the many fruits of Mountain Orchard in Granville with co-owner Chris Teter and learn how the trees on their many acres have shifted and grown over the past 100+ years now that apple season is upon us. 

Today we get to play explorers: in our glasses, in our ears, and on our stages. Tomorrow evening a work highlighting the experiences of women in an ongoing conflict overlooked by many will be presented at Holyoke Media. An Epic of Violence brings the stories of Sudanese women in their mother tongue to the stage through a company of six actors for a theatrical production and we’ll talk with the writer behind the work, former Holyoke resident Tamador Gibreel. We’ll also get the sounds of cumbia’s future straight from LA. Secret Planet brings Tropa Magica to Easthampton this evening at the Marigold Theater for an intoxicating amalgam of cumbia, psych rock, surf and punk. And the group joins us in studio for live music Friday. And in Lenox, Mary and Ben Daire have another blind tasting for us of the two wines that were the crowd favorites at the past two Lenox Wine Festivals. So we pit the fan favorites against each other while learning how you can taste over 100 beverages next weekend in the berkshires. 

Today, we go onscreen in Deerfield where a new exhibit looks at the way the Asparagus Valley has been captured on film and tv.Pioneer Valley Picture Show is a wide sweeping exploration of the people, places, and screenplays that are connected to the towns and cities of the 413, from actors to costume designers, writers and directors, the Memorial Hall Museum is looking at the many ways Western Mass. appears on the big screen. We get a tour of the new exhibit from curator Ray Radigan, and along with someone who actually appears in the exhibit, director Bob Krzykowski of "The Man Who Killed Hitler and Then the Bigfoot", get a glimpse of the over 100 years of the area’s film history, and hear how you can participate yourself by completing their scavenger hunt. And Congressman Jim McGovern is back in Chocolate City where the National Guard are still patrolling, sort of, to talk about the collective movement of Epstein survivors, the legal victories of Harvard University, our ongoing military operations which recently hit Venezuela and has its eyes domestically on NOLA and Chicago, not to mention the perpetual question of the possibility of building a bipartisan future for our quite divided nation. 

We’re learning more about the arts and culture of a diaspora at Springfield Museums for instance, where this Friday sees the third Latino Arts Festival. Featuring an exhibit on loan from the Museo de Ponce that itself delves into the sense of place and surrealism in Latin America, music, dance and more and we’ll chat with Museum director of Education Larissa Murray about the occasionWe’ll also find ourselves on a hilltop sequestered in a corner of Amherst College’s Campus. Book and Plow Farm was founded in the 2010s as an effort of the Student body and has provided those students with connection to the land ever since, and we’ll speak with assistant manager Kaylee Brow about the farm’s history and current direction at an institution with no direct coursework in her field. And Word Nerd Emily Brewster senior editor at Merriam-Webster is kicking Grey’s Anatomy to the curb and giving us better, less utilized words to describe the parts of our bodies and they’re all safe we promise!

It’s birthday time because one of the farms in the area is celebrating its time in agro-tourism with four acres of festivities.Mike’s Maze in Sunderland is celebrating its 25th year with its 26th maize labyrinth, so we head there to take in this year’s attraction and hear about it’s history. We’ll learn about the maze’s origins with the eponymous Mike  Wissemann  and artist Will Sillin who designed and cut the first 11 mazes, and the work that went into the Maze’s early years and themes, and hear about the transition to the current team building the attraction: Dave and Jess Marsh Wissemann, as well as the changes and lessons learned along the way that keep people coming back to Sunderland to get the full experience. Then we’ll head to Easthampton where 13 bands over 2 days will take over the stage at City Space for a punk festival like no other. Queercore Fest is hitting its stride in its second year, and we’ll learn from organizers Issley and Ben about this year’s line up, last year’s lessons, and the importance of gathering queer community in queer space for a mutual aid cause.