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Monte Belmonte and Kaliis Smith bring you The Fabulous 413, a new live, daily radio show and podcast celebrating life in western Massachusetts — and a kind of "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood" for grown-ups. Monte and Kaliis will introduce you to the neighbors who make our western Massachusetts the incredible place it is, with a focus on arts and agriculture, cuisine and colleges, history, happenings and whatever the people of The 413 are talking about today.
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We hear that it’s warming up, but we’ll believe that when we feel it. Instead, today we explore piles of delicious things to warm up this extra cold day We’ll venture into Northampton to Local Burger and hear how local produce and beef may not have been a key point of their menu initially, but has evolved to be crucial. Tabitha Salfrank, Joe Igneri…
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We’re examining some of our given rights, to certain freedoms But how exactly do those freedoms work online? We sit with Professor Amir Houmansadr of Umass to learn about the nature of the TikTok ban, and American digital censorship, and how game theories might help prevent the possibilities of those same security breaches that everyone is nervous …
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The Oscar nominations are due out this week and two of the frontrunners for Best-Picture nominations have connections to the 413. The Bob Dylan biopic "A Complete Unknown" is making headway in theaters now, and we’ll uncover the connection on the album cover of "The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan" to a prominent business owner here in western Massachusetts…
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There is an interesting confluence of events happening this Monday where by law we are required to install the new president on Jan 20, and by different laws we celebrate MLK JR Day on the closest Monday on or after his birthday. This year they’re at the same time, lucky us So we’ll look at the connections between the Rev. Dr. King and the inaugura…
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In space no one can hear you scream, but if you’re looking at footage of earth FROM space, that might be unsettling, so the videos on the ground get a soundtrack We’ll speak with one of the people making the sounds those videos are tracking to. Guitarist, composer and engineer Steve Thomas has had his work paired with videos of earth from the Inter…
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We have a dream that is still hoping to be realized after 6 decades and as we continue to create a more equitable world. It's one that you can help celebrate on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Martin Luther King Jr. Family Services is once again helming a grand celebration, “Pursue Justice: Persist in Peace,” in Springfield, and we speak with organizer…
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We’re looking into legacies of sound, old and not quite as old. For instance, we’re traveling about 13,000 years in the past with tales by Indigenous people who have been storytelling on this land for millennia. On Jan. 19, the Wendell Meetinghouse will host a presentation of "New Lights in the Dawnland," an audiodocumentary which brings Indigenous…
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We’re off to the farm again, but this time we’re looking at an innovative approach to agriculture that is helping folx nationwide, and Western Mass is right at the epicenter of it’s network this week. Prospect Meadow Farm has been growing rapidly for a little over a decade to now three locations in Hampshire and Berkshire counties, as a department …
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We’re blissing out and detoxing while we’re at it since January is often a time when people take breaks. For all those people and the folx that love them, a previously online-exclusive non-alcholic beverage shop is getting a brick and mortar location in Easthampton. Dry Humor is here to prove that beverages can totally be tasty without pesky ethano…
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We’re in the presence of royalty, because a third generation in Columbia's cumbia legacy is landing in Amherst this evening to spread the sound of the genre. Yeison Landero, the grandson of “King of Cumbia” Andrés Landero, stops through our studios before Secret Planet brings him to The Drake in Amherst this evening for a little live music Thursday…
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If we mention Texas Longhorn Cattle, the first thing that comes to mind is probably not Western Massachusetts, but today, we’re going to take you on a tour of a farm in Granby that may change your mind about that. Cote Cattle Company, (also known in some parts as Double C Ranch) switched its beef herd to being a purely Texas Longhorn dedicated oper…
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Today the Fabulous 413 is all about growth, large and small and near and far as well. 'Cause it turns out that there’s folx in Beantown that want to know about your business’ meteoric rise. The Boston Globe has partnered with Statista to discover businesses bolstering economic growth across the region. The search is on for New England's Fastest-Gro…
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We’re back at it, and ready to face the new year in the four counties And we’re not the only ones. Greenfield Mayor Ginny DeSorgher is on the verge of completing her first year in office, and we invite her to the studio for a post-mortem of how her inaugural time has fared, The triumphs and trials that have visited the city under her purview, and w…
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It’s our last show before we take a tiny little winter break, so let's party! We’re looking straight past Christmas to New Years Eve, where folx will be heading out to welcome the new year. Our last guest of our week showcasing some of the music that you’ll hear at First Night Northampton is Henning Ohlenbusch, who’ll be pulling double duty on the …
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Today we're squeezing a LOT of music in, to match our energy for the season. We bring Slant of Light in to the studios to perform just before you can catch them at The Drake in Amherst. Band members Kris Banks, Trevor Healy, Jay Labbe, Kelly L'Heureux, and Josh Owsley gives us a small glimpse into their origin story (and that of two of the guitars …
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More ways to celebrate this year coming to a close, because it’s good to reflect sometimes and bestow kudos where kudos are due! We’ll check in with the folx at the Triplex in Great Barrington, who are celebrating the one year anniversary of their revival. Ex. dir. Ben Elliott speaks with us about the triumphs and challenges of their first year as …
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Today is about togetherness. Yes, every day is about togetherness, but let's not digress. We're bringing folx together through one of the newest holidays on the block: Kwanzaa. After learning about the holiday's origins with prof. Ousmane Power-Greene, we're all eager to find places where we might celebrate festivities locally. Luckily for us, the …
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We’re barrelling headfirst into the year end celebrations, including newer ones built to create bigger, more cohesive communities. Kwanzaa starts next week and is nearing the 60th anniversary of its incarnation, which means it’s a perfect time to bring in professor Ousmane Power-Greene of Clark University to discuss it’s origin story, and how a non…
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Art, art and more art. And holiday spirits all over! It’s live music Friday and we’re getting a holiday visit from a collective bringing ska, dub, and rocksteady to western Mass and beyond. The Valley Moonstompers are celebrating a brand new seasonal single and a show next week at the Marigold Theater, and we’ll get our skank on when they swing thr…
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We’re joining in song, and heralding ourselves, sorta. A big project is coming to NEPM TV, on Dec. 12th. A new documentary created to take a deeper look at the black experience within the four counties of western Massachusetts. Legacies: Stories of Black History in the 413 premiers this evening and we’ll talk with the creative team that drove the f…
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Today has a bit of history, a touch of the theatrical, notorious nominees, and a hat to boot. We’ll share a glimpse into the past interpreted through pedal steel with Myk Freedman. A memoir of one of his ancestors gives a unique glimpse of Jewish life for one woman in Eastern Europe in the early 20th century is being put on it’s feet and through mu…
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We’re putting down and picking up roots, because it takes care to maintain both community and forests So we’re checking in with a pillar of the drag scene as they close a chapter. Drag Brunch with Hors and Friends has been a staple of the queer community for over a decade but is brunching its last brunch this Sunday in West Springfield. We chat wit…
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A joyful noise and a measurement of what peaks our interest as a society. Amherst Media is bestowing its 15th Jean Haggerty award, so we sit with the board president, Vira Douangmany, to learn about the award’s namesake, the previous winners of the award and the many ways Amherst Media continues a community-forward legacy. We also hear from the awa…
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We’ll start by heading to the Berkshires where the beer you drink or get for the folx in your life who like beer is helping keep our neighbors warm through these colder months. Hot Plate Brewing is hosting an event this weekend in support of their Hearth and Home Campaign. We head to Pittsfield to talk with Co-owner Mike Dell’Aquila about how a pin…
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You may have noticed that we’re a bit wry on this show, nay even a bit sarcastic and kitschy. And if you or any of your loved ones are similarly inclined, there’s a business in the Berkshires that make make easy of your gift giving. Today we head to Pittsfield for a tour of Blue Q, whose myriad of adorkable, often foul mouthed products are not just…
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Last week western Mass came out en masse to show incredible generosity to the Food Bank via the means of a 43 mile walk. But today we’ll hear about yet another quirky event that helps to inspire generosity from the community over a much shorter distance: The Hot Chocolate Run for Safe Passage, happening for the 21st time in Northampton this Sunday.…
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We're exploring the gift of generosity today. It's in the well loved libretto and words re-imagined through a more American Lens. Electric Root's show "The Sound of (Black) Music" which takes the classic Rodgers & Hammerstein musical and gives it a pan-diasporic glow up, and it's latest tour brings the ensemble to Amherst on Dec. 8th, so we meet wi…
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oh gosh we blinked and it's December! Some of us got snow over the past week and some of us were not so lucky And some of us are not so lucky as to be able to heat our houses in the colder months we speak with Jess Thompson and Claire Higgins from Community Action Pioneer Valley about the Heat Up/Fuel Up campaign helping our neighbors to stay warm …
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Tomorrow is a holiday for some, but for many in the indigenous and first nation communities across the commonwealth and the continent, it is instead The Day of Mourning. So we are expanding our awareness of indigenous culture and history through art and Education. Boundless is a collection of indigenous work presented through the Mead Art Museum in…
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The March for the food bank continues traversing 6 towns and 2 counties as Monte Belmonte leads a coterie from Northampton to Greenfield. A new costume awaits, and more places that feel the impact of all the food bank is able to provide to Western Massachusetts. We’ll hear from folx along the way from all walks and needs of life including State Rep…
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Today on the Fabulous 413, The March for the Food Bank 15 begins. We’ll check in with Monte and the Marchers as they walk 17 miles from Mason Square in the heart of one of Springfield’s biggest food deserts through Hampden County to Northampton on the first leg of the effort. The event not only helps the only food bank west of Worcester to do what …
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We head to the Berkshires, where literal hundred of high school kids are immersing themselves in the bard. The Fall Festival of Shakespeare has just opened, and we’ll speak with some of the folx involved about the beginnings of the festival over 3 decades ago, the lessons that theater can teach, and more with Education Programs Manager Meg Marchion…
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We’re addressing a couple of proverbial elephants in our democracy and bringing your kids with us so we can all learn together. With season one of their podcast wrapped, opening a collaborative art exhibit at Mead Art Museum, and the impending repercussions of the recent election, the folx at EmbraceRace are having a busy year. We sit with organiza…
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Today is about copious amounts of art we can engage. We’ll head to the Hilltowns to an art enclave that’s been teaching craft for 3 decades. We’re smack dab in the middle of Snow Farm’s seconds sale and we’ll get a tour of their amazing grounds and anachronistically impeccable wares with Neal Bastek, Laura Stadtlander, and Keely Quirk and hear how …
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We are re-arranging the way we look at the world: through the eyes of youth, the tales of history, and the roots that get put down. We head to Smith College, where a class of 12 from all five of the colleges in the consortium have contributed to the exhibit Signs of solastalgia, which deals with each of the artist’s interaction with climate grief. …
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We are sorta playing 6 degrees of the Food Bank of Western Mass (although you’ll only need 2 for the furthest connection, honestly). So we head to the Easthampton Community Center to speak with the folx feeding "Whoville" at one of the largest and most expansive food pantries in the area.As they give out turkeys for this year's holidays, we get the…
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Today we're making interesting brushes with history. This Saturday at the Great Falls Discovery Center in Turners (Great) Falls, the Nolumbeka Project having a Beaver Moon gathering featuring author Angela Marcellino. Her book "The True Natives of Cape Cod and Their Foodways" explores her own history alongside that of the Mashpee Wanpanoag peoples …
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Today on the Fabulous 413, we’re speaking is a gaggle of folx who are actively being the change they’d like to see in the world. Because book banning is hitting a little extra close to home this year, we’ll chat with writer and director John Tedeschi, whose short film “A Book By Their Cover" is getting a screening at the Triplex in Great Barrington…
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If you are still wondering how did we get here, we’re about to speak with a group of students that have been covering it for NEPM. We speak with the group that made up The Latino Election Project. High School students Evanni Santos, Halima Mohamed, and Ian Burger have been examining the national political landscape through a local lens this Autumn,…
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Today we're seeking food for the body and soul as we head to where the internet fears to tread, and to where our region’s hunger needs are greatest In Ashfield, a project exploring the life of artist Leonora Carrington is shifting and expanding for a new location and audience. Double Edge Theater’s current production “Leonora: La Maga y la maestra”…
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Are we still reeling from last week? Yes Are we still looking for ways we can affect change here to bolster community for whatever may come? Also yes. So we’re headed to Greenfield to take a tour of Stone Soup Cafe. The organization is multi-faceted in it’s approach to combating hunger and building community, so we’ll explore the kitchens and progr…
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We’re bringing you lots of things that might make you feel a little better. With the uplifting and resonant songs of Jake Klar for Live Music Friday, and we’ll learn about the movie he’s in and the famous gardener who once lived in his house before you can catch him this evening at the Dream Away Lodge in Beckett. And a well loved work making its w…
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Alright, we’ve had a day to process, Now it’s time to look at what the landscape is and see where the changes we need can be made, and get prepared to make them So today on the Fabulous 413, we’re speaking with the director of a new documentary that takes a very a la minute look at the issues concerning book bans, with a focus on three teens in Sou…
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Everyone is reeling a bit because, WHOA. So welcome to oasis part deux, so to speak. A tiny bubble outside of the goings on if it’s overwhelming for you because everything is a lot right now. We'll go adjacent to the election with Julio Ricardo Varelas of the Latino Newsletter, who’s been working with the students in Media Lab to cover... that thin…
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Well, we are finally here. The day the nation has been gearing up for since basically January 1st. (may the votes be ever in your favor, and may you convince someone out there who hasn’t made a plan to vote to figure it out.) We here at the Fabulous 413, have decided that we are gonna be an island of respite in this sea of overwhelming anxiety and …
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Today on the show, we take a look at what could come, and at ways to ease some of those anxieties you might have. The Toy Box in Amherst has a gaggle of games, , and much more and they too are sensing some tension in the air, so we chat with proprietor Liz Rosenberg about games to play to relax your mind, light-hearted gifts to lift the spirit, and…
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Hello November! Time to drive those spookies away with a little bit of laughter and a lot of looking at the way things are and wanting to change them. So today on the Fabulous 413, humor hits the road with Laughter Unlimited. Comedian Tim Lovett takes us aboard the Chuckling Charlie, bringing folks, food and comedy together for an experience that t…
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On this last day of October, we delve headlong into horror, which is not a nice way to talk about politics, but it may be accurate for some. To make it a little less scary, we’ll continue our conversations with the candidates for the 2nd Congressional seat. Independent challenger Cornelius Shea as we explore one of his key issues: Immigration, plus…
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We’re looking at the legacies of people and of the land itself. For people, it’s in the styles beats and compositions of Max Roach, who in addition to developing a well respected and still followed practice on the drums taught at UMass Amherst for a little over 2 decades, and helped to initiate the institution's Jazz program.The wealth of his compo…
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Today on the Fabulous 413, we’re speaking with folx forging a path for themselves and their future on Capitol Hill and in the hilltowns In Northampton a visual outline of the struggle for health care and equity is portrayed through the photos and drawings of Christos Palames. He’s got an exhibit currently up at the New England Visionary Artists Mus…
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