The Fabulous 413

Monte Belmonte & Kaliis Smith
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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.

  1. 23h ago

    August 17, 2026: Super earth, aliens, and weed

    We’ve now had legal cannabis in Massachusetts for a decade, but what changes has that had on the Bay State and other states who’ve changed their stance on marijuana. This is the subject of a new study by the Parabola Center which asked folx in places that have legalized weed for at least 5 years, the results are very interesting, and we chat with one of the authors and researchers of "I Like Not Having to Go Behind the Dumpster at Taco Bell", Dr. Faith English, about what they found.  In Chester, the 2026 season for the town’s theater company is coming to a close, and inviting questions about our own interactions in it’s final production. Dear Alien starts with the author of an advice column, but delves into a number of other topics, and we’ll speak with playwright Liz Duffy Adams and director  (And co-artistic director at Chester Theater itself) Michelle Ong Hendrick about this new work and the way it makes us look at connections we make with each other and the world.  And speaking of this world, Mr. Universe, Kainaat Studios and Consortium Astronomer Salman Hameed, is extra excited about a new super earth that’s been found to have an atmosphere. We’ll learn why this is an important detail amongst the many other super earths that have been found, and how it relates to the idea that we may not be alone out here in the cosmos.

  2. 3d ago

    August 14, 2026: Transformational Spatial Sounds

    The northern and southern Berkshires are coming together to take advantage of the future of sound both in listening technology and composition. Tonight, August 14th at Studio 9 in North Adams, five fellows from the Tanglewood Music Center will show works they’ve been developing to take advantage of the Meyer Sound Constellation System the venue has installed. We’ll speak with one of those fellows, Elise Arancio, as well as Faculty member Todd Reynolds about this innovative program and what Elise, Diallo Banks, Omer Barash, Tianci Lu, Joseph (Sehyeok) Park have created for it. This Tuesday August 18th, the local music scene will once again come together to raise funds for Northampton arts programs. Transformance 36 takes place at look park under the theme “Moonage Daydream” and we’ll learn more about the much beloved event as we hear one of the many ensembles in the lineup: Edy Savage and Adrien Poser-Davey as Sun Kil Moon.  And the Wine Thunderdome visits the amazing pair of women at the helm of Tip Top Wine Shop in Easthampton, Lauren Clarke and Miranda Brown, to pit northern hemisphere against southern with two food ready expressions of Chenin Blanc. Note: We mistakenly refer to TMC Faculty member Todd Reynolds as Todd Roberts early in the program, this is corrected in the later segments.

  3. 4d ago

    August 13, 2026: Ongoing repairs

    Today, we're trying to fix that which is broken. How we as a nation care for those less fortunate is broken, but not in the way the rhetoric often puts forward. Cuts to SNAP, to housing assistance, to services that people rely on have very real consequences. For the commonwealth, there is a significant delay in getting people access to these services through the Department of Transitional Assistance. We head to Gardening the Community which is now at the center of a very physical call to action made by the farm’s director Liz O’Gilvie, and DTA Supervisor (also president of SEIU local 509) Antoinette Hughes to hear about what’s currently happening with the Baystate and DTA.  Academia is also broken, and some of that proof is that the 5 college consortium at the end of this year will return to being a 4 college one. But an intrepid and eager collection of alums, students, parents, faculty, and folx that have a connection to Hampshire college have gathered to try to preserve some of of the campus in the name of its mission. We head to Amherst to speak with Joan Wattman, Ann Hackler, and Bera Dunau about the efforts of Hampshire Next and how the organization seeks to keep that curious academic experiment going.  And our weekly chat with Jim McGovern sees the congressman returned from holiday on the Cape to talk about our many exploits in Iran, how ageism influences congress, more efforts to Save SNAP, the blatant exploitation of the judicial branch, and questions from listeners like you.

  4. 5d ago

    August 12, 2026: Big art lineages

    We resume our efforts to explore local legislation with our Mayor of the Month for August, William C. Reichelt of West Springfield. With the Big E looming, we get to ask about the fair’s involvement with the greater city, the plethora of current, ongoing and upcoming construction projects the city is taking on, his take on the congressional primaries, and more. Plus we’ll hear how this recent election process shifted his perspective on some of the municipalities needs and plans.  We’ll then head to Northampton where a batch of budding creators will open their new show this Friday as part of Arts Night Out. The Emerging Artist series is an ongoing endeavor of 33 Hawley to encourage and highlight newcomers to the local art scene, and we’ll meet the curator and a few of the participating artists to hear how their perspective is shifting on their own personal relationships with the work they make.  And summertime funtime word nerd, Jazz a la mode host and Merriam-Webster editor at large Peter Sokolowski shows us a fun way to explore the dictionary through time by shifting to chronological order.

  5. 6d ago

    August 11, 2026: Bhangra Birds

    Diemand Farm in Wendell is way bigger than it looks, with it's 3rd and 4th generations currently stewarding the land they’ve farmed for 90 years. The farm has grown and shifted a lot in the intervening decades, bringing innovations, new diversity to the birds they’re raising, a whole farmstand and more. Annie Diemand Bucci and Tessa White Diemand, the mother-daughter pair currently helming their massive operation, show us some of the ins and outs of western mass poultry farming, and ways that local philanthropy and government agencies have helped them to get to where they are today.  Then we dance, because if we can’t dance in your revolution, we don’t want none, which seems to also be a prevailing principle behind the band Bhangra Liberation Orchestra. Featuring sound rooted in the genres of bhangra, qawwali, afrobeat, and jazz, we speak with 2 of the members of the ensemble, Miwi La Lupa and Sonny Singh, about the get downs they’ll encourage onstage at the Iron Horse this Sunday August 16th.

  6. Aug 10

    August 10, 2026: Singing is your birthright

    In Easthampton, the Chickadee Karaoke Rooms have just opened. Rooted in the experiences of owners James Crawford and Ashley Anglin as they finished graduate work in Hawaii, the space is seeking to get the community to come together without the pressures that sometimes come from singing in, or at, an unfamiliar crowd.  We get a tour of the beautiful new space and sing along with "May" Crawford, as we hear about getting folx on mic and more comfortable with their own voices.  Mr. Universe, Kainaat Studios and consortium astronomer Salman Hameed, mentions how you can do a bit of astronomy yourself this week, and further explores the heavens with a talk on Betelgeuse, the super nova it will become, and its unique circumstances concerning companion and neutron stars.  And Professor Ousmane Power-Greene got into a supreme court dissent! We speak about his work that is referenced, its connections to Liberia, Lincoln, and the current plight of birthright citizenship for another Power of History segment that brings a fine toothed comb to go over the details and impact of the 14th amendment.

  7. Aug 7

    August 7, 2026: Trust the process

    We are learning to process better, for everyone’s sakes.  The Adams Theater has had a bustling summer full of interesting productions and with more on the way. We speak with artistic director Yina Moore about the many shows finding a home in their end of the northern Berkshires, their collaborations with Williams College, and get a heads up on the innovative multigenerational shows happening this very weekend: Lost Place on Saturday, August 8th, and The Light House on Sunday, August 9th.  In Wilbraham, an important resource for our human journey has helped families navigate their grief for almost twenty years. Rick’s Place provides free resources to those facing the repercussions of loss intergenerationally in western mass and we’ll speak with some of the folx who know their work intimately and hear about their upcoming Golf Tournament Fundraiser, where you can help them to continue providing this important programming.  And for Live Music Friday, Kimaya Diggs is on the verge of releasing a new album in addition to performing at the Emily Dickinson Museum today. We’ll hear songs new and old and learn how this new album and her songwriting have been shaped by her own grief and resilience.

  8. Aug 6

    August 6, 2026: Miles of Stories

    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 is a Storyteller", and the tales of her life and beyond that provide inspiration.  Two local music venues are collaborating to support each other and the local scene with a fundraiser this September. Miles for Music will have music lovers walking and running from The Drake in Amherst to the Iron Horse in Northampton to raise funds and awareness for both non-profit ventures. We’ll speak with the ex. directors of each, Claudia Pazmany and Chris Freeman respectively, about this collective effort.  And congressman Jim McGovern may be tired of rehashing the issues of our ongoing war in Iran and the benefits being cut from the latest proposed Farm Bill, but we’ll hear how a 40M agricultural reimbursement, this latest wave of primary results and more are keeping him going during congress’ break.

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out of 5
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About

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.

Information

  • Creator
    Monte Belmonte & Kaliis Smith
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    823
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © NEPM
  • Show Website
    The Fabulous 413

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