June 18, 2026: Almost Juneteenth

June 18, 2026: Almost Juneteenth

,We're looking at freedom and our relationship with it, because freedom’s legacy in this country has had a fraught relationship with the black community. Clark University Professor Ousmane Power-Greene [https://www.clarku.edu/faculty/profiles/ousmane-power-greene/] in continuing to examine the nation's 250th birthday brings forward the case of Crispus Attucks, one of the victims of the Boston Massacre, now intrinsically tied to the story of this nation’s independence. We discuss Attuck’s life, how the liberty of the nation affected black revolutionary veterans, and more.  Tomorrow is Juneteenth, the now federally recognized holiday that celebrates freedom for everyone. At the Iron Horse, an inspired collection of musicians are celebrating with a concert that honors that legacy [https://ironhorse.org/#calendar-b0bd4277-11aa-4ae8-9f35-fc260b996a4e-event-2692e735-fb23-47bc-95e2-77418836c301]. Indë [https://www.artbyinde.com/music/role-model],  PARRIS [https://www.richardparrisscott.com/], and the Ujima Singers [https://www.ncmc.net/programs/ujima-singers] will perform in Northampton Tomorrow night. We sit in on their rehearsal, and speak with their musical director Indë about this performance and the impact of the holiday on the communities they’re centered within.  And congressman Jim McGovern [http://mcgovern.house.gov] has some thoughts about the Iran deal, FIFA and how it connects to the USA’s bad habit of intervening in other countries governance, his juneteenth plans and how they tie into the ongoing importance of the upcoming midterm elections, and more.

June 17, 2026: Embattled

Today is all about circles of life. For instance in East Longmeadow, which used to contain more agricultural enterprises, a third generation farmer is still growing vegetables for the area, while looking at ways to make sure that land is available for future generations to grow on. Neil Pomeroy shows us around Pomeroy’s Vegetable Farm [https://pomeroysvegetablefarm.wordpress.com], and gives us insight to its history and what’s coming up right now.  Then we head to the Hitchcock Center for the Environment [https://www.hitchcockcenter.org], where they’re not just teaching the adults of tomorrow about the ways we can be better to the planet, they’re readying for an event that gives us tasty morsels and beverages straight outta nature. Their Battle of the Botanicals [https://www.hitchcockcenter.org/battle-of-the-botanicals/]Fundraiser happens tomorrow on Amherst College’s Campus, so we make a trip to see the breakthroughs they’ve been making in their innovative building. And language is constantly shifting underneath us, so word nerd Emily Brewster at Merriam Webster introduces us to some new terms that have just entered the slang section of their website so that we can continue to ruin the new phrases of the moment for the young folx in our lives.

June 16, 2026: Emilys Juneteenth Band

We are getting the bands together, because it’s the 25th anniversary for the Florence Community Band, which has grown from the idea of one woman seeking musical community, to having over 50 members or more finding their instruments, dusting them off, and joining in the sound. We speak with director Priscilla Ross and members Linda Davis-Delano and Yop Molenaar  about their upcoming concert on June 21st that will bring even more local bands into the mix And in a new novel by Heather Abel, bands of amateur investigators attempt to find the cause and cure of a mysterious ailment. The Emilys is a book that bears an indelible imprint of the asparagus valley, including an array of easter eggs for the locals, and we speak with the author about the issues of friendship, ecology, and place before you can meet her yourself at an event in South Hadley this evening.  Plus this Friday being Juneteenth means there’s lots of places celebrating the nation's truest freedom day, and we’ll hear from Theresa Cooper Gordon, Damany Gordon, and Megan Seiler about the festivities happening in Holyoke [https://wistariahurst.org/event/celebrate-juneteenth-2026/] at Wisteriahurst for the occasion.

June 15, 2026: Disclosing symphonic wizards

We love new books, and the first in a brand new series from Jedidiah Berry comes out tomorrow. Kill All Wizards is a blend of 19th century gentility and classic sword and sorcery fiction of the early 20th century with homage to Roy Thomas and Robert E Howard and we chat with the author about the new novella and the release party at Vision Video in Northampton on June 16th where he’ll be in conversation with Kelly Link  Juneteenth is this Friday and Springfield’s Symphony orchestra is celebrating by bringing the whole ensemble outside. Not only is this year’s program happening for free in Court Square in downtown Springfield, but it’s a family affair featuring both Avery Sharpe and Kevin Sharpe. We bring the two brothers to the studio to talk about their individual connections to the holiday and music itself along with SSO President Heather Caisse Roberts.  And Mr. Universe, Kainaat Studio’s Salman Hameed, puts on his cinefile hat to explore the science and spectacle of Stephen Spielberg’s latest foray into extraterrestrial speculation as we discuss Disclosure Day.

June 12, 2026: Golden football Revue

Today has a lotta music, and a little international flair Tanglewood [https://www.bso.org/tanglewood] is getting a visit from folx who play some of the smoothest music around. The Yacht Rock Revue [https://www.yachtrockrevue.com] started in Georgia on a whim, but now brings the sounds of the late 70s and early eighties to stages worldwide, even to their original tunes. We speak with Nicholas Niespodziani frontman and multi instrumentalist for the band about the inspirations of these tunes and the spectacle they’ll bring to the Berkshires on June 21st [https://www.bso.org/events/yacht-rock-revue-2026?performance=2026-06-21-14%3A30]. Live Music Friday brings a brand new band polycule into the studio. The Golden Hours [https://thegoldenhoursofficial.com/home] began as an immersive music experience, but has evolved beyond to be its own creative entity, a blend of the bands The Lowland Hum [https://www.lowlandhum.com/] and David Wax Museum [https://www.davidwaxmuseum.com/]. We’ll hear a sample of what this sonicly-united ensemble will perform on the Iron Horse stage in Northampton on Sunday, June 14th [https://theparlorroom.my.salesforce-sites.com/ticket/#/events/a0SV500000B42T7MAJ].  And the many games of the FIFA World Cup are underway, but perhaps you are as lost as I am on that front, lucky us, NEPM’s own Cara Foster is here to give us a bit of insight to the game and it’s global dominance everywhere, except the US it seems.