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Sidemen of Gravitational Crisis

Today's show has a bit of an edge, or perhaps it is walking towards one.

Renowned guitarist G.E. Smithwill be playing a solo show and teaching a masterclass on the history of guitar both benefiting Belchertown Music Boosters, a local organization dedicated to supporting local arts programs in the Belchertown school system. After a bit of miscommunication, we're able to chat with the award winning sideman about the folx he's worked with, his start on guitar, and why helping programs like this is important.

We're also at the edge of reinforcing ideas we've had about space and physics. Mr. Universe, Salman Hameed, not only mentions that we might see Aurora Borealis this weekend, but broaches the importance of the recent discovery of new ways to detect gravitational waves in space.

It's a constant of the twenty-first century that we are in the midst of climate crisis. Philanthropist and author Chuck Collins'latest book, "Altar to an Erupting Sun", examines some very human possibilities for confronting this crisis. But even more than that, it's a love letter to many real activists of western Massachusetts and southern Vermont. We speak with him about the book, and about his evolution to philanthropist after giving away the fortune he'd inherited from Oscar Mayer.

Christopher “Monte'' Belmonte is host and executive producer of NEPM's The Fabulous 413. He was born and raised in Massachusetts and has been a radio host in western Massachusetts for the last 20 years — the last 17 of them as host of Mornings with Monte on The River 93.9/WRSI.
Kaliis Smith is a radio host and producer for NEPM's The Fabulous 413. She was most recently host and producer at The River 93.9/WRSI where she appeared on Mornings with Monte for the Nerdwatch segment and hosted weekday evenings.