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Due to electrical utility work, 91.7 FM in Franklin County was disrupted Monday and Tuesday and further work may occur Wednesday. We apologize for the inconvenience.

Dec. 3, 2024: The sound of Giving Tuesday

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 production, "The Sound of (Black) Music," takes the classic Rodgers & Hammerstein musical and gives it an afrofuturistic glow up, and its latest tour will bring the ensemble to Amherst on Dec. 8th. We meet with Electric Root founder Jono Gasparro, musical director Charenee Wade, and conductor and vocalist C. Anthony Bryant to hear about their inspirations, aspirations, and opposition the show has engendered.

We also hang out with Justin Cohen, aka DJ Studebaker Hawk, and dig through his proverbial crates as we hear more about the Northampton Record Fair, and the copious amounts of Vinyl that will soon descend upon Union Station this weekend for all those looking for golden sounds in a surprisingly popular medium.

And oh yeah, it's Giving Tuesday, a day evolved to offset the capitalism you fever-dreamed on Black Friday and Cyber Monday. But, what it really means is that it’s a day to support the causes and organizations you care about, and that includes us too!

"Sound of (Black) Music"
Northampton Record Fair

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.