20 years ago today, the nation watched as Hurricane Katrina broke the levees of New Orleans, flooding the wards, destroying infrastructure, devastating communities and taking lives.
And today on the Fab 413, we speak with one person displaced by the hurricane, who has now become a ubiquitous fixture in western Massachusetts. Nan Parati has been making signs for businesses, events, and festivals for 4 decades, but when Katrina left her stranded in the Northeast, she built herself into Ashfield’s cultural and culinary landscape by taking over Elmer’s Store, now called the Elmer’s Community Center.
We sit with Parati on this anniversary to get the full story of amazing coincidences and meet the folx running the new cafe in the legendary space.
We also hear the melange of sounds that permeate the music of clarinetist and composer Kinan Azmeh for Live Music Friday, learn about woodwinds in his native home of Syria and discuss importance of music in a changing world before he joins his ensemble, CityBand, at Antenna Cloud Farm (ACF).
Plus, ACF founder Michi Wiancko speaks to us about what it’s like to play with Azmeh in the Silkroad Ensemble.
