In February of 2025 we talked with River Road, in Northport, Maine in the late morning after their first time playing for the Belfast Flying Shoes First Friday dance series. The trio from the Connecticut River Valley in Massachusetts features Sarah-Hadley Yakir (fiddle), Kristen Planeaux (piano, flute & accordion) and Jesse Ball (mandolin, guitar & foot percussion). Lounging on comfortable chairs looking out at Penobscot Bay, they shared a variety of anecdotes and personal perspectives related to their experiences as friends, dance musicians, and as dancers! They provided a bit of the back story on the music, including the tunes that Kristen and Jesse composed. We even heard a little bit about their lives beyond the contra dance subculture. It was all quite jolly and relaxing, but when it was time to play, that’s when their focus as a band came fully clear. They moved their chairs and instruments into a tight circle around the microphone, and launched into their planned sets with palpable energy, communicating with facial expressions, head gestures, and plenty of eye contact. We loved listening to their arrangements in person and on the recording, and it was a pleasure hearing their stories. We hope you enjoy this River Road episode just as much as we did!

This episode features Wild Asparagus, an influential dance band based in Western Massachusetts. Since 1984, the band has shared their music with generations of dancers across North America and around the world, and the band incorporates harmonies, counter-melodies, some pretty unique riffs, and even bringing in tunes from outside the typical contra dance tradition. Enjoy this effusive conversation and music, buoyed by shared memories and the adrenaline of the packed hall in Belfast, Maine the night before. It’s an absolute pleasure to share this podcast version of that recording now, in 2025, which is shortly after the band celebrated its 40th anniversary of their original Wild Asparagus trio, and also the 30th year since Becky joined the band.

Welcome to the first episode of the Flying Shoes Radio Hour Podcast! Launching this project with the Pine Tree Flyers was a natural decision. We made this recording on Mother’s Day 2024, just after the band released their first album, which is chock full of tunes from the contra dance repertoire and which pays homage to some of the greats of the trad music scene in New England. Each of the band members has deep roots in the contra dance tradition, and that plays out in their musicianship as well as their philosophical perspective. What’s more, they all live in Maine – which connects nicely as a starting point for this Maine-produced podcast. From all of us at Belfast Flying Shoes, Country Dance & Song Society, and Belfast Community Radio, enjoy the contra dance music and the conversation!