Flying Shoes Radio Hour Episode 4 – Genticorum November 28, 2025 - This fourth episode of the Flying Shoes Radio Hour podcast involves chatting (and laughing) with the Quebecois band, Genticorum. Original members, Pascal Gemme and Yann Falquet, along with their “Genticorum 2.0” bandmate Nicholas Williams were in midcoast Maine for several days, and we recorded the show as soon as they arrived in town. The podcast launched a weekend full of Genticorum delights: a contra dance, a musicians’ workshop, a singing workshop, and two concerts - ooh la la! Yann, Nicholas & Pascal are a treat to spend time with, and their music is absolutely uplifting and enlivening — even if… ➤ Audio, show notes, and more!
Flying Shoes Radio Hour Episode 3 – River Road July 25, 2025 - This third episode of the Flying Shoes Radio Hour Podcast features River Road, a trio from the Connecticut River Valley in Massachusetts. It was terrific to spend some quality time with Sarah-Hadley Yakir (who plays fiddle), Kristen Planeaux (who plays piano, flute & accordion) and Jesse Ball (who plays mandolin & guitar and also does foot percussion.) In February of 2025 we got together in Northport, Maine in the late morning after their first time playing for the Belfast Flying Shoes First Friday dance series. Our chat was wide-ranging. We talked about their individual paths into contra dance culture and… ➤ Audio, show notes, and more!
Flying Shoes Radio Hour Episode 2 – Wild Asparagus May 23, 2025 - This second episode of the Flying Shoes Radio Hour features Wild Asparagus, an influential dance band based in Western Massachusetts, and named for a feral crop in the Connecticut River Valley. Band members – David Cantieni on oboe, saxophone, flutes, whistles, and bombard; George Marshall on concertina and bodhran, Ann Percival on guitar, piano, and ukulele, and Becky Tracy on fiddle – sometimes play with other musicians, including Becky’s husband, Keith Murphy. But they have really honed their skills as a quartet, incorporating harmonies, counter-melodies, some pretty unique riffs, and even bringing in tunes from outside the typical contra dance… ➤ Audio, show notes, and more!
Flying Shoes Radio Hour Episode 1 – Pine Tree Flyers February 20, 2025 - 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… ➤ Audio, show notes, and more!