Join us to welcome The Scooches to The Riverside Stage!
Over the past three years, The Scooches has built a solid following in the Eastern U.S. with a half dozen tours while also playing such prestigious events such as NBC affiliate: KSHB Kansas City Live (while at Folk Alliance 2018), Kansas City Folk Fest main stage, Clear Water (Great Hudson River Revival) (2020), Falcon Ridge Fest, NERFA Semi-Formal (2017), NERFA DJ Showcase (2019), John Platt's WFUV Sunday Supper & On Your Radar, Blue Plate Special, WMOT Finally Friday, WNCW Studio B Sessions, WoodSongs, the Mid-Winter Folk Fest at Club Passim, TV show: "Horses Sing None Of It," Westchester County Round Up, IsIs Music Hall, Blue Plate Special, Extended Play Sessions, Relix and APAP. Formerly known as Banjo Nickaru & Western Scooches' Get Us Out Of Fearland was #2 album on Folk International Radio DJ chart.
Recently The Scooches were featured in the first hour (2nd act) of The "virtual" Clear Water festival (Great Hudson River Revival) twice and featured at the 2020 virtual Falcon Ridge Folk Festival in The Big Orange Tarp.
The Scooches core duo (Nick Russo& Betina Hershey) will be featured in the new upcomming TV series: "Billy Buys Brooklyn" (on Discovery Channel and international networks)
Multi-instrumentalist/composer/producer, Nick Russo (Banjo Nickaru) performs as a sideman with many artists, including Paul McCartney, Jon Batiste (Colbert Show), Deep Singh (tabla player with Sting, Robert Plant, Katy Perry), Zeb Bangash, Russell Hall's band, Jimmy McGriff and other artists. Nick has appeared on ABC's Good Morning America, PBS Masterpiece, "The Chaperone" and Sam Mendes' "Away We Go" and was called to be the music director and guitarist for Jon Bellion. Recently, Nick played with an orchestra on a video shoot for Princess Anne (daughter of Queen Elizabeth), performed NYC virtual Summer Stage with Russell Hall and C Anthony Bryant and created/shot two JamPlay/TrueFire blues guitar video courses (March 26 release).
Tickets:
$12 in advance/ $15 at the door
*Rain Date: July 18*
More about the band:
Vocalist/dancer/guitarist/composer, Betina Hershey has toured the U.S. and the world as Meg in National tour of Phantom of the Opera and playing West Side Story world tour (Italy-Lebanon-Japan), appearing at City Center as Fleta in Iolanthe and Isabel in The Pirates of Penzance.
Hershey can be seen in the Julia Roberts feature film Mona Lisa Smile and Disney's Enchanted. Betina performed live on WFUV radio and at the Bottom Line in New York City.
Betina tours with The New York Gilbert and Sullivan Players across the U.S. and in Canada. Hershey has also taught in Japan, Korea and in Bermuda, being featured on Bermuda national television and on the front cover of their newspaper. For the last 17 years Betina has been composing original children’s musicals as director of the Garden Players Musical Theatre program.
Vocalist, composer, educator, Miles Griffith has a long bio of amazing musicians he has toured and recorded with including Paul Simmon, Wynton Marsalis, Jon Hendricks, Max Roach, Jimmy Heath, T.S. Monk, Roy Hargrove and many others. Currently the vocal professor at many universities, Miles continues to perform around the world both as a sideman and with his group. New Ting (Miles Griffith, Nick Russo and David Pleasant) has performed at prestigious festivals such as I.A.J.E. in NYC
“Remarkable musical dexterity, with songs that bask in a genuine roots regimen and a sense of timeless tradition.” Elmore Magazine
“A fearless melting pot of rhythmic banjo, slide guitar fused with Gullah Geechee tambourines, beautiful female country lead singing and harmonized calypso vocalizations.” WoodSongs
"....the inimitable Banjo Nickaru & Western Scooches" — John Platt (WFUV)
“A heart as big as the sky…full of high energy and higher spirits.” -Elmore Magazine
“A band that has to be seen to be believed.” — John Platt (WFUV)
"They go back to basics with songs that bask in a genuine roots regimen and a sense of timeless tradition." Elmore Magazine
"Americana music at its purest and most impressive." No Depression
“Unfailingly high-spirited." LONDON TIMES
"...Banjo Nickaru & Western Scooches are ridiculously fun." Rambles.
*Our cure duo with Betina and I will be appearing in the new TV series: "Billy Buys Brooklyn" (on Discovery Channel and international networks)
The Scooches
Get Us Out Of Fearland single official video
Album release trailer
The Scooches at APAP