A Year of Creating and Giving Back

The past year and the year ahead share a similar rhythm:

  • Garden Players & The Scooches Winter Concert — our annual intergenerational celebration (Jan 25, 2026)

  • ✍️ A brand-new original musical written and produced each May by Betina for kids in grades 1–9 (Betina has 5 musicals published by Beat by Beat Press, with 4 additional works available through Garden Players Publishing)

  • Community give-back performances at local events (Music Masterclasses funded by fans of Phish; Memorial Day Parade, Flag Day, Freedom to Read, the CITG Children’s Fair, and more)

  • Touring and performing on stages around the country

  • Developing new creative projects with The Scooches

This past year, one theme rose above the rest: recording. We’ve been deep in the studio developing newer songs, revisiting unreleased recordings featuring our beloved singer Miles Griffith, and capturing projects that have lived onstage for years. They’re almost ready, and we’re excited to Scooch them over to you soon.


 

 

 

 

 

New Albums Coming in 2026

This year brings a wide collection of releases:

Garden Players Musicals — Recorded

Betina will be releasing recordings of her original children’s musicals:

  • Magic It Up

  • Switch It Off

  • Your Turn

  • So Far From Home (upcoming!)

These songs—written for young performers and big-hearted stories—will soon be available on Spotify, Apple Music, and everywhere you listen to music. Hearing Garden Players musical theater songs streaming out into the wider world feels incredibly special. More details soon!

The Scooches — Two New Albums

The Scooches have also been in the studio working on two albums spanning Americana, bossa, country, folk, R&B, and New Orleans–inspired grooves.

  • One album will be released as Betina Hershey (featuring The Scooches).

  • The other will be released under The Scooches, and will include six unreleased recordings featuring our beloved singer Miles Griffith. We miss him deeply and are grateful to be able to share this music.

Some of these songs will debut live at our APAP showcase and our January 25th concert, where Garden Players kids will also join us singing All Friends.

Recent Highlights

  • Mockingbird Foundation Grant recipient (fans of Phish) supporting Scooches-led music masterclasses in NYC. What a delight it’s been to cultivate musicality, world rhythms, and songwriting in talented, motivated youth.

  • Jill Sobule tribute (Jillith Fair) at The Ivy Room, Albany, CA, alongside Julie Wolf, Vicki Randle, and more

  • Monthly residency at historic Neir’s Tavern, NYC

  • Nick Russo opened for Kool & The Gang in Hollywood, FL

  • Performances including the Miles Griffith Memorial Concert, Vintage Train Event NYC, Magic It Up, and more

  • Touring our album Lift You Up (#1 on the FAI Folk Chart, July 2023)

  • Currently in the studio—new album releases coming in 2026

  • ️ Tour dates for 2026–2027 to be announced

About The Scooches

The Scooches feature a world-class lineup of musicians from New York City, Suriname, the Caribbean, and beyond. Our original music is inspired by world folk traditions, global Americana, New Orleans verve, and the unfettered exuberance of the 1920s.

Members Betina Hershey, Angela Workman, Nick Russo, and Harvey Wirht have performed with artists such as Paul McCartney, Jon Batiste, Paul Simon, Ray Charles, Harry Belafonte, The Hot Sardines, and Prince.

Elmore Magazine praised the band’s “remarkable musical dexterity… with a sense of timeless tradition,” while The Big Takeover called our work “the music of the world, about the world.”

Come See Us Play

Bookings:
Nick Russo ·  Contact@TheScooches.com  · 516-982-7496  · TheScooches.com

The Scooches at APAP 2026

Secret Agents Showcase

Friday, January 9, 2026 · 8:40 PM
Hilton Midtown · Morgan Suite (2nd Floor)
1335 6th Ave, New York, NY 10019

✨ Open to the public — no APAP badge required ✨

Please join The Scooches for a 15 minute showcase of original global Americana music.  The chart-topping, NYC-based Scooches will electrify your audience with curated sets of toe-tapping, hand-clapping music, leaving you with no choice but to dance along. The Scooches’ eclectic performances are like master classes in musicology that quite simply embody joy and excellent musicianship.

More info

Wishing you a connected, artistic, uplifting, door-opening new year.
We’re so grateful to keep making and sharing this music with you.

With love and hope for the future,
Betina, Nick & all of The Scooches

Albums on the FAI Folk Chart:

  • Lift You Up — #1 (July 2023)

  • The Very Next Thing — #6 (September 2016)

  • Get Us Out of Fearland — #2 (April 2018)

See you at APAP.

 

 

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