Lift You Up
Arranged/produced by: Nick Russo, Betina Hershey, Len Monachello
Available on DSPs July 14: Apple Music, Amazon, Spotify, Pandora, Bandcamp, etc.
“A band that has to be seen to be believed.” – John Platt (WFUV)
Led by vocalist Betina Hershey and multi-instrumentalist Nick Russo, The Scooches, formerly known as Banjo Nickaru & Western Scooches, have assembled a world-class lineup of musicians from New York, Suriname, Sapelo Island (Georgia), Mexico, and the Caribbean on LIFT YOU UP (due July 14). The vital new 12-song collection builds upon the exuberance that made 2018’s ‘Get Us Out Of Fearland’ (#2 on the International Folk Alliance Chart) and ‘Very Next Thing’ (2016), a transcendent breath of fresh air.
Inspired by the current social climate, the songs on LIFT YOU UP, including “Stop This Climate Change”, “Spread Your Wings And Fly”, and “Open A Door” call upon society and the human race to believe that we, collectively, can make a difference, a change for the better.
“Not just music forged from myriad sounds and cultural styles garnered from genre and geography but the music of the world, about the world.” – The Big Takeover
Other highlights include the reggae-dub groove of the title track, the playful, country break-up song “I Broke The Egg,” the 1920s-inspired “What’s Meant To Last Will Last,” the smoky Motown-inflected duet “Give It To Me Real” (featuring Griffith and Hershey trading lines), the gospel-tinged “Leavin’,” the eerily lilting “Run,” about trafficking and gun violence, and the rollicking bluegrass-driven “Let’s Grow Our Roots Deep And True,” about finding home.
The ever-timely traditional protest song “Ain’t Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me ‘Round” is presented in two versions and both are stunners; the first a celebration to lift the spirits, the second a Gullah Geechee version featuring stirring improvisational vocals from Miles Griffith and drumfolk riddim percussionist/vocalist Dr. David Pleasant.
With additional contributions from Aditya Phatak (tabla), Mamadou Ba (bass), Harvey Wirht (drums), Angela Workman (vocals), Kenny Kosek (fiddle), and Brooklyn rapper Ra$h Ca$h, The Scooches raise their voices, their instruments, their consciousness, with an eclectic melting pot of original music inspired by world folk traditions, global Americana, New Orleans and 1920s. Elmore Magazine championed the group’s “remarkable musical dexterity with songs that bask in a genuine roots regimen and a sense of timeless tradition.”
“Americana music at its purest and most impressive” – No Depression
VERY NEXT THING #6 Album – International Folk DJ Chart (Sept 2016)
GET US OUT OF FEARLAND #2 Album – International Folk DJ Chart (April 2018)
For bookings, interviews & more: contact@thescooches.com • 516.982.7496
Socials: @TheScooches
