Get Us Out Of Fearland

Title : Get Us Out Of Fearland
Release Date : September 7, 2018
Catalog ref. : OTBR0004
Format : CD

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Banjo Nickaru & Western Scooches sophomore album Get Us Out Of Fearland: #2 album, #2 artist, #5 song with 6 of our songs in top 20 on April 2018 International Folk Music DJs Radio chart!

Release Dates:

Americana Radio Impact to Americana Stations: June 18, 2018

Single “Get Us Out Of Fearland”: August 3, 2018

Full Album “Get Us Out Of Fearland”: September 7, 2018

“GET US OUT OF FEARLAND” Expertly Blends Folk Traditions, New Orleans Influences and Music of the 1920s

“Americana music at its purest and most impressive” No Depression

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Led by Betina Hershey and multi-instrumentalist Nick Russo, the album features standout work from musicians from New York, Suriname, Mexico, and Sapelo Island, who have performed live on NBC affiliate KSHB-TV, for the Extended Play Sessions (Alternate Root TV) and on nationally syndicated shows such as Woodsongs, and Blue Plate plus stages such as Kansas City Folk Festival, Club Passim, Rockwood Music Hall, Isis Music Hall, WFUV, John Platt’s “On Your Radar” and Jalopy Theatre.

Band members have performed with artists such as Paul McCartney, Paul Simon, Julia Roberts, Willie Nelson, James Taylor, Jerry Garcia and Wynton Marsalis.

Plus they have made appearances in movies such as Disney’s “Enchanted,” “Mona Lisa Smile,” “Away We Go” and PBS Masterpiece, “The Chaperone.” The band had a 2017 NERFA semi-formal showcase and their debut album Very Next Thing was #6 Album (#5 Artist #7 Song) on the International Folk DJ Radio Chart 2016.

New York City’s Banjo Nickaru & Western Scooches are likely the only band today infusing elements of Gullah-Geechee and world rhythms with folk traditions, New Orleans influences, and 1920s jazz. The forthcoming sophomore album, Get Us Out Of Fearland, due June 15, builds upon the multicultural exuberance that made the band’s debut, Very Next Thing, a transcendent breath of fresh air. Elmore Magazine championed its “remarkable musical dexterity with songs that bask in a genuine roots regimen and a sense of timeless tradition,” and revered tastemaker station WFUV said, “This is a band that must be heard to be believed!”

“These powerful and strong influences for our band bring spiritual energy to our shows,” says co-founder/musician Nick Russo. “My musical life has always been surrounded by an eclectic combination of unique musicians and scenes. So naturally, this band is a melting pot of many different cultures, genres, instruments, and sounds. My dream is that people of all races and origins live, play, and share all our different world musics and cultures together as one united race, without fear – one love!”

Although the band’s debut featured an “unfailingly high-spirited” mix of traditional fare culled from various cultures, the new nine-track opus showcases mostly original material. The one cover included is a lively rendition of “A Hundred Miles,” the rollicking fiddle-fueled train tune from the 1800s. All the other eight songs were penned by vocalist Betina Hershey, who says, “Songs are always pouring out of me. Some I catch, and some slip out past my lips and float away. With the help of a cast of music mates, these songs linger so beautifully, with textures that I hadn’t even imagined.”

Highlights of Get Us Out Of Fearland include the playful 1920s verve of “I Don’t Need No Glasses,” the warm lilting embrace of “I Wish The World Knew Why,” the organ-driven, gospel-tinged “Dandelion” (featuring special guest singers Stephanie Rice and Charenee Wade), and “Soar,” an inspirational song filled with optimism, determination, and perseverance. These qualities sail skyward throughout the 25-minute journey, but none more so than on the boisterous groundbreaking title track, which features improvisational vocalist Miles Griffith, known for his work with Max Roach, Paul Simon, and Reggie Workman, plus percussionist/vocalist, Dr. David Pleasant, a singular talent who has performed with Wynton Marsalis, Cecil Taylor, and Paul Simon.

To support the lead-up to the release of Get Us Out OF Fearland, Russo and Hershey, along with accomplished percussionist Emiliano Valerio, who appears in four songs on the album, will play 15 showcases at the world-renowned Folk Alliance International Conference, which celebrates its 30th anniversary, Feb. 14-18, in Kansas City, MO. Last year, the group was a breakthrough act at the conference, receiving a special invitation to open the main stage of the Kansas City Folk Festival the next day.

“A heart as big as the sky…full of high energy and higher spirits.” Elmore Magazine

“Unfailingly high-spirited.” London Times

“This is a band that must be heard to be believed!” WFUV

“…an amazing group which a lot of us dreamed would happen some day where the different genres of music all get together…” David Amram

“It’s unlike anything most listeners will find elsewhere.” San Diego Troubadour

“Remarkable musical dexterity with songs that bask in a genuine roots regimen and a sense of timeless tradition.” Elmore Magazine

“Fresh and vital” Classical Arts

Nick Russo, guitar, 5 string banjo, tenor banjo, resonator, mandolin, electric bass, organ (track 3, intro/verse track 5), Fender Rhodes (track 7), trike ballake, harmonium (track 8), rainstick (track 8), hand claps & foot stomp (track 6)

Betina Hershey, voice, guitar Betina Hershey, voice (all tracks), guitar (tracks 2, 3, 4, 6, 8), hand claps (track 6)

more Scooches:

Miles Griffith, voice (tracks 1, 3, 10)

David Pleasant, drums/voice (tracks 3, 9)

Emiliano Valerio, tambourine (tracks 1, 6, 7, 9)

Harvey Wirht, drums (tracks 1, 5, 7)

Art Hirahara, Kong Kronos 2 organ (track 5)

Kenny Kosek, fiddle (track 6)

Stephanie Rice and Charenee Wade, additional voices (track 5)