Scott Hopkins Roots Trio
Scott Hopkins - Banjo
Lou Smaldone - Bass
Brian Melick - Percussion
The Scott Hopkins Roots Trio features Hopkins on banjo along with stalwart musicians Lou Smaldone on bass and Brian Melick on percussion. Repertoire includes originals and roots music with Bluegrass, Blues, Jazz, Country, Latin, and Americana as influences. Smaldone performs regularly around the Capital NY area with a number of jazz musicians. Melick is a sought after percussionist of many styles and genres and is passionate about an instrument called the udu. The group is proud to perform any genre of music they enjoy and are very happy to connect that broad love of music with audiences!
“I was smiling the entire concert! The repertoire, the outstanding musicianship, the pure joy of watching their joy, and of course I love banjo! Add Kristina Johnson on sax and holy smokes, what a sweet, sultry, sassy combo. Thank you The Scott Hopkins Roots Trio!” - Maria Zemantauski
— - Coordinator of Cultural Affairs, Hudson Valley Community College (2025)
Scott Hopkins Bluegrass Trio
Scott Hopkins - Banjo
David Chernack - Guitar
Dylan Perillo - Bass
The Scott Hopkins Bluegrass Trio features Scott on banjo, David Chernack on guitar, mandolin and fiddle, and Dylan Perillo on bass. The group has a big sound for three musicians and repertoire includes originals, 3-part harmony singing, hot instrumentals and incredible musicianship all around. Chernack was raised in Hyde Park, NY and double majored at Brandeis University in environmental studies and history with a minor in music. He now is back in the Hudson Valley to pursue is MS in environmental policy at Bard Center for Environmental Policy. Dylan Perillo is a conservatory trained upright bassist, composer and arranger from New York’s capital region who maintains an active performance schedule within the early jazz and folk music circles. He enjoys composing original music for his own groups and writing/arranging music for fellow musicians and singer-songwriters.
“Scott Hopkins has certainly proven he deserves to stand with the best instrumentalist in progressive bluegrass, and his debut CD gives fans of hot picking a chance to hear some of the best young players around stretch out and interact on some challenging and interesting new tunes.” - Ivan Rosenberg
Scott Hopkins Jazz Trio
Scott Hopkins - Banjo
Luke Franco - Guitar
Tarik Shah - Bass
The Scott Hopkins Jazz Trio features Hopkins on banjo, Luke Franco on guitar, and Tarik Shah on bass. The group performs Hopkins' originals, jazz standards, jazz manouche, and tunes from other genres in a unique trio of banjo, guitar and bass. Luke Franco is the owner of Tiny Hearts Farm in Copake, NY, and the Tiny Hearts flower shop in Hillsdale. He studied jazz guitar at the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami, and plays extensively throughout the Berkshires and the Capital Region of New York. Tarik Shah is a professional jazz musician also living in the Capital Region. As the sole student of Slam Stewart, Shah began playing the upright bass at age 12 and went on to play with Betty Carter, Ahmad Jamal, Abbey Lincoln and Art Taylor among others.