Blueberry Betty, an indie folk-rock project based in Burlington, VT has dropped the first single, “Little Pilot” from their self-titled debut album.
Fronted by songwriter Ben Schnier of Utica, Blueberry Betty is framed around quirky personal tunes and a rotating 5-8 piece group of friends, drawing on roots from country roads and the quiet beauty of everyday life, something we could all use more of these dark days of winter.
Schnier (son of moe.’s Al) has lived in Burlington for the past 10 years as a social worker, but grew up in Utica. Having played music Burlington area for that decade, he’s been in various projects, while booking shows at Radio Bean in the past three years. These live performances both joyful and full of character, while balancing warmth, humor, and sincerity in a way that feels as lived-in as it is fun.
“I’m really happy and excited about it, it’s a sweet collection of sunny songs that I’m so psyched came to fruition.”
Ben Schnier
The album was recorded on tape in Chicago during December 2025, with Ben’s pal Austin Koenigstein (a.k.a. the musical artist Smushie, who also plays guitar in Neal Francis’ band). “Little Pilot” evokes a bit of Ben Folds Five and a touch of Randy Newman lyricism, giving a friendly storytellers introduction to the album, and band.
Ben Schnier (guitar, vocals, piano, percussion), Austin Koenigstein (bass, guitar), Joey “Sports” Mueser (trumpet/harmonica), and Jeb Backe (banjo) are featured on the album, with production by Schnier and Austin Koenigstein, who also engineered, recorded, mixed & mastered the album, with additional trumpet & harmonica engineering by Steven Yardley.
Listen to “Little Pilot” from Blueberry Betty below and check them out on Bandcamp. The full debut album releases on February 12.
Upcoming Blueberry Betty Shows
Thu 2/12/26 – Rochester, NY @ The Bug Jar – 8pm w/ Bugcatcher + Georgie
Fri 2/13/26 – Boston, MA @ Pasta Planet (house show) – 8pm w/ Jane Don’t & Nora Meier (DM for the address!)
Sat 2/14/26 – Burlington, VT @ Radio Bean – 11pm w/ Fowl
July 16-17 – moe.down, Gilbert, PA
→ Continue reading at NYS Music
