THE POSSUM TROT ORCHESTRA (SOUTHERN CAN CDs SCCD 2225, October 31, 2005)
With a cross of multiple folk styles and a touch of surrealism, the Possum Trot Orchestra is weird in the best sense of the word.... PTO references traditional folk without mimicking it.... With PTO's eclectic, bright approach to re-imagined tradition, POSSUM TROT ORCHESTRA is both enjoyable and intriguing, and should please folk fans looking for something out of the ordinary.
RONALD LANKFORD, JR., Sing Out! Summer 2006.
Contemporary American roots at its finest.... Not merely a very good album, it's one of the defining albums of contemporary American roots.... A light and mellow album that conceals depths the likes of which more overt and strident works can only dream. A masterpiece.
JEREMY SEARLE, Americana UK, Liverpool, December 2005
www.americana-uk.com
As an effort to fashion a kind of creative roots sound for the early 21st century, this CD succeeds almost against expectations. There's enough depth to it to repay many listenings ...[and] a distinctive sound and a point of view that is appealingly its own.
JEROME CLARK, Rambles.NET: A Cultural Arts Magazine, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, February 2006
www.rambles.net
The Possum Trot Orchestra (Southern Can CDs) is het debuut van het trio dat op onnadrukkelijke en relaxte wijze eer betoont aan de rijke Amerikaanse folkgeschiedenis. Ze doen dat via een popbenadering en met merendeels akoestische instrumenten en met vooral met prachtige harmoniezang. Het geeft de softrock van The Possums een heerlijke mellow touch. (The Possum Trot Orchestra (Southern Can CDs) is the debut of a trio whose laid-back, relaxed manner does honor to the rich American folk tradition. They accomplish this with a pop approach, with mostly acoustic instruments, and especially with beautiful harmony singing. It all gives the softrock of The Possums a lovely mellow touch.)
WIEBREN RIJKEBOER, AltCountryNL, Groninger, The Netherlands, January 2006
www.altcountry.nl
A wonderfully mellow album that takes you through all phases of American music as `Music from Big Pink' did over 30 years ago.... This album is unlikely to disappoint anyone who has an appreciation of Americana music of the highest quality.
ROOTSMUSIC.co.uk, London, December 2005
www.rootsmusic.co.uk
Susie Suraci writes mature pop-rock songs with a stirring 70s vibe, and John Minton croons modern Americana songs that could easily belong to a timeless generation. But both use a variety of traditional folk instruments to round out their songs, and both create songs heavily steeped in cheerful melancholy and bright regret.... The inspiration each gives the other is a bonus for fans of music that will stand the test of time.
JASON HOFFMAN, Whatzup: Heartland Art, Entertainment & Recreation, Columbia City, Indiana, January 19, 2006
Flavor of the month.... De muziek van The Possums is gebaseerd op Amerikaanse traditie in een variatie aan stijlen maar straalt een ongelooflijke frisheid uit! (Flavor of the month.... The music of The Possums is based on American tradition in a variety of styles but radiates an incredible freshness!)
THEO OLDENBURG, Alt Country Cooking, Radio Winschoten, The Netherlands, December 2005
www.realrootscafe.com/altcountrycooking.html
In the days before [the Possum Trot Orchestra] proved itself to be so powerful and winning, the Minton/Suraci combo probably didn’t make a whole lot of sense. Minton specializes in stylish refurbishments of old-timey music and the Flying Suraci was a folk-pop outfit that sometimes came across as a considerably less drowsy Cowboy Junkies. But the proof is in the pudding, if a disc made of layered polycarbonate, aluminum and acrylic resin can be described as a pudding. Of course it can’t. Because Minton and the Suracis are consummate musicians and songwriters coming from different ends of the musical spectrum, the first CD is like a tour of about a century’s worth of popular music. At various moments, it evokes Neil Young, Simon and Garfunkel, Jimmy Dale Gilmore, Fairport Convention, Jefferson Airplane, The Band, Joan Armatrading and others.... The whole thing is almost improbably tasty.... I would say “Run, don’t walk to your local record store and buy a copy,” if running didn’t seem so pokey in this context.
STEVE PENHOLLOW, The Fort Wayne Journal-Gazette, Sunday, January 15, 2006
Folk blijkt weliswaar bij herhaling het voornaamste bestanddaal van hun [the Possums'] smakelijk roots-stampotje, maar ook country, bluegrass, blues, gospel, rock, pop, swing, ragtime, ja zelfs reggae passeren stuk voor stuk allemaal de revue. En dat levert een hoogst interessante hybride op. (Folk is the main ingredient in their [the Possums'] tasty roots-stew, but country, bluegrass, blues, gospel, rock, pop, swing, ragtime, yes even reggae all pass in review one after the other. And that produces a most interesting hybrid.)
BENNY METTEN, Ctrl Alt Country, Hasselt, Belgium, December 2005
www.ctrlaltcountry.be
here's a trio with a lot of energy taking us back to our american roots (well you don't have to be american to enjoy this, in fact if your toe isn't tapping, someone should check your pulse!)
ZOE MONTANA, radioioAcoustic, Jacksonville, Florida, November 2005
www.radioio.com
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THE POSSUM TROT ORCHESTRA
JOHN MINTON
ROB SURACI
SUSIE SURACI
PRODUCED BY JOHN MINTON
RECORDED SUMMER 2005 AT TEMPEL RECORDING STUDIO, FORT WAYNE, INDIANA
RECORDED, MIXED & MASTERED BY TOM TEMPEL
THE DISTANT SHORE (John Minton * Monkey Knuckles Music/ASCAP) * JOHN vocals, acoustic & electric guitars, banjo & mandolin * SUSIE vocals * ROB electric basses & bodhran
HOMEBODY (Susie Suraci * Slim Dot Music/ASCAP) * SUSIE vocals & acoustic guitars * ROB vocal, electric bass, electric guitar & drums * JOHN acoustic guitar, accordion & lap steel
JUST A LITTLE FARTHER (STARS WILL LIGHT OUR WAY) (John Minton * Monkey Knuckles Music/ASCAP) * JOHN vocal, acoustic & electric guitars & banjo * SUSIE vocals & acoustic guitar * ROB electric bass, drums, cabasa & tambourine
LANA MAE (John Minton * Monkey Knuckles Music/ASCAP) * JOHN vocals, acoustic guitars, banjo & piano * SUSIE vocals * ROB vocal, electric bass & drum throne
MIXED BLESSING (Susie Suraci * Slim Dot Music/ASCAP) * SUSIE vocals & acoustic guitar * JOHN acoustic guitar & accordion * ROB electric bass & drums
IT'S ALRIGHT (I'M GONNA LIVE ANYHOW UNTIL I DIE) (John Minton * Monkey Knuckles Music/ASCAP) * JOHN vocals, acoustic guitars & lap steel * ROB vocals, electric guitars, electric bass, drums & cowbell * SUSIE vocals
FEVER IN MY VEINS (Susie Suraci * Slim Dot Music/ASCAP) * SUSIE vocals & acoustic guitar * ROB vocal, electric bass, drums & triangle * JOHN acoustic & electric guitars & mandolin
STEPHEN C. FOSTER'S BLUES (John Minton * Monkey Knuckles Music/ASCAP) * JOHN vocal, acoustic guitar & accordion * ROB electric bass
OVER YOU (Susie Suraci * Slim Dot Music/ASCAP) * SUSIE vocals & acoustic guitar * JOHN acoustic guitars, banjo, mandolin & accordion * ROB electric bass
BEEN ON THE JOB TOO LONG (John Minton * Monkey Knuckles Music/ASCAP) * JOHN vocal, acoustic guitar, lap steel & handclaps * SUSIE vocals & handclaps * ROB vocal, electric bass, drums & handclaps
WANT ME (Susie Suraci * Slim Dot Music/ASCAP) * SUSIE vocals & acoustic guitar * ROB electric bass, piano, electric guitar & drums * JOHN acoustic guitar, accordion, mandolin & triangle
THE BALTIMORE CAPER (John Minton * Monkey Knuckles Music/ASCAP) * JOHN vocal, acoustic guitars, organ, accordion & theremin * ROB vocal, upright bass, log drum & drums * SUSIE vocal
COME STRAIGHT HOME (Susie Suraci * Slim Dot Music/ASCAP) * SUSIE vocals & acoustic guitars * ROB vocal, electric guitars, electric bass & drums * JOHN acoustic twelve-string guitar & banjo
SOMETIMES IN THE COUNTRY (John Minton * Monkey Knuckles Music/ASCAP) * JOHN vocal & acoustic guitar * SUSIE vocals & acoustic guitar * ROB vocal, electric basses & drums
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