DESCRIPTION:
SO WHO'S PLAYING POSSUM? The Possum Trot Orchestra is an American roots music collective from Fort Wayne, Indiana consisting of SUSIE SURACI (vocals & guitar), JOHN MINTON (vocals, guitar, banjo, mandolin, accordion, keyboards & lap steel) and ROB SURACI (vocals, bass, guitar, keyboards & drums & percussion). Their self-titled debut features fourteen originals from Susie and John. Stylistically, the tracks span the American tradition, from folk, country and bluegrass to blues, gospel and rock, with touches of pop, swing, ragtime--even reggae.

SUSAN TAYLOR SURACI (sir-RAH-chee) migrated to Indiana from Maryland. A regionally renowned singer and songwriter, she is also an accomplished painter whose recent honors include a 2004-2005 grant from the Indiana Arts Commission. Susie's husband Rob is a Washington, DC native who has worked as a recording engineer in New York City and elsewhere. Besides playing guitars (and just about anything else he touches), he currently builds them commercially. Kindled in his hometown of Houston, Texas, John's musical activities also now spill over into his day job as a professor of folklore at Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne, where he teaches courses on American folk and popular music. He has published widely on the subject with academic journals and presses.

HAVING PLAYED TOGETHER INFORMALLY FOR YEARS, SUSIE, JOHN and ROB came together as the Possum Trot Orchestra in 2004, performing at coffeehouses, clubs, and festivals. For live appearances they're often joined by two featured instrumentalists--Charlie Gilbert (banjo) and Dave Kartholl (mandolin)--from another of the area's premier acoustic acts, Gilbert & Co Bluegrass. In addition, the Possums contributed to John's 2004 release, GOING BACK TO VICKSBURG (Southern Can CDs SCCD 2223--also available from cdbaby). (As THE FLYING SURACI, Susie and Rob also previously released THEN AND NOW, Hot Laba CD 001, 2001.) Now the Possums have recorded their first group effort, titled simply THE POSSUM TROT ORCHESTRA. They hope you enjoy it. If you love American roots music, they think that you will.