Possums are strange yet beautiful creatures. As North America’s only native marsupial, they symbolize the power of wisdom over force. Playing dead is a patient strategy to outwit impending danger. With their big ears and powerful noses, they serve as a natural clean-up crew and help to control ticks and other pests.
Much like a passel of possums, the Jackson-based bluegrass group Possum Queen rolls through their repertoire as a cohesive unit with each member playing a crucial role. Possum Queen began when banjoist Ben Landolt invited vocalist Morgan Cotter to join him for a show. Landolt and Cotter worked for Grand Teton National Park and shared an appreciation for Americana and bluegrass music. With little prior public performing experience, Cotter discovered a knack for songwriting and performing.
“I haven’t been doing it too long, just a shower singer and car singer for a while,” she said in a recent visit with KHOL.
It snowballed from there with the help of quintessential Jackson watering holes. Mandolinist Sophie Harnew-Spradley was recruited as a regular at the Hootenanny and member of Henry Pepin’s band “The Moguls.” Cotter met bassist Bennett Slavsky – also of the Buckskin Boys and Vamoose – in the sauna at the Teton County Rec Center. Guitarist Willy Bemmis overheard a conversation about music on the patio of D.O.G. Burritos, exchanged numbers and the gig was his. KHOL’s Managing Editor Sophia Boyd-Fliegel met the crew at a Stagecoach jam to round out the sextet on fiddle.
The group combines upbeat original tunes about Cotter’s C.I.A.-employed grandmother with creative cover mashups, namely a version of Phish’s “Possum” and “Funky Town” by Lipps Inc. They also take inspiration from contemporary bluegrass artists like Lindsey Lou, Billy Strings and Sierra Ferrell.
One tune references a batch of heart-shaped stickers the band received by mistake that simply read, “Thick and tired.” Naturally, for Cotter, it had to become a song.
The band’s name comes from a large reservoir in North Texas called “Possum Kingdom,” a nod to the area’s history in the fur trade and the town in which Cotter’s mom still lives. Possum Queen’s ethos lies rooted in their strong female presence and technical, sharp musicianship.
“[Possum Queen] symbolizes the high-low experience that we all have here in Jackson. We live in this beautiful place and we’re all just pretty much scraping by… but still interacting with royalty sometimes on the street. I appreciate the combination of aesthetics that the name conjures,” Boyd-Fliegel said.
From shows at Silver Dollar Bar inside of the Wort Hotel to a free concert at Russ Garaman Park, the group connects with audiences large and small who want to share in their grassroots groove.
Possum Queen hosts an open bluegrass jam at the Stagecoach every second Wednesday of the month, fostering an environment that’s inclusive to musicians of all ability levels who’re keen on picking a few tunes. The group plans to perform a free show with guitarists Zach Freidhof and Russell Neslon at 6 p.m. at the Old Wilson Schoolhouse on Saturday, Nov. 7.
Fans of Possum Queen can stay up to date with future performances by following the group on Instagram @possumqueen_band.
Listen above for KHOL’s full conversation and live performance with Possum Queen.
Support for this arts and cultural coverage comes from the Wyoming Arts Council.
