Electric Americana: How singer Teri Quinn broke from the pack (and found her own in KC)

Members of the Kansas City-based band Teri Quinn & The Coyotes are carving a distinctive space within the local music scene. From Appalachian banjo riffs to punk-inspired beats, their sound reflects diverse influences — howling loudest from the woman in front. 

Attendees at Startland News’ Jan. 23 reception for the Kansas City Startups to Watch in 2025 can experience Teri Quinn & The Coyotes firsthand when the band joins the celebration — and gives the startup community their own taste of the new year to come.

“I love showing audiences what else you can do with a banjo,” said Teri Quinn, describing one of her signature on-stage tools. “It’s a folk instrument, but it can also rock out in ways people don’t expect.”

Set to perform songs from the band’s most recent 2023 EP Deafening Silence, Quinn reflects on her journey, influences, and the collaborative spirit that shapes her and the band’s music.

Click here to RSVP for the Kansas City Startups to Watch in 2025 reception. Teri Quinn & The Coyotes take the stage at 5 p.m. Jan. 23.

Teri Quinn & The Coyotes; photo by Hai Chen

Coffee shops to Coyotes

Quinn’s musical story began at a young age in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Teri Quinn; photo by Casey Reyner

“I’ve been playing music since I was a kid,” she said. “I think it started in kindergarten. My mom got me a Playskool keyboard, and I was plucking melodies from cartoons I was watching. She nurtured that creativity.”

Her formative years were spent performing at open mic nights and coffee shops in her hometown in the Mitten State, where she soaked up the local music culture. 

“I grew up living a very musical dual life, playing in the Grand Rapids Youth Symphony and also going to punk shows,” Quinn said. “Anything music-related, I’d go to learn and absorb.”

Her passion eventually brought her to Kansas City in 2009 to study clarinet performance, a move that deeply influenced her career.

The shift from classical clarinetist to bandleader happened naturally, but propelled by adding additional artists into the mix.

“I’ve been playing with a band for about a decade,” Quinn said. “My partner suggested we call ourselves something like ‘Teri Quinn and the Somethings,’ and I immediately thought of Coyotes because I love them.”

“The name stuck.”

 

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Defying genres

While Quinn leads the band’s songwriting, its members’ input is key to their distinctive sound.

Her bandmates — guitarist Landon Hambright, bass player Carly Atwood, and drummer John Goss — add their own styles, including funk, jazz, honky-tonk, and shoegaze, to the band’s music.

“I’ll write a song and bring it to the band. I let them run with it creatively,” Quinn explained. “Even if I have a specific idea, their contributions often take the music to new heights.”

Her own influences span far and wide, from ’60s folk and Appalachian banjo music to New York punk and house music.

“I think it all creeps into my music in different ways,” she shared.

Teri Quinn & The Coyotes; photo by Hai Chen

A decade of KC

Kansas City has been essential to Quinn’s growth as an artist.

“When I first moved here, I focused on classical music, studying composers like Mozart and Tchaikovsky,” she said. 

A turning point came when she joined the avant-garde jazz group Black House Collective.

“That experience pushed my creativity and connected me with other musicians,” added Quinn. “Networking has been vital to my journey.” 

Dedication to her craft has earned her a solid place in Kansas City’s music scene.

“They say it takes 10 years to really get your footing in the arts, and I feel like I’m at that point,” she said. “I’m ready to hit it harder and take it further.

Teri Quinn & The Coyotes: Carly Atwood, Landon Hambright, Teri Quinn and John Goss; photo by Casey Reyner

Gearing up for tour

Quinn has big plans for the future of The Coyotes as the band prepares to hit the road and drop new music.

“We have some recordings in the works with Chase Horseman at Element Recording, and we’re releasing singles this year,” she said.

A two-week tour through the American Southwest is also on the horizon.

“I’m really making 2025 our year to branch out of Kansas City and do more out-of-town shows,” Quinn said. 

Even with her growing ambitions, she stays grounded by her Kansas City ties.

“This city has given me so much,” she said. “I’m excited to represent Kansas City’s music scene and connect with new audiences.”

Click here to RSVP for the Kansas City Startups to Watch in 2025 reception.