[from Los
Angeles, CA] IHopTrains, the guy who bumped my elbow, was at the show because of
Cindy Jollotta. He moved from Philly to LA first and they connected. He chose
Portland over LA but their connection endured. Because I immediately saw IHopTrains
for who he was, I found myself telling him about one of my favorite music documentaries,
Heartbroken Highways. Most people have never heard of it. IHopTrains was like, “I
think you mean Heartworn Highways.” Hot damn. This East Coaster was the real
deal. He said he was more of a Guy Clark man but, once he sang, I’d classify
him as more Townes Van Zandt: deep, dark, and with this Townes-ish delay. A
compliment, because Townes is central in my soul. Cindy had an LA look, with
her turn-curled blonde hair, but she just as well could have been Midwestern,
especially after she said “skosh” and revealed her dad was a pastor (I think?).
She had a lit sign off to the side with her name on it, because it’s hard to
spell she said. Gross and hokey-charming at the same time. She started off on a
keyboard. Her voice is standout, at the level of those terrible TV shows … but
her voice does have personality and warmth. Who sings along to a keyboard
anymore? She’s got some drama to her so I kept being reminded of the Dracula
opera on Forgetting Sarah Marshall. IHopTrains sang maybe two, three songs with
her. The first was “Going to Jackson” by Cash & his wife, great. Cindy talked
between songs in a revelatory but confident way. I liked it. She’s not scared
of being super personal and sassily offensive. We learned a little bit more
with each passing song. She told us she was really depressed after her band
broke up, for years. IJumpTrains told me the band was Podunk Poets. Google told
me Podunk Poets was a seriously legit band. She complained that her mic needs Viagra.
Then she sang along to a ukulele, which she plays (not because it’s the new
hipster instrument) but because she “was fortunate enough” to spend 2018 in
Asia, Africa, Europe and needed something she could travel with, something with
minimal strings so she could learn quickly. She whistled along to her yuke, and
the woman can whistle. She also did yees Bob Wills style. So she knows her
music history. She’s good-hearted. Her sound check was “Wagonwheel” which was
about to send me into a mental neck-stabbing routine (so over-played in
Colorado) but then said she was doing as did Sasha and the Children. So a sweet
move. She did a sing-along with the crowd to “Jolene” (Dolly Parton) and it
worked. Her songs are clever: “She’s a stud finder, trails of hearts behind
her, she’s a wrecking ball, babe you’re the wall” “There’s room in my pants for
you babe” “I could have been a honky tonk heroine.” I’m a fan. She feels life
keenly and she expresses herself with depth and wit. (Photo courtesy of
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