City Girls/Country Music Live in Boston

Landsdowne Street is a busy, bar-lined street in the shadow of Fenway Park.  I was excitedly headed to Landsdowne on a cold and rainy Thursday last week for CGCM's first Boston show at Loretta's Last Call, but as I  turned onto the street, its normally bustling sidewalks were empty.  Apparently, our bar hoppers were scared away by the rain.  I began to worry that the night would be a dud, but my fears proved to be unfounded.  The crowd was small, but the vibe was big and ​our lineup of incredible women absolutely rocked the house.

Haley Chic kicked off the show with a mellow presence that belied her powerful vocals.  She performed her latest release Slow Down and some unreleased songs that I'll be chomping at the bit to download as soon as they are released.  One line that stuck with me was "You're not a fan of east coast winters. Guess you'd rather be in alone in Arizona."  Facing my first east coast winter in 15 years, you can probably understand why.  See Haley at Hennessy's of Boston on Tuesday, November 26th.

I (Cindy Jollotta) hit the stage next.  I started with Leave Slow, my lively honky-tonk-meets-alt-rock song that is a good way to introduce new audiences to my sound.  However, knowing that Bostoners really like to hear songs they know, I made sure to include a couple classics from Dolly Parton and Johnny Cash.  You can see me at Skinny Dennis in New York on December 7th. 

Josie Toney started her set with some downright thrilling fiddling.  I couldn't wipe the smile off my face the whole time she was up there.  Clearly her comfort zone is toe-tapping honk-tonk, but she also played some beautifully mournful tunes with lyrics like "nobody's gonna cry for me but me." Oof.  See Josie at Sally O'Brien's in Boston on November 21st. 

Ashley Jordan closed out the show with violinist Kathryn Skudera Huddad. What a way to end the night!  Ashley's energy put me to shame as she played a series of ever more exciting foot-stompers.  They played some of her Ashley's popular originals and did an epic cover of Shipping Up to Boston with a vibe I can only describe as badass.   See Ashley and Kathryn at Quinn's Irish Pub in Worcester on December 6th.