ASTORIA If one could pinpoint exactly what it is that separates good folk and roots-based music from mediocre schlock, everyone would be getting it right. Obviously, not everyone does, but Portland-by-way-of-Indianapolis singer/songwriter Kory Quinn is one of those whose music not only upholds well-worn traditions but also sounds fresh in the process. It might be a case of believability: Quinn’s latest nine-song collection, Waitin’ for a Train, carries on the tradition of wandering troubadours and train-hopping drifters, and if that’s a romantic notion (it’s not entirely fabricated, as Quinn recently took a trip across the U.S. by train, although it was funded by Kickstarter, so one presumes he wasn’t hopping from boxcar to boxcar), it’s one that Quinn imbues with authenticity. In a crowded field of local roots musicians, Quinn stands out as one who’s got his bead aimed precisely at the truth.

Quinn and his band the Comrades break forth with a firm, compelling sort of Americana that is at once hauntingly familiar and entirely Quinns own. The songwriters voice, both strained and tender, wafts through a soundscape speckled with sparse percussion and hammering harmonica, perfectly suiting somber lullabies such as the placid In My Mothers Arms and the raucous Runaway Train with equal vigor. Quinn offers timeless country folk infused with a hint of rock, the kind of music that has been listened to for generations and will remain relevant for decades.

Kory Quinn and the Comrades bring their foot stompin’ hobo blues to Olney’s Big O Saloon at 8 p.m. Friday, March 23. The Big O is located at 89523 Oregon Highway 202. There is no cover charge.