Dean Johnson / Garett Brennan

TICKETS ON SALE THURSDAY, OCTOBER 10th, 2024 AT 10AM PST

Friday, December 13th, 2024

$20 Advance // $20 Day Of Show
6pm Doors / 7pm Show
All Ages

DEAN JOHNSON

Not long after crossing beyond the neon into Al’s Tavern, one might catch murmurs drifting up and down the bar during Dean Johnson’s bartending shifts – nudges and whispers that he might just be the best songwriter in town. “Wait ’til you hear him sing. Just don’t ask him to do it, because he won’t. He might do another show this year, but probably not.” Al’s regulars, howsoever biased, speak of his talent like a family secret – Seattle folklore. How many times, and for how many years, has Dean elusively replied to some variation of the question, “When will there be a record?”

The phrase “hidden gem” would seem appropriate here, but it’s a misnomer when talking about Dean Johnson. He shines bright, in plain sight, and it was only a matter of time before people stopped to take a look. Dean’s gentle and passionate approach to songwriting has inspired many, and his work provides the listener the opportunity to believe once more that a song can be more than the sum of its parts. If you catch even a phrase of his melodies or the sobering tone of his voice, it waltzes its way into your heart like a letter written, signed, sealed, and delivered just for you.

His debut album Nothing for Me, Please was recorded at Mashed Potato Records in New Orleans with the help of Sam Gelband and Charlie Meyer, Dean’s bandmates in The Sons of Rainier; as well as Mashed Potato regulars Sam Doores, Duff Thompson and Steph Green. The record is a hazy, relaxed daydream – anthems for those who know the sweetness and coldness of quiet moments, the power and the pain of love. Whether you’ve been waiting patiently these many for Dean to release these songs, or you’re just now coming across his work for the first time, the name Dean Johnson, much like his songs, won’t soon leave your mind.

Nothing for Me, Please is out now on Mama Bird Recording Co.

GARETT BRENNAN

Garett Brennan is an Oregon-based songwriter, singer and instrumentalist. His solo work explores the far intimate corners of the roots, folk and Americana worlds, often collaborating with members of the Foghorn Stringband, Blitzen Trapper, Black Prairie, Love Dean and Jackstraw. In 2013, he took a break from his indie folk world and teamed up with Portland producer/guitarist Teddy Presberg to launch a project called pigWar that explored the fringe boundaries of soul, psychedelic rock and high-octane R&B. After years of touring the West Coast under his own name and with pigWar, he hunkered down in early 2020 to return to his folk roots and record two new collections, Year of Mornings and Songs for Sean Vol.1, with long-time collaborator, guitarist/producer Jon Neufeld. Outside of writing and recording, he has spent the majority of his time since 2022 converting his old barn in Hood River into the Red Barn Church of Music, a small magical listening room that hosts monthly music gatherings during the “cozy months” of PNW weather. His live performances are undeniably authentic and raw, filled with songs that feel old.