Dean Johnson at Billsville - Monday, May 20th

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.