Dean Johnson wonders if he’ll ever be a bartender again. For 11 years, he worked in the neighborhood Seattle watering hole, Al’s Tavern, serving drinks at the cash-only spot, slinging drinks over long shifts. It’s the kind of job that makes you a local staple, a servant of the people. You get to know husbands and wives, friends and colleagues. But while patrons would come and go through Al’s door, and as Dean stood dutifully behind the bar, something else was going on. Some customers knew, but it was also something of a secret amongst them. Johnson was a world-class songwriter.
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Music fans outside of the city got to know him more recently thanks to his song, “Faraway Skies”, which was an online hit broadcast by Western AF (the track currently has more than half a million streams on YouTube), and it was also featured on the hit TV show, Reservation Dogs. Now, though, Johnson is set to release his second LP, I Hope We Can Still Be Friends, which is out Friday (August 22). The Americana record comes out as the songwriter has hit his 50s. But while some artists are more like sharks—hungry and ambitious—Johnson’s career path unfolded more slowly.
“It’s complex,” Johnson tells American Songwriter. “I think about it in a positive light and a negative light. I can feel kind of frustrated with myself that I’m doing it at this age… But there’s also… some charm in how unusual it is.”
Dean Johnson came to the attention of most music fans at the beginning of the 2020s. As the world was shut down, here came this cowboy. This rugged, mustached acoustic guitar player. He reminded listeners of a slower time, a simpler moment. Something old was new again. Johnson offered something that pop stars never could. Calm. He also offered insight, a painterly way of creating his music, and a voice that seemed like it might break if just one more straw was put on Johnson’s back.
New to big-time touring (Johnson has been on the road with Jenny Lewis and Rilo Kiley), the songwriter is learning things as he goes. He is not feeling any sort of particular pressure about his new situation. If anything, he says, “It’ll at least be amusing to see what happens, to see what kind of growth there is.” For someone who has been so patient in life, he continues to be just that. “I have fundamental problems of setting goals,” Johnson jokes. “I’ve just been slow.”
Reflecting on the world today, Johnson sounds staggered. “The momentum of everything,” he says. “What the…” But that fast-paced reality is not just the general life of human beings circa 2025. It’s also his own. Press requests, promo duties, tours, and the like. “My brain is going 1,000 miles an hour,” Johnson says. “And I’m not very good at controlling it.”
There are other stories in recent history of artists gaining fame in the second half of their lives. Charles Bradley is one, Sharon Jones is another. And while Johnson may not be a festival headlining name just yet, who knows… He already has a swath of songs and a growing fan base. He is also thinking three, four, or even five albums ahead. On his latest one, he worked with Seattle music legend Sera Cahoone, who played in groups like Carissa’s Weird and Band of Horses. Cahoone was also one of the first Tiny Desk performers.
“Sera was indispensable,” Johnson says of their work together on his new album. “She was by my side for everything.” The two got to know one another during the recent Jenny Lewis gigs. “We had a ball on that tour,” Johnson says. “So much fun.”
As some might expect, before the recording of the new LP, Johnson was feeling dread. But he was able to see it through to the end (thanks, in part, to his producer). Making albums has provided its own life-changing moments for the songwriter. His debut was recorded in 2018 when he was 45 years old. The location? New Orleans, Louisiana. “That was one of the best experiences of my life, too,” he says.
Now, Dean Johnson is set to raise the bar (so to speak) even higher than before—albeit with a few more internal hurdles along the way. “I cannot accept myself,” Johnson says. “No, I’m just kidding. Well, I mean, I can’t.” He pauses. “I guess what I like most now is that I get to learn more about singing and recording. The potential for that is probably what’s most exciting for me.”
Photo by Jake Johnson / Courtesy Saddle Creek
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