BAKER CITY — Dean Johnson got a guitar when he was 14.

“A cheap, nylon string guitar,” he said.

It was right-handed — and he’s left-handed.

But he learned to play it anyway (right-handed), and for the next 15 years, he made music.

“Mostly I was making my own guitar compositions, and not really singing,” he said.

Based in Seattle, he’d written a few songs by his late 20s and started singing in his 30s. He joined bands too — Davidson Hart Kingsbery, then The Sons of Rainier.

“People started to hear my songs, and that blossomed into people inviting me to play shows,” he said.

He recorded an album in New Orleans in June 2018. Titled “Nothing for me, please,” Johnson released this debut album in May 2023.

He tours solo and also opens for bands, including Jenny Lewis. Starting in January, he’ll tour with Blind Pilot.

But first, he’s coming to Baker City for a show on Thursday, Dec. 12, at Churchill School, 3451 Broadway St. Doors open at 6 p.m. Tickets are $15 in advance at churchillbaker.com or $20 at the door.

James Dean Kindle of Pendleton opens the show.

Kindle’s most recent album, “Trail Mix,” released in April of this year. It features a variety of country music styles with lyrical explorations of romance and the landscape of Northeastern Oregon. In 2023, his original instrumental compositions were featured in the KUOW-NPR podcast “Ghost Herd.” He is currently working on a new album and a project for the Pendleton Public Library.