Freedy Johnston plays guitar at the OPB studio in Portland, Ore., on March 26, 2024.
Nate Sjol / OPB
Portland has a long musical history, and the city remains a vibrant scene for emerging bands and artists. Across genres and decades, the Rose City can claim the likes of Pink Martini, The Kingsmen, Elliot Smith, The Decemberists, The Dandy Warhols, Blind Pilot, Everclear, Esperanza Spalding and many others among its musical exports.
But Portland has also become a popular destination for musicians who made their names in other cities or music scenes. REM’s Peter Buck, Steve Berlin of Los Lobos, and Patterson Hood of Drive-By Truckers are just a few names that have chosen Portland as home base, even as their musical roots lie elsewhere.
A new addition to that list is Freedy Johnston. The Kansas-born singer-songwriter has a musical resume spanning over three decades. Last summer, he and his partner, Kristi, moved to Portland from Joshua Tree, California.
“We wanted to go somewhere we could just enjoy life,” Johnston says. “And I said, ‘I really love Portland’. And she agreed. So, we just basically showed up here last June.”
Among the factors in that decision was Johnston’s familiarity with the city over his many years as a touring musician.
“I’d played many shows here,” he says. “The first show I played after COVID [lockdowns] was at the Alberta Street Pub.”
That venue’s former owner, Ezra Holbrook, is a long-time friend of Johnston. A musician himself (Holbrook was a founding member of The Decemberists), he now owns Havalina bar in the city’s St. Johns neighborhood.
“Ezzie is part of my musical life. I love the guy,” Johnston says of his friend.
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Since his arrival, Johnston and Holbrook have paired up regularly for a series of Sunday evening performances at Havalina, playing songs from Johnston’s vast songbook and a variety of covers, ranging from iconic artists like Elton John and Glen Campbell to Johnston’s contemporaries like Matthew Sweet and Marshall Crenshaw.
“It’s two guys singing and having fun,” he says about the loose, informal feel of the Havalina shows.
He has also worked new songs into some of his sets, getting a chance to play them live before recording them for a future album. Johnston’s recorded discography dates back to the early ‘90s, when he released two albums on an indie label (1990′s The Trouble Tree and 1992′s Can You Fly?) before signing with Elektra Records, a label with a history that includes The Doors, The Cure, Jackson Browne, and hundreds more. In 1994, that label released This Perfect World, led off by the single “Bad Reputation”. That song had what today might be called ‘a moment,’ with radio stations across the country playing it widely and it’s accompanying video in steady rotation on MTV.
Johnston recalls the first time he heard the song on the radio: “I was on tour with the Cowboy Junkies. And I walked in a 24-hour Kroger grocery store to get some water and my song was playing! Like, ‘Whoa! That’s what it’s like!’ I’ll never forget that. I’m like a little kid when it comes to that.”
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The song ultimately landed in the Billboard Hot 100, and This Perfect World (produced by Butch Vig of the band Garbage and renowned for his work with Nirvana and The Smashing Pumpkins, among others) received rave reviews, with critics comparing Johnston favorably to songwriters like Elvis Costello and Neil Young. Rolling Stone named him “Songwriter of the Year” for 1994. Thirty years removed from the experience, Johnston says he’ll always be grateful for that song and album taking off, but the overall experience was a lot to take in.
“At the time it was ridiculous and embarrassing in a way. I went from just being this guy playing Maxwell’s [a New York venue] to being on the TV, and it freaked me out,” he admits. “It was just not normal. Other people would have been better at it. Let’s say that.”
In the years since, Johnston has continued to tour and make several more albums, including his most recent, 2022′s Back On The Road To You. The release was his first new work after a longer than expected gap between albums.
“I know in the old days if I liked an artist and they didn’t make a record for seven years I’d just assume they were dead or retired,” he jokes. “And yet I’ve gotten away with it. People really responded well to the last album.”
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Johnston says he hopes to record a new album later this year.
“I am doing my job. Still writing songs,” he says. “I really love it. It is something my brain will not stop doing.”
In the meantime, he continues to play shows in other part of the U.S. and just as frequently around the Portland area. In addition to the near-weekly Havalina sets, he’s played recent shows with a full band comprised of Portland musicians at the Kenton Club and has dates booked in Troutdale and other locations in the months ahead.
He says the move to Portland has been great for him musically and personally. He’s made new friends in the musical community, including members of Portugal. The Man, and reconnected with old ones like Peter Buck, too. Playing shows in Portland regularly has let him connect with devoted fans and introduce his music to new ones.
“Cities have an atmosphere and a vibe,” he says. “But in this town? People are darn nice. I love it.”