Astoria Singer

Brad Parsons spent roughly a decade playing Portland stages after moving there in 2008, including a run with the well-known folk-rock band Horse Feathers, before settling in Astoria, where he has been quietly building one of the Pacific Northwest's most underappreciated songwriting catalogs. On Friday, April 17, he brings his solo set to Baker City's Churchill School at 3451 Broadway St., with local musician Shem Carlson opening the evening.

The show carries extra meaning this spring. Parsons paused touring in 2025 to focus on his health, describing the break as taking "last year to rest and refill my cup." His return to the road places Baker City as an early anchor of a regional spring run that extends to The Belfry, near Bend, on April 23 — six days later.

Parsons grew up playing church music, where his father served as pastor, and that upbringing threads through his songwriting: melodic, accessible lines built for communal response. His range pulls from folk, country, Americana, 1990s Pacific Northwest indie rock, bluegrass, and gospel. Music critic Jason Mebane of Music Marauders has called him "easily one of the most under appreciated songwriters I've heard in years."

Three recordings give a sense of where Parsons has been before he takes the Churchill stage. "Anywhere the River Runs," his 2012 Bandcamp release, introduced his stripped-down voice. His 2016 debut full-length, "Hold True," was co-produced with Tyler Thompson, who has also worked with Portland bands Fruition and TK & The Holy Know Nothings, recorded across studios in Colorado and Oregon. His most recent album, "Basement Love Songs," was engineered and co-produced by Bart Budwig at the OK Theater in Enterprise and The Rope Room in Astoria. A fourth album is planned for 2026.

Friday's performance will be solo, though Parsons has signaled hopes to bring a full band to Baker City under his current project, Brad Parsons & The Local Talent. Shem Carlson opens, giving the evening a distinctly local frame before the touring act takes the stage.

Churchill School itself rewards the trip. Built between late 1925 and early 1926 in just over three months at a cost of $45,000, the Georgian Revival brick building was designed by architect Charles B. Miller and named for J.A. Churchill, an early Baker City schools superintendent who also founded the local YMCA and later became Oregon state superintendent of public instruction. On March 5, 2008, it became the 12th Baker County property listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The building is now being restored as a multi-use arts destination hosting concerts, artist studios, workshop space, and a bike/ski hostel. Parsons called it "a really special place."

Churchill's 2026 calendar has already drawn Damien Jurado on February 15 and Glitterfox on March 5, with Desirae Bronson & Friends also on the schedule, demonstrating the venue's ambition well beyond any single booking. Travel Oregon identifies Churchill School Arts Center as a key performing arts destination in Eastern Oregon, and it anchors the Northeast Oregon Arts Trail, a regional network of galleries, theaters, and events spanning the area.

Doors open at 6:00 p.m.; music starts at 6:45 p.m. Advance tickets are $18; door tickets are $28. Seniors, military, veterans, and students receive discounted pricing; children 15 and younger are admitted free with a paid adult. Tickets are available at churchillbaker.com. Parsons, for his part, is not overthinking the return: music is "still playing. Always playing.