Never Come Down brings Portland roots to Baker City debut at Churchill School

Never Come Down's mix of modern and traditional American music should land well in Baker County, where the band has already built an Eastern Oregon trail before its first Baker City show. The Portland-based group, formed in 2018 and known for the albums Better Late Than Never and Greener Pastures, will play Churchill School on April 24, adding another outside act to a venue that has become one of downtown's steady live-music anchors.

Doors open at 6 p.m., and music starts at 6:45 p.m. Advance tickets are $18, with a $5 discount for seniors, veterans, active military and students ages 16 to 21. Tickets at the door will cost $25, kids 15 and under get in free with a ticket-holding adult, and MC Taco Bus will be on site, making the show an easy option for an early evening out rather than a late-night trip.

The Baker City stop is part of a broader regional run. Never Come Down has already played Anthony Lakes Mountain Resort and Juniper Jam, and it is scheduled to return to the region for Pine Fest in Halfway on Sept. 12, 2026. On the band's website, the current lineup is listed as Joe Suskind, Crystal Lariza, Lillian Sawyer and Kaden Hurst, while a Linktree listing also includes Ben Ticknor on bass, suggesting the group can present itself as a five-piece depending on the setting.

The band's origin story is rooted in Portland's The Ranger Station on Hawthorne Street, where musicians gathered before the venue closed in 2023. Joe Suskind has said the project started with time spent there with his dad, a detail that matches the collaborative feel of a band built through shared sessions rather than a one-off studio project.

Churchill School gives that music a local home with real history. The building was constructed in 1925 as an elementary school, and Brian and Corrine Vegter bought it in 2018 after living in Baker City for 12 years, then began restoring it as Eastern Oregon's arts incubator and a performance space for art and music. Travel Oregon describes Baker City as the base camp for Eastern Oregon, with more than 100 historic buildings, and that mix of history, downtown traffic and live performance is exactly what helps a show like this matter beyond one night on the calendar.