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Fruit Bats is an American rock band formed in 1997 in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Noted as an early entrant into the folk-rock boom of the early 2000s, the group has had many personnel changes but revolves around singer/songwriter Eric D. Johnson.

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Fruit Bats
Origin	Chicago, Illinois, United States
Genres	Folk rock, indie folk,[1] alternative country
Years active	1997–2013, 2015–present
Labels	Perishable Records (2000- 2002), Sub Pop (2002-2013), Easy Sound Recording Company (2015-2018), Merge Records, (2018-present)
Members	Eric D. Johnson
Past members	Brian Belval Dan Strack Gillian Lisée Sam Wagster Ron Lewis Graeme Gibson Christopher Sherman
Website	www.fruitbatsmusic.com

History

In 2000, Eric D. Johnson was an instructor at The Old Town School of Folk Music, led his own space-rock band called I Rowboat, and was a guitarist in various groups, including Califone and The Shins.[2] He also had a four-track solo outlet called Fruit Bats, which he had been working on since 1997.

Fruit Bats had begun to evolve into a band with the inclusion of I Rowboat members Dan Strack and Brian Belval and in 2001, their debut record Echolocation was released on Califone's imprint, Perishable Records.[3] Tours followed with the likes of Modest Mouse and The Shins.

Fruit Bats signed with Sub Pop in 2002 and have released four albums with the label including Mouthfuls in 2003, Spelled in Bones in 2005, The Ruminant Band in 2009 and Tripper in 2011.

Johnson also joined The Shins in 2009.[4] Their song "Humbug Mountain Song" spurred new fan activity. In an interview with Reverb Magazine's Nick Milligan (Australia), Eric D. Johnson has said of The Ruminant Band: "I shouldn't say I had any strong ideas about how I wanted The Ruminant Band to differ from our other records, but I knew that I definitely wanted it to. Previously, when I did those other albums, I think I set rules for myself. This time I didn't try to go by the book so much. I also let the other [band members] play, rather than me being in charge. I played very little on this record – I wrote the songs and the vocal arrangements, and played some piano, but for the most part everything else is the band. That trust is something that comes with time. I had four years to sit and think about it. It can get lonely when you're doing the – quote unquote – solo thing. My band is really talented, so I wanted their voices to be heard."[5]

The song "When U Love Somebody" from the album Mouthfuls can be heard in the 2010 film Youth in Revolt.[6]

The music video for "The Ruminant Band" from the album The Ruminant Band was shot in El Monte, California and directed by The General Assembly. Eric D. Johnson is the only member of the Fruit Bats to appear in the video. He is backed by a fictitious band that includes legendary guitarist Willie Chambers of The Chambers Brothers.[7]

In June 2011, Johnson appeared in the music video for "You're Too Weird" from the album Tripper. The video was shot in Hollywood, California and directed by The General Assembly.

In November 2013, Johnson announced the demise of the Fruit Bats on the band's website.[8] The band played a handful of live shows, which also marked the 10th anniversary of their album Mouthfuls, in the Pacific Northwest, with their final show in Portland on November 16, 2013.

Johnson announced via Twitter in May 2015 that "I'm doing Fruit Bats again", and linked an Instagram photo of a handwritten letter that indicated an album would be released in 2016. Additionally, the band performed with My Morning Jacket on their 2015 tour. The album Absolute Loser was released in 2016.

Johnson is also the cofounder of the Huichica Musical Festival, in Sonoma, California, along with Jeff Bundschu, owner of Gundlach Bundschu winery. Johnson started this festival in 2009 to give him and his friends a place to play.

In 2021, the band was, inter alia, part of the Newport Folk Festival in July.[9] That year, they also released an album remaking The Smashing Pumpkins's album Siamese Dream in its entirety.

Musical influences

According to an article in The Aspen Times, lead singer Eric D. Johnson's musical influences include 70s AM radio, which he listened to while growing up in Naperville, Illinois, and the Grateful Dead.[10]

One writer described the band's fourth album, The Ruminant Band, as one that "revels in early ‘70s SoCal bliss and other alt-country permutations," with elements reflective of classic rock icons including Neil Young, Fleetwood Mac, and Three Dog Night.[11]

A 2010 music blog post for the Chicago Sun-Times said the band's influences include The Byrds, The Kinks' album The Village Green Preservation Society, pop radio from the late '70s and early '80s, and Supertramp. In that same post, Johnson was quoted as saying of his musical style: "I started out a hippie, but I've always had that pop jones -- and that's been plenty revolutionary, at least for me."[12]

Discography

Albums

Year	Title	Label
2001	Echolocation	Perishable Records
2003	Mouthfuls	Sub Pop
2004	Tragedy + Time = Fruit Bats
2005	Spelled in Bones	Sub Pop
2009	The Ruminant Band	Sub Pop
2011	Tripper	Sub Pop
2016	Absolute Loser	Easy Sound Recording Company
2016	The Glory of Fruit Bats	Easy Sound Recording Company
2017	Live at Pickathon	Easy Sound Recording Company
2019	Gold Past Life	Merge Records
2021	The Pet Parade	Merge Records
2021	Siamese Dream	Turntable Kitchen/Merge Records

Other appearances

• You Be My Heart (2013)
• Fruit Bats & Vetiver 'In Real Life (Live at Spacebomb Studios)'

References

External links

• Official website
• Fruit Bats history at SubPop
• Interview with Centerstage Chicago (December 2006)
• Interview with Eric Johnson at Jambands.ca (March 2010)

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