The band that's known these days as Fruit Bats has been called the same for the past decade. In one form or another, in one locale or another, Eric D. Johnson has been the frontman and songwriter that makes the outfit fly beginning with 2001's Echolocation — but it's been a markedly different Fruit Bat sound over the course of the past couple of releases (2009's The Ruminant Band and this year's Tripper). Indeed, it's an output that can be placed into two distinct halves: the folky (if still quirky) indie pop strains of the first three albums, and the psych-tinged groove of what's become a rock & roll band.
The Fruit Bats join us for songs from those last two records, and we talk to Johnson and the band about that sonic evolution, the "weird" video earlier this year that found Johnson in soft focus, hairspray and shoulder pads, and the band's recent re-location to Portland (a move that naturally brought with it the addition of two locals to the lineup in Dave Depper and Nathan Junior, who joined the established lineup of Johnson, Ron Lewis and Graeme Gibson).
Look for area dates from the band later this month, including November 17th at WOW Hall in Eugene and the 19th at Neumo's in Seattle.
Watch and listen to the full opbmusic session
Related Links:
- Studio Session: Fruit Bats OPB Music
