Eric D. Johnson
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Eric Donald Johnson (born June 7, 1976) is an American singer-songwriter, composer and multi-instrumentalist. He is best known as the leader and sole permanent member of the influential folk-rock band
Fruit Bats In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants (angiosperms) that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which angiosperms disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particular have long propagat ...
, and for his tenure as a member of
The Shins The Shins are an American indie rock band formed in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in 1996. The band is the project of singer-songwriter James Mercer, who has served as the band's sole constant member throughout numerous line-up changes. The band's c ...
. He has also scored films, most notably ''
Our Idiot Brother ''Our Idiot Brother'' is a 2011 American comedy-drama film directed by Jesse Peretz and starring Paul Rudd, Elizabeth Banks, Zooey Deschanel and Emily Mortimer. The script was written by Evgenia Peretz and David Schisgall based on Jesse and E ...
'' and '' Smashed''. In 2019, Johnson formed the folk group Bonny Light Horseman, alongside
Anaïs Mitchell Anaïs Mitchell (; born March 26, 1981) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and playwright. Mitchell has released eight studio albums, including ''Hadestown (album), Hadestown'' (2010), ''Young Man in America'' (2012),Josh Kaufman Josh Kaufman (born November 9, 1976) is an American soul singer and songwriter. A native of the Tampa Bay area in Florida, Kaufman is based out of and resides in Indianapolis, Indiana. He is best known for winning the season 6 of NBC's '' The V ...
.


Early life

Johnson moved around the Midwest as a child and spent his adolescent and teenage years in Chicago’s Western Suburbs. He planned on becoming a filmmaker or screenwriter but discovered an interest in songwriting after joining a local band in high school. Johnson did not attend college but instead moved to Chicago and became involved with the local music scene there, getting a job at the Old Town School of Folk Music where he taught classes and worked as a house manager for concerts.


Career


Pre-Fruit Bats

In the late 1990’s, Johnson fronted an indie-rock band called I Rowboat. In early 2000, he became a member of the experimental folk-rock group
Califone Califone is an experimental rock band from Chicago. The band is named after Califone International, an audio equipment manufacturer. Their work has been critically acclaimed. Roots & Crowns review AllMusic Califone has released an album and f ...
. It was on tour with Califone that he befriended the members of
Modest Mouse Modest Mouse is an American rock music, rock band formed in 1993 in Issaquah, Washington, and currently based in Portland, Oregon. The founding members were lead singer/guitarist Isaac Brock (musician), Isaac Brock, drummer Jeremiah Green and ba ...
and The Shins, who took an interest in Fruit Bats and made an introduction to the record label
Sub Pop Sub Pop is an independent record label founded in 1986 by Bruce Pavitt and Jonathan Poneman. Sub Pop achieved fame in the early 1990s for signing Seattle bands such as Nirvana (band), Nirvana, Soundgarden, and Mudhoney, central players in the gru ...
.


Fruit Bats (2001-2013 hiatus)

Fruit Bats signed to Sub Pop in 2002 and became part of the label's early 2000s folk-rock boom. They would go on to record four records on the label. They played at festivals such as
Sasquatch Festival Sasquatch! Music Festival was an annual music festival held at The Gorge Amphitheatre in George, Washington, United States. It took place on Memorial Day weekend, running for three to four days. In 2018, it was announced that the festival was ...
,
Bonnaroo Music Festival Bonnaroo (or Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival) is an American annual four-day music festival developed and founded by Superfly Presents and AC Entertainment. Bonnaroo has taken place at what is now Great Stage Park, a 700-acre (280 ha) fa ...
, and
Le Guess Who Le Guess Who? is a Dutch music festival featuring different music genres: from avant-garde, jazz, hip hop, electronic, experimental, noise rock, indie rock, world music and others. This festival was founded by Bob van Heur and Johan Gijsen. It ...
, and made TV appearances on ''
Last Call with Carson Daly ''Last Call with Carson Daly'' is an American late-night television series that was broadcast by NBC from 2002 to 2019. Hosted by former MTV personality Carson Daly, the series was initially formatted as a late-night talk show in line with '' ...
'' and ''
The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson ''The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by Scottish actor and comedian Craig Ferguson. This was the third iteration of the The Late Late Show (American talk show), ''Late Late Show'' franchise, airi ...
''. Fruit Bats' 2003 song "When U Love Somebody" was featured in the film ''
Youth in Revolt ''Youth in Revolt: The Journals of Nick Twisp'' is a 1993 epistolary novel by C. D. Payne. The story is told in a picaresque fashion and makes heavy use of dark humor and camp. The book contains parts one through three of an eleven-part s ...
'', and has been covered by bands such as
The Decemberists The Decemberists are an American indie rock band from Portland, Oregon, formed in 2000. The band consists of Colin Meloy (lead vocals, guitar), Chris Funk (guitar, multi-instrumentalist), Jenny Conlee (piano, keyboards, accordion, backing vocals ...
, Said the Whale, and Guster. In November 2013, Johnson announced he would be dissolving Fruit Bats. They played what was to be their farewell show at the
Aladdin Theater The Aladdin Theater (also known as The Historic Cocoa Village Playhouse) is an historic theater in Cocoa, Florida, United States. It is located at 300 Brevard Avenue and originally opened its doors on August 18, 1924. On October 17, 1991, it wa ...
in
Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...
on November 16, 2013.


Fruit Bats (reformation in 2015-present)

In 2014, Johnson released an album under the name EDJ. The subsequent release was not a commercial success, and was later described by Johnson as a “career stalling move.” In 2015, My Morning Jacket invited Johnson to open a tour with his EDJ project, and instead Johnson opted to re-form Fruit Bats to do the tour. This led to the album ''Absolute Loser'', which featured the popular single “Humbug Mountain Song.” In 2018, Fruit Bats signed to
Merge Records Merge Records is an independent record label based in Durham, North Carolina. It was founded in 1989 by Laura Ballance and Mac McCaughan. It began as an outlet for music from their band Superchunk and music created by friends, and has expand ...
and the following year released their seventh studio album ''Gold Past Life'', of which Variety wrote, “there won’t be many albums in 2019 with as many quotable, cut-to-the-marrow lines as this one has.” In 2020, they released ''The Pet Parade'', which was recorded remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic with producer (and Johnson’s Bonny Light Horseman bandmate)
Josh Kaufman Josh Kaufman (born November 9, 1976) is an American soul singer and songwriter. A native of the Tampa Bay area in Florida, Kaufman is based out of and resides in Indianapolis, Indiana. He is best known for winning the season 6 of NBC's '' The V ...
. That same year, Johnson recorded a full-album cover of Smashing Pumpkins’ 1993 album ''Siamese Dream''. In early 2021, Fruit Bats made their first network television performance since 2009, performing on ''
Late Night With Seth Meyers ''Late Night with Seth Meyers'' is an American late-night news and political satire variety talk show hosted by Seth Meyers on NBC. The show premiered on February 24, 2014, and is produced by Broadway Video and Universal Television. Airing w ...
''.


The Shins (2006-2011)

Johnson joined
The Shins The Shins are an American indie rock band formed in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in 1996. The band is the project of singer-songwriter James Mercer, who has served as the band's sole constant member throughout numerous line-up changes. The band's c ...
in late 2006, after joining the band in the studio for their third studio album, ''
Wincing the Night Away ''Wincing the Night Away'' is the third studio album by the indie rock group The Shins. It was released by Sub Pop Records on January 23, 2007, and is the last album released under The Shins' contract with Sub Pop. The album was recorded in Jame ...
'' (2007). He was a member of the band until 2011, and made appearances on ''
Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL'') is an American Late night television in the United States, late-night live television, live sketch comedy variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Michaels and Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC. The ...
'', ''
The Tonight Show ''The Tonight Show'' is an American late-night talk show that has been broadcast on NBC since 1954. The program has been hosted by six comedians: Steve Allen (1954–1957), Jack Paar (1957–1962), Johnny Carson (1962–1992), Jay Leno (1992–2 ...
'', and ''
Late Night With Conan O’Brien ''Late Night with Conan O'Brien'' is an American television talk show broadcast by NBC. The show is the second installment of the ''Late Night (franchise), Late Night'' franchise originally established by David Letterman. Hosted by Conan O'Brie ...
''. Johnson left the band in 2011 due to scheduling conflicts with
Fruit Bats In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants (angiosperms) that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which angiosperms disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particular have long propagat ...
, and went on to appear on several tracks on their fourth studio album, ''
Port of Morrow The Port of Morrow is the port authority in Boardman, a city in Morrow County, Oregon, United States, on the Columbia River. History In 1958, Morrow County residents approved the creation of a port district by general election. A $500 loan wa ...
''. Johnson briefly reappeared with the band for their set at the Bonnaroo Festival in June 2012.


Bonny Light Horseman

The band first came together at the Eaux Claires festival in 2018 when invited by the festivals co-founders
Justin Vernon Justin DeYarmond Edison Vernon (born April 30, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist. He is best-known as the primary songwriter and Lead vocalist, frontman of indie folk band Bon Iver. He is also a member o ...
(of
Bon Iver Bon Iver ( ) is an American indie folk band founded in 2006 by singer-songwriter Justin Vernon in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Vernon had originally formed Bon Iver as a solo project, but it eventually became a band consisting of Vernon (vocals, guit ...
) and
Aaron Dessner Aaron Brooking Dessner (born April 23, 1976) is an American musician. He is best known as a founding member of the rock band The National (band), the National, with whom he has recorded nine studio albums; a co-founder of the indie rock duo Big ...
(of The National). From the early sessions for this performance, the trio decided to form the band in a more official capacity. Their self-titled debut album was released on January 25, 2020. The album contains a mixture of traditional British folk songs and original material. It was subsequently nominated for the
Grammy Award for Best Folk Album The Grammy Award for Best Folk Album is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for releasing albums in the folk genre. Honors in several ...
as well as the
Grammy Award for Best American Roots Performance The Grammy Award for Best American Roots Performance is an award category at the annual Grammy Awards. It was first presented in 2015. The award was first approved by the board of trustees of the Grammy Awards in June 2014. According to NARAS, t ...
for the track "Deep in Love." The album was awarded Best Americana Record at the 2021
Libera Awards The Libera Awards are an annual awards ceremony organized by the American Association of Independent Music (A2IM). First hosted in 2012, the awards celebrate the independent music community. The capstone of A2IM's Indie Week, an annual music busi ...
and was also nominated for the
Libera Award for Best Breakthrough Artist The Libera Award for Best Breakthrough Artist is an award presented by the American Association of Independent Music at the annual Libera Award which recognizes "independent artist whose release exceeded a certain total of streams or equivalent s ...
. The group's sophomore album, ''Rolling Golden Holy'', was released in October 2022. Singles "California" and "Summer Dream" were released in advance of the album. Unlike the group's debut, ''Rolling Golden Holy'' comprises all original material.


Film work

In 2010 Johnson was hired to score Max Winkler's comedy ''
Ceremony A ceremony (, ) is a unified ritualistic event with a purpose, usually consisting of a number of artistic components, performed on a special occasion. The word may be of Etruscan language, Etruscan origin, via the Latin . Religious and civil ...
'', starring
Uma Thurman Uma Karuna Thurman (born April 29, 1970) is an American actress. She has performed in a variety of films, from romantic comedies and dramas to science fiction and action films. Following her appearances on the December 1985 and May 1986 cover ...
and
Michael Angarano Michael Anthony Angarano (born December 3, 1987) is an American actor. He became known for his roles in the film ''Music of the Heart'' (1999) and the television series '' Cover Me'' (2000–2001), as well as for playing a recurring role as Elli ...
. Later that year he worked on director
Jesse Peretz Jesse Peretz (born May 19, 1968) is an American film and television director, TV producer and former musician. He first rose to prominence as a bass guitarist and founding member of The Lemonheads, a Cambridge, Massachusetts-based band that form ...
’s feature ''
Our Idiot Brother ''Our Idiot Brother'' is a 2011 American comedy-drama film directed by Jesse Peretz and starring Paul Rudd, Elizabeth Banks, Zooey Deschanel and Emily Mortimer. The script was written by Evgenia Peretz and David Schisgall based on Jesse and E ...
'', starring
Paul Rudd Paul Stephen Rudd (born April 6, 1969) is an American actor. Rudd studied theatre at the University of Kansas and the American Academy of Dramatic Arts before making his acting debut in 1991. He was included on the ''Forbes'' Celebrity 100 li ...
, which premiered at the
Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with 423,234 combined in-person and online viewership in 2023. The festival has acted ...
in 2011. Johnson co-scored the film with Nathan Larson, and also wrote and produced three original songs for the soundtrack, as well as contributing a cover of "Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree." In 2013 Johnson collaborated with
Vetiver ''Chrysopogon zizanioides'', commonly known as vetiver and khus, is a perennial bunchgrass of the family Poaceae. Vetiver is most closely related to sorghum while sharing many morphological characteristics with other fragrant grasses, such as ...
front man
Andy Cabic Andy Cabic is a folk rock singer-songwriter, and lead member of the band Vetiver. He was born in Virginia and attended school at the University of North Carolina Greensboro. In the mid-1990s he was a member of the indie rock band The Raymond B ...
on scores for two critically lauded Sundance features - one for the dramedy ''Smashed'' and the other for the documentary ''After Tiller''. In 2012 Johnson collaborated with Andy Cabic of
Vetiver ''Chrysopogon zizanioides'', commonly known as vetiver and khus, is a perennial bunchgrass of the family Poaceae. Vetiver is most closely related to sorghum while sharing many morphological characteristics with other fragrant grasses, such as ...
on the music for the critically lauded Sundance feature ''Smashed'', a score which landed on the
Academy Awards The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence in ...
’ shortlist for that year. In 2016 Johnson scored director Rod Blackhurst’s feature debut ''
Here Alone "Here Alone" is Beni Arashiro is a Japanese Contemporary R&B, R&B singer, who debuted in 2004 under the Avex Trax label. In 2008, Arashiro left Avex Trax and transferred to Nayutawave Records under Universal Music Japan where she started to ...
'', which won the
Tribeca Film Festival The Tribeca Festival is an annual film festival organized by Tribeca Enterprises. It takes place each spring in New York City, showcasing a diverse selection of film, episodic, talks, music, games, art, and immersive programming. The festival ...
’s audience award. The following year saw Johnson scoring the comedy feature ''Spivak'' for Netflix. Johnson has occasionally appeared as an actor, most notably a cameo as a Grateful Dead cover band member in
Jean-Marc Vallée Jean-Marc Vallée (March 9, 1963December 25, 2021) was a Canadian filmmaker, film editor, and screenwriter. After studying film at the Université de Montréal, Vallée went on to make a number of critically acclaimed short films, including '' ...
’s 2014 drama ''Wild''. He also provided voices for various characters in the cartoon pilot ''E Coli High'' which premiered on IFC Selects, as well as the voiceover for
TurboTax TurboTax is a software package for preparation of American and Canadian income tax returns, produced by Intuit. TurboTax is a market leader in its product segment, competing with H&R Block Tax Software and TaxAct. TurboTax was developed by M ...
’s Super Bowl Ad in 2021.


Live appearances and festival production

In 2010 Johnson founded the Huichica Music Festival along with Jeff Bundschu, owner of Gundlach Bundschu winery. The festival is held on the grounds of Gundlach Bundschu winery in Sonoma, California. Produced and curated by Johnson, the festival has frequently featured not only sets from Fruit Bats, but also acts such as Jonathan Wilson,
Hand Habits Meg Duffy is an American musician and guitarist who has played as a studio musician on records by The War on Drugs, Weyes Blood, Perfume Genius, Sasami, and William Tyler, among many others. Duffy was a longtime member of Kevin Morby's live ...
,
Robyn Hitchcock Robyn Rowan Hitchcock (born 3 March 1953) is an English singer-songwriter and guitarist. While primarily a vocalist and guitarist, he also plays harmonica, piano, and bass guitar. After leading the Soft Boys in the late 1970s and releasing the ...
,
Lee Fields Elmer Lee Fields (born April 26, 1950) is an American soul singer, sometimes nicknamed "Little JB" for his physical and vocal resemblance with James Brown. He has recorded with Kool and the Gang, Hip Huggers, O. V. Wright, Darrell Banks, and ...
, Real Estate,
Love Love is a feeling of strong attraction and emotional attachment (psychology), attachment to a person, animal, or thing. It is expressed in many forms, encompassing a range of strong and positive emotional and mental states, from the most su ...
,
Shannon and the Clams Shannon and the Clams is an indie garage punk quartet based in Oakland, California. Known for a vintage sound that incorporates elements of doo-wop, classic R&B, garage psych, and surf, Shannon and the Clams has drawn comparisons to both Budd ...
,
Silver Apples Silver Apples were an American electronic rock group from New York, active between 1967 and 1970, before reforming in the mid-1990s. It was composed of Simeon (born Simeon Oliver Coxe III, June 4, 1938 – September 8, 2020), who performed ...
,
Tara Jane O'Neil Tara Jane O'Neil (born November 22, 1972) (surname sometimes written as "ONeil"; sometimes credited as TJO) is an American multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, audio recording engineer, and visual artist based out of Los Angeles, California, Unite ...
,
Bob Weir Robert Hall Weir ( ; né Parber, born October 16, 1947) is an American musician and songwriter best known as a founding member of the Grateful Dead. After the group disbanded in 1995, Weir performed with the Other Ones, later known as the Dead ...
, and many more. Johnson stopped working with the festival in 2020. In November 2012 at
San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...
’s
Warfield Theatre The Warfield Theatre, colloquially called The Warfield, is a 2,300-seat music venue located in the Theatre District in downtown San Francisco, California, United States. It was built as a vaudeville theater and opened as the '' Loews Warfield'' ...
, Johnson performed
Van Morrison Sir George Ivan "Van" Morrison (born 31 August 1945) is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter and musician whose recording career started in the 1960s. Morrison's albums have performed well in the UK and Ireland, with more than 40 reaching the UK ...
’s songs from
The Last Waltz ''The Last Waltz'' was a concert by the Canadian-American rock group the Band, held on American Thanksgiving Day, November 25, 1976, at Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco. ''The Last Waltz'' was advertised as the Band's "farewell concert a ...
in a recreation of
The Band The Band was a Canadian-American rock music, rock band formed in Toronto, Ontario, in 1957. It consisted of the Canadians Rick Danko (bass, guitar, vocals, fiddle), Garth Hudson (organ, keyboards, accordion, saxophone), Richard Manuel (piano, d ...
’s 1976 farewell concert of the same name. He reprised this role for several subsequent appearances at The Capitol Theater in Port Chester, NY. In 2018, Johnson curated and produced a set at
Newport Folk Festival The Newport Folk Festival is an annual American folk-oriented music festival in Newport, Rhode Island, which began in 1959 as a counterpart to the Newport Jazz Festival. The festival was founded by music promoter and Jazz Festival founder Geor ...
called ''Beneath the Sacred Mountain: A Cosmic American Revue'' with support from The Spacebomb House Band, Phil Cook,
Josh Kaufman Josh Kaufman (born November 9, 1976) is an American soul singer and songwriter. A native of the Tampa Bay area in Florida, Kaufman is based out of and resides in Indianapolis, Indiana. He is best known for winning the season 6 of NBC's '' The V ...
,
Matthew E. White Matthew E. White (born August 14, 1982) is an American singer, songwriter, producer and arranger. He has worked as a collaborator, producer, and arranger for acts including Bedouine, Natalie Prass, Cocoon, Foxygen, Justin Vernon, Hiss Golden ...
, James Mercer (
The Shins The Shins are an American indie rock band formed in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in 1996. The band is the project of singer-songwriter James Mercer, who has served as the band's sole constant member throughout numerous line-up changes. The band's c ...
),
The Watson Twins The Watson Twins are an Americana band based in Nashville, TN formed by identical twin sisters Chandra and Leigh Watson. Biography Chandra and Leigh were born on March 17, 1975, in Tulsa, Oklahoma and raised in Louisville, Kentucky. They atten ...
,
Laura Veirs Laura Pauline Veirs (born October 24, 1973) is an American singer-songwriter based in Portland, Oregon. She is known for her folk and alternative country records and live performances as well as her collaboration with Neko Case and k.d. lang o ...
,
Hiss Golden Messenger Hiss Golden Messenger is an American folk band originating from Durham, North Carolina, formed in 2007 and led by singer and songwriter MC Taylor. History The band was formed by Michael Carrington "M.C." Taylor and Scott Hirsch, following the d ...
,
Bedouine Azniv Korkejian, known by her stage name Bedouine (born July 16), is a Syrian-American musician. She has lived in a number of cities and countries, including Saudi Arabia, Houston, Syria, and Boston. History Early life Korkejian was born in ...
, and
Lucius Lucius is a masculine given name derived from Lucius (Latin ; ), abbreviated L., one of the small group of common Latin forenames () found in the culture of ancient Rome. Lucius probably derives from Latin word ( gen. ), meaning "light" (<
. In 2019, Johnson appeared as part of Newport Folk Festival’s ''If I Had a Song'' covers set, performing Crosby Stills and Nash’s “Suite: Judy Blue Eyes” along with
Robin Pecknold Robin Noel Pecknold (born March 30, 1986) is an American singer-songwriter, who serves as the principal songwriter and vocalist for indie folk band Fleet Foxes, with whom he has recorded four studio albums. He is known for his distinct baritenor ...
of
Fleet Foxes Fleet Foxes are an American indie folk band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 2006. The band currently consists of Robin Pecknold (vocals, guitar), Skyler Skjelset (guitar, mandolin, backing vocals), Casey Wescott (keyboards, mandolin, backin ...
, James Mercer of
The Shins The Shins are an American indie rock band formed in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in 1996. The band is the project of singer-songwriter James Mercer, who has served as the band's sole constant member throughout numerous line-up changes. The band's c ...
, and
Judy Collins Judith Marjorie Collins (born May 1, 1939) is an American singer-songwriter and musician with a career spanning nearly seven decades. An Academy Awards, Academy Award-nominated documentary director and a Grammy Awards, Grammy Award-winning rec ...
. A longtime
Deadhead A Deadhead or Dead head is a fan of the American rock band the Grateful Dead. The Deadhead subculture originated in the 1970s, when a number of fans began traveling to see the Grateful Dead in as many shows or festival venues as they could. As mo ...
, Johnson has appeared several times as a guest on several
Grateful Dead The Grateful Dead was an American rock music, rock band formed in Palo Alto, California, in 1965. Known for their eclectic style that fused elements of rock, blues, jazz, Folk music, folk, country music, country, bluegrass music, bluegrass, roc ...
related projects. In August 2019 he joined
Joe Russo’s Almost Dead Joe or JOE may refer to: Arts Film and television * ''Joe'' (1970 film), starring Peter Boyle * ''Joe'' (2013 film), starring Nicolas Cage, based on the novel ''Joe'' (1991) by Larry Brown * Joe (2023 film), an Indian film * ''Joe'' (TV ser ...
for several songs at Los Angeles’
Greek Theatre A theatrical culture flourished in ancient Greece from 700 BC. At its centre was the city-state of Athens, which became a significant cultural, political, and religious place during this period, and the theatre was institutionalised there as par ...
, he joined JRAD for several songs in July 2021 at their Westville Music Bowl concert in New Haven, Connecticut. In October 2023, Fruit Bats opened for JRAD, with all members of JRAD backing him, at the
Frost Amphitheater The Laurence Frost Amphitheater, commonly known as Frost Amphitheater, is a prominent amphitheater at Stanford University. It first opened in 1937 and was the site of commencement ceremonies for the university from 1938 until 1984. It can hold ab ...
on the campus of
Stanford University Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...
and at Los Angeles’
Greek Theatre A theatrical culture flourished in ancient Greece from 700 BC. At its centre was the city-state of Athens, which became a significant cultural, political, and religious place during this period, and the theatre was institutionalised there as par ...
. He also sat in during the main JRAD set on several songs during both aforementioned concerts. Previously, in October 2021, he played three shows with the original bass player of the Grateful Dead,
Phil Lesh Philip Chapman Lesh (March 15, 1940 – October 25, 2024) was an American musician and a founding member of the Grateful Dead, with whom he developed a unique style of improvised six-string bass guitar. He was their bassist throughout their 30 ...
, at The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, New York as part of
Phil Lesh and Friends Phil Lesh and Friends was an American rock band formed and led by Phil Lesh, former bassist of the Grateful Dead. Phil & Friends is not a traditional group in that several different lineups of musicians have played under the name, including gro ...
.


Personal life

Johnson has been in a relationship since 2004 with Annie Beedy, an artist and permaculture landscape designer. They were married in 2011. Johnson describes himself as having a “slightly nomadic childhood and… a nomadic adulthood, too.” A Chicago native, Johnson has lived in Seattle, Portland, and, as of 2017, Los Angeles.


Awards and nominations


Selected discography

Fruit Bats (studio albums) * ''Echolocation'' (Perishable, 2001) * ''Mouthfuls'' (Sub Pop, 2003) * ''Spelled in Bones'' (Sub Pop, 2005) * ''The Ruminant Band'' (Sub Pop, 2009) * ''Tripper'' (Sub Pop, 2011) * ''Absolute Loser'' (Easy Sound, 2016) * ''Gold Past Life'' (Merge Records, 2019) *''Siamese Dream'' (Turntable Kitchen/Merge Records, 2020) *''The Pet Parade'' (Merge Records, 2021) *''A River Running To Your Heart'' (Merge Records, 2023) Fruit Bats (compilations and live albums) * ''Tragedy Plus Time Equals Fruit Bats'' (St. Ives, 2004) * ''The Glory of Fruit Bats'' (Easy Sound, 2016) * ''Live at Pickathon'' (Easy Sound, 2016) * ''In Real Life: Live at Spacebomb'' (Spacebomb, 2019) * ''Found a Round Stone: Live in Portland'' (Merge Records, 2020) * ''Sometimes a Cloud is Just a Cloud'' (Merge Records, 2022) Bonny Light Horseman * ''Bonny Light Horseman'' (37d03d, 2020) * ''Rolling Golden Holy'' (37d03d, 2022) * ''Keep Me on Your Mind/See You Free'' (Jagjaguwar, 2024) EDJ * ''EDJ'' (Easy Sound, 2014) I, Rowboat * self-titled (self-released, 1999) Other appearances * Califone - ''Roomsound'' (Perishable, 2001) * Sally Timms - ''In the World of Him'' (Touch and Go, 2004) * The Shins - ''Wincing the Night Away'' (Sub Pop, 2007) * Vetiver - ''Tight Knit'' (Sub Pop, 2009) * Vetiver - ''The Errant Charm'' (Sub Pop, 2011) *Our Idiot Brother - Original Soundtrack Album (ABKCO, 2011) * The Shins - ''Port of Morrow'' (Columbia, 2012) * Matt Berry - ''Kill the Wolf'' (Acid Jazz, 2013) *Nina Persson - ''Animal Heart'' (Universal, 2014) *Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats - ''Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats'' (Concord, 2015) *Various Artists - ''Day of the Dead'' (4AD, 2016) *Jim James - ''Eternally Even'' (ATO, 2016) *Kacey Johansing - ''The Hiding'' (Night Bloom, 2017) *Anna Ternheim - ''A Space For Lost Time'' (BMG, 2019) *Vetiver - ''Up On High'' (Easy Sound, 2019) *CARM - ''April'' (37d03d, 2021) *SunYears - ''Come Fetch My Soul!'' (Yep Roc, 2023) *Blitzen Trapper - ''100's of 1000's, Millions of Billions'' (Yep Roc, 2024)


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Eric D. 1976 births Living people Musicians from Chicago The Shins members American folk singers Bonny Light Horseman (band) members