Fruit Bats’ Show on Saturday Will Be Its Last

Eric D. Johnson has made it official, confirming the rumors: Saturday night’s Fruit Bats show at the Aladdin—to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the album Mouthfuls—will be Fruit Bats’ last. From a statement on Fruits Bats’ site:

Hey All. So, after 13 years, 5 albums, bunch of tours, and lots of laughs, Fruit Bats is calling it a day. There is no major or dramatic reason – I’m not gonna launch into one of those “the changing face of the music landscape in the digital age,” things. Especially since I don’t even understand any of that stuff. It’s been a long run and time for a change. I’ve been fortunate enough to start scoring movies and producing bands and I’m super excited to continue on with that. Plus I’ll still write songs and make records and play shows, which will scratch any Fruit Bats itch that you’ve got. I mean, Fruit Bats has always ostensibly been a “solo” project, so this is just the start of chapter two, really… But anyway, new music from me still! More on that soon, so please don’t lose touch. This means that these shows next week will be our last (though I think we might plan some kinda epic last gig in Chicago one of these days, but that is to be determined)… So come on out and blow us a kiss goodbye. I know artists always say this but, seriously, thanks for listening, it has been amazing sharing this stuff with you. More to come (from a different angle) soon.

Johnson, who has operated the band with a rotating stable of musicians over the past 13 years, gave an interview to Paste explaining the decision in a little more depth, saying he’ll continue to write and perform under his own name. “It really falls somewhere between a name change and a band breakup,” is how he describes it. Check out the full Q&A on Paste.

Fruit Bats have three upcoming shows before going back into the Batcave forever. They’ll play all of Mouthfuls and lots of other Fruit Bats tunes.

Thursday, November 14—Neptune ( Seattle, WA)
Friday, November 15—Upstairs Cabaret (Victoria, BC)
Saturday, November 16—Aladdin Theatre (Portland, OR)

Sad news, for sure, but also potentially the beginning of something new and great.