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, and for his tenure as a member of The Shins. He has also scored films, most notably Our Idiot Brother and Smashed.
In 2019, Johnson formed the folk group Bonny Light Horseman, alongside Anaïs Mitchell and multi-instrumentalist Josh Kaufman.
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.
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. It was on tour with Califone that he befriended the members of Modest Mouse and The Shins, who took an interest in Fruit Bats and made an introduction to the record label Sub Pop.
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, Bonnaroo Music Festival, and Le Guess Who, and made TV appearances on Last Call with Carson Daly and The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson.
Fruit Bats' 2003 song "When U Love Somebody" was featured in the film Youth in Revolt, and has been covered by bands such as The Decemberists, 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 in Portland, Oregon 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 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. 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.
Johnson joined The Shins in late 2006, after joining the band in the studio for their third studio album, Wincing the Night Away (2007). He was a member of the band until 2011, and made appearances on Saturday Night Live, The Tonight Show, and Late Night With Conan O’Brien.
Johnson left the band in 2011 due to scheduling conflicts with Fruit Bats, and went on to appear on several tracks on their fourth studio album, Port of Morrow. Johnson briefly reappeared with the band for their set at the Bonnaroo Festival in June 2012.
The band first came together at the Eaux Claires festival in 2018 when invited by the festivals co-founders Justin Vernon (of Bon Iver) and Aaron Dessner (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 as well as the Grammy Award for Best American Roots Performance for the track "Deep in Love." The album was awarded Best Americana Record at the 2021 Libera Awards and was also nominated for the Libera Award for Best Breakthrough Artist. 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.